"I..."
Bea couldn't find the words. She knew perfectly well that with the dust storms raging outside, it would have been nearly impossible to see one's opponent clearly. Her father had gone out at the worst possible time, ran straight into trouble, and now he'd been dragged back here like this—tied up and beaten.
But if the people who caught him had truly been those lawless, wild trainers, he wouldn't have survived. He'd be dead, buried beneath the sand, and the Gym would have already fallen.
The fact they brought him back here...
'They just wanted a reason to trade him back.'
That thought calmed her heart. Bea clenched her fists, made up her mind, and didn't hesitate.
She stepped forward, knelt low to the ground, and pressed her forehead to the floor in a full dogeza.
"I'm truly sorry. It was my father who was in the wrong," she said clearly. "Please spare his life. If there's anything you want in return, we'll agree to it."
At her words, Shiro gave a signal. Drakloak released the restrained Gym Leader.
"I have a few questions," he said.
As Eldon fell to the floor, Bea quickly moved to support him. The nervous apprentices hiding by the training ground door also let out relieved sighs.
Shiro glanced around and asked, "Do you know where all this sand is coming from?"
"Cough... it's the League," Eldon muttered, still out of breath. "They came here... said they wanted to dig up some damn history..."
"..."
A few minutes passed as Eldon gave a rough rundown, occasionally supplemented by the other apprentices. Eventually, Shiro pieced together most of the story.
About five days ago, an archaeological team sent by Chairman Rose arrived at Stow-on-Side and immediately headed for the western desert to begin a large-scale excavation.
After just one day, sand started blowing through the town. It wasn't too bad at first and didn't really affect daily life.
But two days ago, the famous undefeated Leon arrived.
After that, everything changed.
It was like the whole town had become cursed. The sandstorms grew worse by the hour, until they became what they were now. With so many trapped trainers, unrest followed fast. They eventually rallied around one person.
"That man's name is Dalton," said Dyson softly from behind Bea. "He's got three Gym-level Pokémon. All bug-types. Trained them himself."
Shiro nodded as he absorbed the information, then questioned, "Do you know where the League team is now? What about Leon?"
"In the western desert..." Eldon replied weakly.
Shiro didn't ask anything else. He waved his hand, and Drakloak disappeared back into his shadow. Then he turned and left with the other three.
As they stepped outside the gym gates, the massive Rhyperior that had been guarding the entrance stirred and began to follow the group westward.
Inside, Eldon collapsed onto the floor in silence. He couldn't even look at Bea, let alone explain himself.
"Teacher... it's okay. They were just way too strong," Dyson said gently, trying to comfort him.
Eldon gave a bitter smile.
"Yeah. I was just outmatched. If only I had the strength of the previous gym leader..."
As he spoke, he glanced up. All he saw were the gym apprentices around him, their expressions a mix of awe and shame.
Bea was already back in the training ground.
...
In a narrow alley near Stow-on-Side Gym.
A man wrapped tightly in a dusty yellow cloak pressed himself against the wall, watching the powerful Rhyperior disappear in the distance.
He turned and walked into the alley, weaving through several twists and turns until he reached a large residential house.
He knocked on the door three times in a specific rhythm.
"Coming!" a rough voice called from within. The door creaked open, and the cloaked man slipped through the narrow gap like a fish, quick and silent.
Inside, several burly men were crouched or leaning against the walls. At the center, a man sat on a bed. His deep voice filled the room.
"Kamil. You were the first to report League members entering the town. What did you see after that? Who fought who?"
"Boss Dalton," Kamil paused, then answered, "it was the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader, Eldon. He fought with the League trainers."
"Oh? So even the League's people are tearing into each other?" Dalton raised one arm, thicker than a grown man's thigh, and scratched his smooth forehead, clearly puzzled.
He asked again, "Do you know why?"
Kamil quickly put his words together. "It seems Eldon mistook the League trainers for one of us. But he lost and got captured by them."
"Hahaha!" Dalton threw his head back in laughter. After calming down he spoke. "Did he die?"
"No, he didn't," Kamil replied cautiously. "But his Poké Balls were taken by those League trainers. So... should we—"
"Don't touch the Stow-on-Side Gym," Dalton interrupted.
"Why not...?"
"Because that guy Eldon already sold off anything valuable. Used the money to train his daughter. The only thing left worth something in that place was the Gym-level Pokémon he inherited from his father. And now..." Dalton clicked his tongue.
"So what do we do?" Kamil looked confused and lost. "If we're not going after the Gym, then where?"
"We go west," Dalton said, slapping his thigh. "I want to see what kind of mess the League is making out there."
He waved Kamil off. "Gather a few people. Just scout it out. Then come back and report."
...
Meanwhile, Shiro and his group moved silently through the streets of Stow-on-Side. Aside from the endless sand and wind, no one and no Pokémon dared to stand in their way.
They soon left the town and followed a staircase half-buried in sand. Through the dust, they could faintly see jagged rocks in the distance.
The vast desert stretched endlessly before them. With visibility so low, even spotting the Macro Cosmos forces would be a challenge.
Marvin kept tapping at his communication device, trying different settings. Eventually, he gave up.
"No idea why, but ever since we entered the town, the device's had no signal. Nothing's getting through."
Shiro nodded slightly, having expected as much. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the desert opened up around them—wind-whipped and broken by warped stone formations.
"Drakloak. Get in the air and scout the area," Shiro commanded.
Drakloak rose from the shadow at his feet, twisted its slender body, and vanished into the storm.
While they waited in silence, Nessa finally spoke. "Do you really think the company has a way to stop this sandstorm?"
"Who knows?" Marvin mumbled, crouching down and poking at a wild grass stubbornly clinging to the ground.
Shiro didn't respond. He remained deep in thought until he noticed Allister quietly release Mimikyu from its Poké Ball. The little creature zipped into the sandstorm without a word.
The two-meter-tall Dusclops under Allister also moved. It spread its arms and released ghost-type energy, forming a half-dome barrier to hold back the sand.
Seeing that, Nessa had her Drednaw slam its claws into the earth, raising a tall stone wall two meters high. Marvin's Mr. Mime added a thick layer of ice, reinforcing the structure.
Together, they formed a tight, protective shield against the storm.
**
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