The middle-aged man's behavior left both Asher and Jacob deeply displeased. They had clearly been the first to examine the Pokémon egg, so regardless of whether they wanted it, the principle of "first come, first served" should apply. This was basic courtesy. Yet this man had simply instructed someone to claim it.
Asher's smile faded as he regarded the middle-aged man. "Sir, everything should follow first come, first served. We were examining this Pokémon egg. You should wait until we've finished before making your selection. You approached and asked someone to set aside this egg without any discussion. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Well, isn't this the youngest Gym Leader, Gym Leader Asher?" The middle-aged man's tone was mocking, his eyes filled with jealousy and resentment as he looked at Asher. "Oh, I forgot—you're not a Gym Leader anymore, are you? I heard two of your Gym Leader-level Pokémon died. What a shame. You're here to select Pokémon eggs? When it comes to selecting eggs, quicker is better. Since you weren't making a decision, we had to choose first."
The middle-aged man was from the Zhao family, named Tobias, born and raised in Embermere City. The Zhao family was influential in Embermere with considerable power. Like Asher, he was also a Fire-type specialist. Although his father's connections had allowed him to easily become a Gym Leader-level trainer, his talent was limited. He had participated in several Gym Leader ranking battles but unfortunately lost all of them. He failed to become the strongest Fire-type trainer at the Gym Leader level and consequently wasn't qualified to be the Fire-type Gym Leader.
In truth, Tobias and Asher had never actually met, nor had they competed against each other in Gym Leader ranking battles. When Tobias observed that the young Asher had become the strongest Fire-type Gym Leader-level trainer in the Frosthollow region and secured the position of Fire-type Gym Leader in Olivine City, the small-minded Tobias became intensely jealous and resentful, harboring a grudge against Asher.
After hearing that Asher had lost two Gym Leader-level Pokémon a few days ago, he had been overjoyed and opened a bottle of champagne in celebration.
Today, he had come to the Flame Realm to accompany Jay, the eldest son of the Zhao family's third generation, to select a Pokémon egg. Jay's grandfather had made significant contributions to the Pokémon Association and even sacrificed his life for it. From then on, the eldest son of each Zhao generation was granted the privilege to select a Pokémon egg.
Tobias hadn't expected to encounter Asher and instinctively wanted to humiliate him to vent years of frustration. As for taking Asher's Pokémon egg, it was entirely coincidental. Regardless of how much Tobias despised Asher, he understood what was important and wouldn't jeopardize the crucial matter of egg selection. He had done this because the Growlithe egg appeared so exceptional!
Observing the man's arrogant expression and tone, Asher also grew angry. Most Fire-type trainers had hot tempers. He responded directly: "I can see you're deliberately causing trouble. Who do you think you are? Why are you barking like a Growlithe here?"
Asher's three consecutive insults made Tobias so furious that his face turned crimson.
"What did you say?"
Tobias was so enraged that he trembled all over, pointing at Asher and speaking icily.
"What? You want to battle?" Asher, also hot-tempered, raised his voice.
The two guides were frightened by their tense demeanor. The guide beside Tobias didn't dare speak. Only Aria bravely stepped forward and advised: "Gentlemen, please calm down. Private confrontations are prohibited in the Flame Realm. Otherwise, the Realm officials may revoke your egg selection privileges."
"Why are you interfering? A server who relies on her looks dares to threaten me?!" Tobias didn't dare to genuinely confront Asher, but he had no qualms about attacking the guide. He slapped Aria across the face with such force that she stumbled back several steps, nearly dropping the Darumaka egg she was holding. Fortunately, she gripped the egg firmly and prevented it from falling. Aria's left cheek instantly became red and swollen.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jacob quickly helped Aria up, furious at the situation. This was a King-level Darumaka! If Tobias wanted to hit someone, fine, but what if he had accidentally damaged the egg?! Jacob grew increasingly angry and couldn't help shouting: "You bully the weak and fear the strong—do you want to fight?! Come on, I'll take you on!"
Aside from anything else, the brothers were both over six feet tall and young, strong men. If it actually came to blows, the two Zhaos would be completely outmatched.
Aria, now protected by Jacob, looked up at him standing up for her. She felt confused and couldn't help thinking wildly—is he angry for my sake? Does he like me? Feeling Jacob's concern, Aria's heart warmed, and the pain in her face seemed to diminish. She gazed at Jacob with her beautiful eyes.
Asher was also surprised. He and Jacob had completely different personalities. He, as the elder brother, had a fiery temper, while Jacob, the younger brother, was mature and composed, typically calm in all situations and very thoughtful. How could Jacob, who was always so level-headed, become so angry when a guide was struck?
Could it be that Jacob had actually fallen for Aria? Although she was very attractive, they had just met—could this be love at first sight?
But their father had recently been discussing arranging a marriage for Jacob, seeking a family with strong connections and financial resources to help them through difficult times. If Jacob fell in love with this woman, those plans would be derailed.
Jacob was oblivious to what the others were thinking. His attention was focused entirely on the Darumaka egg. This wasn't an ordinary Darumaka egg but one worth 128 million Pokédollars!
Jacob coldly regarded Tobias and instructed the other guide, "Call your supervisor to come here immediately."
"Y-yes... right away," the other guide responded with a trembling voice.
"Are you alright?" Jacob asked with concern, looking at the egg in Aria's arms.
"I'm... I'm fine," Aria's face flushed slightly at Jacob's words, her heart beating faster. Looking at the handsome Jacob, her heart fluttered.
It must be said that Jacob was truly handsome, having inherited the good looks of both his parents. Years ago, Rory, a poor young man, had managed to win the heart of the renowned lady Zoe, and his appearance had certainly been a factor.
Just then, the sound of high heels clicked from outside, and a mature, elegant woman entered the room. She glanced at Aria's red, swollen cheek before turning to the people who were on the verge of confrontation. "Mr. Tobias, Mr. Asher, I'm the director of the Flame Realm's incubation facility. You may call me Melody. What seems to be the issue? The fire energy in this Flame Realm is quite potent—it tends to make everyone a bit hot-tempered."
Manager Melody first acknowledged the four people, then asked the other guide: "Zia, what happened here?"
The guide named Zia calmly recounted what had transpired: "Gym Leader Asher and his companion noticed this Growlithe egg first and were examining it, though they hadn't made a decision. Then Mr. Tobias and the young Mr. Jay also took an interest in this egg. After a brief look, they immediately chose it. Gym Leader Asher pointed out that first come, first served should apply. They began arguing and were about to battle. Aria tried to remind them that fighting could result in disqualification from the selection process. Then Mr. Tobias struck Aria."
Zia concisely explained the situation, then stepped back, remaining silent and waiting for Manager Melody's response.