I caught a Pokémon

Xia You was naturally quite satisfied with their reactions.

After all, when a person can use their appearance to captivate the opposite sex, especially outstanding ones like Cattleya, it means that their own state, temperament, and spirit have reached their most perfect peak.

After a moment of smug satisfaction, Xia You raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone teasing with a hint of flippancy: "What? Are you all stunned? Never seen a handsome guy before?"

The soft voice broke the tense atmosphere instantly.

The three women suddenly snapped out of their daze, each with their own chaotic thoughts.

Cattleya covered her mouth and chuckled: "I really haven't seen you like this before. You're absolutely dazzling today."

Perhaps because she was at home, or perhaps because she was without Zhulan and Yami, Jiadeliya had been in a straightforward and bold state since last night.

She was completely unlike her usual self.

Xiao Guang took a deep breath to calm himself down, and sincerely exclaimed, "Brother Xia You, you really look different today. You seem even more... more handsome."

Only the mango was in dire straits.

She felt the fire in her heart burning brighter and brighter, her whole body tensing slightly. She opened her mouth several times, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. She just stared blankly at the man in front of her, his eyes filled with amazement and panic, which made her heart flutter even more.

Seeing the three people's completely different yet equally vivid reactions, Xia You's smile deepened, and her mood became even more relaxed.

He stopped teasing them and instead suppressed the playfulness in his eyes, speaking calmly and confidently with an indomitable spirit: "Alright, enough fooling around, let's get down to business."

After leaving those words, he stepped forward and headed towards the battle hall on the first floor of the castle.

Cattleya followed closely behind. As the owner of the castle and the organizer of the event, she naturally accompanied Xia You.

Hikaru and Makomo followed behind the two, but unlike Xia You and Gadria, they did not go directly to the venue. Instead, they went to the viewing room on the second floor to watch Xia You's match.

For them, Xia You wasn't just staying here for a few days, but for ten or twenty days. With such a long period, they had their own things to do, so they couldn't stay with Xia You all the time. Going there now was just to see the excitement and novelty.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Xia You walked in front, with Jia Deliya half a step behind him, her steps light and graceful, her long golden hair swaying slightly behind her.

Turning past the arched stone gate at the end of the long corridor, a spacious and magnificent battle hall suddenly unfolds before your eyes.

The entire hall was built using the interior space of the castle. In the center was a giant arena of standard Alliance specifications. The surrounding tiered stands extended all the way to the top of the walls. At this moment, all the seats were filled with people, and the noisy conversations came like a tidal wave.

Xia You glanced around and found that there were at least a thousand people here.

A thousand people is not the limit of the audience that can come, but the limit that the venue can accommodate.

From this perspective, his influence and appeal are still quite strong.

However, only half of these people were ordinary spectators who came specifically to watch the spectacle, while the other half were trainers who had traveled from all over the country.

A day is limited, and Xia You can't fight all day long. In addition, there are too many people coming to challenge him. Gadria had already made arrangements for the battle schedule. Basically, only twenty trainers will be selected from these people each day to fight against Xia You. The rest will either go home and wait, or stay in the stands to watch the battle, planning to secretly figure out Xia You's tactics, the types of the Pokémon he will use, and his battle habits, so as to prepare for their own challenge later.

The originally chaotic audience seats quieted down a bit when they noticed the commotion coming from the doorway. As soon as Xia You appeared, countless eyes turned to look at her.

Almost everyone who comes here has heard of Xia You's achievements.

But it was indeed the first time they had seen this legendary man in person.

Looking at him now, the man is indeed dazzling, especially with Cattleya behind him, who makes him even more enviable in comparison.

This is the demeanor of a top-tier expert.

Strength, looks, money, status, fame, and women.

Especially that kind of confidence that comes from within, it's so dazzling that you can't take your eyes off it.

Ignoring the stares, exclamations, and even competitive gazes that gathered from all directions, Xia You walked straight through the passage between the stands, stepped onto the central battleground, and stood firmly in the exclusive trainer command area on the left.

He remained silent, his demeanor relaxed, yet he exuded an oppressive aura of looking down upon others and awaiting their challenge.

