July 9th.
The first day of the Pikachu Cup Top 16.
Only two matches were scheduled for the entire morning.
The opening battle was the much-anticipated "Water vs. Fire" showdown.
Gao Tianming's Charmeleon versus Ji Yang's Poliwhirl.
Anyone who had reached the Top 16 was no weakling.
Whether it was the Pokémon's natural talent or the trainer's command ability, every remaining competitor stood far above ordinary trainers.
Gao Tianming didn't look down on Ji Yang simply because he had advanced as the first seed while Ji Yang had qualified as a second seed.
Likewise—
Even though Poliwhirl held a massive type advantage against Charmeleon, Ji Yang showed no sign of carelessness.
From the very start of the battle, he treated himself as the challenger and fought with everything he had.
The pace of the match was blisteringly fast.
But in the end, Gao Tianming—tempered through his battles against Xiao Fan and Graveler—proved slightly superior.
Charmeleon once again defeated an opponent despite the type disadvantage, becoming the first competitor to advance into the quarterfinals.
As a result, Gao Tianming earned a brand-new nickname online:
The Reverse-Type Master.
The reason was simple.
Whenever Gao Tianming and Charmeleon fought against unfavorable typings, they somehow managed to unleash extraordinary combat power.
Just as Gao Tianming was feeling rather pleased with himself—
The next match made him realize there was a little monster lurking in his half of the bracket.
Morning Match Two
Xiao You vs. Song Qingyun
Banette vs. Loudred
Public predictions for this battle were overwhelmingly one-sided.
Most viewers believed Xiao You and Banette would win with ease.
After all—
Loudred was a Normal-type Pokémon.
Normal-type attacks couldn't even touch a Ghost-type like Banette.
Meanwhile, although Banette's Ghost-type moves were also sealed by Loudred's typing, Banette had already demonstrated a remarkably deep move pool throughout the tournament.
Dealing with a Loudred should have been effortless.
However—
No one expected that even at the Top 16 stage, a match could still be this one-sided.
The instant the battle began—
Xiao You accurately predicted Loudred's movement.
Banette struck first despite moving second.
A single Sucker Punch heavily injured Loudred.
Then came Knock Off.
The match ended immediately.
The entire battle lasted less than ten seconds.
At that moment—
The cheers and applause celebrating the start of the match hadn't even fully died down.
The entire stadium fell into complete silence.
"The difference between people is really huge..."
Inside the contestants' lounge, Xiao Sheng stared at the giant screen and muttered to himself.
He felt that if he and Vigoroth had been matched against Xiao You and Banette—
They might as well start packing their luggage, collect their prizes, and head home to lie down.
The mood among the other competitors was equally heavy.
Everyone understood one thing.
If they wanted to become champion—
Then Xiao You and Banette would inevitably be the greatest obstacle standing in their path.
Power Plant
After watching both morning matches on his phone, Chen Mo couldn't help sighing.
"Xiao You has gotten so much stronger."
"I still remember the first time I saw her battle Miss Jun at the Bureau's training grounds. Her command skills were still pretty clumsy back then."
"But now she's defeating trainer after trainer cleanly and might even become the Pikachu Cup champion."
"She really has grown a lot."
"Mm."
Hu Chengliang nodded with a smile.
"Xiao You is obedient, disciplined, and very talented."
"Her bond with Banette is exceptionally strong."
"She has always regarded you as her goal and chased after you desperately."
"Now, I suppose all that effort is finally paying off."
"Using me as her goal..."
Chen Mo quietly repeated the phrase before shaking his head.
"Brother Hu."
"Xiao You is still a child."
"Don't make her training schedule too heavy."
"Relentlessly chasing after something is exhausting."
"Sometimes it's important to stop and rest."
"Take care of yourself too."
"We know."
"As for that sort of thing, you can tell her yourself when she reaches the championship stage."
"..."
A crackling sound of electricity suddenly echoed overhead.
Chen Mo, Hu Chengliang, and the nearby Bureau staff all looked up.
A giant golden bird spread its wings above them, blotting out the sky.
"Remember what I told you!"
Chen Mo shouted.
"Go on! Leave early and come back early!"
"Chirp!"
Zapdos nodded.
Then—
Lightning surged through its body.
Riding thunderclouds, it shot rapidly toward the south.
"Well then."
After seeing Zapdos off, Chen Mo's work here was essentially finished.
Turning around, he took out Pidgeotto's Poké Ball and said:
"Brother Hu, Gengar and Gible have their match this afternoon."
"Because of Zapdos and those Electric-types, I missed most of the latter half of the group stage."
"Gengar's been complaining about it nonstop."
"This is their first battle after reaching the Top 16."
"As their trainer, I should at least go watch."
"Enough talking."
"If you're going, then go already."
Hu Chengliang laughed and cursed.
"I told you long ago to leave things here to us."
"You insisted on staying to see how we'd handle those Electric-types."
"Now you've seen it, right?"
"If you want to leave, then leave."
"Besides, get back to your livestream commentary."
"You have no idea how much the audience has been scolding us online because you're over here helping us."
"Hehe, then I'll head out."
"Go! Hurry up and go!"
After watching Chen Mo disappear into the distance atop Pidgeotto, Hu Chengliang shook his head and returned to the power plant.
There were still plenty of Electric-type Pokémon to oversee.
1:30 PM
Chen Mo did not return to the commentary booth this time.
Instead, he sat among the audience like an ordinary spectator, choosing a seat with an excellent view and quietly waiting for the matches to begin.
Among the afternoon's battles, the most anticipated one was naturally:
The Dragon Duel
Fraxure vs. Gible
Setting aside Gao Tianming's "fake dragon" Charmeleon—
Fraxure and Gible were the only true Dragon-type Pokémon participating in the Pikachu Cup.
