Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 274 Bai Zhou: Fine, this feud is now settled!

Among the main queue of the Johto Pavilion.

Xiao Chun slightly raised her chin, her pretty face cold.

Her clenched fists and the aura of "keep away" emanating from her clearly expressed her inner resentment.

Why?! Why do the masters of Kanto receive such overwhelming cheers and praise?!

They were just lucky to be included in the world-famous Pokémon game earlier!

In terms of strength, Xiaochun, the inheritor of the Dragon's descendants and the head of the Yanmo Dojo, is confident that she is no less than anyone else among them!

The remaining four owners, Asu, Abi, Ami, and Songye, appeared much calmer.

They all wore smiles that reflected their anticipation for the future.

Having already received an offer from Bai Zhou regarding the Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver project, they were filled with joy.

It's a wonderful hope that one's own fame will rise as soon as the game is released!

That would be the real chance to become famous!

"Heh heh—you all didn't think that with our VIP guest's arrival, it was all over, did you?"

Sensing that the atmosphere had cooled down compared to before, the experienced Little Walnut deliberately kept everyone in suspense, winking playfully.

When curious murmurs began to rise from the audience, she announced loudly in a tone full of surprise.

"Next, let's give them a warm round of applause and cheers!"

"The pinnacle of trainer strength in the Johto region, the guardians of supreme honor—the Elite Four trainers—have arrived!"

!!

Directly in front of the stage, the largest central lifting platform emitted a steady hum.

Four figures exuding powerful auras slowly rose under the dazzling spotlight, like kings receiving homage!

The Psychic King, Kazuki, wearing a mysterious mask and a gorgeous outfit!

With her long, flowing hair and a cold, mysterious aura, Rika is a villainous queen!

Dressed in a smart ninja outfit, with eyes as sharp as an eagle, the Poison Master King, A-Ju!

And there's Shiba, the bare-chested, muscular fighting king!

All four Heavenly Kings of the City are here!

The enthusiasm at the venue was indeed like a fire that had been thrown into boiling oil, instantly reigniting and reaching a new peak!

However, problems have also emerged.

The cheers from the audience were sharply divided!

Only a relatively small number of voices are supporting the unique style of the tree and the charming pear blossom king.

The remaining cheers, screams, and heated discussions were almost entirely focused on the two superstars, Ah-Ju and Shiba!

"Wait! Isn't that Master A-Ju?! I'm not seeing things, am I?! Why is he standing in the Johto Tenno's seat?! Shouldn't he be in the Kanto Tenno's line?"

"Look! Isn't there a female Gym Leader in the Kanto Gym Leader lineup who uses Poison-type attacks? Maybe she's the real Johto Elite Four member! Could the organizers have mixed up their positions?!"

"You bunch of fake fans! You're totally making this up! Mr. A-Ju is now the Poison-type Elite Four member of the Johto region! And that lady is his daughter, A-Xing, who inherited his position as the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City in Kanto!"

"Elite Four member Shiba?! What's he doing here?! In the Pokémon games, isn't he one of the Kanto Elite Four? The games can't have fooled me, can they?! Is this organizer even reliable?!"

"Go sit at the kids' table with those skeptics! Please do your research before becoming a fan! Master Shiba is a double-crowned king spanning both Kanto and Johto! Do you understand his power?!"

"Uh, is nobody really paying much attention to the Next Heavenly King and the Pear Blossom Heavenly King? Or are they just not famous enough? They are clearly the four Heavenly Kings of Johto!"

The appearance of the four Heavenly Kings indeed brought the atmosphere to another climax.

But what no one expected was that this sparked a heated debate in the audience about who would become the king of the game and the differences between the game and reality.

The situation even seemed to escalate, and the scene became somewhat chaotic at one point.

In this slightly noisy moment, Xiao Hu Tao's voice once again resounded throughout the venue through the microphone.

This time, her voice was filled with an excitement and joy that she herself was unaware of.

"I'm sure everyone is incredibly surprised and excited to see four such powerful Heavenly Kings appearing at the same time, right?"

