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The clashes in the upper bracket came to a temporary close.
Aiden secured a massive victory with an explosive 6:1 score, directly defeating this tournament's defending Champion, Leon.
At the start of the battle, the people of Galar might have found it hard to accept the unbelievable ending. But when the match finally concluded, and Leon walked to the center of the stage with a carefree smile, waving farewell to the audience who had always supported him—
People had no choice but to accept the reality before them.
There had never been such a thing as an eternally undefeated trainer. Even the two battle legends had lost to that boy earlier on. What was more important than clinging to victory was maintaining the posture of continuing to climb upward, not letting one's mindset be affected by momentary wins or losses.
Perhaps this was the message Mr. Leon wanted to convey.
At Leon's waving gesture, the first batch of spectators soon stood up, fighting back their sorrow to applaud and cheer for the victor of this match.
Once someone took the lead, the hundred thousand seats of Wyndon Stadium quickly erupted into a wave of noise, blooming alongside the fireworks leaping into the clouds, forming the most unique scenery of the night.
"Mr. Leon, you have to fight your way back next tournament!"
"Since you beat our strongest Champion, then keep pushing toward the Champion's throne, young man Aiden!"
"Do your best, Teacher Azure!"
Watching the crowd on stage cheering passionately, the smile on Leon's lips gained a bit more relief, curving even higher.
"The people of Galar are definitely the best audience in the world."
"However, it seems my performance is about to come to an end."
"I'll leave the rest to you, Aiden."
After Leon finished speaking, he turned his head and looked at Aiden with eyes sparkling with starlight, revealing an incredibly heroic smile.
"Since you're carrying Miss Cynthia's will, if you don't mind, carry my blessing too."
"Win one more match, and a new battle legend will be born."
"When that time comes, I'll be the first to celebrate with you!"
"Of course, I have no intention of losing to anyone."
Aiden nodded.
"So, leave it to me with peace of mind."
"That's more than I could ask for."
Leon took the initiative to reach out and make a fist, suspending it in front of Aiden's line of sight.
Bang.
Their fists bumped lightly together, the sound completely drowned out by the fireworks and cheers.
After securing the victory, Aiden didn't return to the contestant lounge as usual. Instead, he quietly came to the front row of the spectator stands through the staff passage.
After all, it was already the semifinals. Now that his match against Leon was over, only the internal feud between the super Pallet Town duo, Red and Blue, remained.
Therefore, rather than the deserted backstage, the bustling venue suited him better.
"Yo, Aiden."
Stepping into the "family and friends section," Cynthia's figure was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was Lance who first noticed him, waving to greet him.
"After your match ended just now, Caitlin dragged Cynthia away."
Seeing the brief confusion flash through Aiden's eyes, Lance smiled and took the initiative to explain, gesturing for him to come over.
Aiden's bold "post-match proposal" after the previous knockout round had left a deep impression on everyone present, completely cementing his relationship with Cynthia. Rumor had it that President Geeta rushed back to the Paldea region overnight after watching it, perhaps anxious to immediately start preparing for the Champion handover matters.
As a result, neither the Sinnoh nor Paldea contestants were present. Coupled with the two from Hoenn habitually playing hide-and-seek, the front-row friends and family section inexplicably seemed a bit deserted.
"Watching two juniors from the Kanto region grow up, to the point where you aren't even their match anymore—how do you feel right now, Elite Four Lance?"
Aiden stepped forward, teasing Lance with a smile.
Lance clearly hadn't expected him to fire off such a direct "ultimate move" to his face. The smile he originally wore instantly collapsed, and even the corners of his mouth began to twitch slightly.
Bringing up such a sore spot—
How could he not know that he had just lost to those two brats in the Kanto League, only to turn around and get knocked out of the Masters Tournament by Red?
This kid Aiden was definitely doing it on purpose!
Lance sighed, a trace of melancholy revealing itself in his eyes.
"Although I'm very unwilling to accept it—"
"My skills were inferior; there's nothing to complain about."
"At least with those two youngsters around, the Indigo League won't be lacking a figurehead for a very long time."
"Speaking of which—"
Lance suddenly realized what was going on, turning his head to suspiciously look at Aiden, who wore an amused smile.
After frowning and scrutinizing him for a good while, he finally had an epiphany, but could only shake his head helplessly: "No wonder."
"I was wondering why every move those two kids made looked so familiar. So they were taught by you."
"That's slander, I never taught them."
