[A battle tournament? Holy crap, Brother Xiaochuan, are you serious!?]
[I'm joining! Absolutely joining!]
[Open to all trainers, huh? Then here's the problem—where's my Pokémon?]
[Say no more, I'm fired up now. Starting today, me and my Rattata are beginning extra training!]
[I've got one question. Will Teacher Mo participate in the tournament?]
[You guys are getting way too excited when this isn't even finalized yet. But personally, I think holding a Pokémon competition really is a great idea. Doesn't Teacher Mo always emphasize the bond between humans and Pokémon? Through a tournament, even more people could witness the deep connections between different trainers and their Pokémon. That'd definitely help promote and popularize Pokémon culture.]
Zhou Yichuan's words exploded through the livestream like a bombshell, dragging countless lurking viewers out into the open.
Many audience members immediately began analyzing, from every possible angle, the benefits of hosting a Pokémon tournament at the current stage of society.
And between the lines, they all carried the same message:
Please make this happen no matter what.
"Brother Chuan, this is the real meaning behind the name 'Arena,' isn't it?"
Chen Mo looked up at the lab-coated man standing before him.
Everything Zhou Yichuan had explained earlier actually had little to do with the term arena itself.
Most of it had focused on the government's desire to cultivate elite trainers.
But now—
This Pokémon tournament finally matched the true meaning of the word arena.
"Yeah. Exactly."
Zhou Yichuan nodded openly.
Nearby, Hu Chengliang sighed softly.
"To be honest… isn't this moving a little too fast?"
In truth, Chen Mo had already described the concept of Pokémon competitive battling to the authorities long ago.
However, due to all sorts of limitations, the project had remained shelved.
Although Chen Mo and the government had worked together to gradually change public opinion toward Pokémon—
In Hu Chengliang's eyes, too little time had passed.
Not to mention—
Because of past experiences, there were still people who completely hated Pokémon.
If the authorities hosted a Pokémon tournament right now—
Wouldn't that simply be rubbing salt into those people's wounds?
Having debated this matter with Hu Chengliang countless times already, Zhou Yichuan immediately understood what he was thinking.
"Chengliang, you worry too much."
"Xiaochuan, I'm the one in charge here."
The two men stared directly at one another.
Watching the scene unfold, Chen Mo rubbed his forehead helplessly.
It felt way too familiar.
Glancing at the still wildly excited livestream chat, Chen Mo slowly spoke:
"Sorry everyone, but today's stream will end here for now."
"See you next time."
The moment those words fell—
Chen Mo immediately shut off the livestream.
Facing the suddenly black screen, the entire chat flooded with question marks.
[??????]
[What the hell, Teacher Mo!? What are you doing!? Where's the video!? You can't just end the stream like that! Restart it! You've only streamed for a few hours! Even factory donkeys get worked harder than this!]
[Did Brother Xiaochuan and Director Hu just start arguing?]
[What's this 'Fox Director' thing? Isn't his surname Hu?]
[Look carefully at Director Hu's face. He kinda resembles a fox, so "Fox Director" fits perfectly~]
[This feels bad. Director Fox doesn't seem very supportive of the Pokémon tournament idea. Don't tell me the tournament's actually going to get canceled?]
[Nooo, don't say that…]
Many viewers sensed something wrong from the exchange between Hu Chengliang and Zhou Yichuan.
The excitement they had just felt instantly transformed into anxiety.
Meanwhile—
Now that the stream was off and everyone present was among trusted insiders—
Zhou Yichuan became far more direct.
Looking at Hu Chengliang, he said bluntly:
"Yes, you're the one in charge."
"But all your concerns right now are just manifestations of indecisiveness."
"The people across the country who harbor deep hatred toward Pokémon are ultimately only a minority."
"If we follow your logic and insist on waiting until all of their hatred fades before advancing Pokémon culture further…"
"How long would that take?"
"Ten years?"
"Twenty?"
"Or do we wait until they all die of old age?"
"Heh…"
"Chengliang, think carefully."
"Do we really have that much time left?"
If the Mount Zangqing incident had never happened—
Zhou Yichuan would've been perfectly willing to promote Pokémon culture slowly and gently.
The Pokémon tournament could have waited until society fully accepted Pokémon.
But—
The events at Mount Zangqing, along with Chen Mo's recent report regarding the Ultra Beast invasion—
Had left Zhou Yichuan with a deep sense of crisis.
The reason the higher-ups were suddenly so desperate to cultivate large numbers of trainers—
Was because they felt there simply wasn't enough time.
If some enormous disaster truly arrived in the future—
Then the harder they worked now, the better prepared they would be later.
And beyond promoting Pokémon culture itself—
A Pokémon tournament could also help them identify trainers with exceptional potential.
"… "
Back at Mount Zangqing, Zhou Yichuan had even dared to argue with Professor Zhou over matters involving Hu Chengliang.
The two clearly shared a close relationship.
Naturally, Hu Chengliang wouldn't actually fall out with Zhou Yichuan over a few harsh words.
Their personalities were simply different.
Just like how one had chosen Nidoran♀ while the other had chosen Nidoran♂.
Watching the two continue clashing, Chen Mo developed a headache.
I only came to the Bureau today to register Gible's residency status…
After thinking for a while, Chen Mo also felt that having the government directly host the tournament might indeed create some problems.
After all—
Back when Pokémon were still called "magical beasts," the people who interacted and clashed with them most frequently—
Aside from a few reckless idiots—
Were actually government personnel.
Patrolling police officers.
Soldiers carrying out missions.
Behind every one of those officials stood entire families.
And those families were exactly the people in this era who hated Pokémon the most.
The government's previous documentary and official stance had already deeply wounded them once.
So—
Hu Chengliang's concerns weren't unreasonable.
But just as Zhou Yichuan had said—
The wheels of history continued rolling forward.
There simply wasn't enough time left to stop and wait.
"If the government's name won't work…"
"Then what about a personal name instead?"
Chen Mo suddenly interrupted the argument between the two men.
Hu Chengliang instantly understood what Chen Mo meant.
Meanwhile, the quick-tempered Zhou Yichuan frowned deeply.
"Xiao Mo, there's no need for you to do this."
"It's fine."
Chen Mo waved his hand casually, his expression relaxed.
"To say something a little arrogant…"
"I'm probably the most suitable person to organize this tournament anyway."
"And don't worry so much."
"Since the day I started educating people about Pokémon, haven't I already received endless criticism and insults?"
"Honestly, I'm used to it by now."
"If cursing me helps those people feel better, then let me handle this."
"Besides, you're all overestimating my selflessness."
"If Pokémon tournaments truly take off in the future, then as the person who hosted the very first one, I'll gain plenty of benefits too, right?"
"Mm… and personally, I'm genuinely interested in this whole thing."
"I'd quite like the title of 'founder.'"
"You guys don't have any objections to that, do you?"
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