The mood remained light as Daisy and her friend left. We finished eating, the sound of chairs scraping back filled the air as we collected our plates. I pushed my chair in and stood, rolling my shoulders once to shake off the last of the stiffness.

  Kailey caught my eye. "Come on."

  We filed out of the dining hall together, the music fading behind us as the heavy doors swung shut. The hotel corridor outside was quieter, with fewer people at this time. The lights filtered in through tall glass panels overlooking the plaza below.

  "So," I said, glancing at Kailey as we walked, "do we actually know where this is happening?"

  She let out a slow sigh. "Yeah. I just need to make sure."

  She stopped near the bank of elevators and motioned for us to wait. "Don't move. I'll grab a manager."

  Before I could respond, she turned on her heel and headed toward the reception desk, already pulling out her ID badge.

  I turned back to the others. "You're not going back to your rooms?"

  They all looked at me as if I'd just said something ridiculous.

  Gloria crossed her arms, grinning at me. "Are you kidding? I'm not missing Professor Oak's granddaughter battling."

  Caleb nodded in agreement. "Same. This is rare entertainment."

  Marlon leaned in with a smirk. "And also," he added, "to watch you struggle against your boss's daughter."

  I snorted despite myself. "You're enjoying this way too much."

  "Oh, I am," Marlon said cheerfully.

  I shook my head, irritation bleeding into a reluctant smile. The truth was, I was eager too. I wanted to see how Daisy actually fought despite her attitude.

  Anyone could talk. Anyone could posture.

  Battle revealed the truth.

  Kailey returned a minute later, rubbing her temple. "Alright. Basement level two—there are already people battling there, and it has staff supervising it."

  She looked at me pointedly. "Don't take it too far...."

  "I won't," I said.

  Her gaze lingered. She was the only one who had seen Caesar fight.

  I nodded once. That was fair.

  The elevator doors slid open, and we stepped inside. The ride down was smooth and silent, the numbers ticking away on the display.

  The doors opened onto a wide corridor of polished metal and reinforced glass. This level felt different from the rest of the hotel; it felt like a place built for trainers to battle. Staff in uniforms and a few trainers passed by, Poké Balls clipped openly to their belts.

  Kailey led the way.

  At the end of the corridor stood a thick, reinforced door marked with a simple symbol: crossed Poké Balls. It slid open at her approach.

  Inside was a cacophony of noise.

  Multiple fields stretched out across the space, each separated by transparent barriers. Some were empty, while others were active, battles already underway. Spectators clustered on elevated decks, leaning against railings and watching attacks flash and clash below. Staff referees moved between stations, tablets and headsets in constant motion.

  The scale of it all was impressive—the fields and everything else.

  Kailey gestured upward. "We'll watch from up here."

  She and the others headed toward the viewing deck stairs, their voices rising as they speculated about who would win and how quickly.

  I stayed on the floor and looked around the underground expanse, then at the fields, which were slightly lower and required walking down a small set of stairs.

  That's when I saw Daisy.

  She stood alone in one of the open fields, hands folded against her chest, her posture relaxed. A staff referee stood a few meters away, checking something on a tablet. Daisy glanced up as I approached, her eyes sharp and a smile on her face.

  "So you did come..." she said.

  "I said I would," I replied dully.

  She snorted, rolling her eyes

  as if I had just stated something obvious.

  "I've informed the ref about the format. It's two-on-two."

  I didn't respond, just nodded once to the referee.

  Up close, he looked older than I'd expected—late thirties, maybe. He was clean-shaven with sharp eyes. Dressed in the hotel's official battle staff uniform, charcoal vest over a white shirt, League insignia stitched at the collar, tablet in one hand, and a whistle clipped to his belt—he seemed unimpressed easily.

  He nodded back and gestured toward my side of the field.

  I turned and walked to the opposite platform. The moment I stepped onto it, the floor hummed beneath my boots. The platform rose smoothly, extending into the air like a pillar, and I nearly lost my balance.

  I stumbled half a step, caught myself with a quick shift of weight, and felt my ears burn as a few chuckles rippled faintly from the viewing deck above.

  First time, I reminded myself. Get over it.

