Chapter 141 The Arrival of the Four Heavenly Kings After
the first round of preliminary matches ended, at noon, Xia Mu took Sonia to a nearby restaurant, along with his parents, Uncle Xia, and Sonia's grandmother, Professor Magnolia.
Even with everyone else accompanying him, it was impossible to integrate into their close circle. Deliberately trying to get close would only result in being ignored and putting him in a difficult position, ultimately forcing him to leave tactfully.
This happened because some overly familiar people thought they were special, only to be met with indifference.
Normally, Xia Mu might have interacted with these people, since they approached him with good intentions.
But the timing wasn't right.
...
In the afternoon, the Quartz Conference continued.
First, a revival round was held for the eliminated contestants from the first round. After the number of participants was finalized at 128, the second round of preliminary matches began.
Compared to the first round, Xia Mu appeared much faster in the second round; otherwise, he would have had to wait in the waiting area for the system's arrangements, a complete waste of time.
Xia Mu's opponent was a young man named Riki, not much older than him, but with very average skills.
Without a doubt, after a swift and decisive victory, Xia Mu advanced, while Riki left the stage dejectedly.
It should be said that from the moment he knew his opponent was Xia Mu, he already knew he was going to lose, because Xia Mu was a legendary Pokémon trainer.
This young man was indeed unlucky, because if he had faced a younger opponent, he could have likely advanced to the top 64, or even the top 32.
Like Ash, who made it to the top 16, purely by luck.
Oh, and there was someone even luckier than Ash, Xia Mu remembers his name was Hiro.
Ash made it to the top 16 by luck, and so did this guy; Ash even lost to him because his Charizard wouldn't obey.
Back then, some people even suspected that the anime protagonist would be changed to this Hiro.
Fortunately, the popularity wasn't great, and Ash ultimately started the story of the Orange Islands, until Ash and Pikachu's positions became increasingly secure...
Recalling the original work, the official team had tried to change the main characters more than once, but all attempts failed until the Paldea storyline unfolded, finally giving Ash the title of World Champion and bringing the story to a close.
Advancing to the third round, Xia Mu left the waiting area and found Sonia again.
The Indigo League was indeed too easy for him.
His situation was like a max-level player returning to the beginner village to bully newbies—utterly uninteresting.
If his family hadn't been there, he would have wanted to run away long ago, because this level of battle wasn't even entertaining for him.
It was rare to see a battle that made him look at things differently.
...
By the time the second round of preliminaries ended, it was already evening.
It wasn't as rushed as the first round in the morning, but it was still quite full.
After the matches, Xia Mu and his family left the stands and returned to the hotel to rest.
For viewers, while Pokémon battles are a major and captivating event, sitting through the entire day can be quite tiring.
Some people leave midway through because they can't take it anymore. Of course, the vast majority continue watching, including family members of the participants and trainers who have already been eliminated and are now in the stands to watch the tournament end and receive commemorative medals.
That evening, Xia Mu was summoned by Yantie once again.
The reason was that the four Elite Four of Kanto had gathered at the Indigo Plateau, and he had to meet them.
Lance, Agatha, Lorelei, and Cynthia.
The first meeting was, unsurprisingly, somewhat awkward, and the atmosphere was heavy, because after winning the Indigo Plateau Conference, Xia Mu was to challenge them.
Regardless of Xia Mu's actual strength
or whether he could defeat them,
the fact that he was a Legendary Pokémon Trainer was enough to make them take him seriously.
Although the three legendary birds were not invincible to trainers of their caliber, and some of them had even defeated them before, capturing them was a completely different matter.
"Not bad at all, truly a promising young talent. This old woman is really getting old," Agatha spoke first.
Her voice was relatively amiable, but her eyes were unusually sharp, as if she could see right through people.
As a Ghost-type Elite Four member, Agatha's strength was not only comparable to a Champion, but as the most senior Elite Four member, she was once considered the strongest Pokémon in the Kanto region.
Even compared to her, Lance was inferior in some aspects.
The online speculation from his past life suggested that Lance couldn't become the Kanto region champion not because Lorelei's Ice-type Pokémon stopped him, but because Akiko was too powerful.