Both had successfully survived the preliminary rounds and group stage, reaching the Top 16.
Countless viewers had wanted to see these two dragons clash.
To determine:
Who was the strongest dragon in this Pikachu Cup?
The Top 16 stage had finally made that wish come true.
Since the bracket announcement yesterday, discussions about the match had exploded.
Some supported Gible.
Others supported Fraxure.
Overall, support was split almost exactly fifty-fifty.
"This could turn into a very exciting battle."
Wearing a white cap and white mask, Chen Mo rested his chin on one hand while observing the arena.
It was only 1:30 PM.
Yet the massive circular stadium was already nearly full.
The only area with noticeable empty seats was the section where Chen Mo sat.
Because—
This was a special viewing section.
The organizers had specifically reserved it for people related to the competitors.
Simply put—
The family section.
"Hurry up! The match is about to start!"
As two o'clock approached, spectators assigned to the family area gradually arrived.
The largest group consisted of high school students in school uniforms.
The moment they arrived, they followed their teacher's instructions and quickly unfurled a large red banner over the railing.
It contained messages supporting Mo Yu.
Chen Mo watched with interest.
Then—
Suddenly, waves of astonished exclamations erupted behind him.
Instinctively, he turned around.
And froze.
A tremendously imposing Haxorus was slowly walking toward the seating area under the guidance of a staff member.
"This is your seat."
"Please remain seated during the match and avoid obstructing the view of spectators behind you."
After settling Haxorus into the row directly behind Chen Mo, the staff member hurried away.
"How is there a Pokémon here to watch the match?"
"What are the organizers thinking?"
"I think the organizers are geniuses!"
"That Haxorus is probably related to Mo Yu's Fraxure!"
"Inviting it here is absolute perfection!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Watching a match with a wild Pokémon?"
"That's amazing."
"Haxorus is so cool!"
"Teacher, can I go pet it?"
"Sit down and cheer for Mo Yu."
"Forget about the Haxorus."
"Don't cause trouble here!"
"Tch~"
Pulling down the brim of his hat, Chen Mo felt countless gazes directed toward the Pokémon sitting behind him.
His expression turned helpless.
He already knew exactly who had arranged this.
Zhou Yichuan.
You really know how to stir things up.
Chen Mo shook his head.
"Sorry, sorry! We're late!"
Another gentle female voice sounded from behind.
Chen Mo raised his head slightly.
A woman in her forties carrying a little girl around three or four years old hurried over.
About three meters behind her walked a middle-aged man with a weathered face and a troubled expression.
Chen Mo naturally recognized both of them.
Back when Mo Yu accidentally wandered into Axew territory, the authorities had thoroughly investigated her family background.
Chen Mo had seen the report himself.
If he remembered correctly—
These two had divorced when Mo Yu was still in elementary school.
Her father had raised her alone.
Her mother remarried after Mo Yu graduated elementary school.
Soon, Mo Yu's parents were seated next to Chen Mo.
He could clearly hear the little girl's innocent voice.
"When is Big Sister Yu's match starting?"
"Very soon, probably."
"Be good, Xiao Ling."
"You need to cheer loudly for your sister later."
"Okay!"
"I'll yell as loud as possible!"
"I'll make sure everyone can hear me cheering for Sister Yu!"
"Mm."
"With Xiao Ling cheering for her, your sister will definitely win."
The middle-aged man opened his mouth.
But in the end, he said nothing.
Chen Mo had no intention of judging someone else's family affairs.
The fact that they had come together to support Mo Yu already seemed meaningful enough.
Of course—
How Mo Yu herself felt about it was another matter entirely.
Time slowly passed.
Knowing exactly what the audience wanted, the host wasted no time.
After a brief introduction, he moved directly to the main event.
"Now then!"
"Let's welcome today's stars of the Dragon Duel with the loudest applause possible!"
"From Anping First High School—"
Mo Yu!
"And the Pokémon trainer who refuses to follow convention—"
Teacher Gengar!
The energetic announcement echoed throughout the stadium.
From the left tunnel emerged Mo Yu.
Wearing a blue-and-white tournament uniform.
Short hair resting on her shoulders.
Eyes filled with determination.
Combined with her naturally attractive appearance, she instantly triggered an enormous wave of cheers.
Gengar's entrance from the right side was slightly slower.
The moment it stepped out and spotted Mo Yu walking toward center stage—
It looked unhappy.
After the Top 16, the organizers had prepared uniforms for every competitor.
All participants were required to wear official tournament attire from this point forward.
More formal.
More professional.
Just like the uniform Mo Yu was currently wearing.
As for why Gengar was upset—
The reason was obvious.
Everyone had a uniform.
Everyone except it.
In Gengar's eyes, this was blatant discrimination.
Who said Pokémon couldn't wear human clothes?
Ghosts deserved uniforms too!
Ghosts were Top 16 competitors too!
Fortunately—
As cheers began erupting from every direction and countless people shouted encouragement toward it—
Gengar temporarily forgot about the uniform issue.
Instead, it happily basked in the support of its fans.
Its bouncing, energetic movements and naturally comical appearance, combined with its unique status as the only Pokémon trainer in the tournament, quickly set the stadium ablaze.
"Big Sister, good luck!!!"
"Teacher Gengar, you're invincible!!!"
"Mo Yu, you can do it!"
"AHHHHHHH!!! Miss Mo Yu! You and Fraxure are the best!"
"Go little shark!!!"
Countless voices mixed together.
Passionate fans waved glow sticks frantically and screamed themselves hoarse.
This atmosphere—
Was something Chen Mo rarely experienced from the commentary booth.
So—
He joined in as well.
And offered his applause.
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