After the intense and thrilling Masters Eight qualification battles concluded, the brutal first round of the elimination tournament came to an end.
Eight powerful trainers ultimately claimed the "Masters Eight" titles. They were:
From Galar, the Undefeated Champion who crushed his opponents with a sweeping posture—Leon;
The head of the Kanto Elite Four, a veteran with incredibly rich experience from countless major battles—Lance;
Also from Kanto, the suddenly rising twin-star Champions, Red and Blue, who had stolen the spotlight over the past month;
To defend Hoenn's glory, Steven and Wallace, who stood upon the tournament stage in their Champion postures;
Sinnoh's genius Champion, Cynthia, flourishing both as a Champion and a mythologist;
And—
The one familiar to the audience's ears, passionately anticipated to put on a dazzling performance and overthrow a host of Champions as the underdog—Aiden!
After the matches, silhouettes of this year's "Masters Eight" title holders flashed across the stadium's big screen. Just looking at their average age, one could clearly feel an exhilarating youth storm sweeping across this tournament's stage.
"Teacher Azure, you absolutely must win the Masters Tournament championship and bring honor to us viewers in the livestream!"
"Mr. Leon, defend this supreme glory for Galar once more!"
"Whoever wins is fine, I just want to see a river of blood!"
Even though the schedule had reached a pause, the audience remained in their seats, enthusiastically voicing their most ardent expectations.
The reason was simple—the Masters Eight spots were decided, but the schedule arrangement for the next round after advancing hadn't been announced yet. The Quarter-Final draw results held just as much anticipation for the audience as a brilliant match.
Furthermore, the upcoming battles would adopt the highest-tier format of the tournament: 6v6 full battles, fighting it out in pairs in the arena.
For a few of the rookie participants, bringing out six ace Pokémon might already be their limit, leaving them with little room for the flexible formations and targeted counters they had in the 3v3s.
Of course, veterans similarly faced the dilemma of their tactics being more easily decoded by opponents, forcing them to make more unexpected choices to break the opponent's established strategies.
At this step, victory or defeat depended not only on raw strength but also heavily on the trainer's on-the-spot adaptability.
As for who among the Masters Eight had more of a "Champion aura"?
Most chat viewers would probably blindly choose Teacher Azure. The reason was simple: so far, it seemed no one had truly probed the depths of Aiden's ridiculous tactical foundation. Even the other Masters Eight members, after watching a few of his matches, found it hard to grasp his battling psychology, naturally making it difficult to formulate counters.
Teacher Azure, unfathomable! This unique characteristic might truly help him easily break into the finals to challenge for the "World's Strongest" title, an honor countless trainers yearned for.
However—
There was also a portion of the audience who, rather than watching Aiden win the championship, hoped to see a "custom-made" match.
If Teacher Azure and Cynthia were drawn into the same bracket, wouldn't this domestic dispute match be better to watch than any other?
Although the two still hadn't officially announced their relationship, basically everyone seemed to have tacitly acknowledged their connection—
Perhaps this "domestic dispute match," destined to go down in history, would truly be an important milestone for their relationship to progress further?
Being force-fed PDA really didn't matter; they mainly just wanted to see if Teacher Azure would throw the match. After all, his future status in the household was likely closely tied to this battle!
Carrying all sorts of expectations, the audience keenly focused on the upcoming draw ceremony.
Soon, the previously advanced contestants all returned to the stage. The Galar League's Chairman Rose, who was in charge of hosting the draw ceremony, also walked up with a smile, greeting the contestants one by one.
"Teacher Azure, I'm really looking forward to running into you next."
Waiting until Rose went to draw the lots, Wallace, who just had a business smile on his face, suddenly leaned over and nudged Aiden with his elbow.
"The grudge from Pokémon Champions back then, I still haven't found the chance to pay you back for it."
"Completing a gorgeous, year-late revenge on the Masters Tournament stage, sounds quite elegant, doesn't it?"
"..."
Aiden raised an eyebrow, looking amused.
"Let's hope so. Anyway, if the goal is the championship, sooner or later I'll have to defeat all the strong ones."
"You really dare to say it." Wallace smiled and patted his shoulder. "But what you say is true; if you aren't prepared to win against everyone, it's impossible to become the strongest."
