Chapter 29: Bagon’s Overwhelming Victory

"The winner of this match—and the tournament champion—is Fujiwara Ryuu!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

But beyond the excitement, there was something else in the eyes of the audience.

Greed.

Not for the tournament's prize, but for the Bagon that had just dominated the match.

A pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

Something most trainers could only dream of obtaining.

Bagon stood proudly, chest puffed out, fully aware of the attention it was receiving.

It let out a confident growl, soaking in the admiration.

"Come back, Bagon."

Ryuu returned it to its Poké Ball.

There was no need to show off further.

This was his home turf—no one could take anything from him.

Or so he thought.

The moment Ryuu stepped off the ring—

"Hey! Would you consider selling that Bagon?"

A well-dressed businessman rushed forward, followed by several others.

"I'll pay any price! Name it!"

"Are you interested in selling it?"

One by one, wealthy men surrounded him, their expressions full of greed and ambition.

Even Itsuki had a bitter expression.

For a second, he, too, wanted to offer a price.

But he knew.

Ryuu's family background was far stronger than his own.

There was no way Ryuu would sell such a Pokémon.

Still, some of the businessmen were persistent.

They didn't seem to understand that money didn't buy everything.

Ryuu sighed, then gave them a flat, emotionless stare.

"Not for sale."

With that, he grabbed Shindou Aio's hand and walked away, leaving the desperate crowd behind.

He had no interest in dealing with them.

###

At the tournament's front desk, Ryuu approached the referee.

He was here for his reward—the Eevee egg promised to the champion.

The referee handed over the egg, but at the same time, he smiled and leaned in slightly.

"Mr. Ryuu, would you consider joining our Tenshou Group?"

"The Tenshou Group is one of the most powerful organizations in the country…"

Ryuu sighed internally.

This was expected.

Major corporations hosted tournaments like these not just for entertainment, but to recruit talent.

They wanted to secure promising trainers early—before they became too powerful to control.

But Ryuu didn't even hesitate.

"Not interested," he said, tone polite but firm.

"I already have a family."

The referee immediately understood.

With a background as powerful as his, Ryuu had no need for sponsorship.

The man smiled knowingly and didn't press further.

There would always be other talents to recruit.

###

As Ryuu was about to leave, he heard Itsuki's voice behind him.

"Ryuu."

He turned to see his rival clenching his fists.

"You won this time," Itsuki admitted through gritted teeth.

"But next time, I won't lose."

Ryuu smirked.

"You say that every time."

Itsuki's eye twitched, but he said nothing.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

###

As Ryuu and Aio walked through the evening streets, the city lights flickered on around them.

The tournament had taken most of the day, and now it was time to head home.

They arrived at the gym, standing outside the gate.

Before they parted ways, Ryuu pulled out the Eevee egg and handed it to Aio.

"Here. It's yours."

Aio's eyes widened.

"Wait—what? But this is your prize!"

"I don't need it," Ryuu said casually.

"My Pokémon are already strong enough."

She hesitated.

"But…"

Ryuu held her gaze firmly.

"Aio," he said. "Take it."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she eventually nodded and accepted it.

"Thank you, Ryuu," she said softly.

He smiled.

"Take care of it."

With that, they parted ways, but for a moment, Aio turned back to look at him.

He was still watching her go, hands in his pockets.

Something in his gaze made her heart race.

She quickly turned away and walked faster.

What was that feeling just now?

###

The moment Ryuu entered the gym, he was greeted by his father's loud voice.

"Son! I heard you entered a tournament!"

Ryuu glanced up to see his father, Fujiwara Daiki, walking over with his arms crossed.

"How'd it go?"

Ryuu took off his shoes and answered casually.

"Won. Beat Hoshino Itsuki, too."

Daiki's eyes lit up.

"You beat Itsuki?"

He suddenly burst into laughter.

"HA! That means I'm still ahead of his old man!"

Ryuu rolled his eyes.

His father had been rivals with Itsuki's father for years, and now that rivalry had passed down to them.

Still, he couldn't help but smirk a little.

At that moment, his mother, Fujiwara Sumire, entered the room.

"Enough of that, Daiki," she scolded, but there was warm pride in her voice.

She turned to Ryuu.

"You must be tired. Come eat dinner."

As they sat at the table, Daiki suddenly spoke again.

"By the way," he said, looking at Ryuu.

"You bought a ton of Pokémon eggs today, huh?"

Ryuu paused.

Oh. Right.

His father smirked.

"Son, you do realize this is basically gambling, right?"

Sumire nodded in agreement.

"If you really want good Pokémon eggs, our family has its own breeding center," she reminded him.

Ryuu blinked.

…Oh.

He'd completely forgotten about that.

Instead of buying eggs from random shops, he could've just picked from their own stock.

Daiki chuckled.

"Well, too late now. Guess you'll just have to hope you hit the jackpot."

Ryuu sighed, already making plans to visit their breeding center tomorrow.

There was no way he'd let another strong Pokémon slip past him.

His next goal?

Cutting off Itsuki's family business.

If they couldn't sell high-quality Pokémon eggs, their reputation would plummet.

And that would be his next move.

====

Support and read advance chapters on Patreon.com/Zexxxxy