Aiden smiled and patted Lance's shoulder, continuing with a face brimming with undisguised smugness.
"But, seeing as they are veteran viewers in my stream, they probably learned a few clever tricks from me on the sly."
"I see they both love innovation. When those wondrous tactics are integrated into Kanto's signature no-rules battles, even opponents at the Elite Four level would have a headache, right?"
Lance was speechless.
Because the truth was exactly as Aiden said.
Because the overall structure of the Kanto League was quite primitive, the Victory Road built into the mountainside and the final assessment had to be rushed through in one go, making the difficulty considerable.
But even so, those two youngsters still brought out their own fighting spirit and innovation, successfully obliterating their group of old-school Elite Four to the point of disorientation, making them momentarily doubt their lives—
First was Blue, who used the Chlorophyll ability under the Sunny Day system to play a high-speed Sleep Powder tactic. It was said he learned this from Erika, the Gym Leader of Celadon City, and it now one of Celadon Gym's signature tactics.
As for where this heaven-defying combo originally came from—needless to say!
Lance glanced at the innocent-looking Aiden beside him, feeling his fists grow slightly hot.
However, compared to this kid Blue, that guy Red's strength was even greater, if anything.
His gaze turned to the big screen, where the scrolling footage briefly showed the youth who was always taciturn, his signature move being one hand tilting down the brim of his cap.
Judging purely by his attire, Red was practically the most stereotypical trainer image, completely ordinary in a crowd.
Yet, this brat who made people subconsciously lower their guard performed completely differently once he entered the battlefield, like a totally different person from his appearance.
If Blue was a clever hunter, step-by-step crafting an unsolvable situation to trap his prey—
Then Red's battle style could be completely described as "pure."
Every step he took wasn't excessive, even highly reasonable, but by the time the match reached its halfway point, it was already too late to react.
Thinking of this, Lance couldn't help but laugh in relief.
After his defeat on the Victory Road, he thought he would be extra vigilant, relying on his years of honed battle instincts and experience to exact revenge.
The result was another crushing defeat.
"Those two youngsters, either one is extremely difficult to deal with."
Lance suddenly turned to Aiden, who was looking around, and spoke.
"If you face them in the finals—"
"They will definitely be great opponents."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Aiden smiled faintly, and the topic abruptly ended as the audience erupted in timely cheers.
"Look, the contestants from both sides are entering!"
"That spiky-haired kid is way too young, isn't he? Has he just debuted and already stepped onto the Masters stage?"
"Yeah, his performance in the previous matches was also really good, and I heard he and his opponent this time are old rivals."
"Blue and Red, huh? Sounds like a pair of destined rivals."
"They're both Teacher Azure's stream viewers. Teacher Azure is dominating the Masters Tournament, anyone get it?"
Aiden automatically filtered out the noisy and prank-filled cheers of the audience.
His gaze pierced through the Max Guard, looking at the two youths stepping onto the field below.
"Listen up, Red."
On the battlefield, Blue pointed at Red on the opposite side, his face filled with the spiritedness unique to youth.
"Today's battle is my revenge match against you!"
In the Kanto League just over a month ago, shortly after becoming Champion, he met Red at the League headquarters.
Although he had become Champion first, in the battle for the Champion's throne, he was one move short and lost to this guy in front of him who always made him mad.
From 7v7 down to 1v1, the heavy punch that rushed straight at his temple and knocked him unconscious—he still hadn't paid that back even now!
Blue's gaze fell forward, his eyes full of fighting spirit, his body even trembling slightly from excitement.
Red didn't speak, subconsciously making the motion of pulling down his cap brim.
But that smile on the corner of his mouth was seen clearly by Blue.
The rules for this battle weren't no-rules battles, so Red's unreasonable physical prowess was directly banned.
If it came down to playing mind games—
The advantage was his!
"Battle begin!"
The Rotom Referee blew the whistle, and both sides simultaneously threw out their first Poké Balls.
"..."
"..."
"Go, Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar and Snorlax, two true heavyweight contestants, debuted simultaneously, causing a slight tremor in the ground upon landing.
As a ferocious monster historically known as the "Sandstorm Tyrant," Tyranitar immediately whipped up a sandstorm on the field the moment it appeared, greatly reducing visibility in the spectator stands.
"Is he planning to use a Sandstorm team this time?"
Aiden narrowed his eyes, looking into the field through the swirling sandstorm, subconsciously beginning to analyze the psychology behind the two's lead Pokémon.
