Suddenly, Ariel felt several inexplicable gazes around him.
Ariel had originally thought his current position was quite remote, but now, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed many figures had gathered nearby at some point.
Those people stood in small groups of two or three, keeping a moderate distance, as if they were observing some rare animal.
Their gazes wove together into an invisible net, with him right at the center.
When did this place become as lively as a wet market?
He remembered choosing this spot to rest specifically because there was no one around when he first arrived.
A trace of oddness welled up in Ariel's heart.
"Mr. Ariel."
Tome, beside him, seemed to sense his confusion. She turned slightly and explained in a volume just loud enough for him to hear:
"Don't worry about them; they're just here to watch the show."
"Watch the show?"
Ariel raised an eyebrow.
"Because you just rejected that Black Fire team."
Tome lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of caution.
"That team is quite famous around here."
Is rejecting an invitation really that rare?
Ariel was even more puzzled.
In a place like this, isn't it perfectly normal for Trainers to part ways due to differing philosophies or goals?
Seeing the doubt on Ariel's face, Tome quickly added:
"Rejecting an invitation isn't rare in itself, it's just... that team is somewhat special."
She stopped halfway, seemingly unsure of how to phrase it.
Masaki, standing nearby, took over. His voice was steadier than Tome's, carrying the rigor of a researcher:
"The Black Fire squad has always acted overbearingly; their irrationality is well-known. There are even rumors that they attack lone Trainers deep within Mt. Pyre to steal their Pokémon and belongings."
He paused and added another point:
"Of course, those are just unproven rumors. But one thing is a fact—not a single person who has done logistics work for them has ever successfully received their payment."
"If you look easy to bully and they set their sights on you, they'll force you to join the team as a porter. If you dare mention payment afterward, you'll be met with fists. If you refuse to go? Then you'll get a brutal beating right then and there."
Masaki's narration was calm, as if stating objective facts, but the content made one's heart turn cold.
"Isn't that just a gang?"
Steven's brows furrowed tightly, and for the first time, undisguised anger appeared on his handsome face.
"Does Officer Jenny not do anything about this kind of behavior?"
As the successor of Devon Corporation, the world he interacted with was built upon the rules and order of the League.
This almost primitive, naked violence was like a story from another world to him.
Masaki shook his head, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face.
"They can't manage it. Or rather, it's very difficult to manage."
"This is Mt. Pyre, not a city. Most of the people coming and going are powerful Trainers who follow a different set of rules. Officer Jenny mainly manages city security; their power hardly radiates into every corner."
"Moreover, because it's close to Lilycove City, many ordinary people do come here to make a living. They don't have Pokémon, or only have very weak ones, so they can't do the work of a Trainer. Instead, they provide logistics for exploration teams entering Mt. Pyre, doing things like cooking, carrying supplies, and various dirty or exhausting jobs."
"The risk is high, but the rewards are equally staggering."
Masaki's gaze swept over the crowd watching from a distance, which included many ordinary people in simple clothes and with nervous expressions.
"Usually, a week-long logistics job, if it goes smoothly, can earn them fifty thousand Pokedollars. This amount is enough for them to live comfortably in the city for several months."
Steven fell silent.
To him, fifty thousand Pokedollars might just be the cost of a single meal or a pretty stone.
But for those ordinary people struggling at the bottom, it was a massive sum capable of changing their lives.
He came from a wealthy background, had received an elite education since childhood, and was surrounded by top-tier talent.
He had seen the deception of the business world and the honorable duels between Trainers, but he had never truly encountered these survival laws of the gray zones.
For a moment, this future Champion of Hoenn was actually speechless.
Ariel, on the other hand, didn't feel much about it.
Risk and reward are two sides of the same coin.
If you want to obtain returns far beyond the average person, you naturally have to bear the corresponding risks.
For those ordinary people, every time they followed an exploration team into the mountains, it was a gamble.
If they won, they had several months of affluent life.
If they lost, they might leave their lives here.
Once an exploration team encountered powerful wild Pokémon or other accidents in the mountains, the first to be abandoned would undoubtedly be these unarmed logistics personnel.
After all, a Trainer's Pokémon is primarily meant to protect the Trainer themselves.
It was cruel, but it was reality.
He glanced at Steven, who was lost in thought beside him, and suddenly found it a bit amusing.
This pampered young master was likely being hit by the other side of the world for the first time.
Ariel withdrew his gaze and turned to Masaki and Tome, saying to Steven in a teasing tone:
"I say, Steven, your Devon Corporation is truly full of talent."
"These two interns have done their intelligence work quite thoroughly."
Ariel casually praised Devon Corporation for being full of talent and having thorough intelligence work.
Steven caught the subtext.
He understood that Ariel was intentionally changing the subject. Regarding those bottom-tier rules paid for with human lives, a young master like him, born with a silver spoon, really couldn't handle it, nor was he good at dealing with reality full of mud and blood.
Taking this out, Steven straightened his back.
He reached out and patted Masaki's shoulder, his tone rising:
"Devon's recruitment standards are very harsh. The top talents in all of Hoenn eventually flow to us."
He pointed to Masaki and introduced him:
"First in his year in the Surveying Department of the Advanced Trainer School, an outstanding graduate."
Then he pointed to Tome beside him.
"Tome is no slouch either. She has four years of solid learning experience at the Rock Gym and has followed the former Gym Leader to many dangerous places. She has rich practical experience."
As he said this, Steven tilted his chin slightly, his brow full of undisguisable pride.
Usually led by the nose by Ariel, he naturally wouldn't miss this chance to show off Devon Corporation's foundation and save some face in front of this guy.
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