"Alright. Next up are the rewards you've earned."
Professor Oak waved his hand, and several staff members immediately carried over a display rack. On it sat rows of Pokémon Eggs, each with different patterns and colors.
Chen Shi counted them at a glance.
Sixteen eggs in total.
Perfectly matching the sixteen trainers who made the Top 16.
The eggs were arranged in two tiers—
four on the top, twelve on the bottom.
"Go ahead," Professor Oak said with a smile. "The champion chooses first."
Chen Shi didn't bother being polite.
The moment his mind moved, he scanned them all.
At first glance, he was fine.
At the second glance, he nearly started drooling.
Steven really hadn't exaggerated.
Every single egg here had at least quasi-Champion potential, and many of them were rare Pokémon.
The lower tier contained mostly quasi-Champion potential eggs, with a few true Champion-level ones mixed in.
As for the top four eggs—every single one had Champion-tier potential.
Then Chen Shi saw one egg—
and his eyes instantly locked onto it.
Pokémon: Goomy (Hisuian Form)
Level: 0
Potential: Champion
Ability: Hydration
Gender: Female
Moves: Counter, Life Dew
Holy—
A Hisuian Goomy egg?!
Chen Shi's eyes lit up.
Regular Goodra was already a pseudo-legendary, but as a pure Dragon-type, it was strong yet still slightly lacking compared to other pseudo-legendaries.
But Hisuian Goodra was completely different.
Dragon / Steel typing.
Only two weaknesses—Fighting and Ground.
One full immunity.
One four-times resistance.
Eight two-times resistances.
On top of that, it had an absurdly powerful signature move—Shelter.
A move that massively boosted its defenses while shrouding itself in smoke, increasing evasion.
Among all pseudo-legendaries, Hisuian Goodra was absolutely top-tier.
And now the League had somehow obtained a Hisuian Goomy Egg, and not just that—
Champion potential.
Chen Shi swallowed hard.
He had to admit it—his heart was pounding.
Still, he forced himself to calm down.
Check the rest first.
What if there's something even better?
So he continued scanning.
Several other eggs also caught his attention.
A Champion-potential Mawile.
A quasi-Champion Larvitar.
A Champion-potential Alolan Vulpix.
And—
A Champion-potential Dratini.
Shiny.
Chen Shi paused.
Then, images of a shiny Dragonite flashed through his mind.
…Green.
Very green.
Nope. Absolutely not.
Green Dragonite was something he simply could not accept.
He kept scanning.
Then—
When his gaze landed on the very last egg, his expression froze.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Then—pure, unrestrained joy.
"This one!"
Without a single second of hesitation, Chen Shi pointed straight at the last egg on the lower tier, the one patterned in interwoven yellow and orange.
"Are you sure?" Professor Oak glanced at the egg and asked.
"Absolutely sure."
Chen Shi's tone was firm, without the slightest wavering.
"Alright," Professor Oak nodded. "Then take it with you."
He didn't recognize the egg himself, but he had no intention of interfering. This was Chen Shi's choice—and that was that.
Chen Shi rubbed his hands together excitedly, then stepped forward and carefully cradled the egg in his arms.
"Okay," Professor Oak continued, "next, Lance chooses."
Lance nodded and stepped forward, carefully examining the remaining eggs.
In a good mood, Chen Shi couldn't help giving him a hint.
"Pick that one," he said, pointing.
"Great potential. Dragon-type. And there's a surprise too."
He was pointing at the shiny Dratini egg.
"Really?"
Lance hesitated for a moment, then chose it anyway.
Not because he completely trusted Chen Shi—but because that egg was on the top tier.
Those four eggs were clearly handpicked by the League for the Top Four competitors. There was no way it would be bad.
"Alright," Professor Oak nodded after Lance finished.
"Now it's the two semifinalists' turn."
Steven and Cynthia immediately turned to look at Chen Shi.
The meaning was obvious.
Chen Shi didn't waste words.
He directly pointed at the Champion-potential Mawile egg.
"Steven, pick this one. This is the Pokémon you've been looking for."
"The one I've been looking for?"
Steven was momentarily confused—then instantly realized.
Mawile.
Without hesitation, he reached out and took the egg from the lower tier.
Chen Shi then pointed to one of the eggs on the top tier.
"Cynthia, choose this one."
Cynthia nodded lightly and picked up the Goomy egg.
She didn't ask what Pokémon it was.
She simply trusted him.
Next, Lorelei chose the Alolan Vulpix egg from the top tier.
Leon took the final Champion-potential egg from the top.
The remaining trainers also selected their eggs one after another.
Professor Oak then spoke:
"These Pokémon Eggs were all carefully selected by the League. If you raise them properly, they'll take you very far in the future."
"I hope you won't slack off."
"Only by maintaining humility can you truly go far on the path of a Trainer."
The group nodded solemnly in response.
"Alright," Professor Oak continued,
"Next, the press has some questions for you. Please cooperate."
The moment his words fell—
The metal doors in the distance swung open.
A swarm of reporters rushed in like a flood.
The instant they spotted Chen Shi, their eyes lit up.
Finally—got you again!
"Chen Shi, can you answer the question I asked you a few days ago now? How exactly did you make Charizard evolve?"
"Chen Shi, why was your Florges completely unharmed after taking Dragon Pulse, and how did she defeat a quasi–Elite Four Hydreigon in just three moves?"
"Chen Shi, how do you feel after winning the World Tournament?"
"Chen Shi—"
"Chen Shi—"
"…!"
Surrounded from all sides, Chen Shi rubbed his temples.
Then he cleared his throat.
"One at a time," he said calmly.
"You're giving me a headache."
The reporters instantly quieted down—
though their microphones were still practically shoved into his mouth.
All around the Silver Conference Hall, the noise faded.
The audience watched him intently, waiting for his answers.
Seeing the silence, Chen Shi let out a soft sigh, then spoke.
"I'll answer the first question."
"Regarding Charizard's evolution—I will be publishing a paper after everything here concludes. Please keep an eye on the researchers' forum."
"As for the second question—Florges is able to negate Dragon-type energy, which is why Dragon Pulse couldn't harm her."
"And the reason for that…"
He paused slightly.
"…is because Florges is neither a Normal-type Pokémon, nor a Grass-type Pokémon."
"She belongs to a brand-new attribute."
"I call this new attribute—"
"Fairy."
…
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