The date arrived at June 13th.
While students in Paldea were still nervously preparing for their "final exams," Aiden had already spent a relatively leisurely vacation in the Alola region.
Although there were some minor interludes in between, after experiencing the series of events in Sinnoh, mere Island Guardians and Ultra Beasts were no longer worth mentioning to him.
And today, he finally awaited the opening day of this Ice-type Masters Tournament.
Alola Region, Heahea City.
Compared to the more famous "Hano Grand Resort" in the east, the two main cities on Akala Island—Heahea City and Konikoni City—were not particularly well-known.
However, if they directly used the resort as the tournament venue, it would likely cause travel inconveniences.
Therefore, in the end, Professor Kukui chose the more distinctive Heahea City when submitting the application.
It was said that the people who originally built Heahea City were a group of trainers who had traveled to Kanto and Johto, thus this city possessed very strong inclusivity and was called "the city that welcomes visitors."
Especially for people from Kanto, there was always an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
When spectators arrived at the viewing area and patiently awaited today's opening ceremony, Aiden had also come backstage and met many familiar faces in the contestants' lounge.
The number of Ice-type trainers might not be very large, but the overall quality was absolutely very high.
After all, in the games across generations, Dragon-type and Ice-type were frequent guests as the final Gym and Elite Four members, and were once among the few methods to counter the powerful Dragon type.
Although their status was somewhat shaken by the later appearance of the Fairy type, it didn't affect the Ice type's extreme offensive capabilities.
However, he only glanced briefly, didn't go in to greet the contestants, and left the lounge.
As a commentator, he should now go prepare his opening remarks.
"Lillie, let's sit together!"
In the spectator stands, Selene held Lillie's small hand and enthusiastically led her through the crowd to the front row, finding a seat with a good viewing angle.
Clearly Selene was the tourist visiting here, yet she acted as if she was extremely familiar with the place.
It had to be said, socially confident people would never lack friends wherever they went. Even Lillie rapidly grew closer to her under her enthusiasm.
"How wonderful, I didn't expect to actually catch a high-level Ultraball-tier event!"
After sitting down in her seat and looking around at the spectators brimming with enthusiastic smiles, Selene quickly integrated into the atmosphere and smiled.
"Mmm————this tournament will definitely be even more spectacular than the highest-level battles at the Battle Royal Dome."
Lillie nodded seriously, her small fists unconsciously clenching.
She who had always loved Pokémon initially couldn't understand why others would command them in cruel battles, insisting on determining a winner before stopping.
Until she was seven or eight years old, when she first witnessed the bond between her brother and his Pokémon, she finally understood this feeling.
For Pokémon, dedicating victory to their trainer was the best proof of their bond.
From that day on, she began to yearn to learn more about the beautiful bonds between humans and Pokémon.
And also looked forward to the day when she could become a reliable trainer that Pokémon could depend on, just like her brother.
"Speaking of which, Lillie, don't you have a Pokémon?"
When the conversation reached this point, Selene suddenly asked.
Given Lillie's knowledge of Pokémon, in her view it was like a living Pokédex.
Besides Teacher Azure, Selene would call Lillie the strongest.
But after several days of contact, she had never seen Lillie's Pokémon?
"I do~"
When this topic came up, Lillie's mood suddenly improved.
"It's called Nebby, its body is full of colors like the universe, very cute!"
"But—because it's rather special, to avoid being discovered by other adults, I can't bring it away from the professor's place."
"?! What a pity~"
Selene showed a surprised expression, then sighed.
Although very curious about what kind of Pokémon could be called "cute" by Lillie, she didn't press further.
She quickly pointed at the large screen above the battle field, revealing a delighted expression.
"Look, it's Teacher Azure!"
Following Selene's gaze, on the screen, that black-haired, black-eyed handsome young man who naturally made people feel close had already shown a smile.
"Dear audience friends, welcome to the scene of this Alola Ice-type Masters Tournament."
"I am today's commentator Aiden, though perhaps everyone is more familiar with my other name—'Azure Wings'?"
As soon as commentator Aiden appeared, the audience members who had been chatting instantly fell silent collectively.
