"Shadow Ball!"
"Kekekeke—"
The altered-color Gengar floating mid-air let out a creepy laugh, its chubby ghost claws massaging the void in front of it.
Buzz!
A dark energy orb, crackling with black electricity, rapidly formed and expanded, then was thrown with a slam dunk motion towards the distant Blastoise!
The latter couldn't evade in time and was frantically hit in the face by the Shadow Ball.
Boom!
"Ka—me..."
A miserable wail echoed from the rising smoke.
The red-headband-wearing Trainer was shocked, "Blastoise!"
Moments later, the giant turtle, its face scorched black, stumbled out of the smoke, collapsing to the ground with spiral eyes.
Thud!
The commentator's excited voice came through the broadcast, "Got it! Blastoise is unable to fight!"
"Hehehe!"
The altered-color Gengar excitedly bounced back and forth in mid-air like a ball, then flew back to its Trainer for a high-five.
Slap!
"That was brilliant!"
Jiangta on the losing side recalled his Blastoise into the Pokeball, waved farewell to Baimu from a distance, and the platform with the Pokeball emblem started to descend like an elevator, taking him away from the field.
The packed grandstands erupted in cheers.
This is the Battle Tower.
And the red-headband-wearing opponent he just battled was, without a doubt, one of the secondary characters from the movie "Void Visitor."
Jiangta, who partners with Blastoise.
The day after the celebration ended, the Battle Tower returned to its normal functionality.
After dismantling some of the grand festival's equipment, this high-tech tower successfully showcased its technological prowess—
including, but not limited to, the composite material floor beneath your feet that can withstand most techniques.
"Come back, we're done for today."
Baimu recalled the altered-color Gengar into the ball, applying to the referee for a withdrawal.
Groans of disappointment and booing came from the audience seats.
The Battle Tower has no threshold.
Anyone can participate after submitting an ID card for review, and after winning, participants choose between continuing or withdrawing. Upon withdrawal, their win score is calculated, which can be exchanged at the reception for special items, rare Tree Fruits, or souvenirs, etc.
Participants flock incessantly.
However, more than the rewards, what truly attracts Trainers to participate is the Battle Tower's online leaderboard.
All participants are registered, and rankings can even be searched using an ID card.
Although the highest scores don't necessarily represent the strongest skills, in some sense, high scores do attest to one's strength.
As the most competitive group, Trainers from all over the place naturally won't miss this opportunity to compete.
Therefore.
The top few scores on the leaderboard are already high enough for Baimu, just an onlooker, to only gaze up at in awe.
He does wish to make a name for himself here, but spending several months competing... the sunk cost is just too high, maybe he would've been more inclined in the past.
Fortunately, during these days of coming to the Battle Tower to "see the world," he almost battled all the characters from the movies.
Using Metagross was Xiaotong, using Blaziken was Alongg, and Alongg's two sisters...
There was even Xiaochao who partnered with Plusle and Minun.
These people are regulars at the Battle Tower, among them Xiaotong and Alongg have quite high scores, ranking among the top twenty, receiving massive cheers when they take the stage.
Baimu rode the elevator back to the next level.
When the door opened.
Familiar faces came into view.
"Why are you coming down? Alongg just went up."
The purple-haired mature woman with glasses and a laptop in her arms, Xiaotong, asked curiously.
Behind her were two well-developed young women—Audrey and Catherine, Alongg's sisters.
The two were initially pestering Xiaochao, who was exuding a weak vibe and wearing an awkward expression, but upon seeing him, they immediately approached, happily shouting in unison, "Lord Baimu~!"
"Hello there. I'm done for the day, heading back to watch an important match."
Baimu smiled at the two Gorgeous Competition fangirls, waved to Xiaochao, and explained.
Trainers easily become familiar with each other, especially with Xiaogang as an acquaintance, and after a few battles, he quickly befriended Xiaotong and her group.
Xiaotong asked puzzled, "Match?"
"Yes, the Calos Alliance Lumiose Conference opened a few days ago."
He responded with a smile, "Today is Ash Ketchum's final."
Ash Ketchum!?
The moment this name appeared, Xiaotong and the others, including Jiangta returning from the restroom, all showed expressions of shock.
Then their expressions of shock turned into eager interest.
Xiaotong quickly opened her laptop and connected it to the internet to search for the Lumiose Conference.
"It's true!"
She exclaimed in surprise.
But possibly due to some network issues, the live stream appeared laggy.
"I'll... I'll go find a TV!"
Without a second thought, Xiaochao turned and ran off.
Although he hadn't contacted Ash in a long time, he still thought about his friend who once helped restart Rayquaza the rampaging robot with him.
Xiaotong and the others immediately followed.
Xiaochao's father is one of the administrators of Larus City, so following him would surely be the fastest way to find a place to watch the match.
Baimu didn't join this lively group and directly returned to the hotel.
After the celebration ended, everyone left one by one.
Hoopa and Balza siblings returned to Carlos to continue building their tower; Wula La and Liuqia, alike, were unwilling to admit defeat, planning to undergo special training for a few weeks.
Ge Mann disappeared after losing in the second round, whereabouts unknown.
The tourists also grew tired of this not particularly large high-tech city, taking away the bustling atmosphere.
Currently, only Baimu, Xiaoguang, and Xiaogang remained here.