The tournament schedule was incredibly tight.
Just three days after the Masters Eight roster was announced, Wyndon Stadium was once again buzzing with an endless roar of voices.
The very first round featured the "domestic dispute scene" that countless spectators had been eagerly awaiting—a match that would very likely decide the family hierarchy in Teacher Azure's household.
Under such premises, the stands were almost completely packed early on. At every section, Aiden's stream viewers were enthusiastically waving flags and cheering.
"Good luck, Champion Cynthia!"
"This is the episode where we have the best chance of beating Teacher Azure! Put some heavy pressure on him, absolutely don't let him have an easy life!"
"I feel like Wyndon Stadium really has some sort of magic to it, we've already got a few couples out of it—"
Some Galarian spectators even recalled the textbook-level Champion Cup final from over a decade ago.
That senior who also commanded a Charizard ultimately lost to another, more powerful female trainer, ending his journey with great regret.
At the time, his fans felt it was a real pity, but then they took a closer look—
What do you mean, "If you can't be the Champion, just marry the Champion"???
What do you mean, "Lost the match, but won at life"???
You really didn't want to endure even a little bit of hardship!
"Doing the math, the daughter of those two seniors should be about old enough to go on her own journey by now—"
"Is Wyndon Stadium some kind of matchmaking corner? If that senior hadn't fallen in love back then, he might have become Leon's greatest rival on his path to becoming Champion!"
"Damn it, do they really hand out wives just for making it to Wyndon Stadium?"
"Then what's the deal with Champion Leon?"
"Doesn't Mr. Leon already have Raihan? Those two should also count as—"
"Ah, my ears!!!"
Amidst the rendering of various amusing anecdotes, the spectator stands were momentarily filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Just then, three youths came jogging out of the staff passage.
"Hurry up, the match is about to start!"
"W-wait for me, slow down—"
Nemona, as per usual, was falling behind. After barely managing to keep up with Arven and Penny's pace, she finally took her seat and began panting heavily.
"Nemona, you... your stamina hasn't improved at all after a whole year of traveling, has it?"
Arven's tone carried a hint of teasing.
Even though he always knew she was actually terrible at sports, she had traveled all across the Paldea region by herself, yet she hadn't made a single bit of progress—
This could be considered some sort of conceptual divine power, right!
"I have a Cyclizar, so I don't need to walk myself—"
Nemona avoided his gaze with a guilty conscience. Looking at Penny, who had suddenly quieted down after taking her seat, she tried to change the subject.
"Speaking of which, I really didn't expect you to be the daughter of the former Galar Champion, Penny!"
"Even that Mr. Rose is your—uh, uncle?"
"Being able to easily get internal tickets to the Masters Tournament, you really are an omnipotent big shot!"
Even Arven nodded solemnly.
"Indeed, Penny, you hid it too well. To think you're the daughter of the famous outdoor travel blogger, Mr. Peony!"
When it came to this topic, Penny could only awkwardly adjust her glasses, seemingly unsure of how to respond.
It was precisely because situations like this always arose that she was unwilling to tell her friends about her family background!
Besides, your family situations aren't much worse than mine!
One's family holds the largest shares in the Rotom Phone company, and the other is the only son of the region's professors—
"Let's not talk about this anymore, the match is about to start."
Penny also began to adopt Nemona's coping mechanism, awkwardly changing the subject.
"I wonder if Teacher Azure will go all out in today's battle."
"Of course he will! Teacher Azure isn't the type to go easy on anyone!"
"Neither side has a reason to hold back. Being able to meet in a tournament of this level might actually be a kind of luck?"
The three chatted back and forth, and time quickly passed minute by minute.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the battlefield of the Masters Eight Tournament!"
It wasn't until the commentator appeared on the big screen that the audience erupted once again into a passionate roar: "Ooooohhhh!!!"
"The match is finally starting!"
"Teacher Azure, you have to beat Champion Cynthia!"
The bustling atmosphere ignited Wyndon Stadium.
A Gigantamax Rotom quickly appeared beneath the arena, casting a protective Max Guard over the spectator stands.
"Today, we shall witness an epic battle with an incredibly high level of hype!"
"Without further ado, please welcome our contestants. They are—"
"From the Sinnoh region, the Champion who possesses both beauty and wisdom, Miss Cynthia!"
Bang—!
