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...
The man with the Toxicroak was the Braixen's trainer whom Hoshino had briefly seen from a distance earlier that night. That familiar, seemingly kind face was now unmistakable.
Since his target had finally appeared, Hoshino prepared to take action. He glanced at his Cyclizar and asked, "Are you full?"
"Cy-cli! Cy-cli~"
Cyclizar happily patted his belly. He had devoured an entire day's worth of wages in one meal. The money hadn't even warmed up in Hoshino's hands, but at least Cyclizar was satisfied.
After paying the bill, Hoshino and his partner discreetly followed the man. However, the area was crawling with police, which complicated his plan. He had to be careful…
The target didn't linger in the night market but instead walked straight through, moving away from the crowd and heading toward the shore.
"Huh? It's just a Pokémon trade, not some shady deal. Does he really need to go this far?"
Hoshino, tailing him from a distance, was puzzled. But leaving the night market was actually beneficial—at least there wouldn't be a sudden police intervention.
A few moments later, the man stopped near a cluster of rocks. The only sounds were the crashing waves—there was no one else in sight.
At that moment, he suddenly called out to the air, "Hey, didn't you say you were already here? Don't make me wait. My time is valuable."
"..."
The waves continued rolling in, but soon, a blonde-haired boy with an incredibly brooding aura emerged from behind a rock.
He wore a black leather jacket, and his signature messy blond bangs covered his right eye like a mop. His face was set in a rigid, serious expression, as if someone owed him 300 bucks.
"???"
Hoshino, hiding in the distance, was instantly full of questions. Wasn't this Gladion?!
The young master of the Aether Foundation, making Pokémon trades with someone like this? Oh, wait—right now, the Aether Foundation wasn't officially established yet. It was probably still in its early stages, meaning Gladion wasn't rich yet. That explained it…
"You're Mihao?"
Gladion eyed the man before him, as if confirming his identity. Then, he continued, "Let's get this over with. Show me the Pokémon."
Upon hearing this, Hoshino finally learned the man's name. But his expression twitched slightly. Mihao? Why did that name sound so uncomfortable?
The man called Mihao nodded and took out a Poké Ball, releasing a Braixen. The poor Pokémon still hadn't realized what was happening and thought she was about to battle.
Gladion gave her a brief glance before retrieving his own Poké Ball. With a flick of his wrist, he sent out a strange, wide-eyed monkey that looked like it was wearing a gas mask—Salandit. Its signature feature was the toxic blue fluid dripping from its fingertips, emitting a sickly-sweet scent.
After the brief showcase, Gladion recalled his Pokémon and said, "Alright. Let's trade. Give me the Braixen."
"Braix?"
Braixen froze. Trade? What did that mean? she didn't quite understand. And why was this unfamiliar person asking for her?
Mihao didn't return Braixen to her Poké Ball. Instead, he turned to Gladion and smirked. "I've heard why you're looking for a Fire-type starter."
"Hm?"
"I did some digging. You want to use her to pass Team Skull's test and join them, right? That's why you didn't want our deal to be public knowledge."
Hearing this, Hoshino frowned. He hadn't expected that. Gladion was trying to use Braixen to join Team Skull? Had the young master fallen so low?
Gladion's gaze darkened for a moment before he coldly asked, "What's your point?"
Mihao raised a finger and grinned. "A Salandit isn't worth as much as a Braixen. You need to throw in another Pokémon I don't have. I'm not the type to take a loss."
"Braix!"
This time, Braixen fully understood. her trainer wasn't taking her on a journey—he was trading her away like a mere commodity!
Her expression went blank. Ever since she had been captured and kept in the backyard, she had endured constant bullying from stronger Pokémon. But despite that, she had always dreamed that one day, her trainer would take her on an adventure.
But now, that fantasy was shattered.
She had even quit her favorite job… she still hadn't found the twig that was her mother's keepsake… And now…
"Braixen!"
Braixen cried out anxiously. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, maybe she had just misheard… but Mihao ignored her completely. The kind and gentle expression from before was gone, replaced by a cold sneer as he continued haggling with Gladion.
However, the aloof young master wasn't one to waste words with people like this. Since the other party had tried to raise the price midway, there was no need for further discussion.
Seeing Gladion turn to leave, the smile on Mihao's face instantly vanished. His Toxicroak sprang forward, blocking Gladion's path.
"Sorry, but once a deal starts, she has to go through. That's the rule of the adult world, little brother!"
