When the two bystanders suddenly went mad, Phoebe and the others only glanced over briefly before losing interest.
They weren't idiots, if Sato suddenly used a special ability on them, then he must have discovered something.
Apparently, Phoebe and Sato's methods had intimidated them enough that the five of them reached the rail station without further interference.
---
"Why can't we purchase tickets?"
Just as one wave settled, another arose. Phoebe looked coldly at the trembling staff member behind the ticket window.
"It… it's orders from above… I… I don't know either."
Under the influence of Phoebe's special ability, the staffer couldn't lie and could only stammer out the truth. "Call your supervisor. Tell them the Ambassador from the Hoenn League has been invited by the Unova League and must reach Vertress City as quickly as possible!"
Sato stepped forward, pulled out the letter with Elite Four Drake's official seal from his backpack, and slammed it onto the counter.
"The supervisor… might not be in. I'll go find him right away." The staffer tried to dodge Phoebe's gaze and recover the situation, but once he locked eyes with Sato, he instantly cowered again.
"There's an emergency call button at the counter. No need to leave, just use the phone," Joseph chimed in suddenly, calling the staffer back on the spot.
Even though there was a layer of tempered glass between them, the staffer somehow didn't dare make any decisions on his own and quickly pressed the button.
Before long, a pot-bellied middle-aged man in a suit came hurrying over. But when he saw Sato and the others through the glass, his first instinct was to take a step back.
"We've been recording everything. If your so-called supervisor fails to provide reasonable assistance to a Regional Ambassador upon request, then there's no need for this exhibition match. We'll release all of this to the public and let everyone see just how childish and low the Unova League's tricks really are."
Phoebe spoke again, while Mark -at some point- had produced a camera and was diligently filming everything.
"Hehe, you Ambassadors must be joking… I just thought it inappropriate to receive you dressed like this, so I was going back to change before coming out," the middle-aged man chuckled, spouting a lie so bad even his subordinates didn't believe it.
"We need five first-class tickets on the soonest train to Vertress City." Phoebe didn't want to deal with him any longer and got straight to the point.
"No rush, no rush. Why don't you all come rest in the lounge for a bit? We'll have staff deliver the tickets to you. No need to worry."
"The next high-speed train should be in 15 minutes. We want five first-class seats. Are there any?" Phoebe turned to the staffer instead, completely ignoring the so-called supervisor.
"Y-yes…" the staffer answered honestly, causing his supervisor's eyes to widen in disbelief.
'Traitor!'
"Supervisor, book the tickets." Sato stared at the stunned man with his pitch-black eyes, instantly leaving him gasping for breath.
"Supervisor?"
"B-book them…"
The staffer breathed a sigh of relief. His hands moved so fast they almost left afterimages as he issued five first-class tickets at top speed.
"I heard there's an express lane. Take us there." Sato gave another command. The supervisor no longer dared protest and shakily walked out from behind the counter to lead them away.
"…Sato, your ability is stronger than mine," Phoebe said, a bit unwilling to admit it.
Sato grinned awkwardly, unsure how to respond. He had now realized that while Phoebe seemed carefree, she was fiercely competitive in every aspect.
Ten minutes later, the group successfully boarded the high-speed rail. And once the train was moving, altering its course wasn't something that could be done casually; after all, Sato's group wasn't the only one onboard.
Tampering with the train would cost far too much. It wasn't worth it.
Just after they boarded, the so-called station supervisor wiped the sweat from his forehead and suddenly grinned.
"Mission accomplished!"
"But sir, we didn't stop them. How can that count as mission accomplished?" a subordinate nearby asked curiously.
"We never planned to stop them. We just meant to cause some interference to keep them constantly irritated and anxious. If it makes them take the match less seriously, all the better."
"Ohhh~" The subordinate nodded in sudden realization, though confusion still lingered in his eyes. "But sir, going to all this trouble for a few kids… is it really necessary?"
"Necessary? I don't know. The higher-ups gave the order, so I just follow it," the supervisor replied with a shake of his head and turned to leave. But inwardly, he was thinking:
'The first outsider to catch a Zweilous in the Village of Dragons, a Pokémon Trainer specifically marked by Wilma for special attention… They probably still don't even know why they're being targeted like this.'
----
Now aboard the train, the group could finally relax a little. If they hadn't used their special abilities to intimidate those two waves of troublemakers, who knows how long their departure would've been delayed.
"Why are they going after us so hard? Is it really necessary?" On the train, Ryoko voiced the same question the subordinate had asked earlier.
"Whether it's necessary or not doesn't matter. What matters is that we have to win the match. That's the only way to hit back hard!" Phoebe said resolutely, clearly furious.
"Rest up for now. Once we arrive, contact Drake immediately and have him send someone to pick us up," she continued.
"After arriving in Vertress City, there shouldn't be any more problems. Otherwise, it would mean they're completely disrespecting Elite Four Drake and the Hoenn League," Joseph added with a shake of his head, sounding certain.
Everyone thought about it for a moment, and it did seem to make sense.
No matter what, Sato's group were guests. If something happened to guests in the host's territory, it would be the hosts who lost the so called "face".
"Alright, let's rest. The battles ahead won't be easy."
After Phoebe spoke, the group fell silent, each closing their eyes to recover. Joseph quietly released Florges and had her use Aromatherapy to soothe their mental fatigue.
In just four hours, they arrived at Vertress City. As soon as they got off the train, they were greeted by people sent by Drake.
"This is up to you now. You have to win!" The person who received them was Drake's right-hand man, named Greno.
"Don't worry, Greno. This time, we're determined to win!" Phoebe replied seriously.
"Hahaha, this time only three need to battle. The captain's orders are for Phoebe, Sato, and Ryoko to take the field," Greno said openly, not hiding it from Mark and Joseph.
"Really? That's great!" Mark exclaimed in delight instead of disappointment.
It wasn't that he was afraid, he just really worried he'd hold them back. After all, Mark only had four Pokémon so far.
Joseph also smiled and shook his head. While his Gogoat and Florges weren't weak, his other Pokémon were mostly support types and not suited for battle either.
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195 Powah Stones = Extra chap!