1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 71: Rose Tower's Shadow

Dinner at Rose of the Rondelands should have felt like the easiest part of the day. I had already battled Hop, the stadium lights had finally faded from my eyes, and the Champion Cup Finals were waiting for tomorrow. Leon had promised dinner before those rematches began, and Leon usually kept promises, even when he got lost doing it.

Hop kept looking toward the entrance with one hand curled around his glass. The longer the empty doorway stayed empty, the less he looked like the rival who had just battled me with everything he had. He looked like a little brother trying not to imagine the worst.

"This is absurd," Hop muttered. "Even Lee's never this late. Something's not right. He always does what he says he'll do. As a kid, he promised me he'd become Champion one day, and he went and did just that. He ought to be able to keep his own dinner plans."

Gloria leaned back just enough to see the hotel lobby beyond the restaurant doors. "Maybe something happened to him."

Pikachu shifted on my shoulder, ears tilted toward the hallway and tail twitching against my back, "The air outside is moving wrong."

I touched his side lightly. I felt it too. It was not fear exactly, but the same tightening feeling I got before a storm found the road faster than any weather report.

Alice watched me from across the table. "You heard him?"

"Yeah," I said. "Pikachu thinks something is wrong outside."

Eevee rose from beside Alice's chair and pressed closer to her leg, fur lifted in a thin ridge along her neck, "Don't let the promise make you ignore the trap."

Alice's expression sharpened. She did not need me to repeat it. She understood Eevee well enough, and the look she gave me said she had already reached the same answer.

The restaurant doors opened before Hop could stand. Piers walked in like he had taken a wrong turn on purpose, hands in his pockets, posture loose, eyes seeing every worried face before pretending he had not noticed any of them.

"Kid's sure got a mouth on him, huh?" Piers said to Hop. "If you were that noisy durin' battle, you'd unleash a whole new level of power."

"Oh, pack it in, Piers!" Hop snapped. "I'm seriously worried here, so I don't need your smug mug acting like you're giving me good advice!"

Piers did not flinch. "Judgin' by appearances, no wonder you lost to your mate. If you're lookin' for the Champion, I saw him headin' to Rose Tower. He wasn't alone either. Two other Champions were with him."

My chair scraped back. "My mom and dad?"

"Dunno what they're up to," Piers said. "I ran into Leon at the monorail platform. He said to tell you he had somethin' to do at Rose Tower, so he'd be late to dinner."

Victor frowned. "Why Rose Tower at this hour?"

Hop was already moving. "Piers, do us a favor. Take us to Rose Tower, would you? Neither of us know the way."

Elena stood with him. "I know the way. It's my father's company."

Piers sighed as if helping us was the most exhausting thing Galar had ever asked of him. "Sheesh. What rude siblings, always demandin' things. Though I s'pose it's a problem for me too if the Finals get held up. I don't hate you little runts. You were good enough to beat me, after all. I'll invite Team Yell along, and we'll have ourselves a bit of fun."

Hop's worry flashed into relief. "Brilliant! You're the best, Piers!"

Dawn blinked as we hurried after him. "So that really is the famous singer Piers, right?"