After all, Lance publicly claimed to be a Dragon-type Elite Four member, and later even a Dragon-type champion, but in reality, he was just a Flying-type Elite Four member. His
only Dragon-type Pokémon initially was Dragonite.
Of course, Xia Mu didn't know if Lance had other Dragon-type Pokémon; he assumed Lance definitely did, but his Flying-type Pokémon with Dragon-type characteristics were indeed too eye-catching.
"You're not old at all, Grandma Akiko. If you were old, you should have given up this position long ago," Lorelei said, adjusting her glasses,
exuding a mature and sophisticated aura. His dream girl from his past life, Lorelei's temperament and figure perfectly matched Xia Mu's aesthetic.
Akiko wasn't annoyed by Lorelei's bluntness.
The Four Heavenly Kings were inherently divided among themselves, unlike the Four Heavenly Kings of other regions. Because they represented different forces, it was inevitable that they would exchange some playful banter when they gathered together.
However, while they were hostile to each other internally, they were united against external forces.
"You little rascal, it's been over a year, and your verbal skills have only improved. Now even this old woman doesn't dare to argue with you. You can't deny getting old. I might have to relinquish my position as the Ghost-type Heavenly King this time. This young man is different from the previous challengers... Old man Yan Tie, since everyone's here, let's get started. Who among us should step down?" Kikuko leaned on her cane, speaking tentatively to Yan Tie, who sat at the head of the table. The fact that Kikuko
could speak to the commander-in-chief of the Kanto Alliance like this showed how much influence she held in the Kanto region.
"Don't worry, it's not your turn to step down yet. Just keep an eye on the forces behind you and don't cause any trouble. You think you're old, but I haven't said I'm old yet." Yan Tie's eyes held a strong sense of intimidation.
That one glance made Kikuko lose her edge, and she could only turn her head away slightly, remaining silent.
After that exchange, she had gotten the answer she wanted.
As long as she wasn't dethroned, as long as the power structure remained the same, she didn't care about anything else.
But who would it be to prevent her from stepping down?
Shiba?
Lorelei?
Lance?
In the Kanto region, replacing a King seemed impossible, except perhaps with Shiba or Lance.
Lorelei represented the island powers; if the relationship between the Kanto region and the Orange Islands were to break down, and things escalated, it would keep Entei busy.
In the Orange Islands, there had always been plans to form an independent alliance.
Currently, it's just Shiba and Awata, one holding the title of Elite Four member in one region and the other already the champion of the Johto region, so losing one title wouldn't have a significant impact.
But is it that simple?
No one would willingly give up power they've already gained; the stakes involved are too high, unless a much larger compensation is offered.
At this moment, not only Kikuko was calculating, but the other three were doing the same.
Undoubtedly, they had already made their own plans before coming, and had roughly organized their thoughts.
Now, it all depended on how Entei arranged things.
"I can step down. After all, whether I'm the Elite Four member in the Kanto region or not doesn't really matter much. Besides, I've already become the champion of the Johto region, so continuing to hold the Elite Four position doesn't make much sense," Awata suddenly said, causing the atmosphere to change abruptly.
Voluntary abdication?
Kikuko was shocked, finding Awata's boldness unbelievable.
Kona's eyes shone with shrewdness; her intelligence and composure quickly led her to guess Awata's true intentions.
Clearly, A-Du was unwilling to accept Xia Mu's challenge. If someone challenged his position as Elite Four member, regardless of victory or defeat, it would be a loss of face for him.
After all, he was currently the champion of the Chengdu region.
If the target was him, he was willing to relinquish the position; it was up to Yan Tie to decide how to handle it, or rather, whether Xia Mu wanted the position he was giving up.
Anyone with common sense could quickly grasp this.
Xia Mu also roughly understood his meaning: if he was being used as a scapegoat, then it was necessary to consider whether Xia Mu would be respected after taking the Elite Four position.
Even though Xia Mu was a legendary Pokémon trainer, without a challenge to demonstrate his strength, most people would doubt his abilities.
"You'll continue to hold this Elite Four position until the day you voluntarily step down," Yan Tie said, defusing the calculated scheme with a single sentence.
