"Gary!"
"What is he doing?!"
Benga and Lacey were both baffled. They had come over for a look after hearing Grimsley's name, and when they saw that the person blocking his path was Gary, their curiosity only grew.
Grimsley looked at the boy standing in his way, but he didn't seem annoyed. Instead he asked curiously, "Are you looking for an autograph?"
Seeing he'd been mistaken for a fan, Gary shook his head. "No. I'd like to have a battle with you, Mr. Grimsley. Do you have time?"
Grimsley hadn't expected anyone to dare challenge a member of the Elite Four. It wasn't unheard of, but Gary clearly wasn't qualified — mainly, he was far too young.
"Then how about a wager battle? What do you say?" Gary suggested.
Grimsley regarded Gary with interest. Having moved in aristocratic circles all his life, he could tell at a glance that Gary was someone who wasn't short on money. If there was a payout involved, it might be worth considering.
"What do you want to bet?" Grimsley asked.
Gary thought for a moment. "Let's just say one hundred million. How about it?"
"What?! A hundred million!"
"What a brat."
"It's just one battle — betting a hundred million is insane."
The passersby around them were stunned. A hundred million was a huge sum. Even inviting a Champion for an exhibition match or a guest appearance wouldn't cost anywhere near that much.
"Don't worry, Mr. Grimsley, I can produce a hundred million." Gary took out his black card.
"Whoa! A black card!"
"This kid really does have a hundred million."
"No — I think I'm falling in love!"
"You sure that's love? You're just interested in the black card."
"I've made up my mind. That guy's handsome too, and rich — a better catch than Grimsley."
The passersby: "…!"
Grimsley was certainly handsome and charming, but women were practical. You might have fun with a man like Grimsley for a few years, but you'd never actually marry him in the end.
Gary figured Grimsley couldn't possibly refuse the terms he was offering, because Grimsley was a gambler. He might be one of the League's Elite Four, but an Elite Four salary was nowhere near enough to fund his gambling.
A hundred million was more than enough to tempt him.
But then something unexpected happened.
Grimsley answered calmly, without a hint of excitement on his face. "I refuse."
"Why?!"
Gary was shocked. What kind of gambler could resist a temptation that big? It was a hundred million. Even if Gary spent a hundred million to invite a Champion to battle, the Champion would seriously consider it.
"Because I don't have a hundred million," Grimsley said.
"Ah…?"
Gary had imagined plenty of possible reasons, but never that one.
"As a gambler, if I can't put up the stake, I'm not qualified to sit at the table," Grimsley reminded him.
Did gamblers really have rules like that?
But thinking it over, it did seem true — a real gambler never welched on a bet. Even if he had to take on debt after losing, he'd still hand the money over. In that sense, gamblers did have a certain kind of credit.
"Then let's change the terms of the bet. If you win, Mr. Grimsley, I'll pay you the hundred million. If I win, you don't have to give me anything," Gary suggested.
With the conditions changed to that, Grimsley ought to agree to the battle.
The moment the words left his mouth, Grimsley showed little reaction — but the surrounding passersby certainly did.
"This kid is way too arrogant. Is he in that big a hurry to give his money away?"
"Mr. Grimsley is our Unova Elite Four, a world-famous Trainer. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was challenging some random Trainer off the street."
"Accept it! Teach this kid a lesson!"
"…!"
"What is Gary even doing?" Benga said blankly. "Does he really think he's a match for the Elite Four?"
"I don't know, but I really do want to see him battle Mr. Grimsley."
Lacey was looking forward to a battle between Gary and Grimsley. She wanted to see the limits of this Trainer who could crush all the top students at Naranja Academy — whether he could actually measure up to the Elite Four.
Benga was very curious too. He'd been annoyed watching Gary this whole time, but he was no match for him himself. If he could watch Gary get beaten by another Trainer, he'd be delighted.
"I refuse."
But against everyone's expectations, Grimsley still turned him down.
"He refused a hundred million?!"
"That's a hundred million! Plenty of people never earn that much in their whole lives."
"Since when do the Elite Four make that kind of money?"
The Elite Four did earn a lot, but a large share of it went into their Pokémon. And once a Pokémon got older and its strength declined, they'd have to raise new ones all over again.
Grimsley himself loved gambling. The little money he had was just enough to keep him living an ordinary life — managing to break even on his debts was already good going. Nobody should expect him to have spare cash.
"Can you tell me the reason for refusing?" Gary asked.
He'd offered terms that generous. Grimsley had no reason to say no.
"If I lose, I get nothing at all, don't I?" Grimsley said.
Gary: "…!"
Lacey: "…!"
Benga: "…!"
The surrounding passersby: "…!"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Sure, he wouldn't lose anything, but he wouldn't gain anything either — the real point, though, was that he was already assuming he might lose?
You're the Elite Four!
Couldn't he show a little Elite Four dignity? Anyone who didn't know better would think he was scared of his opponent.
"I can pay you an appearance fee, Mr. Grimsley," Gary said.
"Fine. Then I'll contact you someday when I'm short on money. I have other business to handle, so excuse me." Grimsley waved a hand and walked around Gary.
"I never left you my contact information. How would you reach me, Mr. Grimsley?" Gary asked.
"Don't worry. Miss Caitlin has your contact details. I can go through her directly."
Grimsley said it without looking back.
Gary was left standing there, puzzled as to why Caitlin would have told Grimsley about him.
"Is there something going on between those two…?"
Grimsley came from a wealthy family — not just wealthy, but noble. The household had already declined by the time he was born, but nobility was nobility all the same.
With Caitlin's personality, and Psychic power that might run wild at any moment, no ordinary man would ever dare choose her. Looking at it that way, only someone like Grimsley seemed like a suitable match for Caitlin.
At that very moment—
Caitlin, resting in her luxurious villa in the Unova Region, suddenly sneezed.
"My lady, have you caught a cold?" asked the butler beside her.
"It's nothing. My nose just itched."
Caitlin waved her hand, unconcerned.
If she'd known what kind of relationship Gary was imagining between her and Grimsley, she would definitely have let him experience the terror of a Psychic rampage firsthand.
The reason Caitlin had told Grimsley about Gary was simple: Gary had asked her for help.
Grimsley's Ace Pokémon was Bisharp, so naturally she had mentioned Gary to him.