Gambling Challenge

Yuichii is a proud second-generation wealthy individual, and the money of a Pokémon is really nothing to him, but being deceived like this is absolutely unacceptable.

Yuichii relentlessly confronts the stall owner who deceived him, but the stall owner remains stubborn. The two of them argue continuously, and the onlookers find it entertaining.

Yuichii can't tolerate this injustice. He's already red-faced with anger, and if it weren't for the inappropriate location, he might have taken out a Poké Ball and fought the stall owner.

Just as Yuichii was getting ready to take action, Principal Amuro arrived in time. He pushed through the crowd, grabbed Yuichii's hand, and whispered, "My young friend, do you know where you are? You can't cause trouble here!"

Yuichii: I... Am I the one causing trouble?

Before Yuichii could say more, Principal Amuro gave him a calming look, and Yuichii had to remain silent.

There was no other choice; his father had specifically sent someone to watch over him.

Principal Amuro turned to the stall owner and said, "You may not be aware, but we have no need to extort you for such a small amount of money. It would be better for you to apologize."

The friendly Principal Amuro had a sudden change in demeanor when he addressed the stall owner.

Although Principal Amuro was tactful, not just anyone had the privilege of being on his good side.

The stall owner, who had been haughty just moments ago, was instantly suppressed by Principal Amuro's presence. Realizing he was losing face, he stood tall and said, "What? You extort people and now you want to bully them?"

The stall owner was actually quite young, and his initial bravado gave the impression that he lacked confidence.

Principal Amuro gave him a stern look and said, "It seems you won't change your ways until you see a coffin."

He then scanned the onlookers and, upon spotting Yuga, his eyes lit up.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, you're here too! What a coincidence!"

Yuga: ...Your speed of changing faces is truly remarkable.

"Well, Principal Amuro, it's quite a coincidence," Yuga replied with a smile. Getting caught watching the drama was a bit embarrassing. After all, Tust has been a valuable partner of YoYo Daycare.

"By the way, Gym Leader Shimizu, do you have any Ghost-type Pokémon with you? If you do, may I borrow one?" Principal Amuro asked with a cheerful smile.

Although Yuga was unsure how Principal Amuro knew he was still a Ghost-type trainer, he nodded in agreement, saying, "No problem."

After all, Tust had been a partner of YoYo Daycare, so helping out with a favor was not a big deal.

Principal Amuro, hearing this, grinned and said, "That's excellent!" As for how he knew Yuga was a Ghost-type trainer, it could be attributed to his connections.

While Yuga hadn't publicized his Ghost-type Pokémon in his hands. He hadn't exactly hidden it either. Someone like Principal Amuro, who wanted to establish a good relationship with Yuga, would naturally find out.

"Gengar!"

Yuga softly called out, and Gengar appeared beside him, causing the surrounding temperature to drop noticeably. The spectators who had been standing near Yuga quickly took a few steps back.

Anyone with keen eyes could see that Yuga and Gengar weren't to be trifled with.

Gengar had the ability to hide in shadows, so Yuga wasn't worried about anyone discovering the existence of the Shadow Space.

As soon as he saw Gengar, the stall owner on the other side realized he was in trouble. It wasn't easy to lie in front of Ghost-type Pokémon.

"How about we try Gengar's Munnasis? If you can stick to your previous claims under Gengar's Munnasis, we'll compensate you tenfold!" Principal Amuro said in a chilly tone.

The stall owner retorted, "Who wants to try Gengar's Munnasis? Don't you know that Munnasis is harmful to the human brain?"

Principal Amuro responded, "If you're worried about the effects of Munnasis on the human brain, I can try it."

It was true that using a Pokémon's Munnasis could have a negative impact on a person's brain, but if it used occasionally, the harm was negligible. Otherwise, the League's law enforcement system wouldn't use this method for interrogating criminals.

"Got it now? Do you have anything else to say?" Principal Amuro sneered.

The stall owner was at a loss for words.