"As for when we'll meet, we'll just have to see how Chairman Rose draws the lots."
After speaking, Wallace turned his head to look at the middle-aged Galar man stirring the drawing pool, his eyes full of anticipation.
The other contestants basically shared his mood, but—most had their own little calculations.
"..." ×2
Although Red and Blue stood together, they didn't say a single word. Even when their eyes met, they made no attempt to hide the fighting spirit in their hearts.
Especially Blue; his eyes seemed to actually speak. Even Aiden could translate his thoughts—
"Hey, before you face me, you better not lose to anyone else!"
Compared to the battle-hungry rookies, Lance and Steven clearly seemed a bit less enthusiastic.
Although they had successfully advanced to the Masters Eight, Lance's face didn't show even a hint of joy; he still kept a straight face, solely focused on waiting for the draw results.
As for Steven—compared to the match, he seemed more interested in the miracle stones and special stones infused with special energy laid around the arena, circling around the others and observing them with keen interest, his head lowered.
Aiden's gaze passed through the stern-faced Leon, looking toward Cynthia at the other end. The two made eye contact and simultaneously revealed a smile.
Aiden recalled the promise he had made to Cynthia back then; he believed she must have remembered it too—
It would be great if there was a chance for a head-on showdown.
Perhaps his thoughts played a role, Chairman Rose soon began the draw—And the very first slip he picked had the words "Aiden" written on it.
Seeing this through the Rotom Camera, the audience immediately exploded—
"Teacher Azure appeared this quickly, can he handle it!"
"The first person in the upper bracket is Teacher Azure, looks like a bloody storm is coming—"
"We're at the Masters Eight already, there's really no difference in who he fights, I believe Teacher Azure can definitely create a miracle!"
"The next one has to be Cynthia, please Chairman Rose!"
As a man accustomed to big scenes, Rose's expression didn't change when he saw the draw result. He just smiled at the camera and continued the draw ceremony.
The second draw—When Cynthia's name appeared, the entire Wyndon Stadium instantly boiled over.
"Ooooh! Is this the arrangement of fate? Teacher Azure is destined to have a dispute with the cute queen to determine household status!"
"Did Chairman Rose really not rig the draws? The entertainment value is maxed out~"
"I asked if he won or lost, what do you mean Teacher Azure replied 'married'?"
"I want to see a river of blood right now!"
Not only the audience, but even the other Masters Eight contestants waiting for the draw results cast gossiping glances when they saw this dramatic outcome. Even Leon, caught in the middle, actively made room so they could directly observe Aiden and Cynthia's reactions after their eyes met.
At this moment, the trainers on the field looked less like Champions and Elite Four, and more like a bunch of shit-stirring frenemies, all revealing amused smiles.
But the result disappointed them a bit.
When the two looked at each other, there was no verbal exchange; they only smiled gently at one another.
Cynthia looked at the gentle-smiling Aiden, only slightly raising her left hand, seemingly symbolically hinting at the empty ring finger on her hand.
Aiden also nodded in response; everything was said without words.
As Chairman Rose quickly finished the draw, the elimination tournament schedule was hotly released.
Upper Bracket.
Aiden VS Cynthia, the "domestic dispute match" the audience was hyped about.
On the other side was Wallace VS Leon; the winners of these two matches would meet in the semifinals.
Lower Bracket, first was Red VS Lance, a Kanto civil war.
Finally, Blue VS Steven.
Upon seeing the draw, Lance's expression was visibly subtle.
Why were all three Kanto people in the same bracket?
And these two were exactly the juniors who had defeated him on the Championship path and successively claimed the Kanto Champion titles.
Whether it was Red or Blue, their strength absolutely deserved the Champion name; it was just that they had debuted too recently to build a reputation in international tournaments.
However—
Lance was also a bit relieved.
Seeking revenge in the Masters Tournament wasn't something only Blue wanted to do!
This time, let my Dragon army dominate the arena once again!
Lance was visibly fired up.
Also fired up were Red and Blue.
Blue took the initiative to extend his hand, making a fist and holding it half a meter in front of Red.
"See you in the semifinals. I'll win against any opponent to come find you for revenge."