Tyranitar's suppressive power was indeed immense; unless matched up against Red's Venusaur, it was almost impossible for it to be easily rotated out.
If paired with a Weakness Policy that could allow it to erupt with extreme combat power—
Was he going to play a strong, aggressive fast-paced offense right from the start?
Blue, who always prioritized steadiness and had a more conservative tactical style, had actually chosen to act out of character this time.
Conversely, Red played it safe first, leading with Snorlax to use its high HP to probe Blue's opening tactics?
Because these two knew each other inside out, did they both simultaneously realize the judgment that if they didn't make a change, they would immediately be read like a book by the opponent?
But wasn't this also a kind of prediction in itself—
"Snorlax, Yawn!"
"Tyranitar, rush in and use Low Kick!"
While the lazy Snorlax leisurely let out a yawn, Tyranitar, having started moving early, was already rapidly closing in on its opponent.
"Tyranitar—!"
When the two were within inches of each other, Tyranitar, not yet infected by drowsiness, suddenly lowered its center of gravity. Its body twisted in response, swinging its spiky tail—which wasn't particularly thick—forward.
The target was directly aimed at the feet supporting Snorlax's body!
Although it was called Low Kick, it seemed the point of exertion wasn't on the legs?
Aiden held back a classic tsukkomi he wanted to let loose, but still had to nervously wait for the clash between the two.
With Tyranitar's strength, if this Low Kick solidly connected and caused Snorlax to lose its balance—
Fall damage would be secondary. Once it was down, it would be completely unable to fight back, and would definitely face a torrential storm of fierce kicks from Tyranitar.
Was this the principle behind Low Kick? Seemed quite scientific, actually.
"Snor?"
Facing the sudden ambush of the green long tail, before Snorlax could even process the situation, its body—having formed muscle memory—prepared first, directly plopping its butt down onto the ground.
Boom—!
Another layer of dust kicked up from the ground. Under Snorlax's torment, the field seemed like it was about to suffer damage right at the start.
However, the effect was excellent.
Because it sat down, Tyranitar's swung tail whip lashed directly onto Snorlax's round, massive stomach, narrowly avoiding the vital joints.
Even with Tyranitar's combat power, wanting to easily take down Snorlax with such an assault was practically impossible.
After this simple exchange, the outcome seemed acceptable to both sides.
"Come back, Tyranitar!"
Blue didn't even think about it, immediately making the most correct judgment.
As a weather setter, it had already done its main job of starting the Sandstorm, while simultaneously taking a toll on Snorlax's stamina.
As for the drowsy status—
As long as it was switched out, it was like it never happened.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't a loss.
For Red, it was the same.
His Snorlax was thick-skinned and fleshy anyway; taking a hit didn't matter, as long as it could still stand on the field healthily, its goal was achieved.
Aiden nodded repeatedly.
As expected, these two have fully brought out their talents after just one year of traveling.
Although neither side seemed to lose out, in reality, they had both exposed some of their tactical intentions.
The contest between the two high-tonnage Pokémon had starkly contrasting styles from the very beginning.
And this was just their probing.
"Go, Heracross!"
Blue's second Pokémon choice actually surprised Aiden a bit.
However, it was also very reasonable.
Since he had sent out Tyranitar earlier, it meant Blue's foundation for this match should be aggressive offense, relying on his Pokémon's formidable suppressive power to quickly end the battle.
Being able to flexibly adjust his lead Pokémon based on different opponents was an absolute luxury for a youth who had just debuted a year ago, and was extremely rare even looking back at trainer history.
After all, not everyone had an entire Oak Research Institute—a model of cultivation—serving as their logistics team, escorting and protecting them.
Blue was probably one of a kind.
"Heracross, use Close Combat!"
"Cross!"
Heracross, spreading its bug wings, shot out like a cannonball, wielding heavy fists and striking at Snorlax in the blink of an eye.
Because it was still in a sitting posture, it was fundamentally impossible for it to dodge this iron punch!
Taking two consecutive strong super-effective moves, even Snorlax couldn't emerge unscathed.
However—
The smile on Red's face didn't fade.
"Snorlax."
"Counter."
"Snor—!"
Facing the aggressive opponent, Snorlax was completely fearless, its body long prepared to tank the attack head-on.
And when Heracross's rushing punch finally came, the prepared Snorlax immediately puffed out its belly, attempting to use its fat to dissipate some of the opponent's force!
