Looking around, Naoki didn't spot Leon in the crowd, but instead saw another familiar figure.
A dark-skinned, smiling, kind-looking young man.
Is that... Raihan?
Naoki was quite surprised.
It suddenly dawned on him that as Leon's rival, Raihan must have come specifically to battle against Leon.
After all, this guy considers defeating Leon to be his number one priority in life.
Raihan also noticed him and looked in his direction, giving him a cheerful smile.
"Are you also a participant in the Rising Star Tournament?" Raihan came over, his gaze shifting to Naoki's Koraidon and Calyrex.
Naoki greeted him amicably, "Hello."
Raihan's gaze lingered on Koraidon.
As a Trainer specializing in Dragon Type Pokemon, he quickly judged that this unfamiliar Pokemon before him was indeed a powerful Dragon Type Pokemon.
At this moment, the broadcast of the competition's opening came from outside.
Naoki heard his name and apologized to Raihan, sidestepping him to enter the competitors' entrance passage.
*
"Welcome, everyone, to this year's region Rising Star Tournament! I am the host of this tournament, Vivian!"
"Please stay calm, the tournament is about to begin, let us welcome the two competitors who will be battling shortly!"
"First up, the Trainer sponsored and supported by Wooloo Sweater Clothing Company, Aoken!"
A cheer erupted from the audience seats.
Amidst this lively shouting, a composed and aloof-looking youth slowly walked out of the dim entrance passage onto the spotlighted stage.
Vivian: "Ah, as expected of Participant Aoken! As a top-four contestant in three consecutive Championship Cups, I believe everyone knows Aoken well, his perseverance and determination are truly inspiring!"
"Aoken! Aoken! Aoken!"
A chorus of cheers arose among Aoken's fans in the audience, rallying support for him.
Hearing the noise, Mike, who was seated in the front row, snorted coldly, "So noisy."
Ha ha ha!" At this moment, a chubby middle-aged man not far away laughed heartily, "Mike didn't get a good night's rest yesterday? Do you want to rest for a bit first, since today's Rising Star Tournament doesn't concern you anyway."
Mike replied with a sullen face, "It's not certain who will lose or win! You think your contestant will definitely secure victory? Just wait and see, Robbie."
With that said, Mike closed his mouth and said no more.
At this moment, Vivian's voice continued to come through the broadcast.
"Next up, the Trainer sponsored and supported by Corviknight Flying Taxi Company, Participant Naoki!"
"Huh? Participant Naoki, is he new? We've never heard of this name before!"
People in the audience showed puzzled expressions.
They all uniformly turned their gaze toward another entrance passage.
Then, they saw a robust young man with black hair emerge from it.
By his side were two Pokemon.
One was crimson all over, sturdy, its golden eyes full of pressure and intimidation.
The other one afforded a graceful posture, with its feet not touching the ground, instead using Psychic to levitate in mid-air, its head large but limbs quite slender.
More compelling were its eyes filled with unseen authority.
What are these two... Pokemon?
The audience fell silent, not a single person in the vast arena had ever seen these two mysterious Pokemon.
After a brief moment of bewilderment, Vivian quickly regained her composure as the host:
"Wow! Participant Naoki sure is a mysterious Trainer! I wonder what kind of battle those two mysterious Pokemon will bring us. Let's wait and see!"
"The first match of the region Rising Star Tournament is now officially starting!"