After returning to Wyndon, Aiden completely shut himself in for the next few days, disappearing from the public eye.
Originally, he and Cynthia had traveled to the Crown Tundra to gather material, planning to quickly release an episode of the "Pokémon Legends" video series after their trip ended. However, after seeing the gradually recovering Calyrex, he ultimately chose to temporarily keep the secret for this Sage King.
During this time, it was Leon's childhood friend—Sonia, who was about to inherit Professor Magnolia's research institute—who took the initiative to contact him, wanting to ask for more detailed intel regarding the Kings of Sword and Shield and the Darkest Day.
To this, Aiden rarely played the role of an enigma: "Wait until the Masters Tournament is over, and you probably won't be curious about this question anymore~"
With this answer, he tossed the suspense into the future under Sonia's bewildered gaze.
Time turned, and soon it was time for the preliminaries to conclude.
As the only "Master Ball" tier event in the entire Pokémon world, the trainers able to participate in the first round of preliminaries were all elites from their respective regions. But in the grueling week of battles that followed, most competitors had already been eliminated early, forced to accept the fate of a one-and-done exit.
At any time, the human world never lacks geniuses. The world's top sixteen trainers ultimately locked in their spots.
When the roster was announced, crowds of onlookers stood before the large screens all across Galar, especially in Wyndon. The highest topic of discussion was, of course, the challengers who would be competing for the "Masters Eight" titles against the Champions.
"Teacher Azure is just too strong. He only played one teaching match in the entire preliminary stage, and his final score still securely placed him in the 9th position—"
"If the top eight weren't already locked in, Teacher Azure might have even moved up a rank!"
"Speaking of which, those two guys from Pallet Town in Kanto performed really well too. With their winning streaks, they actually made it into the elimination round roster?"
"Red and Blue, right? I heard they both became Kanto regional Champions. They're genius boys who can directly defeat the world's third-ranked Mr. Lance."
"Genius boys... It feels like this batch is generally quite young. Could it be that they're truly ushering in a new golden generation?"
The spectators gathered in front of Wyndon Stadium chattered away, completely failing to notice the black-haired youth wearing sunglasses in the front row curling his lips up and quietly slipping out of the crowd.
As expected, the final result didn't exceed his expectations—
Walking on the way back to the hotel, Aiden recalled the official roster just announced.
Among the eight challengers advancing to the elimination rounds, aside from himself, they were all names he had heard of to some extent. Moreover, most of them were old acquaintances he had met in his livestream.
Red and Blue naturally needed no mention; from the very beginning, Aiden had viewed them as formidable enemies on the road to the Championship.
In addition, there were several Elite Four members: Lucian, Aunt Lorelei, Drake, and Hassel.
As for the final spot—Aiden was actually quite surprised; it was Caitlin, who had just become an Elite Four member in Unova.
Relying on the unique secret technique of psychics—commanding with telekinesis—Caitlin's performance in this Masters Tournament was truly commendable, forcefully breaking into the Top 16 roster with stable strategies.
Perhaps his appearance had made Caitlin even more obsessed with improving her strength? Aiden very naturally credited himself for a third of it.
With this, the preliminary stage had officially ended. What awaited them, the "challengers," next were the ace trainers ranked in the top eight of the world points standings—almost certainly the eight strongest trainers in the world today!
In Galar in January, the air still carried a biting chill. However, when the sacred flame at the top of Wyndon Stadium was lit, the entire venue immediately erupted into a frenzy. The competition hadn't even begun, but the enthusiasm from the audience had already ignited the stadium.
The eyes of the whole world were focused on this top-tier, world's most professional battling stage that could accommodate a hundred thousand spectators. The cruel Round of 16 elimination matches would determine the top trainers who would hold the "Masters Eight" title for the next four years. It was an honor believed no one would want to miss.
"After waiting so long, the battles are finally starting!"
In a corner of the spectator stands, in the cheering section for the Sinnoh audience, Flint and Aaron were fully immersing themselves in the stadium's atmosphere, their voices becoming much more heroic as they spoke.
However, after glancing at the players for the upcoming first match, Flint's expression immediately became a bit complicated.
"That guy Lucian actually made it to the elimination rounds—"
Looking at the scrolling elimination match roster on the big screen, any trainer would surely yearn for it, right?
[Leon VS Lucian]
[Lance VS Hassel]
[Wallace VS Drake]
[Cynthia VS Caitlin]
[Raihan VS Blue]
[Steven VS Lorelei]
[Diantha VS Red]
[Geeta VS Aiden]
The headshots of the contestants appeared on the screen one by one, and every flash drew cheers that echoed throughout the venue.
