Chapter 339:
Yūji stared blankly at Hayashi Kaede until Hayashi Kaede returned his gaze with a gentle smile. Yūji could only manage a strained smile in response.
The other person focusing on him was Satoshi, riding his Aegislash high above. When Satoshi spotted Hayashi Kaede, his expression first froze, then the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
So far, he had commentated for four tournaments. In three of them, among the participants... three featured that girl, and three featured this young man. Each time, they had basically taken first place...
From a Rookie Cup, to the Junior Cup, and now the Pokemon League Conference... Were they following him wherever he went? They'd gotten first place the previous two times; surely they wouldn't do it again this time? He immediately shook his head inwardly.
What a joke! This was the Pokemon League a conference! The highest-level trainer competition in the Eastova League. Although this young man was impressive, judging from that Snivy, he had only been a trainer for half a year. That was still too short a time.
However, he estimated that this young man named Hayashi Kaede would definitely achieve a relatively high ranking. Because that Goodra and that Serperior were truly not weak!
....
The virtual screen spun rapidly, pairing participants one after another. Once matched, they couldn't help but glance around, trying to identify their first opponent.
Hayashi Kaede's portrait flashed by among them. He saw his first opponent. Looking over, it was a bespectacled young man who appeared somewhat frail and scholarly, around 25 or 26 years old. He didn't have any Pokémon out with him.
The opponent also locked eyes with Hayashi Kaede immediately and offered a friendly smile. Hayashi Kaede returned the smile.
As he identified his opponent, the portraits flashing across the virtual screen also caused a stir among a section of the audience.
"Who's that?"
"Strange, wasn't that Little Kaede who just flashed by?"
"He does look a bit like him. Wait, no, look down there! That *was* Indeedee Little Kaede! Next to that Alolan Ninetales and the one that looks like Serperior... that's him, isn't it!?"
Although the Pokemon League Conference audience came from all over the League, a complex mix, there were inevitably some spectators from near Aogiri City.
"Little Kaede is actually participating! No wonder he closed the shop on the 15th; he needed time to challenge Gyms and join the Pokemon League Conference!" someone thought, convinced they had it figured out.
Others opened their cameras, zoomed in on Hayashi Kaede, took photos, and immediately posted them to their social media channels, ready to spread the news and let Little kaede's fans know.
"Hey, which Pokémon do you think Little Kaede will use? Serperior, Alolan Ninetales, and what else? Will Milotic come out?" Two spectators who happened to be from Aogiri City sat together, discussing eagerly.
"In my opinion, there's also that huge Pidgeot, heh, and the road-repairing Dragonite... Oh, and that Shiny Gardevoir~"
"Ooo... you mentioning that Gardevoir reminds me, it's really beautiful... that challenge was so elegant..."
"I want a Shiny Gardevoir too...."
....
Regardless of the audience's chatter, Hayashi Kaede below waited calmly for the tournament arrangements.
Before the competition, he had actually considered whether to hide his identity. He had a premonition that this tournament... wouldn't just make him stand out; some of his special Pokémon would likely cause a big stir.
But upon further thought, he realized it would be impossible to hide. His Pokémon were too distinctive. Even a mask wouldn't conceal them.
Moreover, the Berry Plantation was due for its first harvest next year. His Breeding House should then be able to produce a larger batch of Energy Cubes. This Pokemon League Conference was a perfect chance to see if he could get some advertising in~! He hoped the Champion wouldn't mind.
"Alright, everyone can see the first-round matchups are out. Without further ado, let's wish them all the best of luck in their battles!"
With Satoshi's final words from above, the participants began to disperse. Some left, while others came to the nearest spectator stands, planning to watch the upcoming battles right there.
As participants, they only needed to be in the ready room one round before their match. Before that, they were free to stay in their rooms or in the spectator area.
Hayashi Kaede, with Serperior and Alolan Ninetales, didn't return to his room but instead went to the spectator stands. He wanted to see the Pokemon League Conference battles from the start.
The first match was between a girl and a burly man. Before the top 32, all matches were 3v3 single battles. This format really made trainers ponder their choices.
Most trainers who made it here had been traveling for a while and possessed six or more Pokémon. But which three to send out was the question. Sending your strongest Pokémon only to face a type disadvantage would be painful. This touched on a key issue.
So far, apart from a few people who had shown some Pokémon, most participants' teams were unknown. Confident participants probably planned to hide their strongest Pokémon in the early rounds. Those less confident would have no choice but to field their best.
Hayashi Kaede couldn't tell which category the first two battlers fell into. The two exchanged some formalities, then immediately sent out their Pokémon. Judging by their intense gazes, both probably sent out Pokémon they were most confident in?
The burly man's Pokémon was an Aggron. Its body was encased in black rock armor, with fierce-looking white bone spikes on its head. A faint blue light flickered in its eyes. Its trainer had sun-tanned, yellowish skin and wore a seemingly perpetually dirty earth-yellow short-sleeve, likely from long-term work in mining areas. This Aggron was his most trusted partner.
Hayashi Kaede checked its stats.
[Pokémon: Aggron]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Heavy Metal]
[Potential: Purple]
[IVs: HP (25) Attack (29) Sp. Atk (24) Defense (31) Sp. Def (10) Speed (9)]
[Level: 52-53]
[Moves: Headbutt, Tackle, Harden, Metal Claw, Iron Defense, Autotomize, Iron Tail, Metal Sound, Flamethrower, Hyper Beam...]
When the massive steel body, over two meters tall, landed on the field, it immediately drew gasps from the crowd. But when the girl's Pokémon emerged, those gasps turned into murmurs and sighs of disappointment.