...
Dressed in a black suit, wearing a red tie, Hoenn Champion Dahu, along with the glamorous Hirona in a white, elegant dress, were also chatting while waiting for the drawing of lots to begin.
...
Clad in a black windbreaker with dazzling blond hair, Hirona, and the well-known actress Karune, dressed in a white formal outfit, as two of the few female champions, were naturally close friends. They were now catching up after a long time apart.
...
With a serious expression, Sir Shinto in his green adventure suit also stood quietly in one corner, arms crossed, waiting for the last person to join. Speaking of which, he was a Trainer from the Area of Fragrant Fate...
These seven people had met each other before, and clearly, they were now just waiting for Fang Yuan.
Before long.
Inside the Palace Arena, President Loz suddenly looked up, smiling amiably though somewhat painfully at the teeth, as he turned his gaze towards the corridor. His voice filled the arena.
"The last person has arrived."
As he spoke, several gazes turned toward Fang Yuan and his Eevee, who were approaching.
They had finally arrived.
"So that's Fang Yuan."
Karune, standing beside Hirona, said, "He looks younger than in his photos and seems very confident."
Hirona smiled slightly, "That person... is indeed very confident. You'll know when you have a chance to battle him."
Fang Yuan's confidence stemmed entirely from his trust in the abilities of his Pokémon, Eevee, which could defeat the Temporal and Spatial dragons and Monferno, which overpowered the Black and White Dragon. How could they not be trusted...
"He's finally here."
Upon Fang Yuan's arrival, Dahu said to Mikkeli.
"Took his sweet time."
Du looked at Fang Yuan and Eevee and, with a smile, started walking toward them.
Upon making eye contact with each other, President Loz and Danti also moved toward Fang Yuan.
"Sorry, sorry, I got delayed because I encountered a pitiful stray dog on my way here and bought it breakfast."
Fang Yuan, realizing he was the last to arrive, apologized with embarrassment.
Eevee: ???
You might as well have said you got lost! Who are you calling a dog?
"Now we're all here."
Dahu, smiling amicably, and Mikkeli were the first to approach.
At this moment, Dahu was most eager to battle Fang Yuan. His Metagross Mega, having learned Soul Heart Power from the exchange with Fang Yuan, had grown even stronger. He was very much looking forward to a rematch with Fang Yuan, hoping to win and then have Fang Yuan take him to Earth to mine.
"Long time no see."
Du, too, came over in his cloak, full of fighting spirit.
"It's been a long time for all of us."
After greeting each person in turn, President Loz and Danti also made their way over.
Upon seeing Fang Yuan, Danti nodded, equally excited on the inside.
Whether it was the Monferno that bested his Zweilous or the Darkrai that triumphed over Qibana's, he and his Charizard Mega were brimming with eagerness.
To witness his championship moment, only an opponent as powerful as Fang Yuan would do.
"Right on time."
Seeing this group ready to sparkle with sparks of excitement, President Loz checked the time and said, "Everyone is finally here, so why don't we proceed with the drawing now?"
"Sure," Hirona agreed.
"I have no objections," Karune stated.
Everyone agreed, the earlier the lots were drawn, the better, as chatting in the arena was quite dull.
However, after the draw, no one would likely feel like chatting anymore.
The official battles would commence tomorrow, and with all opponents being Champion Level fighters, no one would feel prepared enough.
...
...
Meanwhile.
Countless Trainers' gazes were fixed on the championship APP, awaiting the results of the draw.
In a luxurious villa somewhere in Gongmen City, Caitlin, seeing Nastina arrive disheveled, teased, "Did you challenge a Legendary Pokémon or something?"
"Cut the crap," Nastina glared at her.
If hide and seek counted...then yes, she had.
Despite the journey being full of twists, the outcome was good in the end.
Now, she was a Heart Source Trainer with the Power of the Heart. After asking Fang Yuan how to use the Power of the Heart to help Eevee undergo Autologous Ultra-Evolution, her strength would certainly not be weaker than that of Caitlin.
Nastina's expression also became as proud as Caitlin's.
"What about the draw?"
"Not out yet."
...
Apart from Nastina and Caitlin, there were Xiaozhi and his friends, Erika from the Rainbow Dojo, the Karate King Wu De, Lt. Surge and daughter from the Vermilion City Gym, Lila from the Galar League, the genius Fighting Trainer Colored Bean from Galar, Lian Wu King from Unova, Sinnoh's Ohba, Aliu, Sky King Wusong, and even Tobias from a certain place, as well as Qibana, all of whom knew Fang Yuan and had been defeated by him in the championships, were waiting for the draw results.
Of course, these were just a small group of Trainers gathered in Galar's Gongmen City, as Gym Leaders like the Thousand Miles Family, Kings like Ke Na, Fu Rong, Wan Long, and even Champion Adick from Unova, who did not participate in the competition, were reluctant to miss out on the fun and decisively came to join in.
Adick: "Yo, Old Man Ma, long time no see."
Master: "Why are you here too?"
"Speaking of which, Unova's had it rough this time."
Adick had somehow encountered the legendary figure Master, who had defended the Galar League champion title for the past 18 years.
"Hahaha."
Adick said casually, "No worries, I've found two promising youngsters. They'll surely lead Unova to become even stronger."