Unlike Kamon and Fang Yuan, who declined interviews due to other matters, Du and Hirona accepted interviews after their battle.
What else could Du say about losing the match?
"Although I'm unwilling to concede, Hirona is indeed a very strong Trainer and has a great knack for nurturing Pokémon."
Du quickly came to terms with it, thinking it was no big deal and that he could just win back the victory next time.
The two fought for nearly three minutes, and even though Hirona held the advantage throughout, his Dragonite was not weak. As long as Hirona's Garchomp never crossed into the Legendary Realm, the gap between them would never get too wide.
Surpassing and being surpassed can often be achieved within a very short time.
Du had already figured out that if he next time let Dragonite properly harness the power of fire and ice, there was still a chance to win, yes, there was hope.
The media mainly wanted to find out how Hirona viewed her upcoming fight with Fang Yuan.
Doduo, forgotten.
"No matter who the opponent is, no matter the difficulties, I can overcome them together with my Pokémon. I will give it my all!"
One had to admit that ever since becoming Champion, Hirona, who had always maintained strong self-confidence, was now feeling an unusual tension at the thought of Fang Yuan's power. It was as if she was back in her early days as a Trainer, looking at her still immature self.
The next day.
The championship tournament continued.
The third fight was Da Wu versus Mikkeli.
This confrontation between good friends was also quite attractive.
One was the son of the Devon Corporation, a business tycoon in the Pokémon World, and Champion of the Hoenn Alliance.
The other was the representative Trainer of the Grand Festival, a competition that spans four regions, and the first and only Grand Festival Master in history.
There were many highlights in the battle between the two.
Fang Yuan still watched the entire fight.
Both Da Wu and Mikkeli had become stronger than before, displaying a level of power a notch above what they had been a few months ago.
Da Wu's Metagross, perhaps due to mastering Soul Heart Skill, and by developing all four of its brains, took its strength a step further. Even in its normal state, it was much stronger than the typical High-Level Champion Pokémon.
Mikkeli's Milotic, which carried a Flame Orb in this battle, showcased the superb Coordination Ability of a Grand Festival Master. Coupled with the Mysterious Scales Trait and healing Moves, it hugely boosted its own resilience. Additionally, the special Flame Orb turned their Hot Water Technique into an art form—once Water moves hit Metagross, they could immediately inflict a Burning State that it couldn't shake off.
Compared to Gigantamaxing and Z-Moves, Mikkeli clearly preferred to let his Milotic show off some dazzling strategic moves with his specially made Flame Orb.
With outstanding Coordination Ability leading to Combination Skills, Mikkeli's Milotic was now comparable to a top-level Champion Grade Pokémon and even seemed able to pressure Da Wu.
Of course, Da Wu wouldn't go down that easily and immediately let Metagross undergo Mega Evolution.
"Stone is truly lovely," thought Da Wu, as the Mega Evolution Stone seemed so adorable to him.
Afterward, the Metagross with four brains became a Mega Metagross with eight brains, and its strength surged massively. The brief burst of power from the Mega Evolution combined with Soul Heart brought it to the threshold of contending with a Legendary Pokémon.
After the battle, Mikkeli and company ultimately failed to overcome the Mega Metagross capable of Mega Evolution.
Of course, this might also relate to the venue. If the battle had taken place at sea, Mikkeli's Milotic would undoubtedly have demonstrated its true top Champion Grade power.
The venue limitation was far too significant; a small pool was simply inadequate for these Champion Level Water-type Spirits to unleash their full potential.
"The youth of today are all monsters..."
Having healed the Rock God Column, Kamon watched the match in silence, and muttered to himself that without the help of the King of Holy Pillar, it would be hard to become Champion. Out with the old, in with the new; the potential and talent of these young people were outstanding.
"It's time to accept my age, ha ha."
From the chairman's stand, Adick chuckled, recognizing that if he were to face Da Wu's normal state Metagross alone, it was uncertain who would win the fight, not to mention the fact that Da Wu's Metagross could Mega Evolve.
"Indeed."
Master Masde also agreed wholeheartedly, which was well exemplified by his disciple, Danti. He hadn't expected the former blockhead to quickly dominate the Galar Region in such a short time and surpass his own strength... These young people were truly the future hope of the Pokémon World.
In the third round of the knockout stage of the championship, Da Wu advances!!!
...
...
In the afternoon, the fourth battle.
Danti versus Karune.
The outcome of this battle wasn't considered a great mystery.
Karune's Gardevoir was only at the standard Champion Level in its normal state.
Forget comparing her to the likes of Hirona or Du; even against Adick's strongest Pokémon after the passing of his ace, there was still a gap.
The other Champions juggling multiple roles could at least still be somewhat involved with nurturing and battling.
Du honed his battle skills through fighting crime; Da Wu's mining was essentially like traveling everywhere, which hardly affected the daily training of Pokémon—just a diversion of time. Mikkeli, being a Grand Festival Master, couldn't avoid training Coordination Skills that often went hand in hand with battling. As a mythology researcher, Hirona gained great insights into nurturing Pokémon from ancient civilizations...