In the end, the stall owner not only had to apologize to Yuichii but also had to refund Yuichii money that he had spent on the Pokémon double.

Deceiving people at a trade fair was quite common, but you had to be skilled enough not to get caught. Once exposed, full compensation was the least you could expect.

As he left, Yuichii shot a fierce glare at the stall owner and said, "With your intelligence, you're trying to deceive people! Hmph!"

The stall owner's face couldn't have looked worse.

Yuga was almost amused: Your intelligence isn't any higher.

Seeing Yuga trying not to laugh, Yuichii feel he has been despised. He gave him a glare and asked: What are you looking at?

After the matter was resolved, Principal Amuro returned to Yuga's side with Gengar and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Gym Leader Shimizu, for your assistance."

Yuga shook his head and said, "No need to thank me. It was a small favor."

"I still should thank you," Principal Amuro insisted. This was a good opportunity to strengthen their relationship, and someone as experienced as Principal Amuro wouldn't let it slip. He tugged on Yuichii's arm. "Yuichii, you should also thank to Gym Leader Shimizu."

Tust had several board members, and they didn't always have the same mind. Principal Amuro had consistently supported Yuichii's father, so he naturally hoped that Yuichii would build a good relationship with Yuga. After all, it's all about networking!

Regardless of any past disputes Yuichii might have had with others, as long as it wasn't a deep-seated enmity, it shouldn't be a problem.

Principal Amuro was one of those individuals who understood the art of keeping things separate and valued the principle of "follow the money."

"Th-thank you," Yuichii reluctantly expressed his gratitude to Yuga, even though he had his reasons for not liking him. He was well aware that he couldn't afford to have a falling out with Yuga and, in fact, it would be best to establish a good relationship with him.

Seeing that Yuichii had followed his advice, Principal Amuro nodded approvingly. This boy might not be very clever, but at least he wouldn't be a burden, and that was enough.

Although he could sense Yuichii's reluctance, it didn't matter. Sometimes, to achieve greater goals, one had to overlook minor inconveniences.

Yuga found it somewhat amusing to see Yuichii, who was practically covered in thorns, now bowing his head and thanking him. Although they appeared to be of a similar age, Yuichii seemed to lack the life experience and emotional maturity, behaving more like a child.

"By the way, Gym Leader Shimizu, Gym Leader Roxanne, and Teacher Lila, do you have anything else you'd like to purchase here?" Following the principle of taking advantage of every opportunity, Principal Amuro was once again inviting Yuga to join them.

"We don't have anything specific we want to buy; we're just browsing," Roxanne casually replied.

Roxanne and Lila had hardly said anything earlier, keeping a low profile. If Principal Amuro hadn't mentioned this, he might have assumed that they hadn't even noticed Roxanne and Lila.

Yuga just nodded in response to Roxanne's words.

Principal Amuro quickly suggested, "Perfect! I just discovered an interesting place here. How about we go check it out together?"

Yuga, who hadn't initially planned to browse further, suddenly became interested. "Sure, let's go check it out. What about Gym Leader Roxanne and Teacher Lila?"

Roxanne and Lila shared the same sentiment as Yuga. Both nodded and said, "Let's go together."

So, led by Principal Amuro, the five of them walked towards the location he had mentioned. Little did they know that Principal Amuro had taken them out of the trade fair and led them to the rooftop of a building.

The trade fair was held on the top floor of the building, so they reached the rooftop after ascending a few flights of stairs and passing through an iron door.

Even before stepping outside, Yuga and the others heard a burst of commotion emanating through the iron door. However, when they opened it, they were taken aback by the lively scene before their eyes.

"What's this?" Yuga asked Principal Amuro in astonishment, and their voices would have been drowned out by the cheers and shouts from the crowd had they been further apart.

Roxanne was also startled by the lively scene before her. Despite her cousin being in charge of the trade fair, she had no idea that the rooftop had such an area.

The rooftop of the building was quite expansive, surrounded by sturdy wire fencing. In the center, there was a massive fighting platform where two people were commanding Pokémon to battle. Below the platform, there was an enthusiastic crowd of spectators, cheering and shouting.

