"Are you really confident?"
Himeko looked at the overwhelming momentum in the venue and couldn't help asking Shiko again.
These past few days, Shiko had already coordinated the battle plan for this final.
Simple and clear.
Only two points.
Lopunny and Kirlia take out three of the opponent's Pokémon.
He alone takes out the opponent's other three.
When Himeko heard it back then, it felt unreal.
She truly didn't understand where Shiko's confidence and nerve were coming from.
Joji might be trash as a person, but the Amano family was the biggest business clan in Wintergreen City.
They were filthy rich.
And for the sake of winning this tournament, they'd already gone as far as being shameless.
So the lineup Joji had brought today could be imagined without even thinking.
At the very least, all of them would be Elite-tier Pokémon.
And not just any Elite-tier ones—Elite-tier with real fighting strength.
Lopunny and Kirlia were level 23 and level 28 respectively—both at the Professional tier.
Even asking the two of them to each take down one and a half opponents was already a difficult mission.
Shiko's target for himself was even more ridiculous!
A straight one-versus-three?!
Himeko had no idea what he was thinking.
But when she looked into Shiko's eyes—
That firm, confident gaze somehow made her feel a lot steadier inside.
"Relax. You just focus on commanding those two in battle."
Shiko's confident voice sounded in Himeko's mind.
Himeko felt a little more grounded.
"Let's welcome with a round of applause! The two finalists of this tournament!"
"Isobe Himeko and Amano Joji!!"
The host's voice instantly ignited the atmosphere to its peak!
Himeko stepped onto the battle arena first.
The crowd roared with enthusiasm, shouting her name.
Wave after wave, louder and louder.
The momentum shook the air.
This scene looked like a massive fan meet-and-greet.
Right after that, Joji walked onto the stage as well.
When the big screen above gave Joji a close-up—
The audience below erupted into mocking boos.
Mixed in were plenty of sharp jeers and ugly insults.
However—
Whether because his mindset had improved,
or because he had some pleasant surprise up his sleeve,
the usually irritable and explosive Joji,
this time, faced the overwhelming boos and hostility—
and remained calm the entire time.
He even wore a faint smile that came and went.
Himeko caught this out of the corner of her eye and immediately understood.
This guy was simply too confident he'd win this match.
That was why he didn't care about the audience's reaction at all.
The harder they booed,
the sweeter it would feel for him when he won in the end.
Himeko's brows knitted slightly.
Joji being this confident
only proved her guess was correct.
The Pokémon he brought today
were all extremely strong!
"Next! Our final match officially begins!"
As soon as the host finished speaking,
the four large battle arenas scattered across the plaza
began slowly drawing together toward the center.
In the end, they merged into a super battle arena of over five thousand square meters.
The scenery on the arena started to change.
Streams, beaches, forests, low hills…
all kinds of terrain surfaced across it.
"Both contestants, decide your lead Pokémon!"
The referee raised the signal flag and blew the whistle.
On the big screen overhead,
portraits of Himeko and Joji appeared.
Behind each portrait
were six Poké Ball icons.
This represented the six Pokémon they would use in today's 6v6 match.
Each time a Pokémon was sent out,
the corresponding icon would display that Pokémon's portrait,
improving the viewing experience for the audience.
But soon, some sharp-eyed spectators noticed something different.
Behind Himeko's portrait, among the six Poké Ball icons,
three were lit up.
The other three were dim gray,
and each had a bright red X over it.
"What does that mean?"
"Isn't today a 6v6 match?"
"Does that mean Himeko-san is already down three Pokémon from the start?!"
"Damn—I get it! She's going 3v6!"
"Disgusting, the Amano father and son! Even if they win a match this unfair, so what?!"
"Himeko-san is way too tough. If it were me, I'd have withdrawn already!"
"..."
Once everyone realized Himeko would only use the three Pokémon she had,
a noisy storm of discussion erupted through the stands.
In an instant, emotions ran high.
People raged on her behalf.
Three against six?
How was anyone supposed to win a match that unfair?
No matter how strong Himeko was, she couldn't do it!
"Tsk. She really is a stubborn little girl."
"I'm honestly curious how far her three Pokémon can push this Joji."
"I heard she has a very strong Charmeleon that she's never sent out, right?"
"Looks like today we're in for a treat."
"..."
On the second row of the VIP stands, the vice presidents from the Pokémon universities
didn't express any opinion about the change in format.
In their eyes, this had nothing to do with them.
They were here to see what kind of potential Joji and Himeko truly had,
and whether they really deserved the ratings they'd been given earlier.
But they also understood clearly—
in a match this unfair,
Himeko's chances of winning were slim.
If she really could win anyway,
then her rating probably wouldn't just be S-rank.
It might even rise another level!
"Contestants, take your positions! Match start!"
With the referee's shout, the whistle sounded, and the signal flag dropped.
The match officially began.
Himeko and Joji, as if by unspoken agreement, each took a Poké Ball from their waist
and threw it forward.
Red light shot out,
gathering into the outline of a Pokémon.
"Go, Lopunny! Defeat it!"
"Lopun!"
Lopunny cried out once, her voice brimming with confidence and soaring battle spirit.
"I knew your first pick would be Lopunny!"
"Show her some color—Mightyena!"
"Awooo!"
The first Pokémon Joji sent out
was a fierce, imposing Mightyena with a savage glare.
Its long fur was sleek, and its coloring bright.
One look was enough to tell it had been raised extremely well.
Himeko stared at Mightyena and checked its stats.
Her expression instantly turned heavy.
A level 33 Mightyena—ten levels higher!
This match had pressure.
(End of Chapter)
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