Tamaranze stood at the forefront, delivering his speech with rhythmic intonations.
"Dear trainers, chosen from thousands, Moltres' Holy Fire is here to guard you, please showcase your full strength on this platform!
"Fight with dignity and leave no regrets in life!"
Wow!
Thunderous applause spread throughout the arena.
Baimu looked at his watch.
"It's about time."
The list for the first round of the main tournament, known also as the preliminaries championship, was about to be announced.
The match format is double battle with three rounds, meaning you select two Pokémon for doubles, win all three matches to achieve final victory.
And double battles happen to be a unique feature of the Hoenn Alliance conference, generally unseen in other tournaments.
Beep!
A light sound came from the phone.
It was the grouping list from the Pokémon Center.
"Arena 13, huh..."
Baimu glanced at his opponent, ready to have his Porygon II retrieve the data on this person from the database, when loud knocks came from outside the door.
He opened the door to find three young girls and a boy as graceful-looking as one, each holding deliciously fragrant golden pineapple buns, with big plastic bags in hand.
"Got them!"
Liuqia triumphantly shoved a pineapple bun under his nose.
"It indeed smells wonderful, thank you for your effort."
Baimu nodded.
Among the numerous delicacies in Ever Grande City, this tournament-exclusive pineapple bun is considered a must-try delicacy, and Xiaoyao praised it after tasting.
Liuqia thus got up early to queue for the pineapple buns, dragging along the others, except for Baimu who was on a call with Shanren, she didn't disturb him.
As for why five people returned with only four...
Perhaps the vendor was a beautiful older sister? Someone with squinted eyes must have fallen for her there.
Baimu said to Ai Li, "The grouping list has been sent to the phone, remember to check it."
"Eh? Has it arrived already?"
Alice excitedly took out her phone and started browsing, while Liuqia and Xiaoguang squeezed closer, the three girls crowding together.
Mann Chong was curious too, but hesitated to approach, so he looked at Baimu with anticipation.
The latter was amused by his expression, "Porygon II! Cast the screen onto the TV!"
"Pory!"
At the call, Porygon II complied, the long list immediately replacing the TV screen.
The three girls also shifted their gaze there, as the phone screen was too small for three heads to cram.
When they found the match venue and opponents for each.
Liuqia said with relief, "Luckily, you guys aren't having matches at the same time!"
Though originally here for the fun of the matches, Liuqia and others also wished to assist Baimu and Alice in whatever way they could, ensuring they didn't have to worry about other matters.
"There's a half-hour interval between matches! Plenty of time for us to run back and forth several times! No problem at all!"
Miss No Problem said with a cheerful grin.
Mann Chong chose not to comment, somewhat intimidated by Liuqia.
Because yesterday, after the match ended, Baimu saw the cheerleading outfits of Liuqia and her group, and suddenly smiled, suggesting perhaps they should make one for Mann Chong too, for a more harmonious scene.
He thought Baimu was joking, so he complained a bit and didn't pay further attention.
But last night, Liuqia came over to measure his bust, waist, and hips!
Mann Chong was horrified, hiding downstairs for nearly two hours before daring to go up, and this morning, when Liuqia called him to buy pineapple buns, he hid in the bathroom and didn't come out.
Not until Liuqia apologized did he show his face.
However.
He secretly felt Liuqia hadn't given up, even allegedly egging on Xiaoguang and Alice to form a faction.
Unfortunately, without evidence, he dared not confirm it.
——
Afternoon.
Arena 13.
Main tournament double battle, first round match one.
Within a short ten minutes, the vast arena filled to capacity, countless people watched the two preparing contestants with eager anticipation.
"So many people."
Baimu rubbed his hands, he was nearly drowned by the fervent crowd upon entering.
Thankfully, the tournament's affairs office security work was quite competent, peacefully escorting him into the arena to prepare himself and his Pokémon.
Evidently, these fans blocking the road, impermeably, were exactly the fixed fan group Shanren mentioned over the phone. How many among them were here for him?
And how many came for his opponent?
Baimu looked up at his opponent, coincidentally, the green-haired young man dressed in a vigorous outfit was also gazing at him.