Gadriya followed and walked to the edge of the arena, without stepping into the battle area. She simply stood behind Xia You, like a secretary or a follower. But it was precisely this willing obedience of the Four Heavenly Kings that made Xia You shine even brighter.

Even one of the Four Heavenly Kings stood behind him.

This is truly unique in the entire world!

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on him. Even those who were about to challenge him had to admit that this man was truly someone everyone looked up to but could never reach!

Chapter 1456 Rules and Setup Comparable to the League Finals

Several lights shone on Xia You, making her even more radiant.

Just as the entire arena was focused on the game and the atmosphere reached its peak, a deep and resonant male voice suddenly rang out from the referee's tunnel on the side of the arena, steadily drowning out the murmurs of the crowd.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man with a tall and straight posture walking out slowly, wearing the official referee uniform of the Pokémon World Championship.

Unlike the Rotom referees who take turns wielding their rackets in regular Pokémon tournaments that mostly take place in the wild or at temporary venues,

Most of the qualifying rounds for the World Championships are held in the wild or at temporary venues. For convenience and efficiency, Rotom drones are usually used as referees, with simple procedures and lenient rules.

But this time, because the venue was fixed and it was a large-scale challenge, the scale was unprecedented and the audience was extremely wide. Therefore, Cattleya specially used her connections to invite official human referees to preside over this high-profile battle.

Compared to Rotom, who was shooting from the air, humans may not be the most professional or impartial referees, but they are certainly the most flexible.

No matter how powerful Pokémon are, they can never replace humans in certain aspects.

The Pokémon World Championship organizers were also happy to see this happen. They knew that Xia You was a top-ranked player in the world, and his open challenge was already incredibly popular and attracted a lot of attention. Therefore, their involvement could not only standardize the competition process and ensure absolute fairness, but also help to further enhance the World Championship's reputation and expand its influence through this grand event. So, after receiving Cattleya's request, they readily approved it and fully cooperated.

It can be said that the two sides hit it off immediately.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the referee slowly walked to the center of the field, his solemn gaze sweeping over the packed stands. After the entire arena fell silent, his clear and powerful voice resounded throughout the entire battle hall.

"Hello everyone, trainers and viewers. This Xia You exclusive open challenge will be conducted entirely according to the Pokémon World Championship Master Level official rules."

"The tournament mode is a six-on-six all-player battle. The match ends when all six Pokémon on one side are unable to battle. The result is immediately recorded in the World Championship official points system."

As soon as the words were spoken, an uncontrollable commotion erupted in the stands, and countless trainers' eyes instantly blazed with fervent light.

Unlike the simple battles of ordinary ranked matches, the authentic 6-on-6 all-player battles are the ultimate test of a trainer's team depth, tactical reserves, and ability to adapt to changing situations!

There was absolutely no room for luck!

Being able to fight against a top-tier expert like Xia You under such strict and formal rules is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for every challenger present to hone their skills!

Even if they ultimately lose, the experience and lessons learned from this battle will be invaluable to them!

Realizing this has made every trainer very excited.

Without pausing, the referee continued to read out the tournament rules: "This challenge will be equipped with four official standard arenas: Rock, Water, Ice, and Grass. Whenever three Pokémon are defeated, the arena will be changed immediately. All participating trainers may change their Pokémon at any time, and there are no restrictions on the order in which they appear."

These humane yet rigorous and standardized rules completely dispelled all the trainers' concerns.

This is exactly the rule for the Pokémon League finals!

It's fair to say that some people have been trainers for decades and have never enjoyed such treatment!

They don't need to worry about limited lineups or regret that their tactics can't be implemented. They can unleash their full potential and challenge this man without reservation.

Judging from this, this is bound to be an intense and highly competitive battle!

On the stands, all the challengers, poised to fight, were breathing heavily, their eyes burning with fervor, their fighting spirit ignited.

Many people initially held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that Xia You might just go through the motions and accept the challenge casually. But now, seeing the grand and professional setup of the event, they completely understand that this is not a casual sparring match, but a real, authentic peak showdown where high-level points can be earned and the strength of top experts can be witnessed!

All eyes were once again fixed on the tall figure on the left side of the field.

Xia You remained standing quietly in the command area, her expression calm and her posture upright. She showed no emotion whatsoever in the face of the intense gazes and the atmosphere of anticipation from everyone present.