It succeeded.
Heracross's heavy punch was sucked into the stomach pouch. The strange sensation, as if striking a fluid, made it vaguely feel a trace of unease.
The next moment—
"Snorlax!!!"
Snorlax, its body compressed to the limit by the force, let out a fierce roar. The force that had dispersed into its body actually bounced back from rock bottom in a bizarre way.
Riding the surging power, Snorlax took the opportunity to grapple Heracross right in front of it with both hands. Its center of gravity completely lost balance, and it fell heavily forward!
"Trading damage for damage?"
Aiden blinked. Through the sandstorm, he could only vaguely see Snorlax's figure, practically embedded into the ground.
These two were really going at it; right at the start, various little tricks were emerging one after another.
Interesting as it was.
But that wasn't the main point.
He had to watch closely. This counted as preparing in advance for tomorrow's finals, gathering as much intel on his opponents as possible!
A few seconds later, when the panting Snorlax struggled to its feet, Blue's newly sent-out Heracross had already rolled its eyes back, its body almost flattened by the opponent's terrifying tonnage—
"Come back, you've already done well enough."
Blue recalled his Pokémon, and the first Poké Ball under his portrait on the big screen also dimmed.
Red followed suit, recalling the Snorlax that had done a great service but was no longer at full health.
Although Rest could quickly recover Snorlax's stamina, and keeping it on the field wasn't impossible, it would ultimately give Blue some preparation time.
Having secured the opening advantage, Red still continued his uncharacteristically steady style today, striving to snowball his slight lead bit by bit.
Until victory was his.
In the following time, the two nemeses who knew each other extremely well put on a spectacular battle of wits.
"Rhyperior, use Horn Drill to finish it off directly!"
"Alakazam, dodge with Detect."
"I was waiting for that move!"
"Rhyperior, use Megahorn!"
"Alakazam, Recover!"
"Venusaur, Sleep Powder."
"Use Teleport!"
"Right now, use Knock Off to interrupt it!"
"In an almost desperate situation, Blue's Tyranitar completes a miraculous comeback, successfully achieving a 1v2 sweep!"
"Although it also collapsed from stamina exhaustion, it has pulled the scales back to the original equilibrium!"
"The score is 5:5! Both sides are unable to battle simultaneously. Now, both sides need to send out their final Pokémon for a fight to the death!"
Hearing the passionate voice from the commentary desk, Aiden couldn't help but feel a bit emotional for a moment.
There weren't too many memes known to all Pokémon players, and Blue's "Five-Minute Champion" definitely occupied a spot among them.
But joking aside, genuinely thinking Blue was weak was a problem on the other person's end.
At least in today's battle between Red and Blue, the strength of both sides was definitely infinitely close to a 50-50 split.
Even Aiden himself felt—
Purely in terms of how spectacular it was, this match might even surpass his battle with Leon just now.
---
Both had fought to the point of exhaustion. Now, only the last breath to win victory, and the last trump card Pokémon remained.
Even though it hadn't been announced yet, their cards were already on the table.
"Go, Pikachu!"
"I choose you, Charizard!"
Both sides tacitly chose to save their most trusted partners for last, adding a bit more suspense to the final 1v1 phase.
"Charizard versus Pikachu—"
Lance pondered for a moment, then sighed.
"The difference is too big in every aspect."
"Even Red's unreasonable Pikachu will be very passive when facing a Charizard with a Mega Evolution form."
"It'll probably only take one Fire Blast, and Pikachu will be finished immediately."
"Not necessarily."
Aiden suddenly spoke up, immediately attracting Lance's gaze.
What he didn't know was that the Pikachu family actually had Mega Evolution forms, and would even discover two at the same time.
However, even setting aside the timeline, Red's Pikachu, which hadn't evolved into Raichu, indeed couldn't manage to evolve + Mega Evolve all in one go.
But since Red still dared to show a confident smile at this time, it meant he should have anticipated this step.
What the outcome would be depended on who could see further ahead.
"Charizard, Mega Evolve!"
Blue didn't hesitate. The instant Charizard appeared, he immediately gripped the Key Stone in his hand, letting his body be engulfed by the evolutionary light.
Leaving only a gaze directed at Red.
'This battle against you at the highest level tournament, I've been looking forward to it for a full ten years!'
'From initially looking down on you, to now needing to look up to you, I really have learned a lot from you.'
