Even though Kashiwagi intentionally delayed his exit for a while, he was still swarmed by wave after wave of frenzied gamblers.
"Kid! I've got high hopes for you!"
"You slapped a lot of faces today, you know that?"
"Dark horse, dark horse! You're my lucky star!"
"Who told you to win? Who gave you permission to win?! Do you know how much money I lost because of you!?"
Excitement, ecstasy, mockery, and rage—all sorts of emotions, directed either at him or at others, flickered across a sea of faces that surged into his vision.
Of course, the primary reason he was able to observe these faces so closely was that his path was completely blocked.
The crazed gamblers didn't seem to have any intention of letting him leave, clutching at him while demanding he say something—anything.
Fortunately, Naruhisa and the other unit members arrived just in time, parting the crowd like a tide to rescue their surrounded captain.
"We almost didn't make it in. There are too many people; the Top 16 is way more popular than I thought," a sweat-drenched Naruhisa complained.
"It's the money that's popular, not the person," Kashiwagi corrected him.
As early as yesterday, Frobo had warned him that once you hit the Top 16, the level of attention spikes dramatically. Without an escort, a trainer could easily be trapped at the exit.
That was why Kashiwagi had specifically asked Naruhisa and the others to meet him. Seeing the chaos now, it was clear Frobo had been right.
Back in the main hall, Kashiwagi looked back at the giant screen. He could see the portraits of the contestants who had successfully defeated their opponents and advanced to the Final Championship.
Barring any surprises, these people would be his greatest obstacles.
To be honest, reaching the Top 16 had already begun to push him and his team to their limits. In direct combat, he was primarily relying on Mawile's superior natural talent and the element of surprise.
Once the 3v3 format began, things would only get harder.
"Formidable enemies indeed..."
"Kashiwagi, everyone is calling you that 'Dark Horse' thing. They say you might even win the championship! Should we put down a few bets?" Naruhisa asked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The rest of the squad looked on with similar hope.
Clearly, during their time waiting in the hall, they had heard plenty of stories about people winning massive payouts. Such "easy money" was an irresistible lure.
"You can, but the limit is 2,000 PokeDollars. I only bought 2,000 for myself. If we lose, it doesn't hurt; if we win, it's a nice bonus," Kashiwagi said. He wasn't the type to "forbid the commoners from lighting lamps while the officials set fires," but he knew gambling was addictive. Setting a cap was necessary.
The squad members nodded happily in agreement.
Once the tournament reached the Top 16, the rewards became quite substantial.
While there were no direct cash prizes yet, a year's supply of premium custom-canned Pokémon food and a Pyrite Colosseum Membership Card—granting a 15% discount on all purchases—were very appealing to Kashiwagi.
Of course, to the veteran Seeds and title favorites, these rewards were trivial. Their main goal was to use their status to act as "the house," skimming massive profits from the gamblers.
They wouldn't dare fix a match—Duking had zero tolerance for that—but Duking didn't care about the underground betting pools themselves.
There were even rumors that the reason the Pyrite Colosseum Battle Open remained so popular was that Duking himself invested in the betting pools, raking in terrifying profits every year.
Kashiwagi had little interest in such rumors. He was more concerned with his next opponent.
Even though he knew it was unlikely he could snatch the trophy from those "wolves and tigers," he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. He hadn't won a championship inside the Simulator yet, and it looked like he wouldn't win one outside it either.
If only I had two more months.
In three months, at his current rate of growth, reaching Executive Level—where the average Pokémon level exceeds 50—would be no problem at all. By then, even if the top rankers were at Executive level, he wouldn't be afraid.
Unfortunately, the world wasn't giving him enough time to farm.
Meanwhile, as a famous event in Pyrite Town, the list of the Top 16 quickly spread through the trainer community. The name Kashiwagi—familiar yet strange—resurfaced in everyone's ears.
Curiosity drove people to dig for intel. They soon struck gold, uncovering everything from his rise from the slums to the origins of his Pokémon.