As soon as the commentator finished speaking, countless fireworks bloomed in the sky above Wyndon Stadium. The dazzling, colorful lights momentarily even outshone the sunlight.
Amidst the fireworks and cheers, Cynthia—dressed in a pristine white championship outfit—walked out from the player corridor. She cast a gentle gaze over the stands and modestly extended her right hand to wave at the audience.
"Cynthia, Cynthia, Cynthia!!!"
"Take down Teacher Azure, today's the day!"
"I can't imagine how terrifying the strength of a child between two Masters Eight members would be!"
"I'm a time traveler, that kid is going to be insane!"
Although the tone quickly became a bit weird, it still blended quite well with the fiery atmosphere of the arena.
"Next up, is our—"
"Paldea's strongest Gym Leader and the legendary fastest Elite Four member, the children's nightmare on the Champion's Path, one of Sinnoh's best mythologists, the savior of Hoenn and Alola, the strongest dark horse of the Masters Tournament, and the sole top streamer of Pokémon TV—"
"The 'Azure Wings', Teacher Aiden!"
Boom—!
If the fireworks and cheers during Cynthia's entrance were just "sparks," then when Aiden stepped out of the player corridor, flashing a confident smile at his stream viewers, the on-site atmosphere could only be described as Ho-Oh's "Sacred Fire."
The fireworks outside poured down like artillery shells, echoing endlessly in the sky, and sequentially forming the smiling faces of Aiden and Cynthia.
"Hurry it up, this is the Boss's arrangement. If we slack off, we'll be exiled to the Crown Tundra tomorrow!"
The spectacular fireworks display outside was graciously provided by Team Rocket. The busy Meowth Trio, along with other underlings, were moving and lighting fireworks non-stop.
Amidst his busy work, Meowth suddenly looked up at the noisy sky above Wyndon Stadium.
The sound of the fireworks blooming was completely drowned out by the cheers from inside. It was hard to imagine just how lively the stadium was.
Such a spectacular momentum was extremely rare, even at the Masters Tournament.
"Just bear with it a bit longer. Once the fireworks are done, we can go watch the Consultant's match, meow!"
With that thought, Meowth quickly resumed his hard work.
Meanwhile, in the inner stands, the clash between Sinnoh and Paldea spectators had just begun.
"Go, Teacher Azure! Win three more matches and you can go home!"
"If he does that, he's already won the Championship!"
"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier?"
The Paldean spectators clearly held the upper hand in terms of sheer volume, sparking collective dissatisfaction among the Sinnoh spectators on the other side.
"This momentum... Teacher Azure's popularity is way too high!"
"No, we can't lose to Teacher Azure in spirit!"
"Big Sister Cynthia, taking down Teacher Azure depends on your performance today!!!"
"Mere Paldea, not worth mentioning!"
Flint and Aaron vigorously waved purple cheer sticks representing Garchomp. Their exaggerated actions made Lucian and Volkner, standing nearby, unable to bear watching.
Since when do Elite Four members directly become cheerleaders? Do you two really have zero idol baggage—
Well, whatever.
"Whether it's Teacher Azure or Big Sister Cynthia, they need to go all out and give us a wonderful match."
Volkner cheered with a smile, and Lucian also nodded calmly.
The two returned their gazes to the arena.
Aiden was already standing before the battlefield, smiling as he locked eyes with Cynthia, who was watching him just as intently from the opposite side.
He was dressed in a pure black formal suit today, looking like a completely different person from his usual casual self. It looked less like he was here for a battle and more like he was attending a banquet.
Even his veteran stream viewers had never seen Teacher Azure dressed like this; at most, they'd seen him in that championship outfit he cosplayed as Lance in.
However, the reason Aiden chose to dress so formally today—
Everyone basically knew it in their hearts.
They had all been looking forward to this battle for far too long.
Therefore, at this moment, there was no need to say anything more.
For trainers, the best way to communicate their feelings was, of course, through an intense and thrilling Pokémon battle.
The last time he and Cynthia had clashed seemed to be back when the Sunyshore Gym had just started to improve, and Cynthia had come to visit him.
That time, the opponent was the Lucario who had now become his important partner, having grown into a grandmaster by absorbing the strengths of various schools of thought along the way.
And back then, his only choice for a lead was Eevee.
The key to victory needed at the end of the journey might have already been hidden by the Goddess of Fate at the very beginning of the story.
So, my choice won't change this time either!
