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"Hey! Step right up, don't miss out! Rare Evolution Stones and generous cash prizes! Only those with real strength can earn them!"
It was early afternoon. Outside the entrance to Victory Road Cave, on a flat open space, a simple battlefield had been drawn on the ground. Liam stood by the roadside, loudly shouting, while his Venomoth fluttered its wings beside him, attracting the attention of passersby.
"Take a look! A Fire Stone, crystal clear and radiating fire-type energy! A Fire Stone that can evolve many Fire-type Pokemon! Priceless on the market, practically unavailable! Want to win it? Then come on over! Only the strong deserve such a prize! I've set up this arena right here—I'll accept any challengers! Beat me, and this rare Fire Stone is yours!"
Liam raised a bright red Fire Stone and shouted toward the crowd. It worked like a charm. In the blink of an eye, a crowd had gathered, their eyes shining as they stared greedily at the Fire Stone.
"Hey! Is this thing even real? There are so many fakes on the market! Don't try to trick us!"
A burly man in the crowd, with a shifty expression that didn't match his size, shouted out, quickly riling up the people around him.
"Yeah, yeah! What if it's fake?"
"Look at you! Do you even have a real Fire Stone? Quit bluffing!"
"How do we know it's real? Can't you let us test it first?"
"Exactly!"
The crowd erupted in a chorus of doubt.
Liam narrowed his eyes at the burly man, then calmly slipped the Fire Stone into his pocket. He turned and walked to the command position at the edge of the makeshift field, standing tall and coldly addressing the crowd.
"Test it? What, you want to evolve your Pokemon here and now to verify it? Are you all fucking brain-dead? The Fire Stone is with me. My rules are simple: one person, one Pokemon. Win by knocking out your opponent's Pokemon or by their surrender. If you win, you take the Fire Stone and 30,000 PokeDollars in prize money. If you lose, you hand over 3,000 PokeDollars as the challenge fee. That's the deal. Any takers?"
Liam let out a snort and patted the pocket holding the Fire Stone, his tone full of mockery.
"You're pretty arrogant, kid! Let's see if your skills are as cocky as your mouth. What, are you looking down on us?"
The same burly man fanned the flames again, clearly hoping to stir up the crowd and benefit from the chaos.
Liam narrowed his eyes slightly, then raised his chin high, legs shoulder-width apart, right hand on his hip, and pointed across the field with his left hand as he declared in a frosty tone:
"So much talking, but not a shred of guts among you. With how fucking pathetic you all look—no offense, but everyone here is simply trash!"
That was the final spark.
The scene instantly exploded, as if Liam had stirred up a hornet's nest. The crowd surged with fury, fists clenched, clearly ready to teach this arrogant punk a lesson.
"My time's limited. If I get tired, I'll just leave. And remember—there's only one Fire Stone. First come, first served. If someone else wins it, it's got nothing to do with me."
Liam's taunt had done its job, and now it was time to rein them in. His cold reminder was like a bucket of ice water—cooling their rage just enough to make them realize the opportunity— before pouring gasoline on it and setting it ablaze.
"Hahaha! Don't rush, everyone! We still don't know this brat's strength! Guys, I admit I'm one of the weaker ones here, so I'll be the first to spend 3,000 PokeDollars and test this cocky fool's limits! Let me take the first round!"
As the others scrambled to be first, the burly man burst out laughing and muscled his way through the crowd. With his size, it was easy to shove through. He stepped into the challenger's command position and looked back at the crowd.
"Uh… haha, guy's got a point. Thanks for taking the risk first!"
"Bro, that's noble of you! I'll pay you back if you lose!"
"Good luck! Try not to get totally wrecked!"
"Yeah, don't embarrass us!"
The crowd, once bickering, now found the burly man's logic sound. He'd already taken the spot, so no one wanted to call him back, letting him test the waters against Liam first.
"Chosen already? You're the first one up against me? Fine. Hand over the 3,000 PokeDollars challenge fee and we'll begin. Venomoth, go fetch it."
Seeing the challenge confirmed, Liam turned to his Venomoth, who flew over swiftly.
"Venoooo…"
Venomoth hovered in front of the burly man, waiting for payment.
"What, you want money before the battle even starts? Are you broke or something? What if you take my money and run? Who do I complain to?"
The man gritted his teeth and glared at Liam.
"It's the rule. Pay up or fuck off. I don't have time for whiners. If you don't have the 3,000 PokeDollars, step aside and let someone else try."
Liam responded with a blank expression, completely unfazed.
"Hey! Bro, you broke or what? If you don't have the cash, just get outta there and let someone else go! Hahaha!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The crowd behind him burst out in mocking laughter.
"Y-You all shut up! Here's your damn 3,000 PokeDollars! Take it! Let's get this started already!"
Flushed red with embarrassment, the burly man quickly shoved the money into Venomoth's claws and shouted at Liam.
Liam calmly took the 3,000 PokeDollars from Venomoth after it flew back, checked the bills, pocketed them, then looked up at the man—who was practically foaming at the mouth—and held out a hand.
"Please."
"Hahahahaha! You're gonna regret this! That Fire Stone is mine! Go, Snorlax!"
With a triumphant laugh, the burly man tossed out a PokeBall. A flash of light later, a chubby Snorlax appeared on the battlefield.
"Snor! Snorlax!"
Snorlax pounded its fists against its chest with loud, echoing thuds, then let out a massive roar, its presence overwhelming.
"Oh crap! We've been tricked! This guy was hiding his strength!"
"Yeah! That Snorlax looks super strong! Game over for the rest of us…"
"So that's why he was being so 'generous' earlier! What a scumbag! Hey! That kind of behavior's shameful! Do your parents know what you're doing?"
"Exactly!"
The crowd sighed heavily upon seeing the Snorlax. They were certain the burly man would win now and started throwing accusations at him.
"Shut up! Don't blame others for your own stupidity! You losers seriously thought you had a shot at the Fire Stone? That cocky challenger may be rude, but he was right about one thing—you are all trash!"
The burly man sneered back at the crowd.
"Wow! This guy's even cockier than that arrogant arena host!"
"Yeah! Too much swagger!"
"Let's all gang up on him after the match!"
"Totally!"
Watching the chaos unfold again, Liam shook his head slightly in exasperation. Then he looked at the Snorlax standing in the center of the field, pulled out a PokeBall, and tossed it forward.
"Come out, Weavile!"