Red pressed down the red-and-white cap on his head, rarely revealing a smile full of fighting spirit.
Although he still didn't speak, his expression said it all.
"I really didn't expect this tournament's schedule to be so interesting, I'm starting to look forward to it!" Seeing the scrolling match previews on the big screen, Gold laughed out loud recklessly.
"Both sides are going to be fun, and the very first match is Teacher Azure!"
"Tsk—"
Silver shook his head helplessly, completely ignoring this goofball who for some reason suddenly got fired up.
His own expression was actually a bit conflicted—
Teacher Azure was indeed his Master, but calculating by seniority, he should probably call Champion Cynthia "Master's Wife," right?
When the time comes, who exactly should he cheer for?
Silver, who had almost never dealt with the ways of the world and grew up alone, realized for the first time that this subject seemed much harder than raising Pokémon—
On the other side.
The Sinnoh "Dugtrio" were also facing the exact same problem.
"A civil war between Boss Cynthia and Teacher Azure—"
Flint rested his chin in his hands against the railing, looking down at Aiden and Cynthia communicating with their eyes, suddenly clicking his tongue.
So wishy-washy, this couple!
They in the Sinnoh Elite Four had heard a bit about the "battle agreement" between the two.
Having never been in a relationship, he couldn't quite understand.
After all, how could dating be more interesting than a tense and thrilling Pokémon battle—
But, if Boss Cynthia won, wouldn't there be a chance to abduct Teacher Azure back to Sinnoh in the future?
After hesitating for a few seconds, Flint immediately made a decision—"I'm going to support Boss Cynthia!"
"What nonsense are you talking about—"
Aaron scratched his head, feeling unable to understand Flint's sudden statement.
"We are the Sinnoh Elite Four, of course we have to support Boss Cynthia."
"Hard to say."
The temporary "Dugtrio" member Volkner, who hadn't spoken much, suddenly interrupted him. At the same time, he casually stroked his flowing blonde hair.
"Is there a possibility that actually, no matter who wins, Sinnoh wins, wins, wins?"
"Teacher Azure was originally born in Celestic Town; if he really marries Sister Cynthia, he'll highly likely settle back in Celestic Town in the future."
"So, the outcome is no longer important! Whether you're cheering for Teacher Azure or Sister Cynthia, it actually makes no difference~"
"As expected of you, you've already thought that far ahead???"
Flint looked shocked, just feeling that what Volkner said made a lot of sense, so he nodded repeatedly.
"..." Lucian, who had just lost his match and was preparing to blend in with them, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Didn't Flint know that Volkner was actually a hardcore Teacher Azure fan? No matter how you looked at those words just now, it sounded like he was finding a reasonable excuse for himself to cheer for Teacher Azure. Can't even see that?
Hanging out with these three idiots, I feel like my IQ will be assimilated too—
However, it seems I'm also somewhat of a Teacher Azure fan myself? Who exactly should I support?
What a happy worry.
Lucian shook his head.
Of course, it would be even better if he himself could stand on this highest-tier tournament stage.
"There are quite a lot of young people in this tournament; it seems the future of this era really depends on these young folks."
In the audience seats, Professor Oak, changed into an Alolan attire, looked up at the big screen and suddenly sighed with emotion.
"Isn't that pretty good too? The strength of this new generation is stronger than us old farts, doesn't that just mean it's time for us to step down haha~"
The hunched-over, bright-eyed Master Mustard smiled in response.
His gaze drifted between Aiden and Leon, then turned his head to look at Red and Blue nearby.
As the inheritors of their wills, every single one of these little guys had performed quite remarkably recently.
For an era to simultaneously possess multiple powerhouses of comparable strength was definitely a fortunate thing.
If one person stood at the top for too long, perhaps losing interest in Pokémon battles was only a matter of time.
Just like him and Oak back then.
But at least right now—
At least at this Masters Tournament, there was no shortage of opponents.
Boy Leon, facing the juniors catching up, can you defend your glory this time?
Mustard's cloudy eyes swept around the lower area once, and when he looked back, he had returned to his usual cynical demeanor.
"This old man, is just too excited, hahaha!"
Under the ardent expectations of the audience.
Time quickly arrived at the match day for the Masters Eight elimination rounds.
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