Chapter 267: Hard to Handle
"Uh, my contract is for two years…"
Arthur spread his hands helplessly.
Ivy retracted her hand with a hint of disappointment.
"Two years… that makes things difficult. You just won Best Rookie this year. The club probably won't let you go before your contract is up."
Arthur gave a noncommittal "mm-hmm."
To be honest, he had thought about switching teams himself, but with his contract still active, whether he could leave wasn't up to him.
It all depended on whether the club would let him go.
Given his performance this year, even with some minor conflicts with the coaching staff over training philosophies, the team's upper management was highly unlikely to release him.
And as for intentionally throwing matches next year to force a transfer, that wasn't something Arthur could bring himself to do.
Besides, he needed the title of Best Rookie for his own reasons.
"Sigh, it seems the conventional methods won't be enough to get you," Ivy sighed with regret.
Beside her, Bianca puffed up her cheeks. "But we won't give up that easily! Sooner or later, you'll be ours!"
"..."
Arthur stood there dumbfounded, not daring to speak.
He felt the statement was highly ambiguous…
Outside the players' lounge, several staff members from the event organizer had their eyes fixed on them, their ears practically pricked up. Their expressions were full of curiosity and gossip.
Having been in the professional circuit for several months now, Arthur was well aware of the commercialized, buzz-driven atmosphere. He was almost certain—he was going to be on the tabloid headlines tonight…
He looked at Ivy's gentle smile, which held a hint of cunning.
As expected, this beautiful schemer was doing it on purpose!
This is so hard to handle…!
After the second doubles match ended, Arthur immediately grabbed the still-reluctant Little Eevee and headed back.
For one, he was finding it hard to withstand the increasingly intense offensive from the twin sisters.
For another, the final match had ended in a minor upset: under targeted pressure from their opponents, Luna and Bella had unexpectedly lost.
Luna had even used her main Pokémon for that match.
But competitive battling was just that unpredictable. The outcome was never solely determined by on-paper strength; accidents always happened on the battlefield.
The Starlight and Frost team was not a weak team this year. Although their current ranking was below Sea Carp's, they had been holding steady in the middle of the pack.
Luna and Bella being taken down in a moment of carelessness was a minor upset, but they couldn't be blamed too harshly.
However, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that after losing a match, Bella would definitely be in a bad mood.
If she found out he'd spent the entire match in the opponent's lounge, Arthur had a gut feeling he would be facing a veritable hurricane!
So, it was best to get back quietly.
Before he left, Ivy deliberately put on a pitiful, sorrowful expression.
"Leaving in such a hurry? Are we sisters really no match for your two lovely ladies over there?"
A shiver ran down Arthur's spine, and he felt a sudden pang of stress.
The gazes of the passersby were becoming increasingly strange. The young male players from the Starlight and Frost team, in particular, looked at him as if their eyes were on fire.
Where was all this unprovoked hatred coming from?
He had every reason to suspect Ivy was saying this on purpose again.
But he had no way to clear his name…
This is so hard to handle…!
Back in his own team's lounge, thankfully, Luna and Bella had just returned from the player tunnel.
Arthur had made it back just in time.
But before he could even sit down and catch his breath, Bella suddenly asked without any warning, "Where were you just now?"
Relying on his battle-hardened composure, Arthur kept his expression perfectly stable and asked with a hint of confusion, "What? I didn't go anywhere."
Bella stared at him silently for a second.
"I mean before your match. I saw you come back after taking Lapras for treatment, but then you disappeared in a flash. I couldn't find you again until it was time to go on stage."
"..."
Arthur couldn't be sure if she was just asking casually or if she had seen something.
But the most important thing was not to let his own story unravel.
"It was nothing. Little Eevee was being playful and suddenly ran off. I went to the tunnel to look for him. Did you need me for something before the match?"
Bella paused for another second.
But Arthur's expression remained as solid as a mountain.
After all, he was a man who had once battled a Legendary Pokémon. What storm hadn't he weathered? He wouldn't flinch even if the sky fell!
"It's nothing. It's fine now."
"Was it about this match?" Arthur very calmly continued the conversation. "It's just one small loss. Don't worry about it too much."
Bella seemed to accept his comfort, and her expression quickly brightened into a smile.
"You're right. It's just one match. I let my emotions get the better of me. Ha, I never thought a little kid like you would be the one comforting your senior."
Saying this, she habitually started ruffling Arthur's hair.
It was something she liked to do when she was in high spirits.
Arthur maintained a look of utter despair as he let her mess up his hair, having already given up all hope for his hairstyle.
There was nothing he could do. His outward appearance was still that of a baby-faced young boy. Though he was sixteen or seventeen, his youthful face made him look thirteen or fourteen—a certified heartthrob for the older ladies.
But as she was ruffling his hair, Bella suddenly said out of the blue.
"Sigh, compared to you guys, I feel like my own progress has completely stalled. Hey, Arthur, how about I start special training with you from today? You can teach Luna, you can teach… you can surely teach me too, right?"
Once again, relying on the astonishing composure he had forged through countless life-or-death battles, Arthur managed to keep his expression from changing.
Why was there a pause after Luna's name?
She definitely saw something, didn't she?
But I can't admit it!
I can't admit it, no matter what!
Although Arthur had dedicated his previous life to his country and had never been in a serious relationship, he still had this much emotional intelligence.
"Sure. I'll make a training schedule for you too, just like Senior Luna's."
"Why 'Senior' all of a sudden? So formal."
Damn it! You just called me a 'little kid' and referred to yourself as a senior!
"Ahem, just like Luna's."
"Tsk tsk, Arthur, do you just call every pretty girl 'sis'?"
Is this ever going to end?!
At this moment, Arthur's inner self wanted nothing more than to flip a table.
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
But in the next second, his inner self obediently set the table back up.
"Aren't you guys the ones who always force me to call you that?" Arthur asked quietly.
"Is that so?"
"It is!"
Just then, the coach announced it was time to leave.
This was the opponent's home stadium. Now that the matches were over, it was time for them to go.
Arthur quickly stood up from his seat, letting out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
Damn it, I can finally get out of here…
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