"Xiao Shu, time to head out!"
"Coming, coming!"
Holding Cinccino in her arms, Shen Xinyi stood by the doorway, listening helplessly to the commotion coming from inside the house.
About ten minutes later—
A young woman with long flowing hair finally rushed out in a panic, handbag in hand.
She wore fitted jeans and a plain white T-shirt that highlighted her tall frame.
"Xiao Shu, you're way too slow."
Glancing at the time on her phone, Shen Xinyi couldn't help but complain.
The girl called Xiao Shu looked utterly wronged.
"How is this my fault?"
"If it weren't for Xiao Ai from your family, I wouldn't have lost all the stuff I usually use!"
"That may be true, but for a girl, you're seriously too messy."
"Myself and Xiao Ai have spent the last two days basically cleaning your place."
Shen Xinyi spoke expressionlessly.
Xiao Shu immediately laughed awkwardly and casually draped an arm over Shen Xinyi's shoulder.
"Come on, what's our relationship?"
Then her eyes shifted mischievously, and before Shen Xinyi could respond, she quickly changed the topic.
"Anyway, we need to hurry to the arena."
"Sure, not making the main tournament is a little disappointing…"
"But there's no way I'm missing the opening ceremony at nine sharp!"
"Mhm."
Shen Xinyi simply nodded.
"Little Seven-Star, stop hiding inside!"
"We're leaving~"
Xiao Shu turned toward the doorway and called out.
A few seconds later—
A large beetle-like Pokémon with a red shell slowly flew out.
It was a Ledian.
Since it resembled a seven-spotted ladybug, Xiao Shu had started calling it Little Seven-Star from the very first time they met.
Their bond had always been excellent.
However—
Seeing her Pokémon's dejected mood, Xiao Shu gently patted its head.
"Little Seven-Star…"
"How many times do I have to say this?"
"Not making it into the main tournament wasn't your fault."
"It's because I'm still an immature trainer."
"And weren't you reluctant to compete in the first place?"
"Getting eliminated isn't necessarily bad."
"Hey, don't overthink it."
"Honestly, at first I just wanted to experience the event."
"Sure, missing qualification by only one step hurts…"
"But when I think about how we worked hard together all the way to the end…"
"I'm already satisfied."
Tears shimmered in Ledian's large black-and-white eyes.
Finally—
It couldn't hold back anymore.
Throwing itself into Xiao Shu's embrace, it burst into tears.
"It's okay."
"You already did great."
Like a mother comforting a child after failing an exam, Xiao Shu softly stroked Ledian's head while gently reassuring it.
Among the nearly twenty thousand trainers who had registered for the Pikachu Cup—
The overwhelming majority had failed to gather ten Shining Stars.
Disappointment.
Regret.
No matter what they felt—
The results were already decided.
Most trainers could only turn their unwillingness into motivation, hoping one day for a different outcome.
Yet—
Something remarkable happened.
Even though their tournament journey had ended, countless eliminated trainers still chose to remain in Anping City—
Despite no official subsidies.
They wanted to witness how far those who had once defeated them could go.
"We finally made it…"
By the time Xiao Shu and Shen Xinyi arrived at the Anping Pokémon Battle Center, the arena entrance was already packed to the brim.
Thus—
With tickets in hand, the two stepped into the venue under countless envious gazes.
After all—
Not everyone had managed to grab main tournament tickets like they had.
Most visitors could only watch via giant outdoor screens set up around the arena.
Shen Xinyi genuinely didn't understand.
The weather was only getting hotter.
If you couldn't even enter the stadium, wouldn't staying home to watch the livestream be much more comfortable?
"You don't like Pokémon battles."
"So naturally, you won't understand."
Xiao Shu smiled and explained.
"Watching together with people who love the same thing feels completely different from watching alone at home."
Shen Xinyi didn't argue.
She had always been quiet since childhood.
Though she loved Pokémon—
According to online descriptions, she was more of a lifestyle Pokémon caretaker than a trainer.
"There are so many people…"
It was only eight-thirty.
Yet the open-air circular arena was already completely full.
Many spectators looked upward immediately upon entering, curiously staring at the massive 360-degree ring screen circling overhead—
A huge investment by the authorities, constructed using nearly two thousand flat displays.
Thanks to the screens—
Even spectators in the outermost seats could comfortably follow battles in the center.
Then—
Shen Xinyi, scrolling through her phone, suddenly noticed the arena becoming noticeably noisier.
Beside her, Xiao Shu suddenly exclaimed—
"Huh? What's that?"
Looking up—
Shen Xinyi saw men and women in black uniforms slowly walking toward the center of the battlefield carrying all kinds of instruments.
At the same time—
The ring display overhead lit up.
"A concert?"
"Probably an opening performance."
"Teacher Mo sure loves making things flashy."
"Tsk, there's got to be over a hundred people."
"That's basically a full symphony orchestra."
"Interesting."
"I don't care about music."
"I just want Teacher Mo to hurry up."
"I wanna see if the guy who beat me can survive the first round of groups."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Near the front rows—
William filmed everything while explaining the situation to his steadily growing foreign audience.
Soon—
The clock struck nine o'clock sharp.
