Chapter 352:
"Match 26 features Contestant Tobias from another region versus Contestant Yang from the Eastova region!"
"Both contestants, please take the stage!"
Yang was a young man, seemingly in his early twenties, wearing a large white windbreaker.
Speaking of which, the participants in the Pokémon League Conference were getting younger these days.
In earlier years, when Hayashi Kaede watched the Conference matches at home, the competitors were mostly in their thirties, and sometimes even included people in their fifties or sixties.
Now, it was common to see contestants in their twenties, or even teenagers under twenty.
Hayashi Kaede didn't pay much attention to this Yang, instead focusing on Tobias, who followed Yang onto the stage.
From another region, named Tobias.
If he guessed correctly, this should be... that "Legendary Pokémon guy," right?
In the Sinnoh League's Lily of the Valley Conference, this guy almost swept the entire tournament using just a Darkrai.
In the end, it was Ash's Sceptile, enduring Dark Void and landing a Leaf Blade, that truly made its mark.
Unfortunately, Tobias then sent out a Latios. Even with Pikachu and the other Pokémon giving their all, they only managed a draw.
Thus, Tobias's other four Pokémon remained a mystery.
White short hair, a white hat, a black trapper hat, subtle curves at the corners of his eyes, and a confident smile on his face.
The young man who just took the stage still had a somewhat youthful face, looking like he had just reached adulthood.
The confident smile quickly confirmed his identity for Hayashi Kaede.
It was the Tobias he knew!
However, differing from his memory, the Tobias before him was much younger.
It seemed he hadn't yet gone to the Sinnoh region to challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference!
'How many Legendary Pokémon does he have with him at this time?'
Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but feel interested.
He didn't know when that particular Lily of the Valley Conference was held, but it definitely wasn't this year; it might be next year or the year after.
This time span was enough for many changes to occur in between.
"Both contestants are in position. Please release your first Pokémon simultaneously!"
The two contestants below faced each other from a distance. Seeing that his opponent was just a kid, Yang's face clearly showed more relaxation.
Although youth wasn't the determining factor for Pokémon strength in this League Conference, youth could indicate fewer battles and less experience.
"Come on out, Venusaur!"
"Venusaur!"
A heavy, thudding sound landed on the field, with stout limbs and a tall flower stalk on its back.
It was the most common starter Pokémon in the Eastova region—Venusaur.
This Venusaur had a large build, with robust, brightly blooming flowers on its back, clearly a very well-raised Pokémon.
But Yang was stunned when he saw the Pokémon summoned by the young boy opposite him.
A streamlined body, blue-and-white skin, a pair of sleek wings...
It was Latios?!
Not only was he dumbfounded, but at that moment, the contestants below, the audience above, and even Kazephyr at the top were all stunned.
The quickest to react was Satoshi. He knew this was the perfect time to ignite the audience's excitement.
"Latios! Oh my! The Legendary Pokémon Latios has appeared!"
"I never expected Contestant Tobias to summon a Latios!"
His words caused an uproar.
"You're kidding? So young, and he's already gained Latios's recognition?"
"Latios? What Pokémon is that? Never heard of it? Is it very strong?"
Some people knew about this Pokémon, while others had never heard of it and couldn't help but express their confusion.
But fortunately, this year's commentator, Satoshi, was capable and happened to know about Latios and Latias.
"Latios, Latios, the Eon Pokémon! I once traveled to a place in Kanto called Alto Mare and happened to hear about these Pokémon. There, they exist as guardian deities!"
"And in fact, among all Pokémon, they are known as the fastest Pokémon!"
As Satoshi's explanation ended, most people turned their curious and exploratory gazes towards Latios and Tobias.
Although some didn't know about Latios and Latias, since the commentator said so...
The fastest Pokémon?
This piqued their interest immensely.
Just how fast was it?
Hayashi Kaede, in the contestants' area, was also taken aback upon seeing the Pokémon Tobias released below.
It wasn't Darkrai?
Could it be that Tobias hadn't formed a bond with Darkrai yet?
