At the beginning of the match, Denjiro remained completely relaxed while facing this opponent.
After the draw determined that he would send out his Pokémon first, he released a remarkably well-trained Charizard.
It was one of his primary Pokémon.
Its strength was exceptional, having naturally reached the middle stage of the Elite Four level.
In Denjiro's view, a Pokémon of this level would be more than sufficient to handle an unimpressive opponent like Belotti.
During this match, he intended to reproduce Shiko's previous achievement.
He wanted to defeat his opponent quickly and perhaps even secure an impressive six-to-zero victory.
After all, as the contestant ranked second on the championship probability rankings, he did not want Shiko to leave him so far behind.
Moreover, Denjiro still intended to win the championship.
Before their official confrontation, he could not allow his performance to appear inferior to Shiko's.
Therefore, he had chosen to send out his six strongest Pokémon in this round.
He intended to overwhelm his opponent completely.
Unfortunately, that meant Belotti would have to endure a rather one-sided defeat.
Just as Denjiro was silently feeling sorry for Belotti, the contestant across from him finally moved.
Belotti stared at the imposing Charizard without showing the slightest change in expression.
With an icy look on his face, he slowly took out a Poké Ball and threw it.
Red light surged from the ball.
It then condensed into the form of a flying avian Pokémon.
The moment the spectators recognized that Pokémon, it was as though someone had pressed a mute button over the entire venue.
Everyone fell silent.
Many people revealed expressions of utter disbelief.
They rubbed their eyes vigorously, wondering whether they had seen incorrectly or were experiencing an illusion.
The Pokémon standing on the battlefield was none other than one of the three Legendary birds known throughout the world.
Moltres!
How was this possible?
This was a genuine Legendary Pokémon!
As the spectators stared at the scene before them, everything seemed so surreal that they could barely believe it.
A being like this had actually appeared in such a tournament?
It was simply astonishing!
It was not only the ordinary spectators who were stunned.
Even the numerous senior Alliance officials seated in the VIP area were dumbfounded.
They had never expected such an unforeseen development to occur at this stage of the tournament.
They immediately retrieved Belotti's information and examined it carefully.
After reading through the records, their brows furrowed.
There was an inexplicably unsettling discrepancy between the person described in the records and the Belotti currently standing on the battlefield.
According to his information, he was merely an ordinary young Trainer.
He had only been able to reach this stage because of a modest amount of talent and several fortunate opportunities.
The records contained no mention whatsoever of any connection between him and Moltres.
Furthermore, the cold composure he currently displayed was completely inconsistent with the restless and excitable personality described in his files.
Simply put, a rough comparison with the available information made it seem as though Belotti had somehow become a completely different person.
The situation gave the senior officials a strange sense of familiarity.
Shiko immediately came to mind.
Could it possibly be—
A bold possibility appeared in their minds, but they immediately rejected it.
Absolutely impossible!
How could a Pokémon take on a human appearance and enter a tournament?
The idea was utterly absurd.
They refused to believe or accept such an explanation.
However, how else could Belotti's transformation be explained?
Could someone be controlling him?
While the senior officials in the VIP area racked their brains and carefully analyzed the situation, Shiko naturally noticed what was happening.
At first, he had paid no attention whatsoever to the match.
However, the instant Moltres appeared, he sensed its aura.
A Third-tier Legendary had actually appeared on a tournament battlefield?
Shiko was extremely surprised.
Was there still a human Trainer capable of accomplishing something like this?
His interest was immediately aroused.
He carefully examined Moltres's condition.
Upon inspecting it, he discovered something interesting.
Moltres had not willingly allowed itself to be captured.
Instead, it had been forced to enter the battlefield and participate in the battle.
Interesting.
Something like this could actually happen?
Someone had managed to subjugate a Third-tier Legendary?
Shiko was greatly surprised.
To accomplish something like this—to practically enslave a Third-tier Legendary—the responsible party would have to possess power exceeding the level of an ordinary Second-tier Legendary.
But which Second-tier Legendary would have any reason to do something like this?
Shiko frowned.
The development of this situation had gone somewhat beyond his expectations.
His attention naturally shifted toward the Trainer named Belotti.
After examining him carefully, Shiko softly exclaimed in surprise once again.
He had noticed another abnormality.
Belotti's energy signature and the structure of his life nodes were not human at all.
Instead, they resembled those of a Pokémon.
More strangely, he appeared to belong to a Pokémon species that Shiko had never encountered or heard of before.
Shiko could also clearly sense the heart filled with vengeance beating inside Belotti's body.
Alongside it was an intense feeling of hatred and revulsion.
How interesting.
Shiko's curiosity finally increased.
As he studied Belotti, he realized this contestant was likely the same as him.
Belotti was probably not human.
However, the reasons they had entered the tournament were entirely different.
Shiko had joined out of boredom, intending to pass the time while displaying some of the results of his recent work.
Belotti, on the other hand, might have entered while carrying a powerful desire for revenge—
A desire to destroy humanity and annihilate everything in his path.
(End of Chapter)
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