At this moment, Xiao Guang immediately understood what King A'Liu had meant.
This person... is he going to challenge that ridiculously strong monster trainer, Darkto?
"You are...?" On the field, Darkto saw this silhouette and paused slightly.
Other trainers watching the battle shifted their attention to Fang Yuan, and their expressions changed multiple times.
They were a bit doubtful but not sure.
"Championship sequence number 12, Fang Yuan." Fang Yuan lowered his hand, revealing his face.
Wow!
As Fang Yuan announced his name, the entire venue instantly erupted into a commotion.
Unlike Xiao Guang, who didn't pay attention to championships and wasn't a trainer yet, the other trainers present had some understanding of the championships.
Who is Fang Yuan...
In just a few days, the legendary trainer who maintained a 100% winning rate, climbing from rank 100 to 12.
Although they might not have a clear impression of Fang Yuan's appearance, hearing his name instantly surprised everyone.
"That Fang Yuan?"
"The one who defeated the Lian Wu King from the United Region?"
"Number 12 in the championship... Who else could it be but him? He's actually come to this town, and he's going to..."
Everyone turned to look at Darkto, who had been challenged.
"Fang Yuan, huh?"
Darkto was stunned, completely unexpected.
He too had heard of this name before and immediately became grave.
Such a guy... is actually here to challenge me.
His strength seems to be very formidable...
If it's a 2 vs 2 championship battle, even he's not very confident.
However... Darkto soon smiled, "Of course, it's possible."
His past dozen battles were nothing to Darkrai, not even a warm-up, barely enough to serve as an afternoon tea, just a dessert, so to speak.
After all, his goal in the championship wasn't the "Eight Masters" nor the ranking, but just to build his own reputation.
Facing Fang Yuan isn't bad either, and even though the opponent's ranking is high, who's to say that he will definitely lose since his Pokémon, after all, are among the elite in King-level Elves.
It might be worth a try... Darkto quickly made his judgment.
"Then let's do it," Fang Yuan took out his phone.
The intention was clear.
Establish a championship battle.
The loser takes the points.
...
"F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck!!"
"Huge news!!!"
"Mystery Trainer Fang Yuan, ranked number 12 in the championship, is going to battle against God Beast Man Darkto, ranked 49."
After Fang Yuan and Darkto made eye contact to confirm the battle, the venue immediately boiled over with excitement, and everyone started notifying their friends with their phones.
[Battle established.]
On the other side, after Fang Yuan sent a challenge to Darkto through his phone, Darkto quickly accepted it.
The speed at which both parties confirmed the battle excited all the observing trainers at the venue.
What's going on here?
At this public battlefield, we're actually going to witness a battle of such level???
Since it's a championship battle, a formal championship referee is needed to oversee it, so Fang Yuan and Darkto merely stood at opposite ends of the field after the battle was set up, waiting for the referee to arrive before they could start.
Shallowtown might be ordinary, but there were still championship-certified referees, and moreover, as this was a public battlefield, there would surely be referees present.
"Ranked number 12... what does that mean?"
As the spectator stand buzzed with people taking photos and filming, Xiao Guang asked, puzzled.
Everyone seemed very surprised when Fang Yuan appeared just now.
Is Fang Yuan really that powerful?
"The Pokémon World Championship is a ranking contest for trainers all over the world; many masters participate, and the ranking approximately corresponds to a trainer's ranking worldwide. For instance, Darkto's ranking in the championship is 49, which means there are very few trainers in the world who are stronger than him," Aliu patiently explained to the little girl. "Including the trainers who do not participate in the championship, there might not even be more than 200."
"As for Fang Yuan, ranking number 12 is a symbol of his strength. The trainers ahead of him are basically champions of various alliances, like Hirona, Du, Da Wu, and the like."
Xiao Guang's face showed surprise, looking at Fang Yuan. Was he really that formidable, with a higher ranking than Darkto? No wonder everyone was so astonished.
"What are your rankings then?" Xiao Guang asked next.
This question made Ohba, Aliu, and Satoru fall silent.
Ohba laughed, "Heh, my highest rank was 18, more or less on par with Fang Yuan."
Satoru also said, "The three of us could easily reach the top 50, I guess."
"Yeah, that's right," Aliu nodded.
At that moment, Mrs. Cai Zi was searching on her phone: "Xiao Guang, there's an app that shows the rankings in the championship~"
"Really?" Xiao Guang exclaimed with joy, feeling like she had found the door to a new world.
The Sinnoh Elite Three, on the other hand, immediately tensed up. MMP, damn Fang Yuan, this grudge from being ousted from the top 100 must be avenged once we become stronger!
...
Location: Shallow Onion Town Public Battlefield.
Competitors: Fang Yuan, Darkto.
Battle rules: 2VS2.
At that moment, personnel with referee qualifications at the public battlefield quickly arrived at the scene. He was red-faced and gasping for breath from running over.
A championship battle involving the top 50 being officiated by him, in this small battlefield??? Is that really alright?
Such contestants should be in the super-metropolis, fighting public battles.
After such a battle, they could probably count ticket money until their hands cramped.