"David, do you think Teacher Dominic will mind if we skip our preparations for the upcoming tournament and just come out here to play instead?"
At Liuli Coast, one of Magic City's most famous attractions, Miles stood in a colorful beach outfit — floral shorts and shirt, large sunglasses, and a chilled fruit drink in hand — speaking with a hint of worry.
The day before, after several hours of flying, their group had finally landed in Magic City in the evening. Since it was already late, they had checked into the hotel right away to rest.
Everyone had slept well in the five-star hotel's luxury suites, so the School Team members had all woken up early that morning.
During breakfast, the conversation had drifted toward Magic City's tourist attractions. Somehow, before anyone quite realized it, the whole group had decided to take a day off and go sightseeing instead. It had happened almost by accident.
It truly was a spontaneous trip. They hadn't even told Dominic and the other coaches — they'd simply left a note. Who knew what expression their team leader would make when he found it.
"No problem at all. It's rare to visit Magic City, so why not enjoy ourselves before the tournament officially starts? We can't very well go sightseeing once the matches begin. Relaxing now will only help us perform better later."
"If we had more time, I'd even want to visit the Whirl Islands. Just have fun — this trip is on me, Miles. Trust me, Teacher Dominic and the others will understand."
David, also dressed for vacation, lifted the little Zorua that had been sitting on his chest and set it down beside him, ignoring its displeased look. After a sigh, he took a sip of his drink and calmly delivered his rather twisted reasoning.
"Besides, look at Emma and the class monitor — they're having a great time. And, well, isn't Luke enjoying himself too?"
Miles followed David's gaze. On the distant beach, Willow and Emma were each leading a team of girls from the School Team in a game of beach volleyball.
But when his eyes drifted toward Luke, Miles's expression turned a little strange.
That scoundrel had run off to flirt with pretty girls again, carrying himself like some famous Gym Leader. To be fair, with his good looks, he seemed to be doing quite well for himself —
Certainly better than a squinty-eyed, sun-tanned fellow standing nearby.
"Ahh, what a beautiful day."
Squinting up at the sun and letting the damp sea breeze wash over him, David sighed contentedly, as if the exhaustion from his recent bout of frantic potion-making had finally begun to fade.
While David and his friends enjoyed their vacation, back at the hotel, Dominic stared at the empty room, a storm of frustration written across his face.
Looking down at the note in his hand, he nearly lost his composure. He hadn't expected David, the School Team's captain, to spring such a surprise on him on their very first day in Magic City.
"Let it go, Teacher Dominic. What David said isn't wrong. Let the kids have some fun."
"Still, that little rascal — he didn't even think to invite us along. Liuli Coast, hm? Come to think of it, I haven't been there since I graduated."
"Don't blame me if I mention this to little Ari later. I wonder if people still call her that here in Magic City."
Vivian, who had also come along with the team, spoke with a smile she couldn't quite hide.
From the way she said it, it was clear she knew Liuli Coast well — not surprising, given that she was rumored to have been a top student at Magic City University.
Liuli Beach was one of the city's most famous resorts, on par with the coastal resort in the New District that David had once visited. As a graduate of Magic City University, Vivian would naturally be familiar with the area.
Still, David would have been surprised to hear this conversation. The "little Ari" Vivian mentioned was, of course, none other than his older sister, Aria. Only her close friends or elders addressed her that way. David knew Vivian and Aria were acquainted, but he hadn't realized just how close they actually were.
"Ah, forget it — let them enjoy themselves. That kid David..."
Sighing, Dominic gave up trying to reach David and turned to leave the room.
This tournament was going to be a tough one. Even though their team was strong, proper preparation still mattered. He needed to go out and gather information on the strongest teams competing in Group B.
While their team leader carried the weight of these responsibilities, David and the others carried on enjoying their vacation without a care.
But in a hidden corner nearby, a cold, watchful gaze occasionally drifted toward David and his friends in the distance.
"Confirmed — this is the target?"
About two kilometers from where David's group relaxed, a middle-aged man dressed as a tourist lounged beneath a sun umbrella.
Among the many visitors to Liuli Beach, one of Magic City's most treasured sites, there were plenty of tourists from other Alliances, so he blended in without drawing any attention.
He held a tablet, feigning the casual air of someone watching videos. But if anyone had looked closely, they would have noticed the screen wasn't showing entertainment at all — it was surveillance footage from several different angles, all trained on David.
"That's right, confirmed. He's the bounty target. Be careful. According to our intelligence, the target is a special Aura Power user. Direct surveillance could draw attention, so we'll stick to remote monitoring through the cameras."
"But, Yade... are we really going through with this? The target isn't like the small fry we usually deal with. What if—"
His partner's voice came through the earpiece, hesitant and clearly troubled by the assignment.
The man — Yade — was visibly annoyed by his partner's doubt.
"An, that's not like you. You know how generous this bounty is. With this payout, we could retire outright."
"The reward includes two Elite-level Pokémon Eggs. One for each of us. My boy is almost old enough to become a Trainer — this would make the perfect gift."
"Once this job is done, we disband, let our people go, and each live a good, quiet life."
"And what if his background isn't so simple? We've taken down plenty of Advanced Trainers and dignitaries before, and we're still standing, aren't we? Why the hesitation now?"
Yade's words were dripping with longing for the reward, brushing aside his partner's concerns entirely. It was clear from his tone that their outfit was no small-time operation.
Indeed, Yade was no ordinary Pokémon poacher — he was a Hunter, one of the ruthless, money-driven members of the Hunter Guild who would take on nearly any job for the right price.
He and An, his partner on the other end of the line, were both ranked as Obsidian-level Hunters within the Guild.
The Hunter Guild ranked its members by the number and difficulty of completed missions, from lowest to highest: Black Iron, Silver, Gold, Orichalcum, Obsidian, Crystal, and Gem.
Obsidian-level Hunters numbered fewer than a hundred across the entire Guild, and each one was a genuinely dangerous individual.
Yade was exactly that sort, and so was An. Between them, they had ended the careers of more than a few Gym-level Trainers, not to mention several dignitaries and rulers of smaller nations.
That was precisely why Yade found his partner's hesitation so irritating. They had both built their lives on this kind of work — why was he suddenly having second thoughts?
"You're not from the Cloudspire Alliance, so you don't understand what the Moore family means here..."
An shook his head and continued. From his words, it was clear he himself was from Cloudspire.
"For nearly a third of the Cloudspire Empire's thousand-year history, the ruling name has been Moore. Only someone from Cloudspire understands the weight of that name. If we kill him, this won't blow over as easily as our past jobs..."
An's words revealed exactly why the two of them had come to Cloudspire: they were there to assassinate David.
Ever since David had single-handedly defeated the Sakura Alliance's exchange team, certain factions within the Sakura Alliance who bore a grudge against the Moore family had placed a bounty on his head through the Hunter network.
There were plenty of others, too, who simply didn't want to see another Super Trainer rise in Cloudspire. Bit by bit, pushed along by the interests of countless different parties, David's bounty had grown to a staggering sum — and the two Elite-level Pokémon Eggs Yade had mentioned were part of that reward.
It was that reward, above all else, that had drawn the two Hunters here to carry out the assassination.
To Yade, David was practically a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. After all, David was still just a young Trainer — however strong he might be, his experience was limited. Killing him would be nothing like taking down an established powerhouse, yet the payout was worth many times more. It was enough to make anyone's mouth water.
"What's there to be afraid of? As long as we leave no trace, we'll be fine. Once we collect the reward, we change our identities and head for White Eagle or Europa. No matter how powerful the Moore family is, what can they do if they can't find us? Let them search the whole world if they want."
Facing An's continued hesitation, Yade spoke as casually as ever.
In his mind, with their experience, eliminating someone so young would be simple work. As long as they got out of Cloudspire, even if the truth eventually came out, no one would ever track them down once they'd changed their identities.
"But still..."
"Enough with the second-guessing. We already accepted this contract. If we back out now, we'll owe a fortune we can't afford to pay."
"And I know you're in a similar situation. Don't you need the money too? Let's just get this done."
Seeing his partner still wavering, and knowing full well what was at stake for him, Yade pressed the point even harder.
An let out a slow breath, gritted his teeth, and finally agreed to the mission.
"That's the spirit, brother."
Yade smiled again.
"Now, let's put together a foolproof plan."
About ten kilometers from Liuli Coast, near a secluded sea cliff, a black-painted submarine slipped past the Cloudspire Alliance's naval defenses and quietly settled dozens of meters below the surface, not far from Magic City.
Sailing an unregistered submarine into another Alliance's waters like this would cause an uproar if discovered. Aside from criminal organizations, almost no one would dare attempt it.
"Status report."
"We haven't been detected. We can wait here until the operation begins."
"Still — for G and Q to slip through undetected, our tail units were caught by Cloudspire's patrol forces. We lost several operatives."
"It doesn't matter. Their sacrifice won't be wasted. As long as the plan succeeds, Cloudspire will pay a fitting price."
After this brief exchange, the transmission ended. The submarine fell still once more, and the depths of the sea returned to silence.
On the distant shore, David had set up his fishing rod and lay back quietly in his chair. Using an ordinary fishing rod without any of his old techniques, he had only managed to catch two small fish after a long wait.
Miles was doing even worse — he'd been at it all morning and hadn't caught a single one.
This earned him a disapproving look from the little Zorua nearby, but neither of them seemed to mind. It wasn't about the results; it was about having fun.
Enjoying the sea breeze, David felt himself drifting toward sleep. But somewhere between waking and dreaming, a sudden chill ran through him, making him shiver.
"What was that? Is someone talking about me behind my back? Don't tell me Teacher Dominic is cursing my name right now."
The image of Dominic back at the hotel, staring wide-eyed at the note they'd left, flashed through his mind, and he nearly burst out laughing.
David laughed at first, but he quickly sensed something wasn't right. His Aura Power gave him no clear signal, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.
A faint unease settled in his chest, leaving him a little on edge.
"Come to think of it, something unexpected always seems to happen whenever I travel. Could it be...?"
David's trips always seemed to come with "surprises," whether it was the End Church or the Supreme Organization.
He shook his head firmly. It was probably just a coincidence — nothing more. Surely he couldn't be that unlucky every single time. Besides, this was Magic City. No one would be foolish enough to cause trouble here.
Still, despite telling himself this, David kept his guard up, just in case.
"Come on, David, it's time to eat. Aren't we heading to Liuli Water Park this afternoon?"
Just then, with lunchtime approaching, Emma and Luke came over to call David and the others for food.
Pushing down his unease, David packed up his fishing gear and left the coast with the rest of the group.
What he didn't know was that his instincts had been right all along — Magic City was about to get very lively indeed.