  The platform locked into place with a soft thud. Then I felt it.

  A pressure change.

  A low, vibrating thrum rolled across the arena as translucent psychic barriers shimmered into existence around the entire field. The barrier flashed briefly before settling into a near-invisible dome. The air inside felt denser, like stepping into high altitude or deep water.

  I took a deep breath and focused.

  The referee raised his hand, his voice amplified just enough to carry.

  "This is a two-on-two exhibition match: Challenger Daisy Oak versus Challenger Arata."

  There it was.

  A few murmurs rippled through the stands when her name was announced. Oak's granddaughter. People leaned forward. Cameras were raised. I caught flashes of light from the viewing deck as spectators began recording.

  Across the field, Daisy smirked, clearly enjoying the attention.

  She raised a Poké Ball, spinning it once before snapping her wrist forward.

  "Espeon. Let's show them."

  The ball burst open in a flash of white, and Espeon materialized gracefully on the ground, its paws touching down soundlessly. Sleek and elegant, its lavender coat gleamed under the arena lights, while its forked tail swayed slowly, the gem on its forehead pulsing faintly with psychic energy.

  The crowd reacted immediately.

  "Is that—"

  "No way—"

  "Espeon? How rare...?"

  A psychic-type, and an evolution at that. It was the kind of Pokémon that didn't just happen to be raised well.

  Well, she is an oak... but it does look a little small though...

  Daisy glanced at me, clearly gauging my reaction and waiting for me to make my move.

  I unclipped Orin's Poké Ball.

  "Orin, time to battle," I said.

  I released him.

  Orin emerged in a burst of shadowed light, landing with a solid thump on the platform. His claws scraped lightly against the floor as he lifted his head, scanning the arena before looking at me.

  There was some subdued reaction; after all, Teddiursa were not easy to train, much less an Ursaring that would evolve into one.

  Even from a distance, I could see Daisy's jaw tighten.

  I met her gaze calmly and rested a hand on the railing.

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  The referee glanced between us. "Begin!"

  Daisy didn't waste a second.

  "Psychic!"

  Espeon's gem flared, erupting in blinding purple light. The air warped as an invisible force slammed into Orin, lifting him clean off the ground. His limbs flailed as the telekinetic grip crushed inward.

  "Orin!" I snapped.

  I could feel his pain spike through our bond, he was being crushed, lost in disorientation, the awful weight of helplessness bearing down on him. Orin snarled, teeth bared, as he struggled in the air.

  "Dark Pulse!" I shouted.

  Orin threw his head back and roared at the psychic feline. A spiraling beam of dark energy burst from his mouth, dense and focused like a drilling lance of shadow. It ripped through the air, tearing apart the psychic hold with a sharp, glass-like sound.

  Espeon leapt aside just in time, landing lightly as the Dark Pulse tore a groove through the floor behind it.

  Orin dropped hard.

  "Earthquake!" I called just as he was falling.

  He rolled once, reorienting himself, before slamming his paws down into the earth.

  The arena shuddered as a shockwave rippled outward in waves, cracking the field and buckling the floor beneath Espeon's feet. The psychic type stumbled, its balance thrown off for a split second.

  That was all we needed...

  "Shadow Sneak into claw now!"

  Orin melted into the shadows cast by the arena lights, reappearing in a blur behind Espeon. His claw came down in a dark, crescent arc, striking cleanly across Espeon's side.

  Espeon yelped as the blow connected, sending it skidding backward—straight toward Daisy's platform.

  The crowd erupted.

  Daisy's eyes flashed with anger, which flared and then vanished behind a tight breath.

  "Calm Mind," she said sharply.

  Espeon slid to a stop and straightened, closing its eyes. Psychic energy gathered around it in slow, deliberate waves. The gem on its forehead glowed brighter as it snapped its eyes open. The air hummed.

  "Zen Headbutt!"

  Espeon vanished in a blur, enveloped in psychic energy.

  You want to get physical with Orin? So be it.

  "Counter!" I shouted.

  Orin braced himself.

  Espeon slammed into him, hard. The impact drove Orin back a step, a muted pain flaring through our bond. But as the hit landed, Orin twisted with it, fighting energy surging outward in a violent rebound.

