The two men exchanged a glance before one of them carefully spoke.
"My lord, according to the latest report, the person you're looking for is a young Trainer named Aaron. He is currently in Crown City."
The Flame Knight paused.
Then a smile spread across his face.
"Hahahaha... Isn't that convenient?"
Cold sweat ran down the men's foreheads. After a moment, one of them gathered his courage and continued.
"My lord, Aaron is not an ordinary target. He just took first place on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Hualis will definitely be watching him closely, and this is Crown City, the strongest city in the country. If you make a move here and draw attention, you may not live long enough to regret it."
The Flame Knight burst out laughing.
"What a joke."
His voice was full of disdain.
"Your so-called tower, your so-called rankings... Hualis loves wrapping superstition in ceremony and calling it truth. To us, those things are nothing more than tools used to fool the weak."
His eyes turned cold.
"Real strength isn't measured by some tower. It's forged in life-and-death battle."
Clearly, he had no respect for the Hidden Dragon Tower or the rankings it produced.
The two men exchanged another glance and swallowed hard.
"My lord is right," one of them said quickly. "But this is still Crown City. Please don't act recklessly here. If you cause a disturbance, it will be dangerous."
The Flame Knight's smile faded.
"He's a teenager."
He stepped closer, red armor giving off a faint heat.
"Do you really think a Champion-class fighter like me needs to cause a scene to capture one boy? Or are you saying I can't handle him?"
The two men trembled.
"We wouldn't dare. We'll keep watch on him immediately."
They lowered their heads and hurried out.
The knight watched them leave with cold eyes, then snorted.
"Trash will always be trash. Timid, hesitant, pathetic."
He turned away.
"True power fears nothing."
...
Outside the tower, the square was still roaring with Aaron's name. The crowd chanted again and again, their voices rising and falling like waves.
Blaze and Liora were stunned.
"Holy shit..." Blaze muttered. "Is Aaron really that ridiculous?"
Liora's eyes practically sparkled. She clenched her hands so tightly she could barely keep still.
Aaron really is the best.
Neither of them had expected him to actually take first place.
Nearby, Braveon only smiled. A sharp light flashed through his eyes, but he said nothing.
Frost, on the other hand, was completely frozen.
That kid was really that strong?
He actually pushed Braveon down?
He swallowed hard.
But the most awkward person in the square was Cassian.
He had not expected the slap in the face to come so quickly. And it was not just a slap. It felt like getting hit in the mouth with a hammer.
All around him, people were stealing glances in his direction. His face darkened with humiliation, and for a moment, he wanted nothing more than to disappear into the ground.
Blaze noticed immediately.
Then he smiled.
A bright, vicious smile.
"Oh, Mr. Cassian," he said loudly, dragging out the words. "What was it again? Were you going to kiss a Poochyena, or was it the other thing?"
A few people nearby nearly choked trying not to laugh.
Blaze looked around, still smiling.
"Anyone here got a Poochyena? Come on, let it out. Mr. Cassian made a promise in front of everyone. We can't let him back out now."
The crowd shook with suppressed laughter. No one dared laugh too loudly, but plenty of people were clearly enjoying it.
Cassian's face went red, then dark again. He looked like steam might start coming out of his ears.
Without another word, he shoved through the crowd and stormed away with his lackeys.
Today, he had humiliated himself completely.
...
At the same time, inside the tower, Aaron arrived on the final floor with Greninja, Snorlax, Infernape, and Charizard.
The ninth floor was nothing like the battlefields below.
He appeared in a space that seemed to float among the stars. Countless points of light filled the sky, casting a soft silver glow over everything. There was no arena here, no mountain, no forest, no battlefield.
Only endless starlight.
Beautiful and impossibly quiet.
Bzzzz...
A faint light flickered in the void, and a small glowing figure appeared in front of him.
It was the Arceus-like Pokémon he had encountered on the first floor.
Its body radiated a warm, gentle brilliance, like a miniature sun suspended among the stars. Slowly, it opened its eyes and looked at him.
A clear, pleasant girl's voice rang out.
"I did not expect you to reach this place so quickly."
"As expected of the chosen human."
Aaron smiled faintly, but his eyes remained serious.
"Arceus."
He looked at the luminous figure before him.
"I've reached the ninth floor. You promised me answers."
He paused.
"The truth of this world, and the secret behind the tower."
The small Arceus-like figure fell silent for a moment.
Then its voice sounded again.
"Very well. I will tell you the hidden truth of this world."
Its luminous eyes rested on him.
But instead of answering directly, it asked a strange question.
"Young human, what do you think this world is?"
Aaron paused, then frowned slightly.
"Our world is a planet, isn't it? A sphere. Humans, Pokémon, and every other living thing exist on its surface."
Arceus nodded.
Then shook its head.
"You are right," it said softly. "But only partly."
Aaron's frown deepened.
"Then what is it?"
A strange light flashed in Arceus's eyes.
"Our world has two sides."
Aaron's heart jolted.
His eyes narrowed.
"Two sides?"
...