Inside the venue.
The power failure had been resolved. The shattered bulbs were replaced, and the floors had been swept so thoroughly that not a single shard of glass remained. Everything had returned to its original, brightly lit state.
Most guests returned to their seats, though a small fraction refused to step foot back inside, claiming they were too traumatized. The auction manager didn't dare detain them by force, allowing them to leave—a "pro-gamer move" that left Kashiwagi in awe. He suspected this manager wouldn't be keeping his job for long.
When the auctioneer took the stage, it went exactly as Kashiwagi expected.
The man publicly announced that numerous items had been stolen. It wasn't just their target, the Deino; other Pokémon and priceless antiques were missing as well.
The audience erupted into an uproar. Those who had already won their bids were frantic, loudly demanding to know how the situation would be handled.
It was clear that those who stayed weren't necessarily brave; they were simply burdened by the weight of their assignments. They had to bring their targets home. If the items were stolen, the auctioneer couldn't give an account—and neither could the bidders to their respective bosses.
The hall became as noisy as a wet market.
Kashiwagi, however, was stunned.
Were Yamamino and Takeshi really alone? How did two people manage to move so much loot in such a short amount of time?
As if sensing his confusion, Yamamino leaned in and whispered before he could even ask:
"You probably can't imagine how greedy these people are. Setting aside the fact that they aren't a united front... do you have any idea how many poacher groups and small-time thieves are hiding backstage, just waiting for a payday?"
"Sss—!" Kashiwagi let out a sharp intake of breath.
"Exactly." Yamamino's face remained impassive, but a slight chuckle escaped his throat. "An inside job coupled with looting during a fire. Once we created the opportunity, these 'tough guys'—the ones who fled to Orre to escape the International Police—weren't about to let such a golden chance slip by."
"It feels... surreal." Kashiwagi shook his head. "An inside job?"
Maybe they all thought taking 'just a little' would be fine, but then everyone took 'just a little'?
Well, great. The problem had officially spiraled out of control.
"They weren't good people to begin with. It's not surprising. Don't overestimate their 'loyalty' or their IQ," Yamamino said, tapping his temple. "Truly smart people who know how to read a situation don't need to rely on methods like this to make money."
It was true. People like Giovanni directly transformed into capitalists, running listed companies and theme parks to fund Team Rocket. Lysandre manipulated Kalosian nobility and the upper class into donating to him. Even Cyrus owned a massive corporation. Their "grand design" was on an entirely different level.
Kashiwagi asked, "So, we successfully fished in troubled waters?"
"Don't be in such a hurry. We're still far from the finish line," Yamamino said with complete composure.
As the words left his mouth, a large squad of fully armed men suddenly swarmed in from the outside, sealing off the entire auction hall. The Mayor walked in, his face a mask of coldness, but anyone could see he was beyond furious—the veins on his forehead looked ready to burst.
Even in this state, he shouted: "We received a report that valuable goods worth billions have been stolen! This is a severe breach of public order! Everyone must cooperate with our investigation!"
He roared the words through gritted teeth.
Everyone present shuddered. They immediately began trying to contact the outside world, hoping their backers could intervene, but the Mayor had already jammed all signals.
"There is no need for alarm. We will protect any innocent person; your safety is guaranteed," the Mayor shouted.
The guests had no choice but to gloomily put away their phones and communication devices.
Yamamino straightened his clothes and gave Kashiwagi a look. The two of them began walking toward the Mayor.
Halfway there, an armed guard stepped forward to block them. Once the guard recognized Yamamino's face, he hesitated, his raised hand hovering awkwardly in the air.
Seeing this, the Mayor's explosive rage softened slightly. He waved his hand, signaling the guard to let them through.
The guard looked as if he'd been granted a royal pardon.
"Nephew Yamamino?"
"Uncle Ruby gave me an invitation; how could I not show up? But looking at you now... you might risk inviting public wrath if you keep this up," Yamamino said politely, though he allowed a hint of dissatisfaction to show on his face.