At the same time, Aiden's livestream also quietly began streaming, transmitting the Masters Tournament footage online to audiences around the world.
[??? Teacher Azure (in commentator mode) limited time return?]
[Teacher Azure, you should have held back a bit in the last Masters Tournament, look at you winning the championship and getting promoted straight to the judges' table~]
[Teacher Azure: The Type Masters Tournament seems like a baby cup to me too?]
[So that means we can watch Teacher Azure's stream for the next week? Didn't expect Teacher Azure to become diligent again!]
Judging from the livestream audience numbers that surged dramatically and were about to break six figures within a minute, Professor Kukui's goal of inviting him to Alola as a judge had already been achieved.
Of course, besides bringing traffic, Aiden as a commentator was actually professional as well.
"Since Ice-type experts from around the world have gathered here, then—"
"I hope this week-long Type Masters Tournament can satisfy all viewers in one go~"
Aiden briefly delivered two lines of opening remarks, then waved his hand grandly, pointing toward the empty battle field below.
"Next, two special contestants will present us with an exhibition match!"
Exhibition matches were a convention for high-level tournaments; Aiden had once participated in one with Cynthia as a partner, experiencing it firsthand.
Although they had a certain performative nature, generally the trainers selected were experts fitting the theme.
However——when he saw this tournament's contestant list, he couldn't help but be shocked—
"Now, let us welcome the local contestant from Alola, the youngest achiever of the Battle Royal Dome gold belt—the Masked Royal!"
The local "popular champion," a man in a mask exuding an aura of freedom, appeared from one side of the contestant passage, walking forward while waving to the cheering and shouting audience around him.
As for his opponent—
One could only say, even more of a heavyweight.
"Then, from the Johto region, the Ice-type trainer who comprehends the harshness of winter—Pryce!"
A hunched old man appeared, wearing blue long robes with a white scarf wrapped halfway around his shoulders.
Compared to the Masked Royal, clearly the audience knew very little about this old man, thus there was even a moment of confusion and silence.
Who was Pryce?
For most trainers outside the Johto region, this name was certainly extremely unfamiliar.
However, the old man named Pryce didn't seem to mind, calmly walking forward leaning on his cane, coming to stand opposite the Masked Royal.
Aiden silently watched the two shake hands, casually exchange a few words, then each walk toward their side of the field.
While thinking in his heart—
Should he say Professor Kukui had good judgment or poor judgment, how did he happen to pick such a heavyweight opponent for himself——
In the current timeline, Aiden could confirm that the events from the manga hadn't occurred, and had immediately investigated related information when he noticed the name Pryce.
Good news: The Pryce before him wasn't some villain wanting to catch Celebi to travel back in time and save his two Lapras, but rather a Gym Leader with not particularly great fame.
However, despite this, as a close friend of both Professor Oak and Elite Four Agatha, Pryce's strength remained formidable.
A powerful trainer who had long since retired from the front lines, and who fit the Ice-type theme of this tournament, was naturally one of the most suitable choices for an exhibition match.
One could only say, hopefully Professor Kukui would be alright—
"Both contestants are in position!"
"Who the victory will go to, the answer is about to be revealed!"
After the referee signaled, Aiden immediately continued speaking.
"Then—let the battle begin!"
Both simultaneously threw out a Poké Ball.
On the Masked Royal's side, it was still his signature Incineroar. Upon appearing, it emanated astonishing momentum, its earth-shaking roar causing many audience members to subconsciously cover their ears.
As for Pryce's choice, it was rather intriguing—
"Senior Pryce's choice is actually——Swinub???"
Just as he thought, when Pryce's Pokémon appeared, whether the audience sitting on-site or the online viewers' bullet comments, all uniformly froze.
"What the heck? Even for an exhibition match, there's no need to throw the game this obviously!"
"Swinub? I'm laughing just hearing it. Evolve it two more stages into Mamoswine before coming to battle!"
"To be fair, Johto trainers should all have some psychological shadow regarding this Swinub————as for why, you'll know soon enough!"
Aiden wasn't particularly surprised, but as a commentator he still needed to play along with the audience's emotions.
