In the afternoon, it was the match between Rowan and Benjamin, a member of the Gallian royal family. The latter was also a Steel-type trainer with considerable strength, at the early-stage Pseudo-Champion level.
This match was one of the most anticipated of the day, as both trainers were at the Pseudo-Champion level, and one of them was even a royalty.
Gallia had three Champions in total, and two of them came from the royal family. As a result, the Gallian royal family held tremendous prestige and support within the country.
Benjamin was also quite handsome, especially with the innate nobility that came with being a royal family member. Enhanced by his exquisite attire, he appeared even more distinguished.
Thanks to his looks and aura, Benjamin had won the admiration of many female spectators during the tournament. Some women in the audience were even holding up posters of him.
Of course, our young master Rowan couldn't afford to lose in this aspect either. Knowing that his opponent was very popular among female spectators, he used his "money power" to hire a group of beautiful girls to cheer for him from the stands, complete with posters and all.
Not only did he intend to defeat his opponent in skill, but he also refused to be outdone in presence.
So when Julian arrived at the venue, he saw that the stands supporting Rowan featured thirty young women forming a cheerleading squad, shouting in unison: "Rowan, Rowan, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"
Julian suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu as he looked at Rowan in the arena. 'Gary Oak, is that you?'
"Damn, how much did Rowan spend on this?"
Sky, who had come with Julian, couldn't hide the envy on his face as he looked at the thirty cheerleaders.
He even felt a bit of regret for not having thought of this idea himself. Now, Rowan had completely stolen the spotlight.
And indeed, a cheerleading squad of thirty beautiful girls, all holding posters of Rowan—this spectacle instantly became the center of attention.
Even the cameraman kept aiming the camera at them. It had already been nearly a minute—anyone who didn't know better would think they were the main attraction.
Benjamin's expression stiffened slightly. He hadn't expected his opponent to be this shameless, going so far as to hire people to cheer for him.
And how did he know Rowan paid for them? Because he had watched Rowan's previous match videos—there had been no cheer squad of beautiful girls.
But now that he was the opponent, suddenly there were thirty of them.
Moreover, judging by their movements and expressions, it was clear they were professionally trained cheerleaders. If they weren't paid for this, he'd eat his hat.
"Young people these days really know how to play," Julian sighed lightly as he took his seat.
Sky was momentarily stunned. 'Is he showing off?' In terms of age, any of the ten of them could have been Julian's older brother.
But given the gap in their strength, Sky wisely kept his mouth shut.
As the scheduled time arrived, the match officially began.
Rowan sent out Dewgong, while Benjamin chose Scizor. After throwing his Poké Ball, Benjamin even nodded respectfully in Julian's direction.
As a Steel-type Champion, Julian was not only an idol for many young trainers but also a revered figure among Steel-type specialists.
It could be said that Julian's influence had elevated the Steel-typing to a whole new level.
In Drakoria, the number of Steel-type trainers was now second only to the common types like, Bug and Grass, as well as the Fire type—a trend greatly influenced by Julian.
Dewgong was at the late-stage Elite-level, and Scizor was also at the late-stage Elite level—both on equal footing.
However, in terms of type matchup, Scizor held a slight advantage.
"Coach, aren't you going to watch the match?" Sky asked, noticing Julian was on his phone.
"Nothing worth watching," Julian replied without looking up.
"So, is Rowan guaranteed to win?"
"Not sure. I just don't feel like watching."
Julian did have considerable trust in Rowan's strength. After training under him, Rowan's strength had improved significantly.
The reason he didn't declare Rowan the certain winner was simply because he didn't know how strong Benjamin was.
If it was Julian himself facing Benjamin, then even with his strength at the early-stage Pseudo-Champion level, he would have confidently claimed victory.
The world was full of prodigies, and among them, some truly stood out.
Rowan was one of them, but that didn't mean Benjamin wasn't.
The intensity of their match was exceptionally fierce.
Dewgong managed to defeat Scizor at the cost of being severely injured, leaving it unable to continue fighting, and was taken down by Benjamin's Steelix.
Rowan's second Pokémon was Vanilluxe.
Here, Benjamin's Steelix underwent Mega Evolution and defeated Vanilluxe.
As a side note: there were no restrictions on the number of Mega Evolutions used in a single match. As long as the trainer's body could handle it, using Mega Evolution in all six battles was perfectly allowed.
So trainers who possessed psychic abilities or had exceptionally strong stamina inherently had undeniable advantages in this regard.
Rowan was forced to send out his third Pokémon first.
Facing the massive Steelix, he sent out his Mamoswine.
A level 81, early-stage Pseudo-Champion, Mamoswine—this was his second Pseudo-Champion Pokémon and one of the results of his month-long training.
And Mega Steelix, because of Mega Evolution, had also reached level 81.
The two Pokémon clashed repeatedly, and the battlefield was gradually destroyed.
During their final head-on collision, both Pokémon fell at the same time.
---
> "Benjamin's this strong? Rowan has already lost three Pokémon, while Benjamin has only lost two."
> "Don't worry, he's already used Mega Evolution. Normally, a person's energy and stamina can only support one Mega Evolution per battle."
> "Rowan hasn't used Mega Evolution yet. He'll turn the tables later."
> "Am I the only one focused on the cheerleading squad?"
> "Brother, you're not alone."
> "Benjamin is so handsome. Sisters, I'm switching sides."
> "My husband Julian is the most handsome in the world! You fake fan, get out of here!"
---
Even after losing three Pokémon, Rowan showed no signs of panic. At his level, even in desperate situations, it was rare for negative emotions to surface.
Rowan's fourth Pokémon was Alolan Ninetales, a peak Elite.
The appearance of Alolan Ninetales naturally drew exclamations of awe from the crowd.
Unlike the noble demeanor of Kantonian Ninetales, Alolan Ninetales carried an air of cold pride. Perhaps because Kantonian Ninetales was more commonly seen, the rare sight of Alolan Ninetales made it appear even more stunning.
The only known habitat for Alolan Ninetales was that Top-tier secret realm that various nations had contested over last time—the one Julian had eventually brought under his control and now jointly managed with the nation.
That secret realm was home to many regional variant Pokémon. While common variants like Alolan Rattata had already been opened to the public—species like Alolan Ninetales and Alolan Raichu naturally had not.
Only a very small number of trainers in Drakoria possessed them.
*****
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