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The members of the Sakura Alliance exchanged uneasy glances as they watched David and his group turn and walk away, leaving them standing there without a word.
For a long moment, nobody moved. It slowly sank in that David's group had truly left — no one had stayed behind to welcome them or even acknowledge them properly. Only then did the Sakura group stir, quickly gathering themselves and following at a distance.
One of the members, his expression uncertain, stepped forward toward the three who were leading their group — two young women and one young man — and spoke up.
"Kuki-kun," he said carefully, "why did the Alliance leadership send us to Cloudspire in the first place?"
They had all known, of course, that the people of the Cloudspire Alliance tended to be less than warm toward those from the Sakura Alliance — to put it politely. But none of them had expected to be dismissed so completely the moment they arrived. No greeting, no exchange of pleasantries, not even a proper look in their direction.
If this was meant to be some kind of test or show of force, it felt far too heavy-handed. They had come under the banner of a Trainer exchange visit. Wasn't a bit of subtle probing the unspoken rule that both sides were supposed to follow? That was just how these things worked.
They were representing the Sakura Alliance in an official capacity. Who exactly was that trainer who had led the other group just now? By flipping the whole thing upside down like this, wasn't he worried about starting a real diplomatic incident? Wasn't he afraid of having to answer for it afterward?
It was a good thing that David couldn't hear what they were thinking. If he had, he probably would have just laughed and said something like, "So what if I'm openly ignoring you? If you've got a problem with it, come battle me."
As for diplomatic consequences — that was an even simpler matter. The Moore family had always taken a hardline stance on foreign affairs, so brushing off a Sakura delegation wasn't exactly out of character for them. And given David's standing, nobody with any sense was going to come after him over something like this.
As for the Sakura group and whatever they were feeling — David didn't particularly care. This was his territory. Even if he made his dislike perfectly clear right in front of their faces, these visitors had no choice but to swallow it.
Still, the one who had spoken up wasn't the only one with questions. As soon as the words were out, every member of the Sakura group perked up, listening closely for the answer.
The young man at the front of their group was Kuki Genichi, from the Kuki family — one of the six prominent Trainer families of Kyoto within the Sakura Alliance, and one of the three lead exchange representatives on this trip. Given his position, it was natural that he had access to information the others did not. What he knew went far beyond what the ordinary members of the group had been told.
But sometimes the truth isn't easy to say out loud. Some things are better left unspoken.
Kuki Genichi glanced around at the group, then looked briefly at the two young women beside him. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
"I don't know all the details," he said. "But you should understand that this exchange wasn't our idea to begin with — at least not mainly. And we're not the only ones who were sent here."
With that, he stopped talking and turned back around, continuing to follow David's group from a distance.
The others fell quiet after hearing this. Most of them gave small, slow nods, their expressions growing more thoughtful, and then they too moved on without another word.
Kuki Genichi hadn't said it directly. But the people who had been selected to represent the Sakura Alliance on an overseas visit were not ones to miss what was being left unsaid.
They understood what he meant: the force driving this exchange hadn't come from inside the Sakura Alliance at all. It had come from somewhere outside it.
The Sakura Alliance had faced heavy restrictions since the World War, but it was still one of the most powerful alliances in the world. There weren't many forces out there capable of pushing it into something like this.
Which meant the one pulling the strings behind this exchange was becoming rather obvious. As that thought settled in, the expressions of the Sakura group grew tight and uncomfortable. They hadn't expected that showing up for what was supposed to be a simple exchange would drag them into something this complicated.
The mood among them turned grim. Everyone there understood, without needing to say it, that getting involved in matters like this was dangerous. If Cloudspire decided to retaliate against them later, there would be nothing they could do about it.
That understanding made them all much quieter and more careful as they walked.
What they didn't know, however, was that even though David had already moved quite far ahead, his Aura still spread through the area, covering the ground where they walked and talked. Everything they had said had reached him clearly.
Meanwhile, David had already led his group a good distance away.
"David," Miles called out — the stout, round-faced boy's earlier bravado had faded somewhat now that things had settled down. He spoke a little sheepishly. "Was it really alright to just leave them like that?"
After all, the fact that the Sakura group had been allowed to come at all meant that the higher-ups on both sides had agreed to this visit. Walking away from them like that wasn't exactly easy to justify, and Miles felt a small knot of guilt about it.
"What are you worried about?" Luke pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and gave a light scoff. "If they've got a problem with it, they can challenge us to a battle. Can you imagine if they went crying to a teacher instead? That would be embarrassing for them, not us."
The people around them were not exactly ordinary, either. Luke clearly wasn't losing any sleep over the group's feelings.
"Alright, alright," David said, cutting through the chatter. "Since everyone's already annoyed with them, here's what we'll do — we'll take them on a little detour through the battle arena, and then..."
Everyone leaned in to hear the plan. David had built up enough trust that when he spoke like this, people listened. And since the whole point was to give the Sakura delegation a proper demonstration of what Cloudspire's Trainers were capable of, the group quickly agreed.
"Miles, take a few people and show them around. Keep it casual — just a regular tour. But make sure you bring them through the battle arena. That's the important part."
"Understood, David."
"Emma, spread the word around campus. Let people know the Sakura Alliance group has shown up acting like Cloudspire's Imperial Capital First High is an easy target."
"Got it," Emma said with a sharp nod.
"The rest of you, come with me to the training arena. We'll be waiting there by the time they arrive."
"I'll handle whoever's leading their group. The rest of you — give it everything you've got. Anyone who puts on a strong showing might just earn themselves a guaranteed spot on the school team."
That got a reaction. Eyes lit up all around the group. Right — they had nearly forgotten that David also held a reserved place as the school team captain. If he was saying it, it was as good as done. Even if the system didn't formally recognize it yet, his word was enough to make it happen.
After that, David led the main group directly toward the school's central battle arena. Emma and Miles, having received their instructions, split off and headed their separate ways.
As he walked, David ran through his current strength in his head — and took stock of what he'd gained recently. These Sakura visitors were nothing he needed to worry about. If anything, he was looking forward to showing them just that.
A quiet smile crossed his face. Without any more delay, he brought the group to the battle arena and settled in to wait.
"Heh. Let's see who's lucky enough to run into me first."
He was genuinely curious. More than anything, he wanted to see the look on their faces the moment they laid eyes on his Salamence.