Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 298: The Truth About My Research Idol Being a Hidden Legendary Trainer

The live stream channel switches back to the commentary booth.

In the control room, Xiao Hu Tao watched the afterimage of the emerald-colored pillar of light that pierced the sea and gradually dissipated on the footage transmitted from the scene, and was so shocked that she was speechless for a long time.

The microphone in my hand almost fell onto the table.

After a long while, she suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly straightened the microphone.

I took several deep breaths, trying to regain my professionalism as a presenter, but my voice still trembled noticeably.

"Ladies and gentlemen—as you can see—"

"Faced with the flawless teamwork and deadly encirclement of the two legendary trainers, Red and Blue—"

Dr. Shirafune, "in dire straits," summons a Pokémon we've never seen before —

Her speech quickened involuntarily, as she tried to suppress the turmoil in her heart with her words.

"And then—and then this Pokémon, in full view of everyone."

"It absorbed countless streams of white light flowing in from all directions, changing its form into what it is now."

"It looks like a mythical dragon!"

"It—it only used one move! A move whose name we've never heard of! That terrifying emerald-green energy beam—pierced through the sea and sky!"

She subconsciously repeated and emphasized it, as if only in this way could she confirm that what she was seeing was not a hallucination.

"Yes! Through!"

"Not just penetration, not just destruction, but a true and complete piercing!"

"Wherever the energy passes, everything seems to be 'erased'!"

The camera then cuts back to aerial footage of the area near the destination at sea.

Where the sea meets the sky, a black dot gradually grows larger.

The dominant Ugly Fish is riding the waves with unparalleled might.

On its broad back, at the front of the small boat, the white boat stood facing the wind, its expression calm as if the devastating blow just now had nothing to do with it.

Without any competitors, the ugly fish, carrying its small boat, sailed without a ripple—

They crossed the finish line.

Looking at the screen, Little Walnut finally found the complete sentence and announced it in a voice still tinged with excitement.

"According to the competition rules, if a participating boat is destroyed, it will be disqualified from the competition!"

"Therefore, although the two legends, Crimson and Blue, are unharmed, they are out of the game!"

"At this point, nothing on the sea can stop Dr. Shiraishu's advance!"

"Let us give a round of applause and cheers in advance to congratulate our beloved Dr. Shiraishu!"

"Winner of the ultimate championship in this year's comprehensive maritime competition!!!"

On the live streaming channel.

The barrage of comments, which had been eerily silent since Zygarde's transformation, erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!

"iiiiiiiiii"

"What kind of Pokémon is that??? And what is that move???"

"One shot—just one shot—and it scooped out a piece of the sea?"

"The reactions of the crimson and cyan have said it all! They abandoned confrontation without hesitation and chose to flee!"

"A legendary Pokémon! It's definitely a legendary Pokémon! Only legendary Pokémon have this power to reshape the environment!"

"Dr. Shirashu, who exactly is he? This is something a doctor shouldn't be able to do!"

"The fact that my research idol is actually a hidden legendary trainer"

"Mommy asked me why I was kneeling while watching the live stream—"

The sun shone brightly, pouring onto the soft, golden sand and bathing everything in a warm, bright hue.

Little Walnut straightened her skirt one last time.

Holding a microphone in one hand, he gave an "OK" sign to the photographer carrying a professional camera in front of him.

Once she confirmed the live stream was on, she immediately flashed her signature lively smile and said in a clear voice to the camera, "Hello everyone watching the live stream! This is Little Walnut!"

"This year's All-Around Maritime Competition has come to a successful conclusion, and all competitors have reached the finish line!"

"Next, I will be providing a live broadcast of the awards ceremony!"

"Don't go away!"

She turned slightly to the side, creating some distance between herself and the camera.

The photographers, in perfect unison, slowly panned the camera around the room.

Next to them were staff members busily setting up the venue, and a temporary three-tiered awards stage.

The podium was covered with red velvet, which was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

On the awards stage, two girls were already standing in the silver medal spot for second place and the bronze medal spot for third place.

