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The National Pokemon Arena erupted with thunderous cheers and excitement. The trainers who had gathered to witness this historic battle weren't merely Pokemon enthusiasts—they represented elite figures and celebrities from across the entire region.
Among the distinguished guests sat Elite Four members Tate and Victor. Senior Roy, personally invited by Chris, occupied a place of honor alongside Elian, who would soon face Chris in combat.
Every member of China's Elite Four had assembled here today.
This unprecedented gathering was undoubtedly one of the major highlights of this extraordinary event.
On the battlefield below, an epic confrontation was about to unfold between the gifted young trainer Chris and the veteran Elite Four member Elian—a true clash between the rising new generation and the established old guard.
Would the mega-talented prodigy who had shattered countless records throughout China successfully claim the symbolic scepter of Elite status from his predecessor's hands?
Or would the seasoned Elite Four member prove as merciless as ever, crushing yet another ambitious challenger who dared to challenge the established order?
Everyone in attendance eagerly anticipated this monumental "battle of generations."
A similar dramatic scenario had unfolded not long ago, with Chris as the central protagonist who ultimately emerged victorious in that previous encounter.
However, his previous opponent had been a Gym Leader, while today's challenger represented an entirely different level of competition—an Elite Four member.
If the gap between ordinary trainers and Gym Leaders could be described as a significant divide, then the difference between Gym Leaders and Elite Four members represented nothing less than an insurmountable chasm.
Attempting to cross such a barrier required each step to be exponentially more difficult than the last.
Every trainer who had ever managed to bridge this enormous gap, to overcome this seemingly impossible obstacle, was recognized as a genius among geniuses, a prodigy among prodigies.
If Chris could truly accomplish this feat today, then everyone present would become witnesses to Pokemon history in the making.
Many spectators had traveled from distant regions specifically because they were filled with anticipation for Chris's potential "miracle."
At precisely 9:30 AM, both Chris and Elian, having completed their final preparations, stood on opposite sides of the massive battlefield, facing each other directly and carefully assessing their respective opponents.
"Elian, male, forty-three years old, born in the capital city..."
As Chris studied the man standing across from him, all the information he had researched online flooded back into his mind.
At forty-three years old, Elian should theoretically be considered middle-aged, but the person Chris observed appeared to be a well-maintained man in his early thirties, looking as polished and refined as a movie star.
He was undeniably handsome, tall, and perfectly proportioned.
At first glance, anyone would assume this was indeed a celebrity from the entertainment industry.
It was no wonder he had attracted such a massive following of devoted fans.
Chris could clearly see the colorful cheering banners displayed throughout the audience section behind Elian's position.
There were classic fan chants like "Elian, Elian, we love you, just like Pikachu loves ketchup"—clearly indicating a substantial fanbase of devoted admirers.
The young supporters who had once cheered for him during his early career had evidently grown up alongside his rising fame.
Elian studied Chris in return, and his assessment was remarkably straightforward. He had only one overwhelming thought:
"You're incredibly young..."
At just twenty years old, Chris had already earned the right to stand in the National Pokemon Arena and challenge an Elite Four member. What had Elian been doing when he was twenty years old?
He could vaguely remember still being a university student at Capital University, and when the New Year celebration approached, he had gotten into a heated Pokemon battle with a senior classmate over training techniques.
Compared to Chris's achievements, there was absolutely no comparison between their accomplishments at the same age.
"There's an old saying that 'the waves behind in the River push forward the waves ahead, and the front waves crash upon the shore,'" Elian reflected with a mixture of admiration and resignation.
"Even if I don't crash upon the shore today, it probably won't be more than a few years before it happens." Elian sighed deeply, reached up to adjust his collar, and unbuttoned his jacket. His eyes began to sparkle with renewed determination. "But... today, I absolutely refuse to be that front wave that gets swept away!"
"WOOOOOO!" A piercing whistle echoed throughout the entire National Pokemon Competition Center, cutting through the noisy chatter and successfully drawing everyone's attention back to the battlefield below.
The moment of truth had finally arrived.
A referee appeared on the field, riding a circular flying device and holding a megaphone. He began announcing the official rules of the competition.
"The Elite Challenge is now officially beginning! This is a challenge from Gym Leader Chris to Elite Four member Elian!"
"The battle rules are as follows: Choose four Pokemon from a team of six. When one trainer's four Pokemon are defeated and lose their ability to fight, the battle will conclude!"
"Both trainers, please send out your starting Pokemon now!"
Following the referee's guidance, both Chris and Elian reached for the Poke Balls attached to their belts.
They locked eyes with each other, then simultaneously hurled their respective Poke Balls high into the air above the battlefield.
Two Pokemon materialized in brilliant flashes of light.
Standing before Elian was a Pokemon with stubby wings, orange-yellow skin, a rotund body, and an overall round appearance. Its was a Dragonite!
Elian's Dragonite was noticeably larger than typical specimens of its species, and there was a distinctive layer of transparent energy visibly flowing across the surface of its body, creating a protective aura around it.
If Chris's assessment was correct, this Dragonite appeared to be a rare "Alpha Pokemon"!
Meanwhile, standing proudly before Chris was his magnificent golden Aggron, which gleamed brilliantly under the arena's bright lighting, resembling a mountain made of pure gold!
Immediately, exclamations of amazement erupted from the audience.
"Another Shiny Pokemon? Can someone with extensive knowledge help us figure out exactly how many Shiny Pokemon Chris has?"
"It really seems like Chris has assembled an entire team composed entirely of Shiny Pokemon!"
"I would officially like to declare Chris as 'the chosen one'!"
Chris hadn't used very many different Pokemon in his previous public battles, and his golden Aggron hadn't had many opportunities to appear before large audiences until this moment.
So this spectacular appearance still managed to cause tremendous surprise and excitement among the spectators.
However, it was merely surprise rather than complete shock. The visual impact created by the golden Aggron, while impressive, couldn't quite match the stunning effect of his Mega Shiny Gardevoir from previous battles.
As opponents facing each other, neither Elian nor Chris was particularly surprised by their rival's "Alpha" and "Shiny" Pokemon identities, respectively.
What truly concerned both trainers was the critical matter of type matchups and strategic advantages.
From the very first move, Chris had secured a substantial tactical advantage.
Aggron possessed Rock and Steel dual typing, which provided specialized but excellent defensive resistances against certain attack types.
While Aggron suffered quadruple weakness to Fighting and Ground-type moves, and double weakness to Water-type attacks, it also boasted quadruple resistance to Dragonite's Flying-type moves and double resistance to Normal-type attacks!
Conversely, Dragonite found itself at a significant disadvantage due to its Flying typing being weak against Rock-type moves.
The advantages and disadvantages established by each trainer's choice of starting Pokemon would dramatically influence the tactical strategies and battle plans for both sides throughout the entire match.
Both trainers' eyes gleamed with intense focus and concentration as they prepared to execute their opening strategies.
The referee confirmed that both competitors were properly positioned, then immediately raised the red and green flags in his hands high above his head before bringing them down sharply.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Come back, Dragonite!"
"Aggron, use Block!"
Chris and Elian issued their commands simultaneously at the exact same moment.
Elian grabbed the Poke Ball he had just used to send out his Dragonite, intending to recall his Pokemon immediately, but suddenly a towering golden mountain appeared directly in front of the Dragon-type, completely blocking the red recall beam from his Poke Ball.
The recall attempt had failed completely...
Elian felt his heart skip a beat as a slight tremor of concern ran through him.
Had Chris... predicted his exact strategy?