Lily of the Valley Island, Lily of the Valley Arena
From an aerial view, three slightly smaller circular arenas were triangularly distributed around the main arena.
Lily of the Valley Arena
At this moment, every seat was occupied.
As the two protagonists had not yet appeared, the Rotom equipped with high-definition cameras swept over the seats.
Crowds surged, and vendors selling snacks and drinks weaved through the aisles.
The Master League, eagerly anticipated by the audience, had begun.
This generated even more excitement than previous Pokemon World Championships.
The newly established Master League maximized the number of battlefields, satisfying the viewing needs of most of the audience.
The two competing parties were:
One was the first female regional Champion, a powerhouse combining beauty and strength.
The other was the Dragon Master, a dual Champion whose cape was practically part of him, having mastered the art of flight.
In the previous Pokemon World Championships, these two ranked second and fourth, with Cynthia placing second and Lance placing fourth.
Steven was third, and Diantha was fifth.
Because the previous tournament was held in the Galar region, Leon, with his Gigantamax Charizard, indeed possessed a certain advantage.
There was a television in the cafeteria, and Wayne and the others were eating while watching.
Shion exclaimed, "So many people!"
Claire nodded. "This is Pokemon battling—one of the most popular events, if not the most popular."
No one refuted her statement, because it was true. Not even Alan, the three-time Champion of the Pokemon World Martial Arts Tournament.
At 5:15 PM,
Just as Alan had predicted, the opening match between Cynthia and Lance began at this time.
The host had already finished reading the advertisements and was about to introduce the two competitors.
Wayne wasn't eating properly, nor was he watching the match that hadn't started yet. He was on his phone.
Silver: "Oh, it's starting, it's starting!"
Blue: "Place your bets! Who do you support? Bets are final!"
Wayne: "Cynthia."
Clair: "Lance."
Silver: "Fight! Fight!"
Red: "Who to support... It's a difficult choice..."
Yellow: "I'll just cheer for both sides."
Just as Wayne and Clair seemed about to argue, the protagonist, Lance, appeared.
Lance: "Dear, I don't recommend betting here."
Blue: "You're about to battle, and you're still on your phone?"
Lance: "It's not a sudden death match. What's there to be nervous about with such a long schedule?"
Blue: "True."
Lance: "I'm about to make my entrance."
As Lance said, with the points system, even if he lost this match, as long as his final score placed him in the top sixteen, it would be fine.
"First to enter is the Dragon Master from the Kanto region—Lance!"
Even though this wasn't Lance's home ground, the audience's cheers were still like a roaring tide, and the atmosphere gradually became fervent.
Lance, who had a special fondness for capes, entered wearing a brand new cape—orange on the outside, white on the inside.
To match this outfit, Lance also wore a pair of orange combat boots, and even his belt turned orange.
Ethan: "Hey, it's not the black and red cape from before?"
Blue noticed the detail: "Is this Charizard's color scheme?"
Walking out of the passage, Lance waved in all directions, thanking the audience for their cheers.
The female host's tone suddenly rose an octave.
"Next, let's welcome the Champion from the Sinnoh region—Cynthia!"
This was Lily of the Valley Island in the Sinnoh region—Cynthia's home ground.
The home crowd immediately erupted into immense cheers. Applause and cheers intertwined, echoing through the sky.
Yellow: "Ms. Cynthia's outfit is also different—it feels incredibly striking!"
Unlike her usual black trench coat and high heels, Cynthia also wore new clothing today.
It was normal for Yellow to find it incredibly striking.
This was a battle outfit designed with Lucario as the concept.
The top was a sharply cut sleeveless crop top, with striking bright yellow trim on the shoulders resembling armor.
Black high-waisted shorts were paired with matching over-the-knee socks, and a matte leather belt perfectly transitioned between the top and bottom.
A knee-length cobalt blue cape was worn over it, and scarlet patent leather gloves served as the finishing touch.
The entire outfit possessed extreme visual impact, which is what Yellow referred to as striking.
It was the kind of design that prioritized style over warmth.
"Wow! So beautiful!" — Shion
"It really is beautiful!" — Claire
Girls didn't care about warmth or lack thereof.
Uncle Levin revealed a proud smile. "Looks good, right? I designed it with another designer, and there are a few other sets too, so please look forward to them."
Fumie raised an eyebrow. "It wouldn't be Lila, would it?"
Uncle Levin nodded. "It is Lila."
"Can you design a set for me too?"
Wayne poured cold water on the idea. "His prices are very expensive. You can forget about it."
Uncle Levin wiped his increasingly shiny bald head.
"Money is secondary. The main thing is my precious hair!"
Fumie added another jab. "If you keep touching it like that, you'll get even balder."
Leon patted his older brother's shoulder. "Don't be sad. Anyone who studies design goes bald."
"..."
While they were bickering and joking around, the female host holding the microphone let out a shout.
"The match will be a 6-on-6 standard single battle! Mega Evolution and Z-Moves are allowed!"
Dynamax, needless to say, was a mechanic currently only usable in the Galar region.
As for the future? It remained unknown.
The previous Pokemon World Championships had been a display of diverse strategies, with Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax appearing one after another.
It was also because of this that the discussion reached a new climax, leading to multiple Champions and Elite Four members gathering to discuss new competitions.
"Who will emerge victorious in this opening battle? Let's wait and see!"
The referee's flag was swiftly waved down.
"Let the match begin!"
Accompanied by a piercing whistle, both sides simultaneously threw out their Poke Balls.
"My first Pokemon is it—go, Salamence!"
"Go, Togekiss!"
"Big news!!! Lance has sent out a new Dragon-type Pokemon this time—Salamence!"
Besides the commentator, someone was also introducing Salamence's attributes.
"Salamence, Dragon and Flying-type... Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of the Hoenn region, is also very skilled with this Pokemon."
Unfortunately, through the screen, Wayne's Appraisal could not reveal the exact information about Lance's Salamence.
He could only see that its Ability was Intimidate.
Lance's lips curved slightly. He was thinking: Let's see who still dares to call me the Flying-type Elite!
Ethan: "Another Flying-type—it's truly Lance!"
Lt. Surge: "Do you think he'll bring a Flying-type Z-Move?"
Clair roared in a voice message: "You two!"
Cynthia made a slight misjudgment, yet not entirely incorrect.
Cynthia thought Lance would start with his signature Intimidate Gyarados, so she naturally chose Togekiss, which wasn't greatly affected by Intimidate.
However, Lance's Salamence also possessed the Intimidate Ability.
With a roar from Salamence, the audience's cheers reached a climax.
The match officially began!