Staring intently at Lucian's confident smile, Flint shook his head helplessly. "I don't know if I should be happy or upset; it feels like he's pulled ahead of me again!"
"Afraid your bro is suffering, but also afraid he'll go on a killing spree at the Masters Tournament?"
With Lucian absent, Volkner, acting as the temporary member of the Sinnoh "Dugtrio," smiled and patted his shoulder, his expression seeming to see right through him.
"Since we're already at this point, let's just cheer for Boss Cynthia and Lucian together."
"I guess that makes sense—" Flint nodded. Although he felt very bitter inside, feeling like he'd be looking up to the guy for the next four years. But—Volkner was right.
"Go for it, Lucian!"
"Even if your opponent is Leon, you've got to show the spirit of us Sinnoh folks!"
Flint once again displayed his Will of Fire.
On the other hand, Aaron kept his eyes glued to the scrolling roster, and after a good while suddenly blurted out: "Come to think of it, our Sinnoh is terrifyingly strong—"
"If we count Teacher Azure, we have four contestants advancing to the elimination rounds this time!"
"That's the same as Kanto."
"Teacher Azure should be considered Paldean, right—" Volkner retorted again.
However, as he looked at the contestant's headshot, even he felt that the description "Paldean Elite Four & Gym Leader" under Teacher Azure's name was a bit glaring—As for whether it would change in the future, it all depended on Boss Cynthia's performance!
"Achoo—"
In the contestant's lounge, Aiden, who was waiting for the battle below, suddenly sneezed. Intuition told him he was probably being badmouthed behind his back; after all, it was almost impossible for a human in the Pokémon world to catch a cold—But there were a bit too many potential "culprits," he couldn't guess them all! So, he simply chose to ignore these details.
As the sacred flame torch above Wyndon Stadium spewed a tongue of fire, the first duel of the elimination round officially began—
On one side was the world's No. 1 ranked trainer, possessing the home-field advantage and the title of "Undefeated Champion"; On the other side was a young and vigorous Sinnoh psychic, who had just become an Elite Four member a little over a year ago.
The large screen froze on the headshots of both sides, then split down the middle with a clear dividing line, with three red-and-white Poké Ball icons appearing beneath each avatar. In the first stage of the elimination rounds, the competition rules remained the 6v3 Singles format, filling the event with variables.
The gap in strength between the two sides was visibly huge, but—what if? On the competitive stage, anyone who dares to stand upon it must be prepared to embrace victory. So, as spectators, all they needed to do was look forward to it.
"Roar—!"
The Gigantamaxed Charizard spewed flames from its mouth, looking down with a disdainful gaze. In the sky, a bird-like silhouette wreathed in flames dived toward the ground, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws within the crimson aura, displaying its full imposing manner.
The Mega Gallade, having just used Detect to dodge an attack, was already at the end of its tether. Even if it wanted to evade, it simply couldn't escape the attack range in time.
"Gallade, use Sacred Sword to cleave through the attack!"
Lucian gritted his teeth and gave the command, betting everything on his final dance in this tournament, clashing head-on with the opponent's incoming offensive.
"Rumble—!!!"
In an instant, massive energy erupted from the point of contact. The scorching shockwave swept across the ground, crashing into the surrounding Max Guard barriers, making them creak and groan.
After the explosion, Lucian hung his head in helplessness, watching helplessly as Gallade reverted from its Mega Evolution, floating lightly to the ground.
"The match is over!!!"
"Leon has once again demonstrated his absolute strength as the Undefeated Champion!"
"Gigantamax Charizard's G-Max Airstream swiftly and decisively took down Lucian's final ace, Gallade!"
"The score is 3:0, a sweep with no suspense!"
The local Galar commentator's voice was full of passion, and the local Galar audience also applauded and cheered for Leon.
"A very interesting tactic, wearing down the opponent's stamina through psychic power and repeated attrition. If your strength were a bit greater, even I would find it quite troublesome."
After the battle ended, Leon's voice came from the field, transmitted into the screens of the online viewers via the surrounding Rotom Cameras.
"It's just a pity that, as the Champion of Galar, I have a reason why I must win every single battle."
"So, I'll be taking the victory for this battle first!"
After speaking, Leon pointed to the sky, and the purple-gold cape symbolizing the Champion fluttered loudly in the wind behind him. The stands erupted once again in earth-shattering cheers.