Azure stood listlessly on the runner-up's bench, her arms completely hunched over, a bitter smile on her face that looked worse than crying.

It was shrouded in a visible layer of decay, devoid of any brilliance.

This contrasted sharply with Chris, who was beaming and waving to the live stream camera from the third-place seat next to her.

Little Walnut looked at the empty champion's seat in the middle, which symbolized the highest honor, and tilted her head in confusion.

Then, she tiptoed and carefully looked around the vast beach, her eyes suddenly lighting up!

"Ah! Found it! It's over there!"

"Dr. Shirafuru—over here! The podium is over here!"

She waved her arms vigorously and shouted loudly towards a figure lying on a beach chair under a parasol in the distance on the beach.

"The awards ceremony is about to begin! Please come over quickly!" Bai Zhou, who was enjoying the sea breeze and sunshine and was almost asleep, vaguely heard someone calling his name.

He sat up from the comfortable recliner with some confusion, rubbed his eyes, and looked in the direction of the sound.

Seeing the award ceremony stage in the distance and Little Walnut's waving arm, and then looking at Azure and Chris already in place on the stage, it all became clear in an instant.

"I knew it! After winning the championship, that mentally challenged kid didn't react at all—"

He muttered something under his breath and stood up briskly.

"So it turns out there was an awards ceremony too."

Bai Zhou casually straightened his summery floral shirt and beach shorts, then, wearing sandals, he jogged over at a leisurely pace.

Once he stood steadily on the highest champion's podium, the award ceremony officially began.

The staff member solemnly approached Little Walnut, carrying three beautifully decorated wooden gift boxes of different sizes.

In front of countless live viewers, Xiao Hu Tao prepared to solemnly present these three awards, symbolizing honor and strength, to the three winners.

"First of all"

Little Walnut walked up to third-place winner Chris with a sweet smile.

"Congratulations to Chris! Thanks to her excellent command and the perfect teamwork of her Pokémon, she has won third place in this All-Around Sea Competition!"

She took the first smaller wooden box from the staff and carefully opened it in front of the camera.

Inside the box, on a soft velvet lining, lies a gemstone that is entirely azure blue and radiates pure water-based energy.

"This is your competition reward: a water-based gem formed from extremely pure water energy condensed under special geological conditions!"

The little walnut is shown to the camera.

"According to research, having a Water-type Pokémon hold this can increase the power of Water-type moves in battle to some extent! It's a very useful reward!"

"Thanks!"

Chris took the wooden box with both hands, a shy smile on her face.

Next, Little Walnut walked up to the runner-up, Azure.

Although Azure still looked utterly dejected, as if her soul had left her body, at least she remembered to straighten her back a little.

"Congratulations, Azure! With your amazing strategy and adaptability, you've secured second place in this competition!"

Little Walnut's voice was still full of energy. She took the second, slightly larger wooden box and slowly opened it.

The box does not contain gemstones, but rather a beautiful scale with a dreamlike gradient of pink and blue colors and iridescent sheen on its surface.

It lay quietly on the black velvet, radiating a strange and captivating energy.

"This is your runner-up prize—a mysterious scale containing extraordinary life energy!"

Little Walnut explained, her tone tinged with a hint of amazement.

"According to some cutting-edge research, these scales seem to have a mysterious effect on the evolution of certain types of Pokémon —"

"Of course, the specific effects and triggering conditions are still unclear, making it a very rare research subject."

She handed the wooden box to Bilan, adding with a smile.

"However, even if we don't know its specific uses for the time being, its unparalleled beauty and exceptional rarity alone are enough to make it a formidable force."

"There's absolutely no problem with carrying it around as a unique piece of jewelry!"

Azure stretched out her hands listlessly and accepted the lavish reward, muttering something in an equally listless voice.

"----Thanks."

She didn't actually care about any rewards or anything like that.

Giving her the award is, in a sense, equivalent to "double punishment."

This constantly reminded her not to forget the "punishment" Bai Zhou gave her after her "conspiracy" was exposed during the competition.

Just imagining the punishment in her mind made her feel that her future was bleak.

As for the joy of winning the award? Not at all.

