The drop beneath the wooden bridge wasn't especially deep—about the height of two or three stories. Below, unlike the half-abandoned mines they'd passed earlier, was an active mining zone. Workers and Pokémon were still moving about.
The bridge itself was sturdy, but the lack of handrails made it a nerve-wracking walk. Seeing Yuri this anxious, Marie had no choice but to pull out a Poké Ball and release Baru.
"Baru, looks like Yuri's afraid of heights. Could you help out?"
"Roar~ (No problem~)"
"I am not scared!" Yuri clung tightly to Marie's sleeve, putting on a brave face as she quick-marched across the bridge, dragging Marie along with her.
Once they crossed, the mine exit wasn't far. The tunnel ahead opened up, wide enough that Baru could remain outside of his ball.
"Hey, is that someone up ahead?"
Yuri squinted and spotted a figure standing there. Their outfit didn't look like that of a miner.
"Probably another challenger. This route to Turffield's been pretty busy lately."
Marie didn't pay it much mind—until the figure called out to them.
"Are you two also Trainers chosen by a Wishing Star?"
The tone was a bit arrogant, but the voice, still going through puberty, gave it a sharp, almost boyish clarity that dulled the edge somewhat.
Marie turned to look. The speaker was a white-haired youth, standing confidently with one hand tucked in his coat pocket. To be honest, he was good-looking—enough that it was hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl at first glance.
While Marie was sizing him up, the youth was clearly doing the same, his eyes flicking over her and the Pokémon beside her.
"Yeah, and you are...?" Yuri nodded politely. Maybe it was the face, but she looked a little nervous.
"Hmph... So you're one of the Trainers recommended by the Champion. That's not exactly impressive."
Instead of answering her question, the boy ran his fingers through his fringe with a smirk.
"Don't forget, the Chairman outranks the Champion. Which means someone chosen by the Chairman—like me—clearly has more potential."
"Wha-"
Marie stepped forward and raised her Poké Ball before Yuri could say anything.
"Battle me."
"Very well. I suppose I'll be kind enough to show you the difference in our skills."
"Baru, he's yours!"
"Roar! (Got it!)"
The white-haired boy didn't seem fazed at all. He plucked a Poké Ball from his belt, twirled it elegantly between his fingers, then flicked it into the air with a smooth flourish.
With a flash, a pink, witch-like Pokémon appeared on the field Hatterene.
"I'll start with this one. I have three Pokémon. How about a three-on-three?"
"Hatterene, huh... fine."
Marie narrowed her eyes slightly but nodded. Judging by its form and aura, this Hatterene wasn't trained to the level of a Gym Leader's ace. Statistically speaking, it was likely weaker than Baru.
Still, it was fully evolved and a Fairy type—meaning it had a clear type advantage against Dragons. Marie didn't dare underestimate it. One Dazzling Gleam could turn the tide instantly.
"Disarming Voice!"
"Phantom Force!"
The moment the white-haired boy opened his mouth, Marie could tell he wasn't a rookie like Yuri. His commands were concise and effective, leaving no room for confusion.
Before Hatterene's shimmering soundwaves could spread across the field, Baru had already vanished into another dimension, escaping the brunt of the Fairy-type move.
Marie's prediction was right. Hatterene only had a handful of strong Fairy-type attacks, most of which were difficult to dodge.
The battlefield wasn't exactly wide either, so she didn't want to take any chances with the attack range. Phantom Force was the best option here, allowing Baru to temporarily vanish and strike from an unexpected angle.
"Tch... Phantom Force, huh? Stay alert. He's coming in close!"
Hatterene couldn't learn Teleport. That meant it didn't have strong spatial awareness—Baru's specialty. Marie trusted him to find the right timing.
"Now!"
"Dazzling Gleam!"
"Haah!"
"..."
"Hmph..."
But no attack came. Instead, a smirk crept across Marie's face, echoed faintly beneath the radiance.
Baru, hidden in the dimensional rift, let out a silent sigh of relief. When he'd heard Marie's voice just now, he almost charged out on instinct. But having been tricked by her in the past, he held back just in time.
He knew Marie would never shout like that if she were seriously warning him. That call was meant to bait the opponent.
When the blinding light finally faded, Baru emerged silently from Hatterene's flank, cloaked in ghostly energy, and slammed into the seemingly unprepared Pokémon.
Even though he knew this was the moment his opponent would be most alert, if he didn't seize this window now, he might never get another clean hit.
Bang!
Crack!
A clean hit.
But Marie wasn't celebrating. She sensed the shift in the air. Something was wrong.
The Hatterene had reacted—almost too quickly—and had managed to cast Trick Room in the moment it was hit.
Though not fast, Hatterene's spellcasting speed was uncanny. Even as it took the full brunt of the Phantom Force, it still triggered the dimensional reversal effect.
"Graaah!"
Hatterene let out a shriek as it was sent flying. Its defenses weren't particularly strong, and after taking a super-effective hit, it clearly couldn't keep battling—unless that boy had it holding some special item.
"Damn it..."
The white-haired trainer pressed the button on his Poké Ball and recalled the collapsed Hatterene. He closed his eyes and exhaled through gritted teeth, then reached for his second Poké Ball.
"I suppose I let you have your moment. But it won't be that easy next."
"Juu!"
The second Pokémon took the field. It was a strange doll-like creature encased in an eerie green fluid.
"Type: Null..." Marie murmured, forcing herself to stay calm.
Trick Room was active now, and she needed to stall. The longer the battle went, the better.
"In that case, we're switching too. Come back for now, Baru."
"Roar! (Understood!)"
Feeling the effects of Trick Room making his movements sluggish, Baru didn't resist and returned to his ball.
Before Marie even gave her next command, Eiji stepped forward with a cool, steady gaze.