As Kashiwagi stepped out of the exit, his eyes immediately landed on Frobo. Not far off, Frobo—currently wearing Kashiwagi's face—had his arm draped over Lanyacun's shoulders in a half-embrace, half-restraint, chatting away.
The latter was drenched in sweat, a strained, awkward smile plastered on his face.
"Yo! All finished?"
Frobo waved a greeting at him.
Seeing another Kashiwagi suddenly appear before him, Lanyacun's pupils dilated violently. He instinctively looked at the man beside him, an irrepressible look of terror washing over his face.
"You... this... what is the meaning of..."
"I've asked everything that needed asking. This guy really is in bed with the Crystal Unit; he was specifically looking to screw you over."
Frobo spoke words that made Lanyacun tremble like a leaf. "Thanks to him, I followed the trail back to the organization behind him—an underground casino. You might not believe it, Kashiwagi, but the owner of that place is actually Chester, the leader of the Crystal Unit. You've been a huge help."
"Oh?"
Kashiwagi was slightly surprised. "Chester has an underground casino on the outside?"
"Yeah. You know Chester has always wanted to be the big boss himself, but he's been kept on a short leash by the Boss within Team Snagem." Frobo poked Lanyacun in the ribs. "Now that the Boss hasn't been back for nearly two months, his little ambitions are starting to stir again. Right?"
Lanyacun could only offer a sycophantic smile, not daring to utter a single word in response.
It was no secret.
Chester was the ultimate traitor—the kind of guy who was a backstabber down to his very marrow.
The reason Soshiro targeted Chester so relentlessly was that Chester was not only disloyal to the Boss but was constantly plotting a mutiny. The fact that Team Snagem made enemies everywhere was also largely due to the Crystal Unit under his command.
After all, among the three major divisions of the Operations Department, the Rock Unit handled internal affairs and the Sand Unit managed the mines and smelters. Only the Crystal Unit dealt with external matters.
Chester had been able to act so arrogantly until now only because the Boss of Team Snagem considered him a talent and believed he could keep him under control.
And when the Boss was physically present, that was true.
But now, with the Boss away in Gateon Port and delayed for so long, Chester had likely caught wind of something and was starting his dirty tricks again. It was lucky that Kashiwagi, this "Wishiwashi turned Whiscash," had come along to stir the pot and disrupt their peace.
"What do you plan to do?"
Kashiwagi looked at Lanyacun, who was now shivering violently as he realized the gravity of his situation. "Follow the vine and smash the whole organization?"
"No, of course not. I'm going to use him as my hands to dig up even more leads."
Frobo gave a sly, cunning smile and patted Lanyacun on the back. "Did you hear that? You've told me so much that Chester will never let you off the hook now. Your only path to survival is to cooperate with me obediently."
"...Whatever you say, sir."
Lanyacun looked utterly dejected, forcing a fawning smile.
----
The afternoon the Top 64 concluded.
The names and portraits of the thirty-two advancing trainers were displayed on the giant screen in the center of the hall.
The trainers lingering there had shifted into full-blown debate mode.
"It feels like it's the same old faces every time. So boring."
"This isn't a battle tournament; it's an ATM! They might as well stop holding it and just hand out the prize money directly next time."
"What the hell are you talking about?! My big brother is participating for the first time and his face is up there, can't you see?"
"Heh, he just got lucky. I doubt he'll even make it to the Final Championship."
"What did you say!?"
The rowdy shouting was quickly drowned out by the sea of other discussions.
A few tempers flared into actual scuffles, but they were swiftly hauled away by the Colosseum security. Regardless of which faction they belonged to or whose name they dropped, they were thrown outside to cool off before being allowed back in.
After all, the only groups in Pyrite Town that could truly be called top-tier powers—aside from the Mayor who controlled the town's administrative system—were the brothers Silva and Duking.
Their sphere of influence covered the most prosperous district of Pyrite Town; no one dared to provoke them.
The arguments in the hall continued.
However, they were much more "civilized" than before, as the focus shifted back to which contestants had the best chance of advancing to the next round.
Some of the participants had been competing for years on end—same old faces, different day. Those who frequented the Colosseum could guess who would advance with their eyes closed.
Many underground bookies had shifted the odds from simply "win or lose" to betting on exactly how many Pokémon each side would lose.
Odds for scores like 1-3 or 2-3 were common, and you could even bet on a draw.
These veterans were collectively known as "Seed Players." For those looking to strike it rich overnight with a single ticket, betting on them was a terrible investment.
At this moment, the people arguing in the arena hall weren't so much talking about who they liked, but rather debating who they should place their bets on. Looking at the faces on the giant screen was like looking at a lineup of racehorses—or perhaps stocks.
"I've got a good feeling about that one—the guy with the big nose. My mom says people like that are born under a lucky star."
"Luck is worthless in the face of raw combat power."
"I think that person looks decent."
"That's a woman!"
"So what if she's a woman? Doesn't the fact that she made it to the Top 32 prove her strength? There are women among the Seeds too!"
"Go ahead and buy in then. I'll be waiting to laugh at you."
"Heh, look over there. Do you remember the name Kashiwagi? That kid from the Charity Event!"
Someone pointed to a corner of the screen, where Kashiwagi's large portrait was clearly visible.
As mentioned before, due to his outstanding performance at the Charity Event, Kashiwagi's name had gained a small amount of traction, making him a minor local celebrity.
Even though he hadn't made much noise on the big stages of Pyrite Town over the past month, quite a few people still remembered him.
"Too green. Won't last."
"Didn't you see his match? One attacker and one support barely scraping by until the end. If that Ken guy hadn't been a moron, he never would have won."
"How much can someone grow in just a month? I don't see him going far."
"Please, use your brain. He made it to the Top 32; he's clearly a dark horse!"
"Looks more like a dead horse to me."
The commentators shook their heads one after another, essentially signing Kashiwagi's death warrant. None of them had high expectations.
And yet, there were still those who, after hearing the debate, chose to place a bet on him. After all, the matches were played round by round, and betting tickets were bought the same way.
As long as he advanced, they'd make a profit.
As people began to place bets on him, his odds gradually shifted, bringing him into the sights of even more observers.
Kashiwagi, who had already returned to Team Snagem territory, had no idea his name was receiving another wave of small-scale publicity.
The next day.
The final round of the preliminaries opened.
If he could pass this hurdle, the next stage would be the Final Championship.
The stage would transition from a semi-closed environment to an open arena style, allowing spectators to watch the matches in person, while the hall would broadcast the action in real-time.
It was considered the premier event of all Pyrite Town.
But to advance, Kashiwagi still had one more round to fight.
"I'm leaving it to you today."
Walking down the rust-stained, wasteland-chic corridor, he spoke in a low voice to the Mawile inside the Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball wobbled gently, signifying her response.