"But! I must reiterate—"

, 7

"Our opening ceremony for this year's Pokémon All-Around Championship is the most grand and star-studded opening ceremony in history!"

Her gaze swept across the entire room, her tone resolute.

"Whether in the past or in the foreseeable future, this will be unprecedented and unparalleled! Because—"

She took a deep breath, used all her strength, and shouted it out at the fastest and clearest speed.

"Now! Let's welcome them with the most sincere, wildest, and most enthusiastic applause and cheers!!!"

"Holder of a special Pokédex personally bestowed by Professor Oak!"

"A great trainer who wrote an undefeated legend in real life!"

The destined rivals of those hailed as "the fighters" and "the nurturers"!

"Symbolizing the highest mountain and the longest river on the trainer's path"

""

"Crimson! Cyan! — Two legendary trainers!"

Little Walnut paused here with great tension, as if gathering her last and most powerful energy.

Then, in an almost broken voice, she called out the last name.

"And one, our specially invited, distinguished guest!"

"The first to discover and prove the fairy attribute!"

"The originator of the slate and attribute extension theory!"

"The architect of the modern Pokémon mythology system!"

"A genius scholar who spans multiple fields including Pokémon ecology, breeding, energy, and battles!"

"Mythology PhD—Shirafune!!!"

The final title, delivered in a moment as explosive as a thunderclap!

Buzz—

The lights in the entire venue suddenly went out, plunging the venue into darkness!

Immediately afterwards!

Swish!Swish!Swish!

Several huge spotlights, all at full power, shone with an incredibly dazzling yet sacred beam of light precisely onto the very center of the stage!

At the same time, a background music familiar to all Pokémon players, capable of instantly igniting passion, suddenly began to play.

It's the BGM from Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen, the one that symbolizes the ultimate showdown and fateful clash, "Road to Victory - Blue Green VS Red"!

The crowd seemed to be frozen in place, holding their breath in perfect unison!

All the arguments and noise from before vanished without a trace in that instant.

The entire vast venue fell into an extreme, expectant silence, with only the stirring music, which seemed to awaken the fighting spirit deep within the soul, echoing and rising!

The final central lift occurs at the very moment the music reaches its first climax.

It carried three figures and rose solemnly and slowly.

Wearing a timeless red and white short-sleeved shirt and trousers, with the brim of his hat pulled low but still unable to conceal the calm and composed aura of crimson.

With his unruly spiky short hair, arms crossed, chin slightly raised, and eyes that held an innate arrogance and confidence, he was a striking figure.

And, stand half a step behind the two of them.

With his upright posture, handsome face, and warm, spring-like smile, he seemed born to stand in the spotlight.

He seemed so calm and composed, enjoying the attention of the entire audience and the deafening silent cheers.

However, his perfect composure—

It's an act.

Despite his outward composure, Bai Zhou's heart was already in turmoil.

He knew that Crimson and Cyan were going to be the final performers.

But he had no intention of going on stage himself!

He just came over to remind Red and Blue to mention the end of the next generation of Pokémon when they finish their speeches.

After all, The Pokémon Company is the exclusive title sponsor of this year's Pokémon All-Round Championship, so they can't miss such a great promotional opportunity.

But how come the elevator platform under his feet started moving by itself as soon as he walked next to them?!

This is completely different from the agreed-upon process, director!

And then there was that string of titles and introductions he'd never even heard of!

Is he really that amazing?!

Bai Zhou's tendency to feel awkward kicked in; he probably won't forget this moment for the rest of his life.

When will this damn thing ever end?!

Can I apply to jump off the stage right now? I'm waiting online, it's urgent!

The moment these three figures clearly came into the view of all the audience.

The emotions that the audience had suppressed for so long erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for thousands of years!

"The grand finale! This is real spectacle!!!"

"Red! It's Red Legend! The only main character I truly believe in from Pokémon! I've finally seen one in person!!"

!

""

"Azure! Azure legends are here too! That arrogant and powerful rival! The champion with the shortest reign but the highest prestige in history! Two living legends are actually sharing the stage! This opening ceremony is absolutely epic!"

