"So this is Veilstone City? Doesn't look all that special!" Mark said loudly as he looked around.
It had been a day and a half since Mark caught Lucario. The group of three arrived in Veilstone City a day later than planned.
As one of the top cities in the Sinnoh Region, Veilstone City was far from ordinary, despite what Mark claimed.
Sinnoh's largest Game Corner, its busiest commercial towers, and the headquarters of the region's most advanced tech company -Galactic Technology Holdings- were all located here.
Sato knew even more. Right now, Galactic Technology Holdings and the Sinnoh League were still in their honeymoon phase, cooperating harmoniously and benefiting mutually.
…But it wouldn't be long before unequal profit distribution would start to create deep rifts between the two, escalating into irreconcilable conflict.
At that point, the most powerful underground force in the Sinnoh Region would quietly emerge.
Under the banner of creating a new world of their own, and led by their leader, Cyrus, Team Galactic would shake the region with unrest and ambition.
But none of that had anything to do with Sato for now. He was just an "ordinary" Trainer traveling through Sinnoh with his partners for training.
At most, he might stir up some trouble with a Gym Leader. Other than that… as long as they didn't mess with him, he couldn't care less.
After wandering briefly through Veilstone City's busiest district, the trio headed straight to the Pokémon Center.
"So you're Leader Sato! I didn't expect you to really come to Veilstone City. Looks like Maylo's got a real headache coming," the local Nurse Joy chatted cheerfully as she led the three toward the VIP rooms.
"Maylo… don't tell me that's…" Mark suddenly had a lightbulb moment.
"That's right~ Maylo is the Leader of Veilstone Gym. He's really strong! Anyway, here's your room. Take a rest first, just let me know if you need anything," Nurse Joy said with a smile before turning and leaving.
"Boss, you're super famous in Sinnoh! I bet Nurse Joy's already warned that Maylo guy. This is gonna be fun to watch~"
Mark was the first to step into the room, clearly enjoying the drama to come.
"Being prepared is fine. The best way to talk is with strength." Sato didn't mind at all. He'd come to Sinnoh looking for strong opponents and breakthroughs.
The only thing was… he still hadn't decided who to send into battle this time.
Veilstone Gym was known for Fighting-type Pokémon. Its strongest three were Medicham, Machamp, and Lucario.
This info had already been made public, but for Sato, it wasn't exactly good news… for obvious reasons.
Type advantage was a problem that couldn't be avoided, but it was also something every Trainer who specialized in one type had to overcome.
At lunchtime, the three headed to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria for a change of pace and to give their hardworking Joseph a break.
They carried their chosen dishes to a window seat, where they could see the backyard training grounds.
"…Huh, aren't those kids eating? Why are they all at the training grounds?" Mark muttered, catching Sato and Joseph's attention as well.
In the Pokémon Center's backyard, the training grounds had already gathered quite a crowd. But looking closely, it was clear they were mostly kids, seven, eight, maybe ten years old.
And the group seemed vaguely divided into two sides, each standing on opposite ends of a battlefield, facing off.
"Hey hey hey~ Are they setting up for a gang fight? They're even rowdier than I was as a kid," Mark poked Sato and Joseph again, his face full of excitement.
"Alright, if you really want to watch, at least finish your food first," Joseph tapped the table. Even though he wasn't the one who made the meal, he still hated when people didn't focus on eating.
"Yeah yeah, right!" Mark replied while vacuuming food into his mouth, but his eyes stayed glued to the window, clearly not listening.
Joseph shook his head helplessly and stopped bothering… he just quietly added more chili to Mark's food.
Meanwhile, the two "stars" of the kid crowd slowly stepped forward amidst cheers from their little entourages.
Still just a pair of brats.
On the left was a tiny girl with short pink hair, neat and clean. A band-aid stretched across her nose, giving her a distinctive look. Her gaze was firm.
On the right stood a boy with long flowing purple hair tied in a ponytail, his face full of helplessness. Behind him, a younger purple-haired kid was stubbornly pushing him forward.
"Maylene! Maylene! Maylene!"
"Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!"
Both sides shouted their leaders' names in unison. Their voices were young, but surprisingly powerful.
"Reggie! Your little brother Paul bullied Suzy today, and I'm going to stand up for her!" The pink-haired little girl stood with hands on hips, full of righteous "fury". Her words instantly won loud support from her group.
"Yeah yeah! A big boy bullying a little girl! Shame! Shame!"
"Maylene! We'll get revenge for Suzy! Beat up that mean Paul!"
"I DIDN'T! Suzy's Cherubi was just too weak, it fainted after just a couple of hits from my Skorupi. Then she started crying, how is that my fault?!"
The little boy named Paul shouted back, face turning red, his eyes teary as he clutched tightly to his brother Reggie's sleeve, trying hard not to cry.
"Losing and then crying? Have some pride!"
"Yeah yeah! Trainers aren't judged by who cries louder!"
"Waah… I didn't! I didn't!" Behind the pink-haired Maylene, the girl named Suzy was already sitting on the ground crying again, absolutely heartbroken.
"Hmph! You bullied her, and now you're pretending you didn't. Reggie, are you really going to cover for your little brother?" Maylene pressed her hands to her hips and loudly challenged Reggie across the battlefield.
Reggie gave a bitter smile. He was leaving for his journey tomorrow, and this had to happen right before that. If handled poorly, it would hurt both Paul and Suzy.
…And while no one noticed, Mark had already dragged the just-finished-eating Sato and Joseph over to get a closer look at the drama.
"…If it's just a case of a Pokémon getting hurt in battle, that's not wrong. Battles are meant to have winners and losers."
Reggie chose his words carefully, trying not to escalate the situation. "But… I know Paul's temper. He's stubborn and prickly. I bet he didn't say anything kind afterward…"
"BRO!" Paul shouted in protest, but Reggie immediately shoved a hand down on his head, pinning him in place.
"Since you'll all become Pokémon Trainers one day, why not resolve it in a Trainer's way? One battle… settle the issue right here. How about it?"
"Deal!" Maylene stepped forward at once, shouting with determination, a Poké Ball already clutched tightly in her hand.