Principal Amuro chuckled, "Hehe... This is also part of the trade fair, but ordinary people don't know about this place. Those who come here are typically rogues and outlaws."

The reason for the existence of the trade fair was to facilitate the management of individuals with sensitive backgrounds.

Many of them were the kind of rogues who operated in the gray areas of the law. They had a universal trait: a bad reputation without having committed major crimes. The Pokémon League couldn't easily apprehend them, nor could they let them run free.

These people were aware that the League didn't like them but dared not challenge the League directly. So, they regularly appeared at the trade fair and accepted the League's supervision.

Over time, the arena in front of Yuga and the others emerged, known as the "Duel Ring."

The Duel Ring was a special trading venue where two parties presented items of roughly equivalent value. They would then decide the ownership of these items through a Pokémon battle. The winner would take both items, while the loser would get nothing.

The reason for the creation of the Duel Ring and its unique trade method was because many of these rogues were aggressive and prone to causing trouble.

To allow them to vent their excess energy, the Hoenn Investigation Bureau built this arena during the trade fair.

Listening to Principal Amuro's brief introduction of the Duel Ring, Yuga realized that the League had quite a few hidden secrets.

However, Principal Amuro seemed to have quite an extensive network and knew a bit about everything.

"If Gym Leader Shimizu has your eye on something, you could give it a try up there," Principal Amuro suggested.

Yuga nodded, "I'll take a look."

When Yuga and the others entered, there was a battle taking place on the platform. A Venusaur and an Mightyena were facing off, but the Mightyena quickly fell, and the Venusaur's trainer claimed the spoils.

As soon as this battle ended, another individual jumped onto the platform, holding a crescent-shaped feather that emitted a moonlit glow. He loudly exclaimed, "I have a Lunar Feather here. Anyone interested can come up!"

The crowd below immediately became excited.

The Lunar Feather was a feather from the Legendary Pokémon Cresselia. It was said to have the power to dispel nightmares and had the ability to lead one to Cresselia itself.

Initially, Yuga was considering whether he should participate in the Duel Ring, but he was taken by surprise when Lila couldn't contain her excitement and immediately went up.

Yuga learned from Roxanne that Lila was a passionate Cresselia enthusiast. However, it would be a mistake to assume that her preference for Cresselia meant she was a Psychic-type Pokémon trainer. In reality, she was a Fighting-type trainer.

The item Lila had chosen to wager was a blob of black sludge, which was undoubtedly more practical than the Lunar Feather. After all, the Lunar Feather's abilities were purely a legend.

In contrast to the previous one-on-one battle, Lila's match was three-on-three.

The rules of the Duel Ring were quite flexible, allowing the participating trainers to set the conditions and rules themselves.

Lila, despite her appearance suggesting a gentle and frail demeanor, chose to deploy three strong Pokémon: Machamp, Toxicroak, and Ambipom, all three being strong attackers with no supportive or defensive Pokémon.

On the opposing side, the Pokémon were of diverse types, including Crobat, Forretress, and Electivire, representing a classic blend of disruption, defense, and offense.

However, Lila seemed to have a different strategy in mind.

When the battle commenced, both her Machamp and Toxicroak held back and, in perfect synchrony, launched her nimble Ambipom into the air, aiming it towards the airborne Crobat.

Even Yuga couldn't help but admire the incredible agility of Lila's Ambipom. Regular monkeys couldn't perform such graceful acrobatics mid-air.

With agility reminiscent of a trapeze artist, Ambipom used the extended hands of Machamp and Toxicroak to leap onto Crobat's back. Swiftly, it grabbed Crobat's wings and tossed it downward, hitting Machamp's awaiting arms with impressive precision.

What's more, Ambipom executed this maneuver in an instant, leaping off Crobat's back and landing in front of Electivire.

The sudden appearance of Ambipom caught Electivire off guard, and its reaction was a momentary confusion followed by a thunder punch aimed at Ambipom.

