Inside the clubroom.
There were far fewer people than before.
The female student who had been told to leave was gone. Lacey said they would plead her case and try to keep her from being expelled from the club.
As Baimu had suspected, being expelled from the League Club was a serious matter.
Blueberry Academy students generally left campus only two or three days a month to reunite with their families on land. Campus life made up nearly all of their lives.
Leaving the League Club meant losing touch with that little society. It might not matter much to adults, but for teenagers whose average age was under thirteen, the blow was enormous.
Besides, social connections mattered greatly in the Pokémon World.
Even Baimu had once gone through a period when he had no choice but to join a clique.
"If you can't talk him around, that's fine. I'll go 'persuade' him myself."
Baimu soon told them he would battle Kieran, though he left out the punishment.
Everyone lit up with anticipation and excitement.
"They're going to battle?"
"The Orre Champion is going to give our president some pointers! I'm so jealous!"
"Doesn't this count as a battle between Champions? Our club is called the Blueberry League, after all..."
"Does the Blueberry Champion really count as a Champion?"
"Hey! The Elite Four are right here! Keep your voice down!"
The Blueberry League's Elite Four reacted in different ways.
Drayton didn't care. Amarys remained stiff and expressionless as a robot. Crispin stared at Baimu with fire in his eyes, while Lacey walked straight up to the student who had spoken and crossed her arms in an X.
"I don't think it's nice to talk behind someone's back!" she said sternly.
But it's true...
The student kept that thought to themself, offering