chsdbacks Chapter 331: The Battle Ends, an Old Friend Visits
Chapter 331: The Battle Ends, an Old Friend Visits
Chapter 331: The Battle Ends, an Old Friend Visits
"This, this, this—unbelievable!!"
"The battle is over! The victor is decided!"
"The entire arena was engulfed in an icy storm created by Glaceon. The biting wind howled, ice crystals raged, and visibility was completely blurred; we couldn't see any details on the field! Yet, within this white, icy prison—Cyndaquil Champion raised her hand! The referee's flag flew up in response!"
"The champion of Bamboo Orchid has chosen to concede defeat."
"The victor is Mr. Sawaki!!"
"At this moment, I believe countless viewers, including myself, were shocked! Our mighty, almost invincible champion, Bamboo Orchid, has actually—fallen."
"But as the old proverb says, victory is never as easy as a dandelion on a hillside. Defeat, that discouraging word, is also a common sight on the road to the top! This does not diminish the glory of the champion, but rather testifies to the profound and ever-changing charm of Pokémon battles!"
"Regardless of the outcome, let us give the warmest applause to the victor—Mr. Ze Shu! It is he who has given us a breathtaking and epic showdown that will go down in history! Yes, a classic! I am absolutely certain that this exhibition match that has unfolded before us will become an eternal classic battle in the history of the Suzuran Tournament, and even the League Tournament!"
At the moment the battle ended, the host spoke in a high-spirited tone. Despite being shocked by the result, he did not forget his duty and continued to explain to the audience.
As he explained, the entire arena erupted in enthusiastic applause that lasted for a long time.
"Such an amazing trainer, why, why have we never heard of him?" someone asked amidst the applause.
"I heard that this trainer doesn't care about fame or fortune! It was Cynthia Champion who used all sorts of methods, even her beauty and bribes, to get this trainer to participate in an exhibition match!" someone said casually.
"I know! I know! My uncle is... well, whatever, do you know Hunter J? Huh? You don't know? He's the Pokémon Hunter who used to be a legend in the Sinnoh Underground World!" Someone actually provided a slightly more reliable piece of inside information.
"Brother Zeshu, you're so strong... I... I also need to work hard so I can't let Brother Zeshu down..." Some people were staring at the field with admiration.
Perhaps after this exhibition match, Ze Shu will gain quite a few fans—even if these fans may not know who Ze Shu is or what he has done. They just need to know that he's young, handsome, and strong. That's enough.
Regardless, today, people in Sinnoh and even around the world watching the live stream learned one thing: there is actually a hidden figure in Sinnoh who can defeat the Cynthia champion!
Although it was an exhibition match, people were still surprised, after all, the champion of Bamboo Orchid is known for not holding back.
You know, even the incredibly powerful and arrogant King Ye, who walks with his hands in his pockets, fell asleep the moment he faced Zhu Lan in an exhibition match, resulting in a memorable moment of being instantly defeated. That exhibition match was also the most embarrassing one for the King Ye.
Meanwhile, in the live stream room of "DianDian Live Streamer".
"Wow! Sawaki won! Sawaki won! That's amazing! No wonder he's Kiki's friend! Kiki's 'poisonous prediction' didn't come true!"
Qi Shu stared wide-eyed and opened his mouth wide in the live stream, revealing his shark teeth.
"Hey kid, did you see that? Ze Shu is the one who rescued you!"
Beside her, a tadpole the size of a light bulb was shaking its tail, looking at the Lily of the Valley festival on the broadcast with a bewildered gaze.
"We lost." On the field, the blizzard summoned by Glaceon was gradually dissipating. Cynthia walked up to Zeki and, in full view of everyone, shook hands with him with the grace of a champion.
"Although I expected it, I'm still..." Zhu Lan shook her head, then smiled. "Thank you, Ze Shu. It was a wonderful match. It also reminded me that I should keep improving myself."
"Perhaps the outcome of our battle will be different next time I challenge you."
Ze Shu said helplessly, "You still want to challenge me? And we have to fight?"
Zhu Lan wore a dangerous smile as she retorted, "Is that not allowed?"
Ze Shu: "Okay."
A champion lost, an invincible champion lost, no matter what, she must be unwilling to accept it.
Hmm, maybe he shouldn't have won so carelessly. Perhaps if he hadn't given that Garchomp Mega Stone to Cynthia, he would have lost, or at least it would have been a draw.
"Phew, finally it's over."