"Who's that handsome guy standing behind those two legends?! He looks so familiar! But I can't remember his name right now—"

"Wait! What did Ms. Kurumi just say?! A professor?! He's a professor just like Professor Oak?!"

"A professor?! Are you kidding me?! Such a young professor?! This seems to be the first time in the history of the Pokémon All-Round Competition that a professor has been invited as a special guest! The organizers have really gone all out!!"

"You bunch of ignorant fools! You don't even recognize him? He's a rising superstar in academia! The architect of the mythology research system! Dr. Shiraishu! Do you even understand the value of that title?!"

"I don't care who he is! But I know that the fact that he can stand here alongside the legends Crimson and Azure proves that he's an incredibly powerful figure!"

"Senior Shirafuru!!! Look here!!!"

The atmosphere at the venue reached an unparalleled peak at this moment!

A cacophony of cheers, screams, shouts, and discussions swept through everything like a tsunami!

It was as if even the ceiling of the venue was about to be blown off by this terrifying sound wave!

The frenzy lasted for several minutes until people's vocal cords began to tire and the passion subsided slightly.

With an excited blush, Little Walnut took back control of the event and walked from the edge of the stage to the center under the spotlight.

She skillfully stabilized the overall atmosphere and steered the opening ceremony toward the final formal segment.

"Okay! Thank you everyone! All our special guests have now taken their turns to speak! We truly appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and support!"

Little Walnut smiled and waved to the audience around her.

Then, in her professional yet sweet voice, she began to introduce the new procedures and diverse competition events of this year's Pokémon All-Around Competition.

"Attention everyone!"

"In order to create an unprecedented competitive experience, we have resolutely abandoned the traditional closed arena mode for this year's Pokémon All-Round Tournament."

"We've decided to set all the competition venues in real nature!"

"Our Pokémon competitors need to team up with their partner Pokémon in different natural environments."

"It could be a dense forest, a rushing river, scorching sand, or a steep cliff—"

"Choose the sport you excel at and engage in intense battles that test your physical abilities, intelligence, and bonds!"

"To give everyone a more intuitive understanding of the event's appeal, the first exhibition match we've arranged tomorrow, following the opening ceremony, will be a comprehensive maritime sports competition!"

"Furthermore, the contestants will be entirely composed of the special guests who just took the stage! You can all look forward to it!"

After introducing the highlights, Little Walnut revealed a slightly "sly" smile.

She suddenly took a step forward, to everyone's surprise.

He walked straight to the person who had been trying to minimize his presence, standing behind the crimson and cyan figures, diligently playing the role of a "background character."

Next to Dr. Shiraishu.

Then, Bai Zhou's smile froze instantly, and his terrified eyes screamed, "Don't come any closer!"

Little Walnut playfully shoved the microphone into his hand without a word.

"So, in the end..."

Her voice, filled with anticipation, resounded throughout the venue through the backup microphone.

"Now, please welcome our esteemed Dr. Shirafusa to deliver the closing remarks for the opening ceremony of this year's Pokémon All-Round Championship."

Let's bring this to a perfect close!

Bai Zhou: "!!!"

He looked at the microphone that had been shoved into his hand, then at the thousands of eyes staring at him from below the stage, and his mind went blank.

Wait! This wasn't in the script!!!

Shouldn't this be a vibrant red and green?

He was set up by capital!? No—wait a minute—he seems to be the capital himself—

Bai Zhou subconsciously glanced at the crimson and green beside him out of the corner of his eye.

Chi Hong still slightly pressed down on the brim of his hat, as if he was intently studying the pattern on the floor, but Bai Zhou clearly saw a suspicious twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Qinglu maintained his arrogant posture with his arms crossed, but his slightly raised eyebrows and the fleeting gloating in his eyes completely betrayed his spectator mentality.

Bai Zhou instantly understood everything!

He wondered why these two had suddenly become so interested, even pushing Ah Jin out of the way, to participate in such a public event.

You two with your thick eyebrows and big eyes! So you were just waiting to sabotage me at the crucial moment, weren't you?!

Fine, this feud is over!

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