Another ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.
Hoenn League Headquarters, Tournament Venue.
The originally empty stands are now densely packed with people.
They are all spectators who have come to watch this competition.
Unlike the Kanto League, the Hoenn League did not hold any special Elite Four Challenge, nor did it send invitations to geniuses and high-ranking officials from various regions. Instead, it conducted a month-long television advertising blitz within the Hoenn League.
At this time, most of the people in the stands are residents of the Hoenn region, and of course, there are also many people from other regions.
There are also high-ranking officials from various regions.
Although no invitations were sent, these people have all come.
Today, there will also be a live broadcast of the entire Hoenn region. All those who could not come to the League Headquarters can watch the live broadcast from the ground.
Because this is the first collision between the renowned Hoenn Twins, many people like Daigo, and of course, many people like Aoki. They also want to see who is stronger.
The winner! Become one of the Elite Four!
There is no battle more exciting than this!
But the two involved parties were leisurely chatting in the waiting area at the back.
There was no sign of confrontation or tension; they even laughed as they talked.
Of course, they weren't the only ones there; Fuyou and Mikuri were also present.
And the focus of their conversation was something completely unrelated to the battle:
Aoki's appearance.
"You change every day! Only twenty days, and you seem even more handsome!" Daigo exclaimed, looking at Aoki's face with obvious surprise.
Fuyou pressed herself against him, scrutinizing his face from all angles, trying to spot any signs of surgery.
"Alright, Fuyou, stop digging. I haven't had any plastic surgery, and I'm not wearing makeup. Like I said, this is just normal development; some changes in facial structure make the overall appearance more noticeable, but you can't really tell if you look closely," Aoki said helplessly.
Lately, everyone they met seemed curious to see if he'd had plastic surgery, as his face had changed quite a bit.
"Didn't we have Miss Joy examine him? It's extremely rare, but it does happen, and his facial structure hasn't changed at all," Aoki added.
"That's true. Twenty days ago, when I saw him, he wasn't like this. Twenty days later, he's even more handsome! It's unfair!" Daigo chimed in.
Aoki's change wasn't sudden, so while it surprised everyone, it was just that—surprise. They accepted it after a glance.
Meanwhile, Mikuri stood to the side, holding his harp, looking thoughtful.
Seeing him like this, Fuyou nudged him with her elbow, annoyed.
This guy was probably thinking about who was the most handsome again.
Sure enough, Mikuri, having recovered, gently stroked the harp with her long, slender, and fair hand, and said calmly, "I used to think Aoki dragged down our average looks, but now I'm very pleased that our average has finally improved."
She seemed genuinely happy, as if to say, "Aoki, you did a great job.
" "Then shouldn't the three of you form a group and debut together? You could even release an album, and the name could be..." Furong said irritably.
"Handsome Guy Training Manual!!" Mikuri immediately chimed in.
*Pfft*
—Aoki sprayed a mouthful of water onto Mikuri's face.
The conversation was getting increasingly absurd; should this group be called something like "Boys"?
The thought sent chills down her spine.
"Ahem." At this moment, Daigo, sitting to the side, coughed lightly.
The three looked at him.
Daigo continued, "I think...it's a good idea! I'm definitely the visual representative, Mikuri is the music representative, and Aoki...can he dance?"
"..."
Aoki just stared at Daigo, at the confident Daigo.
It seemed like the group wasn't getting along...
"You guys are still chatting? It's your turn!" Genji walked into the room and said to the four who were still chatting.
Outside, the bigwigs and spectators were already getting impatient.
Aoki and Daigo stood up simultaneously, their joking expressions vanishing, replaced by fighting spirit.
They had been waiting, preparing, and anticipating this battle for a long time, and it was finally about to begin.
"Fight well, don't cry if you lose," Daigo said with a smile.
"You are," Aoki chuckled.
They walked out of the room in two different directions.
Fuyou and Mikuri returned to their stands.
All the bigwigs of the Hoenn League were here today; it was time to see who would become one of the Elite Four.
Daigo emerged first from his passage, a handsome and confident smile on his face. The noble air cultivated by the Zuvoki family was on full display.
"Daigo!! Daigo!! Daigo!!"
Cheers erupted!
Immediately after, Aoki emerged from the opposite passage, a smile on his face, his eyes resolute. He was determined to win today!
Whoosh—
"Aoki!! Aoki!! Aoki!!" "
Lord Aoki looks even more handsome in person than on TV and in photos!"
"Yeah! Yeah! I can't take it anymore, I was originally supporting Lord Daigo, but now I'm torn!"
"Lord Aoki is so handsome!!"
"Even if Lord Aoki is handsome, our Lord Daigo is clearly more handsome!!"
"..."
On the platform.
Adams and Genji sat together.
"That little guy Aoki, his face has changed quite a bit," Adams said with a smile.
"I felt the same way when I first saw him, but after spending ten days together, I haven't noticed any change. Youth...it's really great," Genji also remarked.
"You rascal, you're taking advantage of the situation and still acting innocent. It's only because Brock isn't here, otherwise he'd probably challenge you to a duel."
"Look at what you're saying, Brock and I don't conflict, we each have our roles. It's such a waste to let such a good prospect go to waste, and... I'm not afraid of him." "
..."
Adams and Genji chatted back and forth, having a good time.
Meanwhile, Aoki and Daigo, amidst the cheers of the crowd, walked to either side of the arena, ready to wait for the match to begin.
There were quite a few people gathered around the TV at this time, not only in the Hoenn League, but also in the Kanto, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos regions, many of Aoki's acquaintances were watching the live broadcast.
The battle between Aoki and Daigo represented the top strength of the younger generation of the league!
The previous battle between Lance and Elite Four member Shuu was a change of generation, but this time it was a battle between the strongest rookies.
The winner of the Sinnoh Tournament is facing off against one of the top four! The skill gap isn't huge.
"The match begins! Both players will take turns summoning their Pokémon!" the referee announced.
This is the rule for a full-scale battle; both players summon their Pokémon one at a time, making the match fairer.
The first player summons their first Pokémon, the next player summons two, and so on, accumulating two at a time. The player who summoned the first Pokémon at the end has one as a last resort, which they can choose to summon based on their opponent's Pokémon.
The format is very fair; the match entirely depends on the true strength of both players!
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First update! Requesting monthly votes!
(End of Chapter)