Finally, Little Walnut, with her brightest smile, came to the champion, Bai Zhou.

She received the last, largest, and most beautifully decorated wooden box from the staff.

She took a deep breath, slowly opened the box, and displayed it in front of the camera.

A teardrop-shaped pendant, set on a thin silver chain, lies quietly in deep blue velvet.

Inside the pendant's transparent casing is a deep blue liquid, concentrated with the essence of the ocean, which shimmers with a profound light under the sunlight, seemingly rippled gently as if it were alive.

"Dr. Shirafune! Congratulations!"

Little Walnut raised her voice and solemnly handed the wooden box to Bai Zhou with both hands.

"Congratulations on becoming the undisputed champion of this year's All-Around Maritime Competition with your overwhelming strength and wisdom!"

"This is your highest honor and reward!"

"Mysterious water droplets!"

She turned to the camera and gave the audience a detailed introduction.

"An extremely rare and valuable combat item!"

"When held by a Water-type Pokémon, it significantly enhances the power and control of its Water-type moves!"

"For any trainer specializing in Water-type Pokémon, or those with Water-type partners in their team, this is an ultimate support item that they would dream of!"

"Thanks----"

Bai Zhou wore a perfectly balanced smile of joy and humility as he accepted the wooden box with both hands.

Looking at the shimmering "mysterious droplet" in the box, he was indeed very surprised and satisfied.

This reward alone makes the trip worthwhile.

Battle items have always been valuable in the Pokémon world, and "Mystic Drops" are among the rarer and more useful.

Logically speaking, this sporting event, which is more of a performance than a hardcore competition and is more for publicity and entertainment, should be viewed as such.

Even for champions, the rewards are usually not this generous.

that's the truth.

The original prize for the champion was not actually the "mystery drop," but a souvenir of slightly lower value.

It was only because Bai Zhou was the final winner that the event organizers, after an emergency discussion, temporarily changed and upgraded the prize to this precious mysterious water droplet.

There's no way around it; his status and influence are what they are.

Bai Zhou, a PhD with achievements in multiple fields, is already giving the organizers a huge favor by "condescending" to participate in this entertainment-oriented competition.

What's more, he brought an entire team of "out-of-the-box" trainers to the competition, including legendary figures like Red and Blue.

This directly raised the level of attention and buzz surrounding this competition to an unprecedented and terrifying level!

This "mysterious drop of water" is less of a prize for the champion.

Rather than a payment from the event organizers, it was more of a gesture of goodwill and gratitude to Bai Zhou, a "reward" or "appearance fee" paid to him.

Although Bai Zhou never made any demands from beginning to end, it was impossible for the event organizers to remain inactive.

The matter of interpersonal relationships and social etiquette —

He quickly figured out the key to it.

Bai Zhou gave a gentle smile and nodded slightly to the several event organizers who had been watching his reaction closely.

This small gesture instantly relieved the organizers, and their faces lit up with happy smiles of relief.

They never felt they were at a disadvantage in giving this reward; on the contrary, they felt somewhat "indebted" to Bai Zhou.

The positive impact and potential benefits that Bai Zhou and his legendary team have brought to this tournament and even the entire tournament brand are enormous and immeasurable.

Let's not even talk about the opening ceremony of this Pokémon All-Round Competition.

It was thanks to the participation of the Shirazu team that this event became the most grand and highest-profile in history.

The light is what can be foreseen in the future.

The long-term publicity effect, business cooperation opportunities, and enhancement of the event's brand value brought about by the topic of "legendary trainers participating" are all significant factors.

That alone was enough to make all the organizers beam with joy.

In addition to the top three, all other competitors who rank highly in the final standings will also receive small souvenirs or league vouchers as encouragement.

However, due to the rather cumbersome subsequent distribution process, the awards ceremony will no longer be broadcast live.

Of course, there are also those who receive no reward at all.

For example, those contestants who were eliminated in the competition.

Right now, I'm in the stands closest to the podium.

Four boys, their hair and clothes still soaking wet, sat side by side, emanating a palpable aura of resentment.