Except for Mawile, whose source remained a mystery, the history of his other two Pokémon was laid bare.
Many realized that Kashiwagi's success was a 50/50 split between his own skill and his Pokémon's strength. The trainers who had lost to him all reached the same conclusion: their Pokémon seemed to have no secrets in his eyes. He always managed to craft a strategy specifically designed to dismantle them.
It was as if he possessed an "Eye of Insight."
Of course, these trainers refused to admit their own lack of knowledge or poor commanding skills. To save face, they chose to hype Kashiwagi up instead.
The Top 32 opponent was the loudest of them all. He had some fame in the Colosseum and had made the Top 16 the previous year. To justify his loss, he gave Kashiwagi a nickname that stuck:
"Yaomu" (Demon-wood / Wicked-wood).
It implied that Kashiwagi was as terrifying and uncanny as a yokai.
That was just the way of the underworld—if you didn't make things sound chuunibyou and "hot-blooded," it was hard to brainwash the lower-ranking grunts.
In truth, main series regions did the same for their Champions and Elite Four. Titles like "Lorelei of the Ice" or "Lance the Dragon User" were standard. Leon was even called the "Unbeatable World Champion," essentially ignoring every other regional Champion.
That evening, Kashiwagi received an unexpected summons from his Unit Leader, Soshiro.
----
The familiar boxing ring.
Just like before, a pair of gloves was tossed to him the moment he entered. However, this time, his sparring partner wasn't Machamp—it was Soshiro himself.
This got Kashiwagi's blood pumping.
Soshiro definitely wouldn't want a subordinate to pull punches. Didn't this mean he could openly beat up the boss?
Kashiwagi climbed into the ring, eager to start.
Two minutes later.
Drenched in sweat and clutching his chest and stomach, Kashiwagi slowly shuffled to the edge of the ring.
"Mach!" Machamp tossed him a functional sports drink.
"Thanks," Kashiwagi grunted, drinking it with a bit of a pout.
If you didn't count the ten hits Soshiro landed on him, Kashiwagi had actually managed to pay back the two hits he had taken from Machamp earlier.
As expected, in any world, the weight and height advantages of the same species were absolute. Unless you had some weird supernatural powers, you couldn't break that "common sense."
"Where'd you learn to box?" Soshiro's voice came from behind him.
"Just figured it out myself from some textbooks. Do you think my form is alright?" Kashiwagi replied.
"Heh, bullshit!" Soshiro sneered, clearly not believing Kashiwagi could reach this level through self-study. What kind of book could turn a total amateur into a semi-pro in just a month?
But he wasn't interested in a cross-examination. He had another reason for calling him here.
"That matter regarding your Lairon... I've settled it for you."
"Eh?" Kashiwagi turned around, confused.
Soshiro continued, "That Lairon of yours belonged to a casino owned by the Hekawa Association. Its trainer gambled away all his money, then lost a bunch of Pokémon and racked up a massive debt before fleeing through the Mayor's channels. They came knocking, wanting to reclaim their property."
"..."
"Bring back a good result in the tournament. Otherwise, I'll have to beat you again."
"...Boss."
"Get lost and get some rest. Don't embarrass Team Snagem in tomorrow's match," Soshiro dismissed him.
Kashiwagi walked out of the boxing gym in silence.
Once he reached the surface, the cold wind made him shiver.
Holy crap.
I almost got successfully PUA'd!
Kashiwagi felt a bit of lingering fear. Soshiro was a master of the "carrot and stick"—he didn't just draw a picture of a pie; he gave you the whole thing. Whether this meeting was meant as encouragement or just a bit of bonding, it worked.
Not to mention, he had actually cleared the legal trouble hanging over Lairon.
Knowing the other grunts under Soshiro, they'd probably beg to be beaten up if it meant getting this kind of treatment.
"Humans really are the most adaptable creatures. Habits are terrifying things," he sighed.