  The Counter exploded point-blank in a massive clash.

  Espeon cried out as it was flung back, tumbling across the field. It hit the barrier near Daisy's platform and dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.

  For the first time, the stands went dead silent in the quick turnaround

  Daisy stared, fists clenched at her sides, shocked by the quick turnaround.

  "…Return," she said tightly.

  Red light enveloped Espeon. Without looking at me, she reached for another, Poké Ball and threw it.

  The ground shook as an Onix erupted onto the field in a cascade of stone and dust, its massive segmented body coiling as it let out a thunderous roar. Rock scraped against rock as it shifted, eyes glowing with trained aggression.

  I could see Orin tensing at his foe.

  I instinctively reached for his Poké Ball.

  "Orin, that's enough. "

  He shook his head once firmly.

  I exhaled slowly.

  "…Alright," I murmured. "Then let's do this right."

  Across the field, Daisy's smile returned, but it was now tinged with annoyance

  "Onix," she said softly, "crush it."

  The Onix moved the instant the command left Daisy's mouth.

  Stone screamed against stone as its massive body surged forward, coils unspooling with terrifying speed in a tackle. The ground buckled beneath its weight, cracks spiderwebbing outward as it barreled straight at Orin like a living landslide.

  For a split second, Orin just stared in raw, instinctive disbelief at the sheer size and momentum coming for him.

  "Shadow Sneak—get out of there!" I shouted.

  Shadow enveloped him in a blur, his body dissolving into darkness just before Onix smashed through the space he had occupied. The impact hit like a bomb, stone fragments and dust exploding outward, pelting the barrier with dull thuds.

  Orin reappeared behind Onix, skidding slightly as his paws found purchase. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth, shadow energy gathering—

  "Dark Pulse!"

  The beam fired, spiraling sharply and slamming into Onix's side. The dark energy rippled across its rocky hide, sending chips of stone flying.

  But it wasn't enough.

  Onix didn't even slow. Its tail whipped around like a battering ram.

  The impact caught Orin mid-move.It was a brutal hit; he yelped as he was swatted aside. He hit the ground hard, rolling once, then twice, claws scraping uselessly as he tried to right himself.

  "Dragon Breath!" Daisy called, her voice cutting and precise.

  Onix reared back and exhaled.

  The flames weren't as powerful as Caesar's, but they were still dangerous and forceful. A broad stream of searing draconic fire surged across the field, rolling toward Orin as he struggled to rise.

  "Protect!" I yelled.

  Orin raised the barrier just in time.

  The hexagonal, etched barrier snapped into place around him, and the flames crashed against it with a violent roar. I could feel Orin straining against the force of the attack, his muscles shaking and his breath ragged as he held it.

  The crowd was on its feet now.

  "Break it!" Daisy snapped, her eyes gleaming in glee, "Iron Tail!"

  Onix's tail hardened, a metallic sheen flashing along its length as it came down in a crushing arc.

  The impact was deafening.

  The Protect shattered, light fracturing like glass, and the force blasted through, slamming into Orin full-on. He cried out—a sharp, pained sound that cut through me—and was launched across the field, bouncing once before skidding to a stop near the edge of the arena.

  I knew instinctively he was out of the game.

  That was it. I didn't need to think.

  "Return!" I said as calmly as I could.

  Red light wrapped around Orin, pulling him back just before Onix could follow through on Daisy's command, even as the ref called it. It wasn't illegal, but was definitely frowned upon.

  That bitch...

  His Poké Ball snapped shut in my hand, warm and heavy, the faint tremor inside telling me everything I needed to know.

  "Good job, buddy. You did well."

  The crowd erupted—cheers, gasps, and excited shouts. From across the field, I saw her straighten, shoulders squared, confidence settling back into place.

  She was smug now. There was no hiding it.

  Onix loomed at her side, massive and unchallenged, its stone body coiled and ready.

  I clenched my jaw.

  Fine.

  I unclipped the heavier ball from my belt.

  I instinctively calmed as I held my starter.

  "Alright," I muttered under my breath, heat rising in my chest as I focused. "You asked for it."

  I snapped my wrist.

  "Caesar—battle stance."