As one of the most imposing bosses in the manga, Pryce's characteristic was that he seemed to have already reached a completely new domain in the trainer's path that no one understood.
In his hands, a Swinub or Delibird could possess the ability to defeat "gods," and when serious, the power he unleashed could even freeze the entire Lake of Rage, making people feel inconceivable.
So, Aiden gave the audience an advance warning.
"Although under normal circumstances, there will be obvious gaps in strength between pre-evolution and post-evolution Pokémon."
"But perhaps Senior Pryce's Swinub truly possesses strength comparable to or even surpassing Mamoswine?"
After Aiden finished speaking, both sides had already begun their first round of contest.
"Despite having type advantage and level crushing in terms of evolution stage, and even using Intimidate on the Swinub beforehand, the Masked Royal's choice is also very conservative!"
"He chose to use Bulk Up first, strengthening his own offensive and defensive capabilities."
"As for Pryce's side, it's much simpler and more direct."
"The Swinub unhesitatingly executes the command, inhaling then exhaling a terrifyingly powerful Blizzard!"
Aiden's thoughts were also clear to the Masked Royal—so-called, the stranger the Pokémon on the field, the heavier the psychological burden on the opponent.
Facing this Swinub of unclear significance, he could only play it safe first, strengthen himself, then look for an opportunity to attack.
But Pryce completely didn't follow the conventional playbook, directly commanding the Swinub—which theoretically excelled more at physical attacks—to spit out a Blizzard.
The power of its move also instantly dropped many viewers' jaws—
[??? This is fucking Blizzard? Sheer Cold is nothing compared to this!]
[Bro, is this really a Swinub? Could it be like the transformation tactics Teacher Azure used, actually some dirty trick disguised to lower the opponent's guard?]
[Ice-type doesn't have any Pokémon that can transform—]
Watching the ice shards exhaled from the Swinub's mouth spread outward at terrifying speed, rapidly covering the conical area of ground before it with a layer of ice, and continuing to spread without losing momentum.
The Masked Royal frowned, subconsciously shouting: "Incineroar, use Flare Blitz to push through, rush over to close the distance!"
"Roar—!"
His thoughts were certainly clear to Aiden.
"I see, planning to use the heat provided by Flare Blitz to hard-resist the move, offsetting the heat loss from the Blizzard, and seizing the chance to counterattack?"
Aiden nodded, immediately explaining to the audience.
One could only say, worthy of someone who played Battle Royals—on a 4-person free-for-all arena, one indeed needed very strong adaptability.
And the Masked Royal's choice wasn't wrong either.
Combining move characteristics while offsetting the opponent's offensive—if achievable, it would certainly be a very ideal counterattack opportunity.
But the problem was also here—
The Swinub's aura was extremely stable, continuously outputting bone-chilling cold. Even Aiden on the platform could clearly feel the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a bit.
Then, what about the Incineroar facing this Blizzard head-on on the field?
Initially, Incineroar could still rely on the heat suddenly bursting from its body to rapidly push forward, but as its distance from the Swinub gradually closed and the Blizzard it endured became more concentrated————
It soon became somewhat unable to move.
The originally fiercely burning flames on its body gradually extinguished, until finally even its red fur was covered with a layer of frost, looking like it could be completely frozen at any moment.
Fire-type Pokémon weren't unafraid of cold—they just had naturally higher resistance to cold.
But once entering the frozen state, unable to move, it could only allow the opponent to attack, having no capacity for action.
"Incineroar, use Protect to block the move, retreat backward to create distance!"
Seeing the situation wasn't right, the Masked Royal immediately changed his command.
"The Masked Royal seems to have underestimated his opponent's strength, and Incineroar also gets a chance to breathe, using its body heat to melt the ice shards that just attached to it, restoring its mobility."
Aiden analyzed based on the field situation, while decisively making a prediction: "Since close combat will be interfered with by Blizzard and unable to approach, then next the Masked Royal will need to consider other solutions"
"For example—using Fire Blast or Flamethrower, to engage in a ranged beam struggle with that Swinub?"
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