At three in the afternoon, at Imperial City's central airport, a small plane that could hold about fifty people sat quietly on the runway, waiting for its passengers.
The Imperial Capital No. 1 High School team had arrived right on time. They lined up at the airport, and with Dominic leading the way, boarded the flight bound for Magic City.
"Heh~ I can't believe it. The school is actually being generous this time!"
The moment he stepped onto the plane, Miles dropped straight into his seat, stretched, and wiggled around, enjoying the soft cushion beneath him. He said this with clear satisfaction.
The location of the High School League was never fixed. Each year, it was held in the city of the previous year's championship-winning school. Since Magic No. 1 High School had won the championship the year before, this year's League would be held in Magic City. That was why the team was now flying there to compete.
They had assumed that, given how stingy the school had been in past years, simply getting business class seats would already count as a win. No one expected the school to charter an entire private jet just for them.
Everyone was clearly stunned and delighted. Even David and the others, whose own families owned private planes, looked genuinely pleased.
After all, using something that belonged to your own family could never feel as good as getting the same thing for free.
"Exactly! Principal Arthur is so much better than that old man before him!"
The "old man" Miles meant was, of course, the former principal of Imperial Capital No. 1 High School, a man who acted like nothing more than a clay statue or a wooden puppet. He never cared about anything and let certain staff members within the school run wild, while at the same time being tight-fisted wherever money was actually needed. Because of him, Imperial Capital No. 1 High School, once a top prestigious academy, had fallen into disgrace. There were even rumors that some staff had been embezzling school funds. Naturally, his reputation among the students had been terrible.
"Principal Arthur fought off every objection to make sure you all got the best treatment this trip. Don't disappoint him after all this effort," Dominic added from nearby, at just the right moment.
For this trip to Magic City, Imperial Capital No. 1 High School had spared no expense — a chartered plane, private cars, a luxury hotel. Thanks to Arthur pushing the plan through against every objection, the team was getting the best treatment possible.
With such generous treatment, David and the others knew they had to deliver results in return.
"No worries. Don't you worry about a thing! We'll bring the Cup back to the school for sure, hah~"
Miles, still stretched out in his seat with a steam eye mask on and the massage function switched on, answered lazily.
"Don't you have any confidence in our own strength? We've got David on our side! How could we possibly lose? Just ask yourself that."
When they heard this, everyone, Dominic included, burst out laughing. Even David couldn't hold back a smile, clearly entertained by Miles's antics.
Over the past six months, Dominic — once cold as an iceberg — seemed to have thawed quite a bit while spending time with David and the rest of the team. At the very least, that "keep your distance" aura around him wasn't nearly as strong as before. Members of the team, Miles especially, now felt comfortable enough to joke with him from time to time.
"Since you love talking so much, you can take the first match. You're only allowed to win, not lose. If you lose, I'll punish you by making you spar against my Salamence."
After the laughter died down, David turned and said this to Miles.
"No, please! David, you can't do this to your own dear brother..."
Hearing David's words, Miles immediately begged in an exaggerated tone, sending everyone into another round of laughter. For a while, the whole plane was filled with a cheerful mood.
Still, no one should be fooled by how much Miles liked to clown around. Anyone who assumed he was simply riding on David's coattails would be sorely mistaken. Setting everything else aside, Miles's Arcanine had quietly climbed all the way to level 35, nearly catching up to David's own Pokémon. And it wasn't just about level — its raw battle strength was impressive as well. Leaving David out of the comparison, only Luke's Metagross on the team could really surpass it. Plenty of team captains from other top prestigious schools might not even stand a chance against Miles.
"All right, everyone, get some rest. We still have a long way to go."
...
Meanwhile, in Magic City, inside a private conference room —
"Bang!"
"After all these days, have those cursed cultists still not been caught?"
The man seated at the head of the table slammed the report in his hand down onto the table, clearly frustrated.
"Director, those people have completely vanished into the wilderness. As long as they don't come out, we have no way to search deep enough to find them!"
Facing his superior's question, the officer giving the report could only answer with a strained smile.
Ever since several members of The End Church had been captured, the rest had gone completely silent, hiding somewhere deep in the wild.
There was no way they could organize a full sweep of the area. Beyond the sheer manpower and resources such a search would require, the wilderness was also home to countless wild Pokémon that would not simply stay out of the way. If they tried something that drastic, wouldn't it be the same as declaring war on the wild Pokémon themselves?
"Fine. You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing this, the subordinate looked as though he'd just been granted a pardon. He quickly left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
"Sigh."
The Director let out a heavy sigh. Noticing that his old comrade was still calmly drinking tea, he spoke up, clearly exasperated.
"How can you stay so calm right now? Every superior officer from the entire Southeast region has gathered here. The longer this drags on, the harder it'll be to explain ourselves to the higher-ups."
Looking closer, the man calmly sipping tea was none other than the former commander.
The commander said nothing at first. Instead, he simply poured a fresh cup of tea and handed it to the Director.
"I already told you. As long as the other side doesn't show themselves, nothing you do will make any difference."
"Then what are we supposed to do? We can't just sit around waiting, can we? This year's High School League is being held right here in Magic City. What if something happens during the tournament? Should we bring it up with the higher-ups and consider moving the venue?"
"After all this preparation, do you really think you can just change the venue on a whim? Maybe that's exactly what they're hoping you'll do."
"Don't worry. Just wait. Everything that needs to be prepared is already in place. Sooner or later, they'll have to show their hand."