The two exchanged a pleasant smile, conveying friendliness.
According to Porygon II, analyzing current intelligence, this person's exposed strength ranks within the top fifty among all contestants, making him a relatively strong fish in the pond tournament.
When Baimu was Hall Master, he saw many similar trainers and believed he could have a back-and-forth battle.
Hmm...
Doesn't that sound a bit arrogant?
He saw the referee holding two flags in place, got up, and walked towards the trainer's seat, while the opponent eagerly moved to his designated position.
The referee looked at both of them.
The commentator's voice came through the broadcast.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the first match in Arena 13 is between Contestant Baimu from Pyrite Town and Contestant Xing Bingwei from Arrowroot Town!"
Arrowroot Town is located in the Sinnoh Region, having only appeared in the animation, also the dwelling place of Princess Salubia who resembles Xiaoguang.
Similar to the preliminaries, the Pokémon chosen by both sides were registered before entering the arena, with no allowed changes unless in special situations.
And so, when the referee raised the two flags, both immediately cast their Pokeballs.
Bang! Bang!
Four beams of white light flickered.
On Baimu's side, Porygon II and Galarian Corsola appeared, the latter rolling over many times before stopping, inducing laughter from the audience.
What kind of Pokémon are these? One looks like a toy duck, the other is a stone full of holes?
Many saw Porygon II and Galarian Corsola for the first time, mistakenly thinking Baimu had released the wrong Pokémon.
Only when the commentator explained Porygon II and Corsola's origins, with Porygon II floating from the ground, and Corsola extending smoke-like tentacles, did they understand.
On the other side.
Xing Bingwei released a fierce-looking Drapion and a fairy-like Jumpluff, staring at these entirely unfamiliar Pokémon, hearing the commentator's voice and left in a daze.
They weren't any of the ones previously seen!
He had done his homework; many online had compiled a list of Pokémon Baimu used, even drafting a chart detailing used techniques, strategies, etc.
But Porygon II and Galarian Corsola weren't in that data!
In the arena.
Seeing Xing Bingwei's bewildered expression, Porygon II's round eyes immediately curved into two crescent moons.
Without a doubt, intelligence regarding trainers and allies was deliberately revealed and spread by Baimu's commission, being so detailed and professional, causing other people to prefer viewing his compiled version over scattered data.
It was certain this guy named Xing Bingwei had seen the information and prepared accordingly.
"Pali~"
The trainer is truly remarkable!
Porygon II's joyous expression was captured by the cameras and displayed on the big screen, making many viewers find it somewhat adorable.
While Corsola glanced at the big screen, its mouth turned down in apathy.
It disliked battling under such widespread attention, wanting to finish quickly and leave, along with having a pineapple bun since the trainer bought quite a few.
Corsola thought.
Meanwhile.
The referee lowered the raised dual-colored flags, "The match begins!"
Deng!
The urgent sound immediately roused the stunned Xing Bingwei, who swiftly issued a command, eyes fixed on Baimu who had issued his command a step ahead.
"Drapion, use Acupoint! Jumpluff, use With the Wind!"
Unfortunately, the arena was too noisy and the distance was too great, he couldn't hear Baimu's command.
As soon as the commands were issued by the two trainers, the four Pokémon almost simultaneously began their move.
Jumpluff was the first to act.
This Pokémon, resembling a blue balloon with three dandelions stuck to its body, floated into the air, a pure white wind swirling discreetly behind.
Immediately, Drapion quickly plunged its front paws into the ground, the claw at the tip of its long tail continuously striking various parts of its body.
An orange-red airflow rose from beneath it, signifying one of its abilities had improved.
Which specific ability was improved was hard to determine by sight alone.
Fortunately, the Pokémon Atlas could detect the current state of registered Pokémon, and the match officials didn't prohibit contestants from using the Illustrated Guide provided it didn't interfere with the Pokémon battle.
Xing Bingwei glanced quickly—
Speed! Well done!
He subconsciously showed signs of joy.
The next moment.
As Porygon II's eyes suddenly brightened, four dazzling blue lights rose from the edges of the arena, constructing an object akin to a transparent glass room.
[Magic Space]!?
Xing Bingwei was dumbfounded.