Seeing Mayor Ruby glance at Kashiwagi, Yamamino continued smoothly, "This is Kashiwagi, a rising star from Team Snagem. I find him quite agreeable, so I took this opportunity to show him the ropes and see if there were any Pokémon worth buying."
The Mayor watched as Kashiwagi bowed in greeting, then nodded casually and offered a few polite platitudes.
If Yamamino hadn't been there, no matter how famous Kashiwagi was, the Mayor wouldn't have given him the time of day in this situation.
"Nephew Yamamino, don't worry. I have my plans." He waved a hand and added, "Since you're here, stay by my side for a while. The location of the thieves is unknown; there's no telling what they might do. It's safer here with me."
His tone softened, projecting trust toward Yamamino and Kashiwagi.
But truth be told, keeping them close made them easier to monitor. If anything seemed off, he would know instantly. While the Mayor didn't think someone with Yamamino's background would do something so foolish, his paranoid nature made him suspicious of everyone.
"...Fine," Yamamino said, his tone still slightly annoyed. Kashiwagi remained silent, playing the role of the subordinate perfectly.
In their hearts, however, they were both dying of laughter.
The most dangerous place is the safest. Following the Mayor provided protection from all sides and made it almost impossible to be exposed.
----
The manpower the Mayor deployed was even greater than Kashiwagi had imagined.
This made Kashiwagi worry about Takeshi. He should have made it out of the Underdome by now, right? The Mayor's response was fast; a target as big as Takeshi would leave tracks no matter where he went. He wondered how the man planned to escape.
As he was lost in thought, the Mayor's forces found the first wave of thieves who had laid hands on the auction goods.
Seeing their plot exposed, those thieves decisively chose to fight their way out. A violent clash erupted with the Mayor's forces, the intensity of the battle causing the entire Underdome to vibrate.
Meanwhile...
Kashiwagi and Yamamino were sitting in the safe "rear guard" area, sipping tea, eating pastries, and even playing video games.
They looked perfectly relaxed, not at all like people who had just stolen property back.
After the first wave of chaos died down, the Mayor's complexion improved—he had likely recovered a significant portion of his losses. Simultaneously, he was forced to release the people in the auction hall.
Because they had been out of contact with the outside world for so long and news of the theft had spread, more and more calls were flooding into his office, demanding he release the guests.
One or two callers he could handle—as a local "Local King," he feared no one. But when the number exceeded ten, the pressure became too much to bear. He had no choice but to restore their freedom.
Ten minutes later.
Yamamino drove Kashiwagi out of the Underdome, greeted by the bright sunlight of the surface.
Once the car reached a secluded area, Yamamino couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha! My dear 'Uncle' really has a group of excellent subordinates! They didn't dare offend me even a little!"
"What do you mean—"
Kashiwagi, in the passenger seat, froze. He watched as the back seat suddenly seemed to "melt" like wax, revealing the forms of Takeshi and Ditto. It turned out a large hole had been carved into the seat back to hide them.
"Phew... It was suffocating."
Takeshi ruffled his hair and smiled at the shocked Kashiwagi. "I couldn't make it out on my own. I was just going to hide for a bit, but I ended up staying hidden until now."
"Those guys tore almost everyone's car apart to check them, but they only gave mine a cursory glance before giving up, terrified I'd cause trouble for them later," Yamamino said with a smirk. "It made some of my backup plans seem a bit redundant."
Just what is your background that makes you so powerful? Kashiwagi wondered. He felt like the MVP of this mission wasn't any one person, but rather Yamamino's family status. Without that background, things would never have gone this smoothly.
"If only your Alakazam could Teleport me, I wouldn't have had to work so hard," Takeshi sighed helplessly, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Keep dreaming. Teleporting people is a high-level technique that I can't just command Alakazam to do. Do you think I'm a natural-born Psychic?" Yamamino was in a great mood.
Hearing them discuss this, Kashiwagi grew curious.
Is Teleporting people that difficult? Is it a special skill, like using Heal Pulse to treat illnesses? In the anime, didn't Sabrina and her father...
Well, then again, those two were far from ordinary.