"..."
Gladion glanced back, ready to take action, when suddenly, another voice rang out from the distance—
"Trade, trade, trade… Trade your damn face! Pokémon aren't your commodities!"
"Hm?"
Both Mihao and Gladion turned toward the source of the voice.
At that moment, Hoshino came charging in at full speed on his Cyclizar. Mihao was startled, but as a relatively experienced trainer, his reflexes were sharp.
He immediately released a Toxapex from its Poké Ball, commanding it to use Baneful Bunker to block the attack. But before the defensive move could even fully form, Cyclizar smashed straight through, sending Toxapex flying into a nearby rock, knocking it out instantly.
Hoshino activated [Riding EX], drifting his Cyclizar to a stop on the sandy beach, kicking up a cloud of dust. Meanwhile, the poison inflicted by Baneful Bunker was instantly cured thanks to Cyclizar's Shed Skin ability.
Mihao narrowed his eyes at the teenager in front of him and spoke coldly, "A school kid? The filth of the adult world isn't something brats like you should see. But since you already have…"
Before he could finish, Hoshino interrupted with a look of pure disdain, "Blah, blah, blah—you're so damn noisy. What is it, your mating season or something?"
"Y-you…!" Mihao was momentarily speechless.
"brai…"
Braixen, on the verge of breaking down, suddenly recognized Hoshino—it was the human who had told her just last night that she could come to him if she ever needed someone to talk to. He lived just above the Slowpoke Izakaya.
Noticing Braixen's gaze, Hoshino pulled out a twig and called out, "Don't get the wrong idea—I'm not here to help you. I just planned to use this thing I found to scam some money out of you. But instead, I ended up witnessing something really interesting."
Braixen's eyes widened as she instantly recognized the twig—it was the twig. The one that was incredibly important to her. her body trembled slightly, and she instinctively reached out, wanting to take it back.
But before she could move, Mihao suddenly turned to Gladion and shouted with a grin, "Brother, you don't want a third party interfering in our deal, do you? That Cyclizar is a bit tricky, but the trainer is just a kid. How about we deal with them first and then finish our trade?"
"Fine!"
"???"
Hoshino was dumbfounded. Did Gladion just agree without hesitation?! So I have to fight both of them at once? Damn it, I didn't plan for this scenario at all!
In the next moment, Toxicroak lunged forward. Cyclizar reacted instantly, tossing Hoshino off his back before slamming his tail into Toxicroak, but the attack was dodged.
"Shit, I really have to fight two-on-one?!"
Scrambling to his feet, Hoshino immediately shouted, "Don't panic! Follow my commands!"
"Cycli!"
Cyclizar's eyes sharpened. Gladion had already released his Midnight Lycanroc, which was rapidly closing in. At the same time, Toxicroak launched another attack—but this time, its target wasn't Cyclizar.
It was Hoshino.
Toxicroak had followed Mihao's order to eliminate the trainer first.
Just as its poisonous claws were about to strike, a cross-shaped burst of blue flames suddenly ignited in the night sky, drawing everyone's attention.
Then, a Bitter Blade came slashing down from above!
The eerie blue flames exploded upon impact, sending Toxicroak crashing to the ground. A faint sword arc remained in the air before vanishing into the night.
Silence.
A lone figure emerged from the flames, exuding an icy aura—Ceruledge.
"That… that was sick!"
Hoshino hadn't even fully processed what had happened, but that didn't matter. It was cool, and that was enough. At that moment, he made a decision—someday, he was definitely going to capture a Ceruledge in Paldea!
But that was a problem for the future. Right now, a more pressing question remained—why was Ceruledge even here? Hadn't the Slowking said he never left Kabukicho?
Well, whatever. At least he wasn't here to gut him for his organs.
And more importantly—Hoshino had something else to do. Something very important. He clenched his fists.
"braixen!"
Braixen recognized Ceruledge immediately. At that moment, she felt like a bullied child, standing on the brink of emotional collapse, suddenly finding someone she could trust—someone she could cry to.
Tears burst forth as she broke down completely.
"..."
Seeing Braixen sobbing so miserably, Ceruledge's cold eyes instantly filled with killing intent.
A terrifying aura of murderous intent surged toward Mihao, making his entire body shudder in fear.
And in that very instant—
Hoshino, who had somehow snuck up beside him, suddenly twisted his fist back and slammed it straight into Mihao's face with full force…