Lilac Island, Lilac Arena.
From an aerial view, three slightly smaller circular arenas were triangularly distributed around the main arena.
Lilac 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 buzz than previous Pokémon 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 User, a dual Champion whose cape was practically a part of him, mastering flight.
In the previous Pokémon World Championships, these two ranked second and fourth, with Cynthia second and Lance fourth.
Steven was third, and Kaluni was fifth.
Because the previous Tournament was held in the Galar region, Leon, with his Gigantamax Charizard, indeed had a certain advantage.
There was a television in the cafeteria, and Li Wei and the others were eating and watching there.
Shion exclaimed, "So many people!"
Rui Xi nodded, "This is Pokémon battling, one of the most popular events, if not the most popular."
No one refuted her, because it was true, not even Da You, the three-time Champion of the Pokemon World Martial Arts Tournament.
At 5:15 PM,
Just as Brother Da You 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.
Li Wei wasn't eating properly, nor was he watching the match that hadn't started yet; he was on his phone.
A Jin: "Oh, it's starting, it's starting!"
Blue: "Place your bets! Who do you support? Bets are final, bets are final."
Li Wei: "Cynthia."
Xiao Chun: "Lance."
A Jin: "Fight! Fight!"
Red: "Who to support... It's a tough choice..."
Xiao Huang: "I'll just cheer for both sides."
Just as Li Wei and Xiao Chun seemed about to quarrel, the protagonist, Lance, appeared.
Lance: "Dear, I don't recommend betting here."
Qinglv: "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 such a long schedule?"
Qinglv: "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 was in the top sixteen, it would be fine.
"First to enter is the Dragon User from the Kanto region—Lance!"
Even though this was not Lance's home ground, the audience's cheers were still like a roaring tide, and the atmosphere gradually became fervent.
Lance, who has a special fondness for capes, entered wearing a brand new orange-on-the-outside, white-on-the-inside cape.
To match this outfit, Lance also put on a pair of orange Martin boots, and even his belt turned orange.
A Jin: "Hey, it's not the black and Red cape from before?"
Qinglv noticed the blind spot: "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 went up an octave,
"Next, let's welcome the Champion from the Sinnoh region—Cynthia!"
This was Lilac 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.
Xiao Huang: "Ms. Cynthia's outfit is also different; it feels incredibly wild!"
Unlike her usual black trench coat and high heels, Cynthia also wore new clothes today.
It was normal for Xiao Huang to find it incredibly wild.
This was a combat outfit designed with Lucario as the concept.
The top was a sharply cut strapless crop top, with striking bright yellow trim on the shoulders resembling armor.
Black high-waisted hot pants 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 were the finishing touch.
The entire outfit had extreme visual tension, which is what Xiao Huang referred to as wild.
It was the kind of design that prioritized style over warmth.
"Wow! So beautiful!" — Shion
"It really is beautiful!" — Rui Xi.
Girls don't care about warmth or lack thereof.
Aunt revealed a big boss smile, "Looks good, right? I designed it with another designer, and there are a few other sets too, so please look forward to them."
Wen Hui raised an eyebrow: "It wouldn't be Lily, would it?"
Aunt nodded: "It is Lily."
"Can you design a set for me too?"
Li Wei poured cold water: "His prices are very expensive; you can forget about it."
Aunt wiped his increasingly shiny bald head,
"Money is secondary; the main thing is my precious hair!"
Aunt added another jab: "If you keep touching it like that, you'll get even balder."
Comrade Leon patted his older brother's shoulder, "Don't be sad; anyone who studies design goes bald."
"..."
While they were bickering and clowning around, the female host holding the microphone let out a Snarl,
"The match will be a 6-on-6 standard single battle! Mega Evolution and Z-Moves are allowed!"
Gigantamax, needless to say, is a move currently only usable in the Galar region.
As for the future? It remains unknown.
The previous Pokémon World Championships were a display of diverse strategies, with Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Gigantamax appearing one after another.
It was also because of this that the discussion heat reached a new climax, leading to multiple Champions and Elite 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 Poké 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/Flying type... Genji, the Dragon-type Elite of the Hoenn region, is also very skilled with this Pokemon."
Unfortunately, through the screen, Li Wei's Identification could not reveal the exact information of 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!]
A Jin: "Another Flying-type, it's truly Lance!"
Lt. Surge: "Do you think he'll bring a Flying Z-Move?"
Xiao Chun roared in a voice message: "You two!"
Cynthia made a slight misjudgment, yet not entirely wrong.
Cynthia thought Lance would start with his classic Intimidate Gyarados, so she naturally chose Togekiss, which is not greatly affected by Intimidate.
But Lance's Salamence also had the Intimidate ability.
With a roar from Salamence,
The audience's cheers reached a climax.
The match officially began!