Noticing the change in Aiden's expression, Cynthia crossed her arms, a trace of reminiscence also flashing through her eyes.
At this moment, it was as if they had traveled through time and space back to their most carefree childhood days. The spectacular Wyndon Stadium around them transformed into the country roads of Celestic Town.
A young Aiden held a red-and-white Poké Ball in his hand, his smile clear and pure, as if waiting for her to catch up to his footsteps.
Cynthia's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled and similarly took out a Poké Ball.
The regret of not being able to grow up together into excellent trainers back then now surprisingly had a chance to be realized on the battlefield of the Masters Tournament.
So— "Let's battle, Aiden."
Cynthia's voice was very gentle, but even amidst the deafening cheers outside, her words were exceptionally clear and resounding.
"Yeah, I won't just hand victory over to anyone."
Aiden nodded solemnly, seemingly trying hard to put on a serious face, but suddenly couldn't hold back a laugh.
"However, even if I win by luck, I will share this joy with everyone—and with you."
"I look forward to it."
Cynthia replied with a smile, and the pre-battle conversation temporarily came to an end.
The two simultaneously turned their gazes to the side.
The Rotom Referee, who was in charge of hosting this match, was trying his best to lower his presence, doing his utmost not to interrupt their public display of affection.
Only after confirming that both were ready did Rotom breathe a sigh of relief and transform into its referee mode.
Bzzzt—!
"Both contestants are in position!"
"The rules for this match are a 6v6 full-team battle, adopting the Master Rules based on the Pokémon League standards!"
"Now—"
A countdown appeared on the screen on Rotom's chest. For a moment, all the audience members in the stadium held their breath, silently counting down in their hearts along with the timer.
3, 2, 1—
"Battle begin!!!"
On the big screen, the portraits of Aiden and Cynthia appeared from both sides, colliding with each other at an astonishing speed, giving people the illusion that even the screen had cracked from the impact.
Above the fissure, flames and electricity were crackling non-stop, and a "VS" icon lit up in the center!
Six red-and-white Poké Balls were lined up on each side. The first Poké Ball on each side began to shake violently, bursting outward with a dazzling white light.
"I choose you, Sylveon!"
Aiden took the initiative to throw the Poké Ball with all his might.
A flash of red light passed, and an incredibly serious Sylveon crouched on the ground, assuming a battle stance and glaring fiercely at its opponent.
Even if today's opponent was Cynthia, it would definitely bring victory to its trainer!
"Sure enough, it's Sylveon—"
A hint of nostalgia flashed in Cynthia's eyes, but she quickly retracted the emotion.
"In that case, my choice is—"
"Go, Lucario!"
"Luca!"
Another flash of red light passed, and Cynthia's Lucario landed lightly, positioning its hands one in front and one behind in an offensive starting stance.
"It's Champion Cynthia's Lucario!"
"I thought today would feature another domestic dispute scene between two Lucarios, but it turns out to be Sylveon—"
"Isn't that good too? Teacher Azure starting with Sylveon shows he's very serious today!"
According to the tournament rules, the contestants' rosters and lead Pokémon were all submitted to the organizers in advance.
Therefore, for Aiden to confidently send out Sylveon directly, he must have been fully prepared.
And as the person who understood Aiden best, Cynthia had clearly anticipated his arrangement long ago, which was why she deliberately chose Lucario, which had a type advantage over Sylveon?
Fairy-type has very few weaknesses, and Steel-type happens to be one of them.
The audience speculated as such, feeling that this would definitely be a thrilling and spectacular clash of titans.
And they weren't exactly wrong—
It's just that, in reality, neither Aiden nor Cynthia had thought about it that complexly.
The reason they made such perfectly synced choices was simply because they were "thinking on the same wavelength."
So, upon seeing Cynthia's lead, instead of feeling troubled by the type disadvantage, Aiden laughed out loud in relief.
"It seems our thoughts are perfectly aligned."
"Then, let's put on a wonderful match for the audience!"
After saying that, Aiden waved his hand grandly.
"Sylveon, use Blood Moon!"
"Vee!!!"
Its elegant ribbons fluttering in the wind, Sylveon suddenly opened its eyes wide, and its aura surged!
The atmosphere in the arena shifted accordingly. A relaxing pink aura quietly spread outward, centered around Sylveon. Facing its signature move, Cynthia was equally prepared—
"Lucario, attack with Bullet Punch!"
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)