Chapter 13: The Sand Division Leader

There should only be one person referred to as the "boss" within Team Quicksand.

At least, that's what Baiki used to think.

But now, he realized that even the high-ranking official, Soujiro, leading the Sand Division, was addressed as the "boss" by the subordinates, not as the captain.

It was a significant issue.

Although it might seem just a title, it carried a connotation similar to "my superior's superior isn't my superior," hinting at internal power struggles.

He hoped he was overthinking it, but the more he delved into it, the more he felt like the Team Quicksand ship was on the verge of capsizing, with a constant threat of collapse...

He hoped that Team Quicksand would survive until he grew stronger.

Guided by a fox-like man, Baiki walked forward. When they reached an elevator, the man suddenly turned around and said, "I'm called Ryuko."

"Hello."

Baiki responded softly, keeping an eye on Kecleon from the corner of his eye. It seemed curious about the metallic objects around, but Baiki relaxed as it showed no signs of trouble.

Pokémon were beings possessing human-like intelligence, but often their rationality wasn't enough to suppress their instincts—such as the instinct for violence, reproduction, and hunger.

Despite feeding Kecleon well before coming out, if it couldn't resist the temptation of so many iron objects, things might get troublesome.

Ryuko pressed a switch, and the elevator started descending slowly.

He glanced at Baiki and the obedient Kecleon at his ankle, then asked, "Did you bring it out from the assessment area?"

"Yes, I felt it was a kind of fate, so I tried to capture it."

"What about the one distributed by the team?"

"I exchanged it for a monetary allowance. I was concerned about lacking experience in the first nurturing."

"Heh... You're quite self-aware. Many people, after getting their first Pokémon, immediately want a second one, ending up not taking care of either properly." He flashed a smile.

Creak.

The elevator reached the bottom.

Before them appeared a vast underground space, with layers of makeshift metal houses, colorful neon lights illuminating the dimness, steel beams piercing up and down, discarded iron boxes, and scattered wire meshes used for isolation.

Resembling a slum area in some sci-fi games.

[Underground City].

The dark side of Yellow Iron Town in its entirety, the paradise of violent gangs and the hell of the poor. If the surface had a seemingly nominal police station, the underground city belonged entirely to the violent gangs.

Whoever had the biggest fist dictated the rules.

Baiki hadn't been here many times because it was both dangerous and unnecessary. He wasn't the type to seek trouble since he was young.

As he began to survey the area, Ryuko nudged his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I like rational people. If you don't mind, come with me?"

"Huh?"

Baiki was momentarily stunned, about to say something, when the person who had greeted him to report in approached.

"Oh, you're here quite early! At your age, I—Ah! Lord Ryuko! Good morning!"

The person's eyes widened, standing up straight and saluting.

"Good morning to you too." Ryuko waved, then turned to Baiki with surprise in his eyes. "As you can see, I'm an officer in the Sand Division, recruiting new members."

"I was just being—"

"Hey! Don't bother with those useless things. The boss is waiting for you inside; hurry up." Ryuko nudged his shoulder.

Baiki could only follow behind the man, continuing inward with Kecleon.

In the Quicksand Team, the next highest rank after the leader was an officer—the captain, in charge of ten squads, with each squad consisting of ten people. In other words, Ryuko was in charge of a hundred official members.

There was such a young officer in the Sand Division?

He pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered some gossip he had heard a few days ago about the Sand Division, about a man inheriting his deceased father's position and defeating all the challengers within a month.

It was probably him.

Although significantly stronger than him from the start, achieving this level was still commendable.

Ryuko, who had lost his support, must have been in a difficult situation at the time.

"Hey, are you quite familiar with Lord Ryuko?"

The guide interrupted his thoughts.

"Not really, just met him recently, had the chance to chat." Baiki shook his head, not intending to boast. On the contrary, he was a bit worried that his earlier impoliteness might be remembered.

—These things were too common in Yellow Iron Town. One of his colleagues forgot to salute a formal member and got teased.

He discreetly scanned the surroundings. There weren't many people in the underground city, and those who occasionally appeared were silently observing.

However, unlike the mixed jealous and mocking glances above ground, these were mostly curious and friendlier.

The few whispers were indistinct, but didn't seem like malicious gossip.

"You're really lucky. Lord Ryuko rarely invites others personally. Their team has good benefits and a good atmosphere." The guide's eyes held a hint of envy.

"Thanks a lot for reminding me, otherwise, I wouldn't have come today."

"Haha, you've got a sweet tongue, go on, the boss is inside that building."

The guide patted his back, pointing toward a metal house in front.

There were no spectators in the boxing ring-like area inside. Instead, there was a giant octagonal cage, bright incandescent lights, and screens playing videos.

Loud music blared from the speakers around, creating an atmosphere similar to an enthusiastic match.

However, there were no spectators in the boxing ring.

There was only a towering muscular man and a powerful Machoke, both standing in the octagonal cage, throwing punches at each other or dodging. Despite wearing gloves, the dull thuds of their punches were still terrifying.

Baiki watched for about half a minute and saw the Machoke suddenly land a punch on the man's abdomen. The man spat out a mixture of blood and saliva onto his mouthguard, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"..."

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, glanced at Machoke on the opposite side, which was unexpectedly looking at him. The Machoke didn't seem to have any guilt after mauling someone, showing a cruel smile instead.

But just as it was about to approach, a silver figure suddenly stood between them.

"Grr!"

Kecleon growled a warning at the Machoke.

"Ah! I'm such an idiot! How could I forget about you being here."

Baiki regretfully crouched down, patting Kecleon's head. "It's okay, wait downstairs for me; it'll be over soon."

"Grr!"

Kecleon turned around, giving a serious call.

As if saying the Machoke was dangerous, and they shouldn't confront it head-on.

If only he could refuse...

Baiki was just about to try again when a terrifying sound of rushing wind came from above his head, as if some object was approaching at high speed! Whoosh! A heavy punch missed!

Surprisingly, the Machoke turned its head to look at Baiki, who had rolled away. He held Kecleon, his face serious with furrowed brows.

"Is it already starting with unrelated parties on the stage?"

"Grr!"

The Machoke smirked and gestured with its hand.

The muscular man drinking in the corner spat, "It let both of you on the stage; you got lucky."

Seeking votes and followers~

(End of this chapter)