As Marnie waved goodbye and departed Spikemuth in a flying taxi, the members of Team Yell beside Summer wore silly grins. It had been a while since they'd seen Marnie in person, and they were thoroughly satisfied now.
"By the way, Summer, where's Pierce?" Summer asked.
It was strange that Pierce, being a hardcore sister fanatic, didn't show up to see Marnie off. Had something happened?
"Oh, well, Pierce mentioned he was going for some sort of regular assessment. It's to check if the Gym Leaders' skills have diminished," Aya said.
Then Aya regretfully shook her head and said, "If he finds out his sister came back to Spikemuth while he wasn't around, he's going to be sulking for a long time."
"Life is always filled with regrets," Tim murmured.
"Yeah, so for Pierce's sake, let's just keep this little visit of Marnie's a secret," Nayo suggested.
The members of Team Yell all silently agreed with the suggestion, showing that they didn't think much of Pierce's regular assessment. Perhaps it indicated their trust in Pierce's abilities, as he was a key figure during Spikemuth's difficult times. Whether it was the Gym or his music, Pierce had been protecting the town in his own way.
In Wyndon, Pierce exited Rose Tower with an annoyed expression, but he still dutifully signed autographs for fans who asked.
Damn it, what was that secretary's aim, trying to make me give up my position as Gym Leader in Spikemuth? She even said that Macro Cosmos would help revive Spikemuth if I agreed. Idiot, you see Spikemuth getting better and now you want to throw in an olive branch? Who would accept that?
They even brought in Raihan as my opponent for the assessment. I'm exhausted. Why not just bring Leon? Bastards!
In his frustration, Pierce accidentally wrote the wrong name on an autograph. He apologized, "Sorry, I wrote the wrong name. Can I give you another one?"
"No, no, this one is perfect. Thank you so much, Mr. Pierce!" The young woman in front of him seemed to cherish the mistake, clutching the paper to her chest like a treasure before happily running off.
Watching her show off to her friends, Pierce was puzzled. What's with young people nowadays?
After quickly signing the remaining autographs, Pierce escaped the crowd of fans. The first batch of challengers would be arriving soon, and he needed to prepare.
Bring it on, challengers. This year, Pierce is full of energy. If you want to challenge my sister, you'll have to go through me first!
On the top floor of Rose Tower, Rose's right-hand woman, Secretary Oleana, watched Pierce from the glass window.
"Oleana, are you sure it's okay to let him leave?" one of her subordinates asked.
"What, you think you could stop a current Gym Leader? Didn't you see that even Raihan lost to him?" Oleana turned to her apologetic subordinate. He was sweating profusely after witnessing the intense battle, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against Pierce.
"But the energy fluctuation detected in Sunset Forest..."
"While that energy is strong, it's not like Dynamax energy. It's more akin to a pure elemental energy," Oleana said, glancing at the analysis report in her hand.
"So, it has nothing to do with the Wishing Stars we collect."
"Oleana, what about the high-quality berries and the strange energy fluctuations? Should we use monetary means to acquire that forest?"
"From whom? Though it's under League jurisdiction, it's actually Spikemuth's property, which means we'd have to negotiate with Spikemuth. That place is the most stubborn in all of Galar."
Oleana put the report in her bag, clearly not intending to pursue the matter further.
"If you trust me, I can negotiate with Spikemuth's mayor on your behalf," the subordinate suggested, bowing his head, hoping she would agree.
"Enough. Don't bother with this anymore. We need to focus on collecting Wishing Stars," Oleana said as she walked toward the elevator. Seeing her subordinate still hesitant, she sighed and asked, "I understand your loyalty, but before making any promises, do you even know who Spikemuth's mayor is?"
"Uh..." The subordinate hesitated, as Macro Cosmos had little presence in Spikemuth.
"His name is Gideon, a former member of Galar's Elite Four, known as the Malevolent Chef," Oleana said, leaving this information as she entered the elevator.
Gideon was one of the top Trainers during the era of the Elite Four in Galar. Alongside him were other legends:
- Opal, the Fairy-type specialist and current Gym Leader of Ballonlea.
- Howard, the Dragon King, a genius from Galar's oldest family who retired after the Elite Four was dissolved.
- Mustard, the legendary martial artist who held the Champion title for eighteen years.
So, Spikemuth's mayor was an old monster from the previous era. No wonder Pierce was so strong.
"Forget it. We'll just target something else."
The subordinate had a new idea: investigating Sunset Forest directly. A remote forest shouldn't be a problem for someone of his standing in Macro Cosmos.
Let's see what this energy fluctuation is all about!
In Wyndon's Valon Hotel, Rose warmly invited a young man to sit. The young man wore an elegant suit adorned with his family's crest, a galloping horse.
"Indeed, being the grandson of the Dragon King, you are truly impressive," Rose complimented.
"No, I merely borrow my grandfather's name. Your efforts in bringing Galar battles to the world are far more admirable," the young man replied politely, engaging in a round of flattery.
"Ha ha, it's just the fortune of riding on the runner-up's name..."
"Mr. Rose, I believe you didn't invite me here just for idle chat and to enjoy the night view, correct?" the young man interrupted, his tone calm.
"Of course," Rose smiled like a fox, "I wanted to discuss Galar's future, the future of our descendants!"
Back in Sunset Forest, Summer twirled a pen, looking at the list of berry saplings he had.
He wanted to test his newly acquired ability, Berry Mutation. Although it had many restrictions, like being usable only once a month, Summer decided to use it early to start the cooldown.
"Still can't decide, huh? Guess I'll draw lots!"
(End of Chapter)