Thoughts flashed through his mind, but Hayashi Kaede didn't dwell on them.
He focused his gaze on this Latios.
[Pokémon: Latios]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Levitate]
[Type: Dragon, Psychic]
[Aptitude: Gold]
[Individual Values: HP (27) Attack (14) Sp. Atk (26) Defense (31) Sp. Def (31) Speed (31)]
[Level: 68-69]
[Moves: Psycho Shift, Helping Hand, Recover, Confusion, Tailwind, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Dance...]
Level 68-69?
It seemed this Latios wasn't very old either.
Although every Pokémon had unlimited potential, in reality, some Pokémon had inherent advantages from the start.
For example, Red or Gold Aptitude, which was almost impossible to find in a Caterpie, was commonplace in Latios, Latias, and Moltres.
And some Legendary Pokémon were even born at Elite Four level. How could others compare?
And this was Latios's current state; its future achievements would be even higher.
This match probably didn't need watching.
Hayashi Kaede shook his head.
Although this Venusaur was decent, its level was only 59.
Not only was it outclassed by Latios level-wise, but it was also doubly weak to Psychic-type moves.
Discussions buzzed above, while below, Yang's face darkened.
He thought he had found an easy opponent, but it turned out this "soft persimmon" was full of stones.
As the match began, Tobias immediately took the initiative. "Latios, use Psychic!"
His personality also seemed somewhat different from the Tobias in Hayashi Kaede's memory.
When giving orders, his expression was quite excited.
Nothing like the cold and profound demeanor he would later have at the Lily of the Valley Conference.
Vast psychic energy surged from Latios's glowing eyes.
Yang's expression changed.
This immense psychic power made him realize this was an unbeatable opponent, but he still wanted to struggle. "Use Ingrain!"
"Contestant Tobias uses Psychic! Contestant Yang chooses to have Venusaur use Ingrain! The Ingrain is fast, but can it withstand Latios's Psychic?
Ah... It failed! Venusaur was uprooted by Latios's Psychic, violently ripped from the ground, and thrown down."
*Thud...*
Kondō Satoshi's commentary was almost real-time.
Venusaur hit the ground with a loud crash.
The successful hit made Tobias even more excited. "Latios, Zen Headbutt!"
With the huge level difference and Latios's agility, Venusaur had no means to counter.
Under two powerful Psychic-type moves—Psychic and Zen Headbutt—even the thick-skinned Venusaur could only let out a weak groan on the battlefield before finally falling unconscious.
Next, Contestant Yang sent out his second Pokémon.
It was a Bisharp, which was also defeated in just a few moves.
Then came the third, a Primeape.
The result was the same.
It was defeated even faster.
This caused a huge uproar among the audience above.
Because so far, this was the first match where one Pokémon single-handedly defeated three opponents in such a short time.
In previous matches, even when there was a significant level difference, contestants would still switch Pokémon based on the opponent's choice to avoid greater stamina drain for their Pokémon facing unfavorable matchups.
Even Hayashi Kaede, who had the most impressive performance earlier, switched to Meowscarada and Gardevoir when facing three opponents.
Although his purpose wasn't clear, it didn't seem like he was switching to conserve stamina.
Below, Yang retrieved his Primeape with a grim expression.
Meanwhile, Tobias stood on the field, brimming with confidence. Suddenly, his gaze shifted upward, directly landing on the contestants' area, and his target was very clear.
It was Hayashi Kaede!
This blatant stare was so obvious that even without using Aura, Hayashi Kaede could sense it.
Some sharp-eyed audience members also noticed this and followed Tobias's gaze to Hayashi Kaede.
The challenging intent in his eyes was unmistakable.
In an instant, the entire audience erupted.
"Is this... this Latios trainer interested in Hayashi?"
"Nonsense! What do you mean 'interested'? He's got his eye on him! Huh... wait, that doesn't sound right either..."
"You idiots! This is Contestant Tobias's competitive spirit flaring up. He clearly wants to battle Hayashi..."