In the players' lounge of the Suzuran Tournament headquarters, Ze Shu sat down and sighed. After the exhibition match, he took a photo with Zhu Lan and the alliance members present, including Damaranchi, bowed to the audience, and then simply left.
After all, it's just an exhibition match. The real stars are the trainers who have trained hard for years and are about to achieve good results in the league tournament.
"Buee~bu~"
Having won, Glaceon was overjoyed, even its exit was done on tiptoe, taking one step at a time, with its cute little face tilted up. Zeki couldn't resist reaching out to pet it.
No, that's not right, it's a massage.
They fought so hard for him, so to reward them, the trainer decided to personally give the Pokémon a relaxing massage!
Sure enough, Eevee's face quickly turned bright red, and it almost couldn't walk steadily.
The strange creature watched curiously from the side.
Ze Shu: "Would you like to give it a try?"
Egui Ponchan's golden eyes blinked, and then, unable to resist the temptation, he decisively nodded: "Boni!"
Ergui's orange face was soft and bouncy, with a citrus scent. Rubbing it not only left a pleasant fragrance on the hands, but was also quite comfortable. But just as Ergui was enjoying Ze Shu's "rubbing"...
With a snap, the door to the lounge opened.
"Bonito?"
"It seems I've come at an inopportune time. Should I leave?"
The newcomer was someone Ze Shu recognized. He had a head of red hair standing on end, an expressionless face, and a cloak that seemed to be his true form draped over his back. He was none other than the flying dodo bird who was afraid of ice and thus missed out on the championship.
"Oh?" Ze Shu looked surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Du didn't answer; instead, he smiled and said, "I watched your exhibition match; it was pretty good. It seems your skills have improved as well."
Ze Shu laughed and said, "Is that all? How about we have a contest? I haven't seen a Dragonite in a long time."
Lance's expression changed slightly: "We'll talk about that later. I didn't come here to do something as trivial as Pokémon battles with you."
Is Pokémon battles unimportant? Hmm, that's true. There's no need to battle with this awkward Lance. Zeki thought of the crowbar he bought but never used on Lance—if Lance's old ailment relapses and he starts yelling about destroying the world, then giving him a whack on the back of the head would be the right thing to do.
Ze Shu: "So what exactly happened?"
Wataru's expression turned slightly grave: "After the Suzuran Tournament, the Silver Tournament in the Kanto region is about to begin. We've received information that Team Rocket might be planning something during this time."
Sawaki took on the role of "League Tournament Inspector" that Takenori had asked him to play, and his next inspection destination was the Silver Tournament in the Kanto region.
Previously, Chikuran had mentioned that a representative from the Kanto region would come to meet with him; it turns out that this "representative" was Wataru.
"Even if you didn't choose to go to the Silver Conference, I would still come looking for you," Lance said. "Because of Team Rocket."
When the Rockets were mentioned, Watanabe's expression was serious and earnest.
But as he looked at the information that Watari had sent, Zeki's expression gradually became strange.
"The Rockets you're talking about... are these three people?"
The most frequent trio in this data is "red hair", "blue hair", and a talking cat.
"Are these three planning to sabotage the Silver Tournament, and is Team Rocket plotting something behind it?"
Wataru said, "Yes. According to the information provided by our informant, the three of them had repeatedly attacked a trainer from Pallet Town, but had failed each time. This time, that Pallet Town trainer is participating in the Silver Conference."
Ze Shu replied, "That's normal. Besides, these three are just low-level thugs. At least within Team Rocket, they're at the very bottom."
Watari nodded: "Yes."
But he said seriously, "But this is perfectly normal. I have a feeling that there might be some unusual scheme behind this. Besides, even if Team Rocket doesn't make a move at the Silver Conference, their actions are still quite unusual."
"When my Hakkar was patrolling the sea, it was struck by a sudden burst of powerful psychic energy, which knocked it unconscious."
"Afterwards, its mind went blank, only knowing that the strong mental force conveyed a powerful question, let's call it a question—'Who am I?', 'Where am I?', 'What is the meaning of my existence?'"
"I tried to find that strong feeling repeatedly, but I never found it. I only found a torn piece of clothing left behind by the Rockets at the scene."
"I suspect the Rockets might be hatching some new plan, like that disgusting dual-wielding 'Holy Bird' scheme from before."
Watari's eyes were serious.
Ze Shu remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I understand."
By the time Zeki and Watari came out of the Suzuran Tournament contestants' rest area, it was already nearly dusk. The audience from the exhibition match had mostly dispersed, and the contestants, after drawing lots following the exhibition match, also chose to go back to rest.
At this time, there were few pedestrians on the street.
