Chapter 69: Divergence

Amu and Xiaoxia had heard that Sonoko’s parents and uncle were present, so they had intended to greet them first, since they were guests here. However, just as Sonoko led the two of them into the hall where “The Wrath of the Gyarados” was being exhibited, they were met with the sound of an argument...

“You bastard... you lied to me! It was you who hired illegal Pokémon hunters to sabotage my expedition!”

A man in his thirties or forties, visibly agitated, was shouting at another sharply dressed, mustachioed man. He was struggling against two security guards who kept him from rushing forward.

Standing nearby, a sturdy bald old man frowned and questioned the mustached man, “Mr. Daigo, what is going on here?” Though his beard was white, the old man was clearly vigorous and hale.

“What’s going on? Nothing in particular. There are always difficult times when people pawn their collections and later regret it... Mr. Jirouji, you must have seen this kind of thing often, haven’t you?” The mustachioed man, Daigo, replied airily, then turned to the furious man and said, “Hey, if I hear you making baseless accusations again, I’ll sue you for slander!”

Amu didn’t know the details, but she immediately disliked this Daigo—both his looks and his attitude were off-putting. She couldn’t help but whisper to Sonoko, “Who is that man?”

Sonoko glanced toward Director Child. The elderly curator, noticing her look, quietly explained, “Hmm? You mean Mr. Daigo? He’s the owner of the star exhibit this time, ‘The Wrath of the Gyarados.’ However... it seems the former owner, Mr. Hisashi, has serious doubts about the circumstances.”

This was the first Amu learned that “The Wrath of the Gyarados” was actually on loan from Daigo to Jirouji.

Indeed, Jirouji’s approach to exhibitions was to buy pieces when possible, and rent them when he could not.

Though Director Child called it “doubt,” from what had just played out, it seemed Mr. Hisashi had pawned “The Wrath of the Gyarados” to Daigo during a time of trouble, only to discover that Daigo had orchestrated those very difficulties.

Hisashi, realizing that accusations alone would accomplish nothing, shook off the guards and declared, “Just you wait! I’ll get the money together before the pawn period ends!”

With that, Hisashi stalked off in a rage...

Once Hisashi had left, Jirouji frowned and said, “Mr. Daigo, if you aren’t truly the owner of ‘The Wrath of the Gyarados,’ then for the exhibition the day after tomorrow...”

Whatever had occurred between them was not Jirouji’s concern, but he certainly didn’t want anything to go wrong with the exhibition.

“That’s not for you to worry about, Mr. Jirouji. He only pawned the Gyarados to me. If he wants to redeem it, that’s his business. Hahaha...” Daigo laughed nonchalantly.

“You... could it be that—” Jirouji seemed to realize something, and his tone grew unfriendly.

“Well then, let me wish you a smooth exhibition in advance, Mr. Jirouji. Let’s hope that magician under the moonlight doesn’t make off with anything! If he does, the Suzuki Group will owe me a hefty sum.” With that, Daigo departed, maintaining his pompous air.

As he passed by Amu and the others, Daigo didn’t spare a single glance for these “nobodies,” but Sonoko glared at him openly—she didn’t know the details, but it was obvious he was no good.

Once the “guest” had departed, Sonoko led Amu and Xiaoxia into the main hall, where a plump, amiable-looking man with round spectacles was trying to console Jirouji.

“Dad! Uncle! I’m back!” Sonoko called out.

It was clear that the plumper of the two was Sonoko’s father Shiro—much younger than Jirouji, but lacking exercise, he appeared to be about the same age, already verging on elderly.

The Suzuki Group was not limited to Shiro’s branch, but Shiro was the actual head of the entire enterprise.

Jirouji, who had organized this exhibition, was an “advisor” within the Suzuki Group, and ran his own businesses as well. However, the museum in Pewter City belonged to Shiro, which was why he was present.

“Oh, Sonoko, your mother was just asking after you... These two must be Amu and Xiaoxia? Good, good—the future truly belongs to the young.” Shiro spoke with genuine warmth, without a hint of arrogance.

Partly, this was his nature—he rarely put on airs unless angered; partly, he knew that Amu and Xiaoxia were no ordinary youths, especially Amu...

“I’ll be in Celadon City in mid-July for the advanced apothecary examinations, and the Suzuki family has plantations and pharmaceutical labs there as well. Amu, if you ever want to practice, you’re welcome anytime—I’ve already spoken to the manager there,” Shiro said generously.

Though this was his first time meeting Amu and he couldn’t be sure she would pass the exams, Sonoko’s descriptions convinced him that even if it wasn’t this time, Amu would surely succeed soon—after all, she was so young.

Although the Suzuki Group was no match for the Groudon Group in the pharmaceutical field, its headquarters were in Kanto, giving it a home advantage over the Hoenn-based Groudon Group in the Indigo League. Winning over a promising young apothecary could only be beneficial.

Not that Shiro was desperate or calculating; since Amu and Sonoko were close, he simply took the opportunity to extend his goodwill.

Letting her use some ingredients and berries for practice wouldn’t cost much, after all.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Shiro.” Amu did expect she would need a professional environment to practice.

Shiro didn’t linger. After reminding Sonoko where to find her mother, he left—he was a busy man, after all.

When Shiro was gone, Sonoko saw that her uncle was still fuming and hurried over...

Amu had thought she was going to comfort Jirouji, but instead heard her blurt out, “Uncle Jirouji, what’s the deal with that Daigo? He’s not a villain, is he?”

Amu: ...

So she was here to stir the pot!

Jirouji, still angry, grumbled, “I’d always wondered how ‘The Wrath of the Gyarados’ ended up with him—turns out he really did use some underhanded tricks!”

“He just mentioned something about a Gyarados...” Sonoko looked puzzled.

Jirouji glanced at Sonoko, Amu, and Xiaoxia, then said, “Come and see for yourselves.”

“Huh? Really? The setup is finished?” Sonoko asked eagerly.

A special exhibition hall had been prepared for “The Wrath of the Gyarados,” right in the center of the main hall.

“Yes, it’s ready for viewing.” Jirouji said, personally leading the way as Director Child hurried forward to open the door.

Inside the inner hall, a fairly large indoor pool came into view. Transparent glass walls, about two meters high, surrounded the pool, though it was not completely enclosed. At the center stood a display platform, upon which rested the “Wrath of the Gyarados.” And in the “pool” itself, there really was a Gyarados, coiled and dozing around the display platform.