"Ah, right, right..."
Kaede raised an eyebrow, looking down at Contestant Tobias. So far, this Tobias didn't match the image in his memory.
The Tobias in his memory, although he raised the trophy after finally winning, had only a faint smile after every other battle victory.
"Still young," Hayashi Kaede mused.
Youth brings impulsiveness.
The other party had clearly seen Gardevoir's match and thus felt the desire to battle him.
After all, Latios was also a Psychic-type Pokémon.
Hayashi Kaede returned a smile but didn't say anything more.
Seeing a character from the anime display a different personality felt quite novel.
It wasn't until Satoshi above announced the next match that Tobias slowly left the field and returned to his room.
This incident wasn't too major, and everyone's attention soon shifted to the next match.
The next match featured a city woman in her thirties, wearing a suit, with a neat ponytail, delicate features, against a muscular man.
Looking at them, it gave off a bit of a "beauty and the beast" vibe.
Their Pokémon were also eye-catching: a Kangaskhan and a Machamp.
Although their battle wasn't as fast as the previous ones, it was still a back-and-forth, fiercely contested fight.
The subsequent matches were mostly like this.
Everyone's strength was relatively comparable.
Occasionally, there was a type advantage, but the trainer, relying on excellent command, would turn the tables, causing gasps of surprise.
Of course, more often, Pokémon facing type disadvantages would see their space gradually compressed until they lost.
And so, Match 30, Match 40... slowly passed by.
During Match 41, a young man from the same city as Hayashi Kaede took the stage.
It was Yūji, who had once reached the top eight in the Silver Conference.
When they last met at the breeding house, his Flareon was only level 60-62.
But after several months of travel, its level had improved.
[Pokémon: Flareon]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Flash Fire]
[Aptitude: Red]
[Individual Values: ...]
[Level: 62-64]
[Moves: Swift, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Fire Fang, Fire Spin, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, Rest, Shadow Ball, Trailblaze, Overheat...]
And he seemed quite lucky; his opponent was a girl his age who specialized in Grass-type Pokémon.
Her first Pokémon was a Lilligant, the second a Leafeon.
This lineup made the girl grit her teeth in frustration, glaring resentfully at Yūji.
Finally, she sent out a Water-type Ludicolo.
But its level was only around forty. Facing such a large level gap, even with the type advantage, it was defeated by Flareon.
The afternoon session ended after Match 50.
The remaining fourteen matches would conclude in the evening, followed by a rest period.
Hayashi Kaede didn't go to watch in the evening.
After watching matches all day, he was a bit bored and returned to his room.
He planned to organize the day's battle videos and pick some useful ones to send to his Rotom to see which could be posted on his video channel.
For such tournaments, even if contestants weren't in their rooms, the screens inside could replay previous matches, allowing contestants to learn about each other and prepare countermeasures in advance.
However, upon returning to his room, Hayashi Kaede didn't start working immediately. Instead, he headed for the bathroom, casually calling out,
"Bath time! Anyone want to take a bath?"
Gardevoir automatically ignored this; its psychic power could keep its body free of dust at all times.
Actually, Hayashi Kaede could do this too, but he was just used to bathing.
Serperior also slithered to the corner; it definitely didn't want a bath.
Alcremie also ignored this; its cream body would melt upon touching hot water, and it hurt.
Dragonite cried out with a silly grin on its face, quickly flapping its wings to fly to Hayashi Kaede's side.
It loved hot baths!
"What about you, Ninetales, Blaziken?"
"Ninetales!" (No!)
Alolan Ninetales directly ran to the bed, burrowed under the covers, only revealing its fox-like face, staring warily at Kaede.
It seemed afraid of being dragged away.
Blaziken was even more extreme; it tapped the Poké Ball Hayashi Kaede had placed on the bedside table and entered the Poké Ball.
"Fine, don't bathe if you don't want to. Come here, eat this, I'll give you a scrub~"
Hayashi Kaede looked at the tall Dragonite and smiled, taking out the Resize Energy Cube.