Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
The preliminaries had officially ended, and all four of them — Chen Shi, Cynthia, Daiu, and Phoebe — advanced into the Main Tournament without suspense. Chen Shi had yet to face a noteworthy opponent; he bulldozed his way through with overwhelming force. Cynthia and Daiu weren't any different.
Now, on the morning of Day 3 of the World Championship, the real battles were finally beginning.
Inside Rest Room #18 on the third floor, Daiu crossed his arms.
"Today's when things really start. One match in the morning, one in the afternoon."
"From here on out, opponents won't be simple. Stay sharp."
Chen Shi nodded.
"Got it. Let me check who I'm facing today."
He pulled up the bracket on the large display.
His brows rose.
"Oh… it's that guy."
The name on the screen: Kenji — the same arrogant teen who caused a scene with Daiu during registration, and a Top 4 finisher in the previous Silver Conference.
Chen Shi exhaled.
He remembered the boy's face clearly — all arrogance and self-importance.
He didn't know the guy's true strength yet… but his attitude was already unpleasant.
The match was scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Battlefield 9.
Plenty of time.
Then Chen Shi scrolled down — and froze.
"Phoebe's opponent… Oak Nanami?"
He rubbed his temples.
That was Professor Oak's granddaughter, and Gary's older sister.
"Why is she participating…?"
He sighed and kept reading.
Daiu and Cynthia's opponents seemed ordinary; Chen Shi didn't recognize the names, which likely meant easy wins.
But the bracket was full of famous names:
Diantha, the future Kalos Champion
Caitlin, the super-psychic prodigy
Leon, the future undefeated Galar monarch
Seeing them all together in one tournament made Chen Shi's head buzz.
This lineup is insane…
And I might have to fight some of them.
Stimulating indeed.
Before he could enjoy that thought, Daiu spoke again.
"Oh, right. I heard Kanto's Ghost-type Elite Four — Agatha — is attending today."
"The entire Main Tournament will be broadcast across every region. Anyone with a TV will be watching."
Chen Shi went silent.
Agatha.
He suddenly remembered Professor Oak's warning:
"You can offend anyone in the League… except Agatha."
Her temper was unpredictable.
Her Ghost-types were infamously impossible to guard against.
If she wanted to cause trouble for you — you would suffer.
After a moment, Chen Shi made a firm decision:
He absolutely must not reveal that he was Professor Oak's student today.
Cynthia noticed the change in his expression.
"What's wrong? You look uneasy."
Daiu and Phoebe also turned toward him.
Chen Shi shook his head.
"It's nothing. Just thinking."
Seeing he wasn't lying, the three relaxed.
Then—
The TV display changed automatically.
A host appeared atop an Aegislash being used as a podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Main Tournament of the World Championship!"
"From over four thousand competitors, only 128 prodigies now stand before the world!"
Thunderous applause erupted across the stadium.
The host continued:
"Now — please welcome a true legend…"
"Kanto's Ghost-type Elite Four member — Agatha!"
—BEEP.
The camera switched.
An elderly woman with a cane stepped out through the metal gates.
The moment she appeared, the crowd exploded — cheers shook the entire White Silver Arena.
Daiu whistled softly.
"So that's Agatha… one of the earliest Kanto Elite Four."
"They say she's held the title for decades."
"Her actual power? No one truly knows."
Chen Shi leaned back on the sofa.
"She and Hoenn's Drake are the same type."
"The older they get, the scarier they become."
Daiu blinked.
An image of Drake laughing maniacally on the deck of his ship flashed through his mind.
He nodded.
"Yeah… that sounds about right."
Phoebe's eyes were shining.
"A Ghost-type Elite Four…!"
Chen Shi chuckled.
"Phoebe, you'd better work hard. Hoenn's Ghost Elite — Phoebe's grandfather — is retiring soon."
"Train harder and you might be the next Ghost-type Elite."
"Then you'll be the one covering for me."
Phoebe rolled her eyes.
"Why don't you be the Ghost Elite?"
"Your starter is Dragapult — a Ghost-type. You'd fit fine. You cover me."
Chen Shi slipped.
"I'm not Birdbrain Lance. I have dignity."
The room froze.
Cynthia, Daiu, Phoebe:
"…Birdbrain? Dignity? What?"
Chen Shi coughed twice.
"Just kidding. Don't mind it."
Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
Her intuition told her that slip contained something juicy — but she couldn't piece it together.
Eventually, she gave up.
On screen, the host raised his mic.
"The first round of the Main Tournament will determine our Top 64!"
"Competitors, please prepare and enter your assigned arenas!"
Cynthia rose from the sofa.
"My match is at 8:30. I'm heading out."
"Good luck, Sister Cynthia!" Phoebe waved vigorously.
Daiu also gave encouragement.
Chen Shi lifted a hand in a lazy wave.
"Go. I'll be watching."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow, shot him a meaningfully sharp glance — and left the room.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL