Action followed words.
Before Kashiwagi could even issue an order, Mawile—who had long found Yoshioka an eyesore—suddenly stomped the ground. Her body crackled with flickering electricity as she transformed into a blur, charging forward!
The business owners screamed, diving out of the way. Tables and chairs were knocked over in the chaos, and the long white table in the center collapsed with a resounding crack.
The expressions on the faces of Yoshioka and his lackeys shifted violently as they scrambled to dodge. However, as Mawile's primary target, Yoshioka found himself unable to retreat in time.
Mawile's fist grew larger by the second, filling his vision—
"Protect!"
"Ma-wile!"
Two shouts, one high and one low, rang out simultaneously.
Boom!
The air let out a deafening sonic boom. Red and green light flared brilliantly, manifesting as a surging wave of flame that expanded and exploded in mid-air. The entire dance hall shuddered violently.
Shortly after, white smoke curled upward.
Mawile emerged from the haze, returning to Kashiwagi's side.
Naruhisa and the others stared wide-eyed at this Pokémon. It had always acted so cute that they assumed it lacked combat prowess; now, they were busy racking their brains to remember if they had ever offended it.
A few who had entertained thoughts of patting its head silently offered prayers of repentance.
"Ma-wile!"
Mawile ignored them completely, letting out a stern cry.
Kashiwagi had originally intended to lecture Mawile for attacking without a signal, but upon hearing her cry, he somehow understood. He looked toward the thick smoke at the far end of the hall.
As the haze thinned, several dark silhouettes emerged.
It was Yoshioka and his crew, looking pale and shaken. Perched on Yoshioka's shoulder was a creature with yellow tentacles and a body resembling a red ceramic pot.
Shuckle, the Mold Pokémon.
A unique existence possessing legendary dual defenses.
A long string of data naturally flashed through Kashiwagi's mind.
"You brat... do you even know the rules?! Did your boss never teach you not to start a fight indoors!?"
Yoshioka roared, his face a mix of relief and lingering fear. His voice was exceptionally loud to mask his shakiness. "Dammit, where did this hothead come from!?"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"So young and no respect for the rules! What kind of education is your boss giving you!?"
The group of Team Snagem members behind him also strained their vocal cords, shouting in support.
Rules?
While Kashiwagi didn't actually want to fight indoors either, he truly didn't know about any specific "rules." He decided to bypass the topic entirely.
"Consider this an early warning to sharpen your memory."
Since the enemy wasn't down, Kashiwagi couldn't very well scold Mawile now. Questioning one's Pokémon in front of a crowd would cause it to lose face.
Pokémon have pride, too.
In the distance, Yoshioka was still cursing. "Damn it, a street rat is a street rat. If your boss won't teach you, I will!"
Naruhisa, sensing that Kashiwagi was genuinely ignorant of the protocols, began to whisper an explanation.
After a few sentences, Kashiwagi understood.
In short:
Conflicts were settled through Pokémon battles. Both sides would agree on a set of rules and what was at stake before starting. As long as no one died, anything went.
Listening to Naruhisa's explanation and looking at Yoshioka's self-righteous posture, Kashiwagi sighed inwardly. It seemed that expecting a full-blown, bloody internal purge was unrealistic.
Even if they were insulting each other's direct superiors, they still maintained a baseline of "civilized" hostility.
It felt like a scene from a Hong Kong gangster movie—both sides bring a massive crowd of underlings to a designated spot, the leaders flash their blades and talk some trash, and then everyone goes home for the night.
But there was no helping it. The rules regarding internal conflict were set by the Head of Team Snagem. No one dared to defy them, not even the three High Executives at the very top.
"Return for now."
Kashiwagi spoke softly to Mawile and withdrew her into her Poké Ball.
They moved to the battlefield on Copper Solder Street.
Kashiwagi's squad and Yoshioka's squad stood on opposite sides, glaring at one another.
Crowds of onlookers began to gather. Aside from the business owners, there were many idle Team Snagem members and civilians looking for a distraction.
"Whoa! The Sand Unit and the Crystal Unit are at it again!"
"Who are the leaders?"
"Who else? Kashiwagi and Yoshioka! They've been the most talked-about names lately!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Ignoring the noise of the peanut gallery, Kashiwagi and Yoshioka approached each other to discuss the stakes of the wager.
As expected, Yoshioka demanded that Kashiwagi abandon his territory in Sectors 1 and 2 and return them to the Crystal Unit. Perhaps knowing he was trying to reclaim through a scheme what he'd lost through incompetence, his voice wasn't very loud.
"I refuse."
Kashiwagi didn't hesitate. "I'm not betting territory. I want every single one of your teeth."
"You little—!"
Seeing that the kid wasn't falling for it, Yoshioka tried his old tricks again. "Who would bet on something so trivial?! Or are you scared? Afraid you'll lose your turf because you're pathetic? Just like that sissy—"
"Fine! I'll bet with you!"
Kashiwagi suddenly raised his voice, drowning out the man's cliché provocation while ensuring every onlooker could hear. "Everyone, bear witness! We've agreed that whoever wins gets to pull out every single one of the loser's teeth!"
"Who agreed to that!?"
Yoshioka froze, then roared in fury, "You're full of it!"
"Everyone! Did you hear that? He's scared! The moment I announce it to you all, Yoshioka of the Crystal Unit cowers! He's terrified of our brothers in the Sand Unit!" Kashiwagi continued to ignore him, shouting even louder.
Members of the Sand Unit in the crowd began to cheer and hoot.
The Crystal Unit members, meanwhile, started cursing.
"I'm asking you! Do you have the guts or not?! Say you're too chicken to bet and we'll turn around and leave right now!" Kashiwagi turned his gaze back to Yoshioka, whose face was flushed red with rage. "Is the Crystal Unit nothing but a bunch of losers whose mouths are the only tough parts of their bodies!?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the Crystal Unit onlookers couldn't take it anymore.
"Screw you! Accept it!"
"Yoshioka, don't be a wuss!"
"Just take him down, quit being a coward!"
Under the "encouragement" of the crowd—which sounded more like a cacophony of insults—Yoshioka had no choice but to agree, no matter how unwilling he was.
Ultimately, a 3-v-3 Single Battle between the two leaders was officially set in motion.
The situation had spiraled far away from Yoshioka's original plan.
What an idiot.
Kashiwagi was almost amused by the man. On one hand, he wasn't completely stupid; he knew how to intimidate the shop owners and use provocations to force a fight.
On the other hand, he was smart enough to talk himself into a corner. He wanted to win back the territory the big bosses had carved out, but felt too embarrassed to say it loudly?
He was just like the Crystal Unit's leader, Chester—obsessed with "face."
A few shouts from his own unit, and he had caved.
"Kashiwagi, are you sure about this?"
Naruhisa looked at the returning Kashiwagi with concern. "Even though he's a new Squad Leader, I heard he was eligible for promotion years ago. He just lacked the merit points."
"It's fine."
Kashiwagi shook his head to put Naruhisa and the others at ease.
Mawile's base stats and training far exceeded the average level of Pokémon in Pyrite Town. Unless Yoshioka turned out to be some "Pseudo-Executive" level trainer, the victory was predictable.
Furthermore, Lairon wasn't just for show. Over the past week, it had gained a level on its own, plus the three levels from yesterday.
In terms of pure energy level, it was already knocking on the door of Level 40.
Of course, Pokémon battles were ever-changing. No one could ever claim they were guaranteed to have the last laugh.