Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

Peng!

Du gave Ajin a playful tap on the back of the head.

"Behave yourself, kid."

"You brat! This old man—Holy crap!"

"

Suddenly, a Charizard appeared behind Akin and lifted him into the air.

but.

Akin wasn't sent too far by Charizard; he was just taken to the spectator stands.

However, that place was crowded with spectators from the Dragon Clan.

The audience of the Imperial Dragon Clan, led by Xiaochun.

When Ah Jin saw Xiao Chun's little leather whip, he immediately became obedient.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

As the host's voice rang out.

This also means that the semifinals of this World Championship are finally about to begin.

"As is customary, let's proceed with the draw for the player matchups!"

on the big screen.

The portraits of the remaining four contestants were projected onto it.

Xia Yan, Yu Longdu, Cynthia, and Crimson!

These are the last four remaining contestants.

The draw has taken place!

The audience didn't need the host to stir things up; their enthusiasm was immediately aroused.

The semi-final matchups will be very interesting to watch, no matter who they are.

The scroll wheel on the big screen started to spin.

With each avatar's position fixed, the matchups for the World Championship semifinals have finally been officially announced.

Xia Yan VS Yulongdu!

Cynthia VS Crimson!

Upon seeing the matchup list, the audience naturally cheered, as it promises to be a very exciting game.

But inside the private room, it was unusually quiet at this moment.

After a while.

Du Cai was the first to break the silence.

He grinned and said, "This is truly the best possible fortune."

"Pfft-"

Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Regardless of who faces whom, two people will inevitably be eliminated.

but.

Regardless of the outcome, it's enough if both sides can have fun and enjoy themselves.

For this group of people.

A battle where you are fully engaged is far more important than the outcome.

Regardless of who wins in the end, they will all be one of their own.

"Let's get ready."

Du patted Xia Yan on the shoulder, then turned and strode towards the door.

No matter how you look at it, everyone can see the irrepressible energy emanating from him.

"come on."

Cynthia turned to look at Xia Yan and said softly.

Xia Yan grinned and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I will definitely give Du a battle he will never forget."

...

...

"Now, please welcome the two contestants to the stage!"

"

The outburst of enthusiasm and cheers ignited the entire arena under the night sky.

bang——

In the pitch-black arena where the lights were turned off.

Under the intense light of two beams of light, the two contestants, eagerly awaited by everyone, slowly stepped out of the contestant tunnel.

"To be honest, Champion Adu is really handsome."

"But unfortunately, their opponent is Xia Yan, the champion. 'Handsome' is not a criterion for judging either of them."

"Actually, I'm more curious about Xia Yan's lineup for today's championship."

“I’m also very curious. The first two times he appeared, Xia Yan prepared a legendary Pokémon and it made an appearance. I wonder if Xia Yan has prepared anything special for today’s match against A Du.”

"Something special?"

Some unspoken laughter echoed among the audience.

Well known.

Xia Yan and Du are very close friends, even to the point of being said to have a life-or-death bond.

But right.

These two friends always give it their all when they face off.

This has been the case since the original "Lily of the Valley Youth Competition".

The audience seemed to understand these points.

The more you give your all, the more respect you show to your friends and rivals.

It's just unknown what "things" the two of them have prepared this time.

As the two players walked onto their respective fields, the cheers from the audience had not completely subsided.

But for Xia Yan and Du, none of this mattered anymore.

They gazed at each other from afar.

His eyes held a solemn expression, tinged with a hint of reminiscence.

Looking back on those days.

The two first met in Goldenrod City in a bookstore, where Wataru was drawn to Natsuhiko's giant unicorn beetle.

The cloak that Watari wears now, his "cloak fetish" originated from the red cloak that Natsuhiko gave him.

Even now.

All of Du's capes were exactly the same style as that one.

but.....

With his arms crossed, Du's gaze gradually hardened, and his aura rose steadily as the "Dragon Power" was activated. The faintly surrounding light purple mist resembled a majestic dragon poised to pounce.

I'm sure I'll win this time!

Because I am—the Dragon-Riding Ferryman!

Seeing Watari's expression, Natsuhiko's smile widened.

Hopefully, you'll still be this confident after seeing the list of Pokémon.

Winter winter winter—

After the two stood still, their portraits, along with six bright red Poké Balls next to them, were projected onto the large screen.

These are the six Pokémon they might need for their battle today.

As the Poké Balls were opened one by one, the Pokémon of both players were revealed to the audience.

The Pokémon that Lance uses are: Dragonite, Charizard, Salamence, Gyarados, Altaria, and Goodra!

All of them are dragon-type Pokémon.

Oh, except that Charizard and Gyarados are a little lacking, just because their names contain the word "dragon".

However, after Lance's Charizard Mega Evolves, Mega Charizard X gains the Dragon type, which is pretty much the same.

"As expected of the Dragon Champion. The next commander of the 'Dragon Legion' of the Dragon Clan."

"Where's our 'Dodo'? How did it become a true Dragon-type champion?"

"Aren't you naive? Look at this team, are there more Dragon-type Pokémon or Flying-type Pokémon?"

"That's true. Four Dragon-types and five Flying-types. 'Dodo' is still our 'Dodo' after all."

Now that we've covered Wataru's lineup.

The audience looked at Xia Yan's lineup with great anticipation.

Xia Yan's Pokémon are: Beedrill, Togekiss, Sylveon, Ninetales, Sirfetch'd, and...

"'Pluto' Giratina?!"

"Wow! This ticket was definitely worth it. Xia Yan, the champion, really deserves a divine beast?"

"It's not just Giratina. Of Xia Yan's six Pokémon, three are Fairy-type. Don't tell me these were just Pokémon he picked up casually?"