Following David's plan, Miles approached the Sakura Alliance exchange students and offered to show them around the school. He kept things casual — a brief tour here and there — before steering them exactly where David intended: straight to the battle arena of Imperial Capital First High.
By that point, Emma had already done her part. She had spread the word across campus that the Sakura Alliance visitors had shown up acting as though Imperial Capital First High was an easy mark. That was all it took. Students who heard it were not pleased, and they came in one by one, then in groups, all making their way toward the arena.
By the time the delegation realized what was happening, it was too late to explain themselves. They were already surrounded by the current of public opinion, and there was only one path forward: accept the challenge. If they tried to talk their way out of it now, no one would believe they simply weren't looking for a fight — they would just look like they were backing down.
The members of the exchange team shot Miles a sharp look, frustration clear on their faces. But they had no real choice. They fell in behind Kuki Genichi and made their way toward the battle arena.
Everything had gone exactly as David had planned. He had already led the rest of the group directly to the arena and was waiting quietly when the delegation arrived.
By then, even the team's supervising teacher had caught wind of what was going on — but he had found out too late to change anything. As he took in the situation, he couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for how smoothly David had maneuvered them into this position. Still, there wasn't much he could do for his students now. Their only options were to battle and try to win, or to step down and concede. There was no third choice.
"That was underhanded. Don't you think you went a bit too far?"
The moment Kuki Genichi stepped onto the training ground and saw David already standing there, waiting, his face flushed with barely contained anger. The words came out before he could stop them.
From what the others had told him, it wasn't hard to piece together that the whole situation had been set up by David from the start.
"I'm not sure what you mean," David replied, his tone light, a barely suppressed amusement behind it. "But Kuki — are you here to challenge me to a battle?"
Kuki Genichi's jaw tightened. He said nothing, but the fury behind his eyes was plain.
Watching the group that he and his friends had so neatly maneuvered into this corner, David raised an eyebrow, glancing at what Kuki Genichi had just finished scrawling on a piece of paper. He accepted it when it was thrown toward him.
David turned it over in his hands, reading it with an easy, unhurried expression. The content was simple enough: a formal challenge letter.
"Interesting," he said. He flicked the paper lightly between two fingers, then looked over at Kuki Genichi and the group behind him. "But are you sure about this?"
Before Kuki Genichi could get another word in, David stepped backward and dropped smoothly into the Trainer's side of the battlefield.
"Pokémon battles should be decided on the field, not in arguments. That's not how a Trainer handles things."
"You—!"
Kuki Genichi's expression darkened. The easy composure he had carried since arriving was gone now. Still, he forced himself to breathe steadily. He would deal with his anger later. Right now, he was determined not to give David any excuse to wriggle out of this. He would beat him in the arena, clearly and without question.
The team's supervising teacher had just arrived on the scene. He pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a slow breath, watching his students. He had already learned who David really was from one of the First High teachers, and that one conversation had been enough. He held no illusions about how this was going to go.
But there was nothing left to be done. Both sides had committed to a Pokémon battle. A one-sided withdrawal or surrender now, without even taking the field, was simply not an option.
The lights of the battle arena came to life. On the LCD screen beside the field, the image of the Rotom referee flickered on.
"Cloudspire Alliance — Imperial Capital First High — David, versus Sakura Alliance — Kyushu Affiliated High — Kuki Genichi. Trainers, the match is about to begin. Please send out your Pokémon."
The battle was underway.
"Hmph. Go — Shadow!"
With a flash of red light, a Pokémon materialized on the field. Blue, white, and yellow — a lean, powerful figure that moved with fluid precision the moment it hit the ground.
Kuki Genichi's lead Pokémon was a Greninja, and a very well-trained one at that.
[ Greninja ]
Type: Water / Dark
Gender: ♂
Level: 33 — Superior
Ability: Torrent
Potential: Deep Purple
Held Item: Mystic Water
Known Moves: Rain Dance, Rest, Aqua Ring, Aurora Beam, Grass Knot, Protect, Slash, Blizzard, Spikes, Hydro Pump, Water Gun, Dark Pulse, Water Pulse, Agility, Double Team, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Iron Defense, Icy Wind, Whirlpool, Icicle Spear, Surf, Aerial Ace
David glanced over the readout his system had pulled up and raised an eyebrow slightly.
A very capable Greninja. Solid all around. But the Trainer handling it was falling short of its potential — that much was clear. If David weren't stepping in himself, the handful of classmates who could realistically deal with that Greninja would be limited to Miles, Emma, Willow, Luke, and maybe one or two others from Class One. And with the type matchup working against them, both Willow and Miles would have a rough time getting through it.
This Kuki Genichi — whatever else you might say about him — was a genuinely strong Trainer. But that didn't change David's read on him.
"You all wanted to see what I'm capable of from the very beginning," David said, his voice carrying easily across the arena. "Fine. I'll show you."
There was no mockery in his tone — just a calm, matter-of-fact certainty that made it land harder than a sneer would have.
"A frog at the bottom of a well will never understand the sky above it."
He reached for his Poké Ball.
"Salamence — let's go."
"ROAARRR!!!"
The moment the ball left David's hand, a roar tore through the arena — deep and resonant, the kind that you didn't just hear but felt in your chest. And then Salamence was there, enormous and unmistakable, its wings spread wide as it hit the field.
The silence that followed lasted only a second before the arena erupted.
"That — that can't be right. A Salamence that size?"
"Masaka... no way. Is that real?"
"Am I actually seeing this?"
The exchange students weren't the only ones stunned. Even David's own classmates — most of whom were seeing Salamence for the very first time — went still for a moment, caught off guard by the sheer scale of it.
Only the team's supervising teacher was quiet. He stared for a long moment, then murmured to himself.
"So that's it..."
"The Moore family — the Dragon Masters. Of course it is."