"Oddish is unable to battle. Banette wins! Therefore, the victor is contestant Xiao You!"
The referee, holding up a flag, stepped onto the field. After confirming the condition of both Pokémon, he loudly announced the match result to the surrounding audience and tournament staff.
The next instant—
All kinds of reactions erupted around the arena.
"Too strong! Xiao You and Banette are ridiculously strong! One move and Oddish lost the ability to battle. That's way too overpowering!"
"Based on Banette's performance back in Lavender Town, I honestly think Xiao You has a chance to win the whole tournament."
"She's amazing. Just as expected from someone who bonded with Pokémon so early on."
"Xiao You's battle experience feels really solid too. The moment the match started, before Oddish's trainer even reacted, Xiao You had already launched the first attack."
"Honestly, being a trainer seems pretty difficult. Pokémon move way too fast. Even if you plan ahead, it's still really hard to keep up with their pace during battle."
The audience sighed in admiration.
Then the discussion gradually transformed into pure praise for Xiao You, eventually becoming thunderous cheers.
"Xiao You! Xiao You! Xiao You!"
Xiao You, dressed in a purple one-piece dress, was still just an elementary school student.
How could she possibly be used to a scene like this?
Her expression instantly became extremely nervous.
"Shuuta…"
Banette, having already hurried back to Xiao You's side after the battle ended, reached out one hand and gently held Xiao You's tightly clenched little hand.
Although Banette's body was ice-cold as a Ghost-type Pokémon—
At this moment, Xiao You felt incredibly reassured.
"So I still lost after all…"
A dejected voice suddenly came from ahead.
Xiao You raised her head and saw the young woman she had just battled slowly walking toward her.
Instinctively, Xiao You tightened her grip on Banette's hand.
This was the trainer she had just fought.
While Xiao You nervously looked at the young woman—
The young woman was also sizing Xiao You up.
Chen Mo's reputation had completely exploded across the country after the release of the official documentary.
Naturally, Xiao You—one of the important people featured in that documentary—had also gained enormous attention.
The moment the young woman realized Xiao You was her opponent, her heart had already sunk halfway.
Meanwhile—
After emerging from its Poké Ball, Oddish saw Banette on the opposite side radiating an overwhelmingly terrifying aura.
The little grass Pokémon was scared out of its mind.
It frantically looked toward its trainer—
But its trainer herself looked completely shaken.
Time waited for no one.
Compared to the young woman, who had reacted half a beat too slowly—
Xiao You had acted decisively.
The instant the match began, she had already issued her command.
With both the trainer and Oddish mentally overwhelmed—
Their defeat had been inevitable.
The young woman stared at Xiao You.
Her eyes contained both self-blame for her poor performance and admiration for Xiao You's fierce offensive pressure.
The Xiao You who had commanded Banette during battle just now—
Was completely different from the timid little girl standing here now.
"Um…"
Xiao You was clearly frightened by the young woman's gaze.
At that moment—
The young woman suddenly revealed a bright, cheerful smile.
Scratching her head awkwardly, she said regretfully:
"I lost."
Then—
Her tone changed.
"Xiao You, the bond between you and Banette is far deeper than the bond between me and Oddish."
"Looks like Oddish and I still have a lot to learn."
As she finished speaking—
The young woman extended one hand toward Xiao You.
Xiao You froze briefly before subconsciously reaching out and shaking it.
"Do your best in the upcoming matches too."
"Mhm!"
Xiao You nodded vigorously.
The young woman smiled faintly, waved goodbye, and left the battlefield with a carefree stride.
The bright sunlight shone down upon the two of them.
Listening to the surrounding cheers and praise—
Everything felt dreamlike to Xiao You.
A few months ago—
She had still been a timid little girl bullied by troublesome classmates at school.
But now—
She had become someone cheered on by countless people.
As Xiao You walked out of the battlefield, she turned her head slightly toward a wall across the street.
A massive Pikachu Cup promotional poster hung there.
On it stood the tall figure of Chen Mo inside the arena, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, one arm raised toward the sky like a flag.
Xiao You's eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Big Brother Chen Mo."
"I'll definitely fight all the way to the end together with Xiao Ji."
"And earn the right to challenge you and Pikachu… so that I can gain your acknowledgment."
