The next day.
The semifinal venue.
Many spectators came in one after another, chatting and laughing, carrying all kinds of Mawile and other Pokémon merchandise.
With round after round of fierce selection, the Ever Grande Conference was gradually approaching its end.
But this hadn't dampened the audience's enthusiasm; on the contrary, the intense battles only made them more eager to see how the next pair of contestants would perform.
And looking across the whole Ever Grande Conference, the brightest person was none other than Baimu.
Backed by powerful strength and organized, well-planned promotion, this Trainer, who only had a bit of niche fame a few months ago, had suddenly become a hot name in the eyes of countless interested people from various regions.
You could say—
The more people knew about Baimu, the more people knew about the Ore Region, and vice versa.
The two had been temporarily bound together under Shanren's planning.
Because of that, within less than five minutes of opening the main venue gates…
The four-sided stands, which could hold eighty thousand people, were crammed full of eager spectators. From a single glance it was a sea of heads, an overwhelmingly spectacular sight.
At the same time—
Not only was the main venue packed; outside the stadium, on TV, and online, countless viewers were all waiting for the match to start.
The total number of viewers had even broken the Ever Grande Conference's ratings record for nearly thirty years, and online clicks had hit a many-year high.
The staff at the conference's affairs bureau were practically overjoyed out of their minds, cheering and applauding every time the numbers broke through another threshold.
"We're witnessing a new piece of history!"
The person in charge was excited to the extreme.
The commentators had arrived early at the studio, picking up the profiles of both contestants and examining them closely.
Being a commentator really tested your eyes; if you couldn't identify what Technique a certain Pokémon used, it wasn't a big deal—you could just shut up. But if you misjudged it and then said it out loud, that was trouble.
Unlike the lively venue and internet—
The waiting room at this moment was rather quiet.
Baimu sat alone on a long bench, right hand playing with a black Ultra Ball, his eyes unfocused as if pondering something.
A bit further away—
His opponent Leon's breathing wasn't very steady, his heart racing.
Logically speaking, he'd already participated in several conferences, so he shouldn't be this nervous. But his opponent now was a guy whose fame and strength were off the charts, a completely different level of pressure from before.
Give up?
No way!
He shook his head.
Just admitting defeat straight away would be worse than killing him; the battle hadn't even started, who knew what the final result would be?
Leon worked hard to adjust his condition, forcing himself to calm down and brace for the fierce fight to come.
——
Spectator stands.
Xiaoguang looked at the crowd surging all around and exclaimed, "So many people! There are even quite a few standing. You can watch even without a seat ticket?"
"Maybe they arranged something special near the field?"
Mann Chong quietly compared it with the situation during the Silver Conference semifinals, only to realize he couldn't remember at all how many people were in the stands back then.
He'd put his whole heart into the match at that time; he had no attention to spare for how many people were around the field.
Xiaogang folded his arms, thinking aloud: "Baimu's opponent Leon has taken part in three conferences, and his results have improved each time. Plus, the Pokémon in his team work together and form a pretty mature tactical system. He's not simple."
Most Trainers' teams in the world are quite scattered; their Pokémon basically fight on their own, with no tactical strategy of relay or follow-up.
Without a doubt, that reflects the Trainer's immaturity.
But precisely because of that, those Trainers who can turn their team into a true 'team' will stand out and win others' respect.
"Tactical system?" Alice glanced at the info on her phone, instinctively rubbing her arms and complaining, "How come every one of his Pokémon has Ice Attribute Techniques? I hate the cold!"
"Don't worry."
Liuqia had read Leon's profile; smiling, she said, "I don't think this match will last very long."
Her words drew curious looks from the others.
"Why?"
"Is there something wrong with this Leon?"
Faced with Xiaogang and the others' questions, Liuqia just smiled without answering. "You'll see as you watch… oof! They're coming in!"
Down in the tunnel—
The two contestants for the first semifinal walked out at an unhurried pace, each ascending the stairs to their Trainer's stand.
Seeing this, everyone stopped talking and quietly waited for the match to start.
Before long—
The commentator's voice came over the broadcast.
"Welcome to the Ever Grande Conference championship tournament semifinals! I'm the commentator for this match; please take care of me."
As he spoke—
A four-colored roulette wheel appeared on the giant screen, bright light spinning round and round.
"Without further ado, let's see what the battlefield for the first half will be—"
Beep!
"Grass Field!"
The high platform's battlefield rumbled as the lush Grass Field rose up into view before all the spectators, separating the two contestants.
The Referee took his position, lifting his flags with meticulous precision and calling out, "The Ever Grande Conference semifinals are about to begin! The contestants are Contestant Baimu from Pyrite Town! And Contestant Leon from Azure City!"
The stands erupted in continuous applause.
Baimu and Leon, guided by the flags, quickly threw out their Pokeballs.
"Go!"
"Please! Politoed!"
Bang, bang!
Light flashed.
"Shaa-saa!"
Hydreigon beat its six wings, lifting its heads to let out an excited roar, its blood-red eyes brimming with fighting spirit like a spreading stain.
It had waited so long; it was finally its turn to fight!
This time it wouldn't leave the field unless it crushed all six of the opponent's Pokémon!
Not far away—
The Politoed, its skin a glossy green, blended perfectly into the environment. It watched the posturing Hydreigon with a wary gaze and let out a clear, ringing cry.