A crisp keyboard keystroke echoed through the arena.
Words slowly appeared on the giant screen above:
[—To Everyone Who Loves Pokémon]
Many audience members immediately quieted down.
The text gradually faded away.
At center stage—
The middle-aged conductor glanced at the cue beside him, nodded lightly, and raised both hands.
Then—
An energetic percussion beat exploded across the arena.
At the same moment—
The giant screen changed.
"That's—!"
"Holy crap! gengar and Nidorino!"
"Wait—that gengar…"
"Isn't that Teacher Mo's gengar?!"
Onscreen—
A gengar and Nidorino stood facing one another in a forest.
To the rhythm of the music, the two exchanged fierce attacks back and forth.
Backstage.
"To be honest…"
"I still don't understand why you specifically made this scene."
Zhou Yichuan glanced at Chen Mo, who stood surrounded by Pikachu, gengar, and the others.
His expression puzzled.
Music for the opening ceremony?
Understandable.
But why specifically borrow his Nidorino to film a battle scene with gengar?
A Poison-type Nidorino fighting gengar?
That matchup was hopeless!
At this—
Listening to one of the most iconic BGMs from his previous life—
"~Opening~"
And watching the equally iconic FireRed/LeafGreen opening scene—
Chen Mo merely smiled.
"No real reason."
"I just like it."
"..."
Zhou Yichuan shook his head and stopped asking.
The screen continued shifting.
Forests.
Mountains.
Rivers.
Lakes.
The ocean.
Countless Pokémon flashed by.
Together—
They transformed nature into something dreamlike.
Finally—
A Pikachu darted into the grass.
The screen faded into darkness alongside the music.
William, filming live, was beyond excited.
"You guys saw that, right?!"
"So many adorable Pokémon!"
"This is amazing!"
"It's seriously wonderful Pokémon came to this world!"
The arena erupted into chatter.
Everyone excitedly discussed the scenes they had just seen.
Then—
The darkened screen lit up again.
A new sentence appeared.
[—To Every Trainer and Pokémon Participating in This Pikachu Cup]
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
As an eliminated trainer, Xiao Shu looked confused.
The next moment—
The brass section erupted.
Trumpets.
Trombones.
French horns.
Tubas.
Like the signal of a charge.
And then—
For the first time in this world—
The song engraved into Chen Mo's soul began to play.
"Aim to Be a Pokémon Master."
"Xiao Shu, look!"
Shen Xinyi suddenly tugged her sleeve.
Pulled back from the music-induced daze—
Xiao Shu looked up.
Her eyes widened.
Filled with disbelief.
Onscreen—
A young female trainer in light casual clothes commanded a Ledian in an intense battle against a trainer using Meowth.
The girl looked utterly serious.
Sweat glistened on her forehead.
Responding to her expectations—
Ledian desperately unleashed a chain of Swift attacks.
Stars streaked forward, homing toward a Meowth darting desperately in response to its trainer's hopes.
"Th-That…"
"Is that… me?"
Xiao Shu stammered.
"That's definitely you!"
Shen Xinyi said excitedly.
Ledian stared blankly.
It was the first time it had ever seen itself battle from an outside perspective.
It watched itself grimace in pain after taking a slash from Meowth.
And in that same instant—
It saw Xiao Shu at the battlefield's edge.
The panic.
The worry.
The heartbreak on her face.
Ledian turned.
Its trainer stood beside it—
Eyes glistening with tears.
A strange feeling surged inside.
Something unfamiliar.
Something overwhelming.
If there was one sentence to describe how both trainer and Pokémon felt—
It would be:
Meeting you was the greatest stroke of luck.
The music continued.
The screen split into countless scenes.
Trainer after trainer.
Pokémon after Pokémon.
Every clip carefully chosen by Chen Mo and staff to showcase the bond between trainer and Pokémon.
"That's me and Caterpie!"
"Ah… we lost that match…"
"But I'm glad we fought to the end together, Metapod!"
"My Rattata… you really worked so hard…"
"Sorry, Oddish…"
"It was my fault as a trainer…"
"My mentality collapsed…"
"You should've been the one angry at me…"
"But in the end…"
"You comforted me while I cried…"
Countless eliminated trainers found themselves on screen.
At last—
They understood.
Why those words had appeared before the music.
The meaning was simple.
Whether you advanced or not—
This music.
These images.
They were for all of you.
Thank you—
For bringing your bond with your Pokémon to this tournament.
At home—
Viewers exploded in the livestream comments.
I FOUND ME AND WEEDLE ON SCREEN!
I regret leaving Anping early so much! Seeing this live must feel incredible!
This music is SO GOOD.
Exciting but warm at the same time—perfect for Pokémon and humans!
Kind of regret not entering this Pikachu Cup…
Teacher Mo really put in insane effort.
This opening ceremony is amazing.
Being Teacher Mo's fan feels so worth it!
High above the roaring arena—
A humanoid Pokémon with pale green skin hovered in the sky.
Its expression brimmed with curiosity.
Its long, note-shaped green hair swayed gently in rhythm with the music carried upward by the breeze.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Go check it out and dive into the full experience.
Claim early access here: [email protected]/plotwired
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews unlock 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.