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Time quickly arrived at December 16th.
It was already the time when one could count down the days, slowly welcoming Christmas and the New Year.
However, before the long holiday arrived, the last high-level ball event of the year—the Dragon-Type Master Tournament—arrived under the watchful eyes of countless battle enthusiasts.
Mesagoza, Central Plaza.
Since Mesagoza's design itself incorporated many elements related to battlefields, this largest city in Paldea was essentially a massive battlefield.
Thus, countless spectators had already gathered in the viewing areas, patiently waiting on the high stands or nearby open grounds.
As powerful as Dragon-type Pokémon are, the trainers who can control them must all be strong. Not to mention these "Dragon Tamers" from all over the world, many of whom were Gym Leaders and Elite Four members.
Even the Champion of the Sinnoh region came to participate in the tournament.
Such an exciting grand scene would be such a pity to miss!
"The battling atmosphere in Paldea seems pretty good."
Looking at the densely packed crowd in the upper stands, Cynthia, who arrived early with Aiden at the battlefield, slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
"It's alright; it might be a bit less than Galar, but after all, the trainer base here is quite large."
Aiden nodded, acknowledging Cynthia's statement.
Unlike Galar, whose arena battling culture had been passed down through multiple generations, Paldea had long been accustomed to being laid-back, even directly using the entire city as a venue...
However, Mesagoza did have a unique advantage—
Due to Naranja Academy, at least 80-90% of young trainers in the Paldea region were concentrated in Mesagoza. The attraction of the Master Tournament to these passionate youngsters was absolutely terrifying.
Besides that, there were also many die-hard fans who traveled from other regions specifically to watch the matches, holding up their cheering signs early, waiting for the official start of the tournament.
"How about it? Is it a bit nerve-wracking to see such a scene for the first time?"
Cynthia suddenly turned her head, looking at Aiden with a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"How could it be? I'm just a filler participating in the exhibition match, not competing for rankings."
Aiden shrugged slightly, retorting.
Saying he wasn't nervous was a lie. After all, he, an ordinary Gym Leader, was suddenly pulled to compete alongside these Champions and Elite Four trainers...
If it weren't for an exhibition match, he wouldn't be able to handle it at all.
But, since things had come to this, he could only push forward.
"Moreover, isn't this your first time participating in a major tournament?"
"And you, our strongest Champion from the Sinnoh region, Miss Cynthia, do you have confidence in winning this tournament?"
Cynthia smiled charmingly and didn't reply directly but playfully made a "V" sign.
It seemed she was already confident about winning this Master Tournament.
Seeing this, Aiden silently nodded.
It must be said that both Pokémon and Trainers were quite subjective; having confidence was definitely a good thing.
…
"Grandpa, over here!"
Blue, who had already secured an excellent viewing position, waved his hand towards the distance.
Soon, Professor Oak, with his graying hair, and the taciturn cap-wearing boy beside him arrived at his side.
"What a magnificent sight! Even the finals of the Indigo Conference back then probably had fewer spectators than here."
After glancing around, Professor Oak quickly expressed his admiration.
Back then, he too had showcased the strength of Kanto people to the whole world on such a grand stage.
However, that was all a long time ago.
Professor Oak shook his head, and his calm gaze quickly shifted to those beside him.
Although somewhat impatient, Blue was always passionate about battles.
And there was Red, whose potential had only shown the tip of the iceberg, no one knew how far he could grow.
Compared to himself, if Pallet Town could produce another Trainer at the Champion level, that would truly complete his legacy.
He hoped that this experience of watching the Master Tournament would deepen their understanding of what it means to be a Trainer.
While Professor Oak was reflecting, his mischievous grandson, Blue, suddenly pointed his finger toward a certain spot below.
"Look quickly, it's the Dragon Tamer Mr. Lance!"
Following his line of sight, the striking figure of the red-haired man in a black cloak was unmistakable.
And his appearance signaled—
The opening ceremony today was about to begin soon!
"Hi hi, everyone~"
With a sharp electromagnetic wave, a lively young female voice soon echoed through the venue.
Aiden couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Following the direction of the voice, he soon spotted Iono, the Gym Leader of Levincia Gym, enthusiastically waving at the audience while holding a microphone.
So the host this time was Iono?
Though, in such a formal setting, she probably wouldn't mess around...
After all, this was the Master Tournament being watched by the entire world; causing a live broadcast accident would be quite interesting.
"So far, all contestants have arrived, so—"
"I hereby declare that the opening ceremony of this Dragon-Type Master Tournament will now begin!"
Just as Aiden expected, even the usually quirky Iono didn't have any playful intentions and completed her duties very steadily.
"Next, let's welcome four very capable contestants to bring us an exciting double battle exhibition match~"
"First, from the Kanto region, the Dragon Envoy of the Indigo Plateau, Lance!"
The serious-faced red-haired man appeared on the battlefield, solemnly waving to the surrounding audience.
As the man currently closest to becoming Champion in the Indigo Plateau, his popularity was still high worldwide, quickly drawing countless cheers.
"Then, the son of the sea, the 'late bloomer' Dragon-type Elite Four member from the Hoenn region, Drake!"
A spirited white-bearded elder dressed in captain attire appeared, standing beside Lance, also an Elite Four member.
"With these two Dragon-type Elites as partners, what level will the opposing Trainers be? It's really anticipated!"
"I heard there's also a Champion participating; hurry up and bring them out!"
Due to the appearance of these two contestants, the audience seats quickly began to buzz with enthusiastic discussions.
Which two masters would challenge these veteran Elites?
"On the challenger side, we have the new Champion of the Sinnoh region, the formidable warrior who single-handedly breezed through the Elite Four, Cynthia!"
When this young Champion appeared, the discussions in the audience noticeably paused for a moment.
Then, applause erupted again, even more exaggerated than before!
"Ten-year fan of Miss Cynthia here without invitation!"
"Too cool! Didn't expect there to be such a young and beautiful Champion besides Miss Diantha!"
"A partner worthy of a Champion must also be extremely formidable!"
After the three of them appeared, Iono mischievously waited for a moment until the audience grew a bit impatient before slowly speaking—
"The final contestant, the pride of the Paldea region, the rising superstar of Poké TV, one of the eight Gym Leaders on the Victory Road—"
"Aiden!"
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