"The matter of Team Rocket doesn't need to be dealt with urgently for now. The Elite Four members and the Gym Leaders are also on high alert for any movement. It won't be too late for you to come with me to the Kanto region after the Lily of the Valley Conference is completely over. I will accompany you during this time."
"Don't put it so nicely. You Dodo bird, you've come to Sinnoh just to cling to me. You're here for a vacation to relax, aren't you?"
"Uh..." Wataru was silent, turned his head, and finally said, "I'm here at my sister Tsubaki's request to check on the condition of the mini-dragon you've been taking care of from our Dragon Clan."
Ze Shu: "Heh!"
□ is a hypocrite.
Just as Ze Shu was about to say something more, a joyful shout suddenly came from the side: "Brother Ze Shu! Brother Ze Shu! We've finally waited for you!"
Ze Shu was taken aback and turned to look. It was a boy wearing a straw hat and holding an insect net, the typical image of an insect-catching boy.
He was accompanied by a poisonous powder moth, and a sleeping snow gnat was perched on his shoulder.
"Mushita?"
He recognized him as the bug-catching boy he had helped in Sand Town.
"Hehehe! Brother Zeshu! It's me! It's me!" Seeing that Zeshu actually recognized him, Chongtai was overjoyed and said incoherently, "Brother Zeshu, you're amazing! I watched the exhibition match, it was so amazing!"
He tried hard to think of words to praise someone, but unfortunately his vocabulary was limited, so he could only keep repeating the phrase "That's amazing." After repeating it several times, Chongtai scratched his head in embarrassment.
Ze Shu smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"
Now that he has reunited with Chongtai, he is in a very good mood.
After all, although the Bug-catching boy in front of him still looked like the same Bug-catching boy, he was no longer as "poor and destitute" as when they first met. His Wurmple had also evolved into Toxapex, and he looked like a grown-up, serious trainer.
"I am, I am a contestant in this Lily of the Valley Tournament!" Chongtai puffed out his chest.
"Oh?" Ze Shu exclaimed in surprise, "That's amazing!"
He wasn't exaggerating. After all, as a Bug Catcher, and having started late, he still managed to earn eight badges in just six months, qualifying him for the Lily of the Valley Conference. This performance was even better than Ash's first League Tournament.
However, the fact that Bug-type Pokémon mature early and grow quickly is also part of Bug Tai's advantage.
"Hehe, hehe..." Bug Tai scratched his head. "It's all, it's all thanks to the tactics you marked in the Pokédex for me, Brother Ze Shu," that I was able to stumble and fall my way to getting the badges...
He exchanged a glance with the Toxad beside him, then counted on his fingers, "Brother Ze Shu, the Shadow Clone, Flash, Light Screen, Substitute, and Toxic Powder you had me practice are now optimized into Toxic—the combination of these moves is truly amazing! Several gym leaders were so impressed by my skill that they said they never wanted to see me again and told me to hurry up and take my badge to the next gym!"
"Recently, the Poisonous Moth has even learned the Butterfly Dance!" That's an amazing move! Combined with Brother Zeshu's tactics, it's even more incredible!
Ze Shu twitched the corner of his mouth.
Well, this simple insect has become a disgusting tactician.
"And also, this is my recently caught partner, a Snowgull! I heard that you, Brother Zeju, are the best Ice-type Trainer, and I want to try my best to get closer to you..."
""
Perhaps he was too excited to see Ze Shu again, Chong Tai talked on and on, until the sky, which should have been dusky, was gradually turning black, at which point he slapped his forehead.
"Ah! It's so late, I've taken up too much of your time, Brother Zeshu! I, I have a match tomorrow, so, I'll have to take my leave now!"
Chong Tai clearly hadn't had enough, but he found an excuse to take his leave.
But Mushita was ultimately left behind by Sawaki and taken aboard the spaceship with Watari.
And as soon as they boarded the spaceship.
"Ze Shu! Dratini, Dratini's in trouble!" Higanbana yelled at Ze Shu, "It can't shed its skin! It says it'll wait for you to come back before it can shed!"
Upon hearing this, Ze Shu looked toward the frozen bird's nest that the Dratini liked to stay in.
It seemed to sense his return.
Suddenly, a long-awaited "Umm~~" came from the frozen bird's nest from the Minidragon.
Immediately afterwards, white light emanated from the frozen bird's nest.
It is the light of evolution.
Ze Shu: "?"
This is evolution?
Watari: "???"
How do you care for a Zephyranthes tree?
They actually evolved in such a cold place?!
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