As if sensing Xiao You's determination—
Banette's expression also gradually became serious and resolute.
But very quickly—
An excited voice from behind instantly shattered the calm atmosphere.
"Xiao You! My precious daughter! And Xiao Ji too!"
"You two worked together so perfectly! Come on, Daddy's taking you both out for a huge celebratory meal!"
As he spoke—
The bearded shop owner scooped both Xiao You and Banette into his arms at once.
Feeling the gazes of the pedestrians around them, Xiao You became even more embarrassed.
But after thinking about her goal—
She still shook her head.
"Dad, Xiao Ji's condition today is really good."
"We can continue matching opponents and try to earn more shining stars on the first day."
The bearded shop owner froze.
In the past—
He never would have heard words like that from his daughter.
"Alright, alright! I'll arrange it immediately."
Feeling deeply emotional, the bearded shop owner set Xiao You and Banette back down, pulled out his phone, opened the Pokédex app, and began preparing to queue Xiao You for another battle.
Right at that moment—
The arena broadcast nearby announced the next match.
"Contestant with Pokédex ID No. 13, contestant Lixiang, please proceed to Battlefield One!"
"Contestant with Pokédex ID No. 182986, contestant Wan Yushu, please proceed to Battlefield One!"
"Repeating once again…"
The announcement echoed continuously through the speakers.
Xiao You, who had been whispering with Banette, froze briefly.
Although the Pokédex could be used without registering an account, following official recommendations, most users nationwide had long since completed account registration and identity verification, obtaining their own exclusive trainer ID numbers.
The Pikachu Cup used those Pokédex ID numbers to call contestants to the battlefield.
As for the numbering system—
The earlier you registered, the smaller your number.
Xiao You's ID was 108.
Three digits.
The reason she possessed such a low number wasn't because her registration speed was especially fast—
But because she had already privately used and registered the Pokédex before its public release.
She was basically a beta tester.
Most of the 107 people ranked ahead of her were official personnel, including researchers from the Countermeasure Bureau.
"Lixiang? Or Li Xiang? Never heard of them before…"
For this Pikachu Cup—
Although the Countermeasure Bureau and other official organizations hadn't forbidden personnel from participating—
For various reasons, very few official staff members had actually entered the tournament.
But Xiao You was certain of one thing:
Anyone from the official side who dared participate in the Pikachu Cup probably possessed considerable strength due to their understanding of Pokémon.
And after living in Anping City for some time—
Xiao You had grown a lot.
As a trainer aiming for the Pikachu Cup championship, she naturally didn't want to miss an opportunity to observe a potential future opponent.
After greeting the bearded shop owner—
Xiao You brought Banette along and curiously headed toward the battlefield.
Meanwhile—
Hearing his name announced, Wan Yushu took a deep breath.
He looked toward Snubbull beside him.
"ID number 13…"
"Bull, looks like our luck isn't very good."
"Our opponent this time is probably a really strong trainer."
"Bull…"
Snubbull's expression instantly became serious.
Combined with its already intimidating face, it now looked even more terrifying.
However—
Wan Yushu showed no fear whatsoever.
He crouched down and gently rubbed Snubbull's cheeks before softly saying:
"But it's okay, Bull."
"I've always believed in you."
Then—
Wan Yushu stood back up, glanced at Snubbull, and smiled.
"Let's go."
Life was always full of challenges.
Wan Yushu was completely different from the young woman who had fought Xiao You earlier.
He remained excited from beginning to end.
Forget a strong opponent—
Even if Chen Mo and his Pokémon were standing on the other side of the battlefield right now—
Wan Yushu wouldn't feel even the slightest bit intimidated.
Because—
Just as he had told Snubbull—
He always believed in it.
"That's a Pokémon I've never seen before."
"Huh? That Pokémon looks so fierce… and pink too. Truly the color scheme of a macho man."
"Snubbull? A Fairy-type Pokémon? Holy crap, definitely a rare Pokémon. I'm so jealous of this guy."
"That Snubbull looks pretty powerful. If they were facing most other contestants, I'd say Wan Yushu and Snubbull would probably win for sure."
"But the opponent's ID number is 13. Who knows what kind of monster they'll be fighting?"
Chen Mo and Zhou Yichuan's earlier battle had basically taught all the rookie trainers an important lesson.