A-Du wasn't surprised. He simply glanced at Yan Tie, then at Xia Mu.
He didn't have much affection for this junior, Xia Mu. Although they were both from the same family, Xia Mu was unknown and hadn't accomplished much.
"Comparable to him, he's utterly incomparable."
Xia Mu sensed the disdain in Wataru's eyes.
But he didn't respond.
Was it necessary?
Absolutely not.
These people clearly didn't know the real story. What Yan Tie wanted Xia Mu to do was challenge all four of them and become the regional champion of the Kanto region.
Not just to become a Champion.
Of course, everything depended on whether Xia Mu had the ability.
After watching two preliminary matches, Yan Tie somewhat acknowledged Xia Mu's strength; at least Xia Mu overwhelming strength was no less than that of a Champion.
More importantly, he had specifically arranged these opponents for Xia Mu, so starting tomorrow, he could accurately assess Xia Mu strength.
Xia Mu was unaware of this; he hadn't considered that Yan Tie would arrange for someone to participate in the Indigo League to obstruct him.
"Then, it's my turn to step down. I'm fine with it, after all, holding the title of Champion in two regions sometimes leaves me feeling powerless." Shiba, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
It wasn't Kikuko, nor Wataru, and it couldn't possibly be Lorelei, so it had to be him!
Yan Tie looked at Shiba and slowly shook his head.
Even if Xia Mu failed, it would
n't mean Shiba would step down, because Shiba's influence in the Kanto region was still very significant. He was a heavyweight figure in the world of martial arts, irreplaceable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed as the champion of two regions.
The four of them frowned.
A-Du, Kikuko, and Shiba all looked at Kona.
Kona was the least likely person, and now that none of the three were, wasn't that tantamount to Kona stepping down?
Was Yan Tie about to pull off a big move? A reform?
"There's no need to guess, no need for various tests. Everyone knows what's going on. And if I really want any of you to step down, I won't consult you." Yan Tie displayed his authority as the commander-in-chief.
Even regional champions had to give way.
"After the Indigo League, Xia Mu will be holding a championship challenge." Yan Tie added to the four of them.
Upon hearing this, the four of them became somewhat uneasy.
The Kanto championship has been vacant for a long time. Many have coveted the position over the years, including A-Lv, but even he failed, settling for the Chengdu regional championship instead.
This Xia Mu, does he have the ability?
From what they know, Xia Mu is Xia Bo's grandson. Even with years of careful training, this sudden rise to fame seems a bit too much.
They are unaware of Xia Mu's other identity; in fact, Xia Mu himself feels betrayed.
How could he know that Yan Tie is his great-grandfather, and that after learning about his situation, he wanted to actively promote him to the top?
Unaware of the inside story, the Four Heavenly Kings could only wonder if Xia Bo had paid a huge price to secure Xia Mu's position.
"Fraudulent match-fixing?" Kikuko asked grimly.
A-Lv's face turned ashen, Shiba frowned, and Kona's gaze was full of scrutiny.
Xia Mu felt like crying, and most importantly, he couldn't interrupt yet. After all, it was Yan Tie's deliberate instruction to let him listen first and speak at the end.
"Follow the rules! Even I wouldn't be biased! Do you think I, as the commander-in-chief, would make such a basic mistake as fixing a match?" Yan Tie coldly stared at the four.
Why did they have to suspect him of this?
Hearing Yan Tie's words, the Four Heavenly Kings were shocked, looking at Xia Mu again with even more confusion.
This kid, could he be hiding something?
It's just a Moltres; even if it's high-level, it shouldn't be able to give the four of them a headache.
"Alright, Xia Mu, if you have something to say, you can speak freely now." Yan Tie's words caught Xia Mu off guard.
What could he possibly say? He'd
already said everything; what opinions could he possibly have?
Yan Tie had directly provoked the Four Heavenly Kings for him; if he didn't perform well, his future would be difficult.
His thoughts raced as Xia Mu frantically tried to organize his thoughts.
Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and face it head-on. With his current strength, he wasn't afraid of the four of them.
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(End of this chapter)