'So—'
'Take my "Return" head-on, Red!'
"Roar—!"
Within the white light, Charizard let out a skyward roar. Its astonishing aura not only stirred up the sand and gravel in the pits underground, but also temporarily summoned a scorching sun in the twilight sky above Wyndon Stadium!
"As expected, Mega Charizard Y is his pride."
Aiden wasn't surprised by his choice, even finding it exceptionally reasonable.
Although he often spouted big words like "For the sake of victory, I can discard even my soul," this kid Blue was actually prouder than anyone.
If he couldn't use his Mega Charizard Y to defeat Red fair and square just once, completing the most magnificent revenge, it would by no means be a perfect victory for him.
The spirit of a youth was displayed to the fullest on Blue at this very moment!
Similarly, it was the same for Red.
That guy Blue's pride will indeed drive him to make the most "orthodox" choice.
After seemingly muttering something with his head down, Red suddenly raised his arm, flipped his cap brim 180 degrees, revealing his grey eyes filled with starlight.
"Now, the victor is decided."
After Red smiled heroically, just as Blue was being engulfed by the evolutionary light, he proactively raised his hand to reveal the inconspicuous gemstone bracelet on his wrist.
"Pikachu, let's dance together!"
As the white light gradually dissipated, it was Red's and his Pikachu's turn to radiate golden light.
"Is that— a Z-Move?"
Lance blinked, looking quite surprised.
Even if the Galar region had specially revised the rules for entertainment value this time, sparing no expense to build a special stage where any ability could be freely used—
Where did he get the Z-Crystal from?
"I heard that Professor Oak's cousin, who teaches in Alola, also came to Galar to watch the matches this time."
"Professor Oak is part of Blue's support team during this Masters Tournament, so naturally Red needed a senior who could assist him as well."
Aiden's seemingly irrelevant remark made Lance instantly understand.
"Tsk, hiding a trump card even in the semifinals."
"Truly worthy of being kids who learned from you!"
"You flatter me."
Aiden replied with a smile, his gaze not shifting from the field for even a second.
At this point, the two people and two Pokémon on the field had only each other in their eyes. The sparks generated just from their gazes colliding completely set the stadium boiling.
Almost at the same time, the two spoke in unison—
"Charizard, Blast Burn!"
"Pikachu, Z-Move!"
"Catastropika!"
Soaring in the sky, Mega Charizard Y fully absorbed the sun's energy. After converting all the heat into concentrated flames that practically overflowed from its mouth, it violently erupted it all out in one go.
The crimson flames transformed into a fire dragon. As it sped forward, it actually ignited the atmosphere, continuously emitting intense booming sounds akin to an airburst!
As the ultimate killing move of a Fire Pokémon, the power of this move was absolutely enough to sweep away any opponent before it!
However, Pikachu, shining with golden light on the ground, didn't fear it in the slightest. Its resolute eyes locked firmly onto the sky, suddenly taking a deep breath just before the flames struck.
"Pika—"
"chu!!!"
Under the immense pressure, the electric pouches on Pikachu's cheeks immediately erupted with a terrifying current.
After the color of the electric light changed three times, it actually turned from a golden flash into an orange-red hue akin to raging flames, colliding with the fire dragon from bottom to top!
Boom rumble—!
The aftershocks of the violent impact crashed against the Max Guard. Sound waves exceeding 100 decibels pierced people's eardrums painfully, leaving only a dazzling white light before their eyes.
Aiden subconsciously closed his eyes, only opening them immediately after the light gradually dissipated.
The Charizard soaring in the sky had already plummeted. On the ground, a small, battered yet unyielding figure supported itself with difficulty, its expression unchanged even though its body was covered in burns.
"I lost."
Blue shook his head helplessly. His face didn't turn ugly due to the failure; instead, he revealed a relieved smile.
"It seems you really are one step ahead, as expected."
"Pika!!!"
Red completely didn't hear the voice from across the field, because at this time he had already stepped into the field first, picking up the Pikachu who had held on to the very end purely on willpower, and feeding it a Berry immediately.
"Mega Charizard Y is unable to battle!"
The Rotom Referee appeared at the right time to make the judgment.
"All of Blue's Pokémon are unable to battle, therefore—"
"The winner of this match is, Red!"
"Next, he will advance to the final stage of the Masters Tournament, competing against the previously advanced Contestant Aiden for the 'Strongest' title that trainers dream of!"
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