At the same time—
It made them realize that the official side had many hidden experts.
Even a researcher like Brother Chuan had been able to exchange blows evenly with Teacher Mo.
Who knew whether there were even more monstrous people hidden behind the scenes?
Discussion instantly exploded among the spectators.
But soon—
People noticed something strange.
Wan Yushu had already been standing in the arena for nearly three minutes.
Why hadn't the trainer named "Lixiang" shown up yet?
If a contestant was over ten minutes late—
It would count as a forfeiture.
The crowd grew increasingly noisy.
Thanks to Chen Mo's earlier proposal, the Countermeasure Bureau had introduced numerous welfare policies to prevent mass withdrawals from the Pikachu Cup.
Still—
Everyone had their own difficulties.
By now, some contestants across Anping City's arenas had indeed forfeited matches for various reasons.
But as spectators—
After already watching countless Caterpie-style slap fights—
No one wanted to miss what might become a truly exciting battle.
"What's going on…"
Wan Yushu frowned.
Just when there were only three minutes left on the countdown, and everyone assumed the match was probably doomed—
"Pidgeot!"
A crisp, resonant cry suddenly echoed from overhead.
Everyone raised their heads.
They saw an enormous Pidgeotto circling high in the sky.
"Holy crap, isn't that Teacher Mo's Pidgeotto!?"
As one of Chen Mo's representative Pokémon, Pidgeotto was famous for its gigantic size far exceeding others of its species.
The instant people recognized it—
The entire audience outside the battlefield exploded with excitement.
"Teacher Mo!? Is Teacher Mo here!?"
"Is he riding on Pidgeotto's back!? Let me see!"
"Stop shoving me!"
Hearing the commotion around him, Wan Yushu also looked curiously toward the sky.
But as he watched—
Pidgeotto grew larger and closer.
Eventually—
It landed on the opposite side of the battlefield.
"What's happening…"
Even the referee looked completely confused.
Logically—
At this moment, he should have chased away the Pidgeotto that had intruded into the battlefield.
However—
Because of Chen Mo—
The referee hesitated.
"Absol."
The white Absol jumped down first from Pidgeotto's back.
Immediately afterward—
gengar rapidly emerged from the shadow on the ground.
"Uh…"
The tournament staff exchanged confused glances.
Then—
gengar suddenly moved at astonishing speed.
In a few flashes, it rushed directly in front of the referee.
After glancing at the countdown timer, which still had one minute remaining—
It finally relaxed.
"G-gengar?"
The referee nearly jumped in fright.
"gengar gengar."
gengar revealed an awkwardly apologetic grin.
Then—
Right before the referee's eyes—
It pulled out a phone, opened the Pokédex app, and looked utterly honest and harmless.
"Li… Xiang?"
The referee was dumbfounded.
Because on the trainer profile page—
The name displayed was clearly:
Lixiang
And the profile picture—
Was a goofy-looking smiling gengar.
According to official regulations—
All trainer profile avatars had to be real photos of the account owner.
Which meant—
This trainer named Lixiang…
Was actually gengar!?
The referee's brain shut down.
He completely failed to understand the situation.
Wasn't gengar Teacher Mo's Pokémon?
How had it suddenly become a trainer?
And more importantly—
How could a Pokémon become a trainer!?
This made absolutely no sense!
The referee helplessly looked toward the tournament staff nearby.
Very quickly—
The staff members hurried onto the battlefield.
After checking the Pokédex app on gengar's phone—
All of them developed splitting headaches.
"gengar…"
"Are you seriously planning to participate in the Pikachu Cup as a trainer?"
"gengar gengar."
gengar nodded repeatedly.
As if saying:
That's right. I'm the rookie trainer you've been looking for—Lixiang.
The event team leader slapped a hand against his forehead.
As an insider from the official side—
He suddenly remembered something.
Back when the Pokédex was first developed, the developers had used many placeholder accounts with only code names to test system functions.
Among them—
There was probably an account with the ID number 13 and the name "Lixiang."
As an internally used account—
It had never undergone real-name verification.
Yet it still possessed all the functions of a standard verified Pokédex account.
Naturally—
That included registering for the Pikachu Cup.
Which bastard did this!?
How did the authentication information end up attached directly to gengar!?
The team leader was on the verge of collapsing.
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