Being the center of attention was exactly the result he wanted.

Come on, from this moment on, for dozens of days, there will be intense and continuous battles. Countless trainers who want to climb over me will flock to me and take turns appearing. But I will crush all covetousness and wishful thinking with absolute strength and defeat all challengers!

That's his confidence!

Thinking this to himself, Cattleya, who was standing behind him, also glanced at him at that moment.

As a superpowered beauty, she is naturally very sensitive to the scent of humans. At this moment, she could clearly feel the powerful confidence and unwavering belief in victory emanating from Xia You!

Once the audience's enthusiasm had cooled down a bit, the referee wasted no time and suddenly swung his raised right hand.

"Now, let's welcome our first challenger!"

Everyone's attention, including Xia You's, was once again focused on the contestant passage on the other side.

Not to mention the audience, even Xia You himself didn't know what kind of opponent he would face.

But that's just right.

It is precisely because of the unknown that the competition becomes more exciting and can pique his interest even slightly.

As the music started, a man with fiery red hair strode out from inside.

This person... seems kind of familiar.

Xia You couldn't help but take a closer look.

He appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a slightly tanned complexion. He wore a dark gray collared sleeveless vest over a black fitted top, with a thin black choker around his neck. His eyes were sharp, his face was cold, and his exposed arms were strong and powerful. He was clearly the kind of powerful trainer who excelled at aggressive attacks and had a fiery personality.

After taking a second look, Xia You finally remembered who he was.

What was his/her name again?

Although he had forgotten the name, he remembered that this was a strong trainer who appeared many times during Ash's travels. In fact, he made it all the way to the finals of the final Hinoki Tournament and won the runner-up position!

Judging solely from his achievements, he is not a weakling.

I never expected him to challenge me.

At this moment, the large screen above their heads also displayed the information of both parties.

Xia You looked up and saw the person's name—Dino.

Chapter 1457 The Levels of Combat Are Completely Different

Although this year's Unova Tournament was heavily criticized in the anime for its overall weakness, it still brought together most of the trainers traveling and exploring the Unova region, so objectively speaking, its level was still acceptable.

Winning the runner-up title at the tournament proves that this man named Dino is indeed very strong.

This is exactly what Xia You meant.

The stronger the opponent, the better!

He played the elite!

Let's start today with this man named Dino!

The spotlights all went out, and the lights in the hall became softer and brighter. Even the upbeat music stopped playing at that moment.

Everyone realized that a battle was about to begin!

At the referee's signal, both sides began to draw lots to select the battlefields for the first three rounds.

The images on the big screen began to change rapidly, and after a few seconds, they settled on the ice field.

After the location was selected, the originally intact ground of the battlefield began to open up to both sides. A series of 'click-clack' gear sounds were heard from underground, and soon an ice surface full of ice rocks was raised from underground to form the battlefield.

The chill quickly spread along the icy ground.

Once the field came to a complete stop, Xia You and Dino simultaneously took out their first Poké Balls.

As they pressed the switch, the Pokémon of both sides appeared simultaneously in the next second.

With two flashes of blue light, a giant white Snorlax and a Cuckoo appeared in the arena.

The difference in their strategies can also be seen from the lineups they chose.

Xia You's idea was to take advantage of the ice terrain to seize the initiative in the attack, while Dino's choice was to completely avoid the terrain and choose a Pokémon with aerial advantage to play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses, using mobility to win the game.

Upon seeing Xia You's Snorlax, a commotion broke out in the stands.

"It's a Snorlax Yeti! That special variant Snorlax!"

"As expected, they took advantage of the venue right from the start; their strategy was so clear."

Discussions arose in the stands, but unlike the commotion caused when Xia You sent out Snorlax before, today, although people were surprised and astonished, the reaction was much smaller.

This is not surprising.

After all, the trainers who came here to watch Xia You's competition or challenge him all knew about Xia You to some extent, and naturally most of them knew about this Snorlax.

I just didn't expect that Xia You would send it out to fight in the first match today.

Despite the fact that this Yeti Snorlax had performed exceptionally well in the previous battles, leading people to believe that Xia You would use it as a final move or a trump card, it was unexpected that she would bring it out so easily.

This was indeed somewhat unexpected by most people.