However, Ambipom gracefully caught Electivire's wrist, directing its Thunder Punch to strike Forretress instead.

This skillful sequence of moves left Yuga thinking of two phrases: "leveraging the power of a fly" and "making the most out of the least."

The way that Ambipom executed these moves with such grace, speed, and precision, it almost seemed like it had martial arts training.

As the opponent struggled to react to Ambipom's lightning-fast and well-coordinated actions, their Crobat was already in the grasp of Machamp and Toxicroak. The Forretress, which was already paralyzed, didn't stand a chance with its formidable defense, or it would have also been taken down by now.

The opponent's Electivire, who had just noticed the situation, rushed in to attack Ambipom. However, Ambipom swiftly turned, hugging Electivire's body, and narrowly avoiding the Thunder Punch.

Ambipom managed to land behind Electivire and initiated close combat, resulting in the Electivire fell down and being severely battered.

Ambipom certainly deserved the title of MVP in this match!

With Electivire and Crobat down, and Forretress paralyzed, the opponent had no choice but to admit defeat. Lila's satisfied expression was evident as she stepped down from the Duel Ring with her black sludge, as well as the opponent's Lunar Feather.

This match was a clear display of skill. Lila's team not only outclassed the opponent in terms of levels but also in terms of training methods and battle strategy.

Even her own Pokémon, Machamp and Toxicroak, were overshadowed by Ambipom's performance.

After the match, everyone congratulated Lila, who was somewhat embarrassed by all the praise.

Yuga asked her with curiosity, "Did Ambipom receive formal martial arts training?"

Lila nodded and explained, "My family back home runs a martial arts dojo. Ambipom has been learning martial arts since it was young, so its battling style is quite different from other Pokémon."

Yuga's admiration grew as he understood the background. He said, "I see. I wish my Breloom could learn something like that too. But I can see that this martial arts style requires a high level of agility. My Breloom has strength, but it's not as agile as Ambipom."

Lila added, "Learning martial arts is an excellent way to enhance a Fighting-type Pokémon's abilities. Maybe your Breloom can pick up some techniques as well."

After that, there were several battles, but nothing they came up with aroused the interest of many people, so Yuga and the others did not come on stage.

Just as Yuga was starting to lose interest in the battles, another trainer stepped onto the Duel Ring. This time, he revealed a Psychic-type Pokémon, Munna.

As Yuga was considering whether to participate, the system suggested that he take on Munna.

Munna's evolved form, Musharna, had the ability to materialize dreams it consumed, creating a unique substance called Dream Mist. The system informed Yuga that Dream Mist could serve as nourishment for Cosmoem's growth.

Armed with this knowledge, Yuga didn't hesitate and promptly jumped onto the Duel Ring.

After all, this opportunity was too good to miss. Pokémon like Munna and Musharna were rare and not often seen. They might not be the strongest battlers, but their scarcity made them valuable.

The opponent was a burly man, and despite Yuga's tall stature of over 6 feet, he seemed diminutive in comparison to the towering opponent, who was at least 6 and a half feet tall.

Upon seeing Yuga take the stage, the burly man let out a hearty laugh and asked, "You want my Munna? What are you offering in this bet?"

The burly man's voice was incredibly loud, overpowering the noisy chatter of the crowd. Yuga suspected that if they were in a quieter environment, this man's shout could burst someone's eardrums.

"How about this?" Yuga revealed a bottle containing a bright yellow capsule.

"Is that... a Max Revive?" The burly man exclaimed in amazement.

Thanks to the Joy family's publicity, Max Revives had gained significant recognition. However, their availability was limited, and only a few people could actually purchase them.

"It's genuine!" Yuga nodded firmly.

The appearance of the Max Revive brought a momentary hush over the crowd. Most people in the vicinity were rogues, and Max Revives were far more vital to them than to others.

At this moment, everyone present, including the burly man on the stage, stared at Yuga's Max Revive, eager to get their hands on it.