If it weren't for the back of that cape being completely covered in sponsor logos, it would have been a very successful victory declaration—
Aiden scratched his head. Every time he saw Leon's cape, he couldn't hold back his laughter. Galar wasn't short on money, right? Why did the Champion have to personally wear advertisements on the field? It always felt a bit like second-hand embarrassment. Maybe this was just Leon's unique trait.
"A collision between dragon envoys; ultimately, the Dragon Tamer Lance from Kanto proved superior, comfortably taking the victory 3:1!"
"In the civil war between the Hoenn Acting Champion and the Dragon-type Elite Four member, the victor was indeed this powerhouse renowned alongside Steven!"
The results of the next two battles were completely unsurprising to Aiden. After all, the gap in strength was right before their eyes. So far, the defending champions had won all three matches; it seemed no one had yet achieved an upset to claim the "Masters Eight" title.
And in the next match, the challenger who faced Cynthia before him, Caitlin—the difficulty of winning was indeed quite high.
Aiden originally thought so, but Caitlin's performance truly surprised him.
"A brilliant Shadow Tag strategy!"
"Utilizing the Shadow Tag and Terastallization mechanics, Caitlin's Gothitelle successfully trapped Cynthia's ace, Garchomp!"
"While the Air Balloon evaded the Earthquake attack, the Fairy Tera Type also completely nullified Garchomp's secondary type!"
"The final Tera Blast successfully dealt heavy damage to the opponent!"
Although the final score was set at 3:1, the pre-battle preparation Caitlin displayed in this fight had long exceeded all the audience's expectations.
"You've grown a lot, Caitlin."
After the battle ended, Cynthia recalled her panting Mega Lucario, whose stamina was almost entirely depleted, back into its Poké Ball. She looked at Caitlin walking toward her and smiled.
"Of course! Underestimating me comes with a price!"
This defeat didn't discourage Caitlin; instead, she actively flashed a V-sign at Cynthia. "Next time, next time I will definitely win against you, Cynthia!"
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it~" Cynthia responded gently, then smilingly patted her head.
This heartwarming scene on the field was, naturally, captured by the Rotom Cameras from multiple angles.
Aiden's expression was slightly complex. It looked like a quite touching friendship between besties. But Caitlin, why are you blushing like a bubbling teapot? Something feels a bit off!
In the previous four battles, the defending champions had all displayed their terrifying tactical proficiency. Overall, they could be considered crushing sweeps, defending the glory of the "Masters Eight." But in the four afternoon matches, the situation seemed to be going awry.
"It's happened! The first upset of the elimination rounds!"
"Blue used an unexpected main lineup, successfully predicting Raihan's team composition!"
"Facing Raihan's Sun team, his on-the-spot choice of Mega Tyranitar worked wonders, boldly claiming victory in this weather war!"
On the field, the roaring Sandstorm Monarch, Mega Tyranitar, let out an earth-shattering roar.
"I really didn't expect you to have a Tyranitar hidden up your sleeve—" Raihan helplessly rubbed his forehead, looking a bit unwilling, but quickly let it go.
"Just lucky, lucky." Blue made a gesture at him, then left the field in high spirits. Finally, leaving behind only a cryptic remark.
"I still have a score to settle with that guy. Before I get my revenge on him, I can't lose to anyone."
"Steven's Metagross performed heroically; facing Miss Lorelei, who was at a type disadvantage, he easily won the match!"
"Next, let's turn our eyes to—"
"Wait???"
"Red's Pikachu is still going strong; it has completely dominated today's match!"
"The score is locked at 3:0!"
"No one could have imagined that Champion Diantha, upon whom the Kalos audience had pinned their hopes, would actually be swept by a fledgling rookie!!!"
"——"
After the battle ended, Red didn't say a single extra word. He only silently recalled Pikachu into its Poké Ball, then adjusted the red and white cap he was wearing, turned around, walked into the contestant tunnel, and left. Leaving Diantha disheveled in the wind, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"That really is Red's style—"
In the contestant's lounge, Aiden also revealed a helpless smile. Did he pump himself full of adrenaline after seeing Blue's victory? His aggression in today's battle was completely maxed out.
The final list of advancers was exactly as he had expected.
Shaking his head, Aiden stood up, pushed open the door, and walked toward the contestant tunnel. The final grand finale battle would be concluded by him and Chairwoman Geeta.
He had heard stories of underdogs toppling the mighty many times, but to personally experience one—
It seemed like this was his very first time.
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)