After leaving the Gym with Whitney, Peter glanced back.
On the rooftop, two figures were already locked in a tight embrace.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he pulled out his phone and opened a chat labeled "Soul Dancer."
"Mission accomplished, Leader Fantina~"
"Good job, Dr. Peter! If you ever need help, just use me anytime! I can do everything~"
Seeing her reply, Peter smiled.
Truthfully, he had contacted Fantina even before arriving.
After all, this Gym Leader had a habit of disappearing whenever she pleased—so naturally, he had to check in advance.
However, it wasn't until just before battling Valric that he finally added her as a friend.
From her, he learned the full story.
A boy who had run away from home in anger.
A father weighed down by guilt.
And the two had been living in the same Gym all along.
Fantina had known the truth for a long time, but she hesitated to interfere—worried that the father's presence might hinder Valric's growth.
But later, she realized…
Valric wasn't growing because of it.
His strength improved—
But his mindset remained stagnant.
After leaving on her journey, she finally understood this and entrusted Peter with bridging the gap between them.
Given the situation, Peter naturally agreed.
After all—
It was a great chance to accumulate some good karma.
…
At that moment, Whitney finally put down her phone, her face glowing with excitement.
"Honey, guess how much our shop made today!"
Peter pinched her soft cheek.
"Judging by that expression… one hundred million?"
"Hehe… it's over 150 million Poké Dollars!"
Clinging to his arm, she showed him the number on her phone:
157,890,000
Because items could be carried by Pokémon inside Poké Balls, there were no shipping costs for selling held items.
All they had to do was ship from the Pokémon Center.
Peter directly exchanged the required items through the system, packed them into his bag, and handed them over to Rotom.
With an intelligent assistant like it—
There was no need for him to handle such repetitive tasks.
And so…
Rotom, carrying two large spatial backpacks, zipped off toward the Pokémon Center to process shipments.
Meanwhile, Peter wrapped an arm around Whitney's slender waist as they headed toward the arena.
…
The Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition would begin in a week.
This time could be used perfectly—
To climb the battle ranks.
"Please match me for two Bronze-tier battles. The earliest matches available will do."
Peter handed over his ID.
The receptionist immediately bowed respectfully.
"Of course, Mr. Peter."
"The arena looks really fun…" Whitney said, eyes shining as she watched a battle unfold on the big screen.
"Why don't you try it too?" Peter suggested with a smile.
Ever since he started his journey, Whitney had focused almost entirely on supporting him—
She hadn't battled much herself lately.
"Okay~" Whitney smiled sweetly, but then hesitated.
"But since I've never participated before… will it be—"
"No need to worry," the receptionist reassured her with a gentle smile.
"First-time participants will only be matched against Iron-tier opponents."
She handed Whitney a contestant number.
"Please take this."
"Oh…" Whitney accepted it adorably, then leaned close to Peter and whispered:
"I was actually wondering… if I use Miltank and the others… wouldn't that be bullying?"
Peter nearly choked.
"Cough—cough—!"
Her weakest Clefairy were already Elite-tier…
And Zoroark's "mother" was practically at Elite Four level…
A moment of silence for Whitney's future opponents.
The two entered the waiting room.
Shortly after, two young men walked in, one after the other.
The first wore a black trench coat, with side-parted curly hair. Handsome, yet carrying a rebellious edge.
The second, behind him, wore a sharp blue combat outfit. His short hair framed a pair of piercing eyes, and his tall, lean build radiated discipline.
"I'm telling you, Corvin," the man in black said with a look of disdain,
"why are you always following me? Just so you know, I'm not into guys—especially rigid, steel-headed ones like you."
"Where I go is my business," Corvin replied coolly, leaning against the wall.
"And besides… if you, Chris, have nothing to hide, why would you care?"
"Fine, fine. You win…" Chris rolled his eyes.
"Just hope I don't get matched against you later. Otherwise, I'll beat you senseless."
Corvin raised an eyebrow.
"I'm Bronze-tier. You're just Iron. Unless it's a promotion match, we won't even meet."
"That's because I haven't had time to grind. If I did, I'd hit Platinum easily."
"…."
Peter watched the two with interest.
On the surface, it looked like casual banter.
But he noticed something subtle—
Chris's gaze kept drifting toward him and Whitney.
And Corvin…
Had positioned himself near the only exit.
From time to time, the calluses on his hands were visible—
Proof that he was far from ordinary.
At that moment, the broadcast echoed:
"Contestant No.147, Whitney, and contestant No.321, Chris, please proceed to the main arena!"
"Oh? That was fast~"
Whitney patted her cheeks and stood up.
Peter gently held her hand.
"Be careful out there. Your opponent isn't simple."
"Relax~ I'm still a Gym Leader, you know!"
She planted a quick kiss on his cheek before walking confidently into the tunnel.
Chris adjusted his coat and followed calmly.
"Up next, we have an exciting matchup!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
"Contestant Whitney is the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City in the Johto region! Her Miltank is said to be the nightmare of countless rookie Trainers—her strength speaks for itself!"
"And her opponent, Chris, is a rising prodigy, currently on a nine-win streak in the Iron tier! Can Gym Leader Whitney stop him? Let's find out!"
…
Amid roaring cheers, both trainers took the stage.
Back in the waiting room, Corvin sat down beside Peter.
"Hello, Dr. Peter."
"…Hmm. One of Lance's men?" Peter asked casually, eyes still fixed on the screen.
The moment Corvin sat down, Peter had already spotted the edge of a League Investigator uniform hidden beneath his coat.
"As expected, nothing escapes you," Corvin said with a faint smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself—Senior Investigator Corvin. I'm here to investigate a suspected Team Rocket member… Chris."
"Oh?" Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing at the calm figure on the battlefield.
"He's Team Rocket?"
"Not confirmed. But… his target might be you."
"…I see. Let's watch the match."
Seeing Peter's lack of interest in elaborating, Corvin frowned slightly—but turned his attention to the arena as well.
Both sides had already sent out their Pokémon.
[Miltank Lv.46 (Elite – Mid Tier)]
[Sceptile Lv.50 (Quasi Gym-tier)]
The pink dairy Pokémon stood calmly, exuding confidence.
Opposite it—
A sharp-eyed, green, bipedal lizard Pokémon stood tall, equally composed.
The blade-like leaves on its arms gleamed coldly under the lights.
The battle—
Was about to begin.
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T/N:
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