Chapter 310: The Huaxia League Conference! First Round!
From across the waiting area, Xun began walking toward Kenji with measured, confident steps.
"You're Kenji, right? I'm Xun."
Xun stopped in front of him, a polite but shallow smile on his face as he extended a hand. Like his somewhat androgynous appearance, his voice had a youthful, almost boyish quality to it.
"Can I help you?" Kenji asked, remaining seated.
Xun ignored the question, continuing with an airy tone. "You might not know me, but I'm very familiar with you.
My Uncle Yun has mentioned you more than once. He actually thinks you have the potential to be the next League Champion."
As Xun finished that sentence, the smile slowly slid off his face. His expression turned cold and sharp as he looked Kenji in the eye.
"Uncle Yun" was unmistakably the current Champion, Zhurong Yun. Given the surname and the resemblance, they were clearly blood relatives.
Kenji had a feeling he knew where this was going.
Sure enough, before he could respond, Xun continued, "Personally, I don't see what he sees in you. I don't think you're as strong as he claims. In fact, I'm fairly certain you're not better than me."
Kenji shrugged nonchalantly. Facing the blatant provocation, he remained unfazed, his voice steady. "Talk is cheap. The battlefield will reveal the truth soon enough."
The two young men locked eyes, the tension between them thick enough to cut.
Beside them, Namgung Xi sat on the sofa, her head swiveling back and forth like she was watching a tennis match, glancing between Kenji and the red-haired challenger.
Just then, the overhead monitor flickered, updating the current match pairings as the previous round concluded.
A synthesized voice announced through the speakers:
"Next Match: Xun vs. Ren."
"Good. Let's see what you've got out there."
With that parting shot, Xun turned and walked toward the arena entrance without looking back.
"That guy is such a try-hard," Namgung Xi muttered, watching his back. She nudged Kenji. "He's even more of a show-off than you are."
Kenji: "..."
He didn't take the bait. It was clear that Xun had been raised as the golden child of the Zhurong family, likely groomed since birth to inherit his uncle's throne. Then Kenji—this "nobody" from Metropolis—came out of nowhere and started receiving high praise from the very person Xun looked up to.
Jealousy was a powerful motivator.
The only thing that baffled Kenji was Xun's "hot and cold" personality—smiling one second and threatening him the next. The guy had mood swings faster than a Pidgeot in a gale.
But as he told Xun: talk was cheap. He was actually quite looking forward to seeing what the family of Champions had to offer.
In his head, his "Must-Fight" list for this tournament had two names at the top:
Grandma Liu (Elder Venom).
Xun.
As Xun left, the masked figure of Elder Venom (Grandma Liu) stood up and moved to the sofa, sitting right where Xun had been standing.
Namgung Xi blinked, her eyes wide with curiosity. She looked like she was ready for another round of drama.
Kenji expected a word of wisdom or a status report. Instead, Grandma Liu's voice came out muffled from behind her mask, but the venom in her tone was unmistakable.
"If you run into that brat on the field... bury him."
"..."
Kenji was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond to such a blunt request from his mentor. After a few seconds, he managed a simple, "Got it."
On the main field, the previous match wrapped up, and Xun made his entrance.
The moment he stepped onto the trainer's platform, the crowd erupted. The Zhurong name carried immense weight in this country.
Xun stood in the trainer's box, one hand in his pocket and the other casually gripping a Poké Ball. He tilted his head back, his fiery red hair catching the light, his expression radiating a wild, arrogant energy.
He glanced up toward the VIP box where Champion Zhurong Yun sat.
His opponent, Ren, was a man in his mid-forties who looked like he was about to have a panic attack. Ren was taking deep, shaky breaths, trying desperately to find his composure.
"Battle... Begin!!!"
"Go!! Darmanitan!"
"I choose you! Samurott!!!"
"Darummm!!! —"
"Samuuu!!!! —"
Two streams of red light hit the field.
Xun stuck with his reliable Darmanitan.
Ren countered with Samurott.
Samurott, the Formidable Pokémon and a Water-type starter. Its blue, quadrupedal body was covered in shell-like armor on its head and limbs. A jagged, spear-like horn protruded from its helmet, looking incredibly sharp.
[Samurott]
Gender: Male
Level: 88 (Elite)
Type: Water
Ability: Torrent
Potential: A
A Level 88 Samurott was a formidable partner, likely Ren's Ace. In most district qualifiers, this would have been a top-tier threat.
Kenji's gaze shifted to Xun's Pokémon.
[Darmanitan]
Gender: Male
Level: 97 (Champion)
Type: Fire
Ability: Zen Mode
Potential: S
A Level 97 Darmanitan!!!
Owning a Level 97 Pokémon was essentially a guaranteed ticket to the final rounds of the Conference. But Kenji knew this Darmanitan couldn't possibly be Xun's ultimate trump card.
Just as the public couldn't accurately gauge Kenji's ceiling, Kenji couldn't fathom what else a Zhurong prodigy might be hiding.
Even without a Data Eye, the crowd could see the massive disparity in power just by looking at the Pokémon's stances.
Despite having a clear type advantage, Samurott looked like it was staring down a monster. Its legs were tensed, and it looked ready to bolt at any second.
In contrast, Darmanitan looked completely relaxed, its glowing eyes dismissive of the Water-type in front of it.
"Darmanitan, Flame Charge."
Given the massive level gap, Xun didn't bother with complex tactics. He simply ordered the ape to charge.
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