Shallowtown.
Inside a room at the Gorgeous Contest Venue.
Top-ranking Coordinating Trainer Marina sat in a chair, leaning forward, tending to her blue hair in the mirror, pondering what hairstyle to use for her appearance tomorrow.
However, she was more concerned about the unexpected challenge from Tobias, with whom she had already arranged a championship battle; this test was far more pressure-inducing than any performance.
"The advantage of performing all over the world is that you're easily challenged..."
"Rank 49... A bit high, but worth a try."
If one always stayed in one place, there wouldn't be so many opportunities to encounter trainers within the top 100 of the championship.
Marina smiled faintly, but soon she grew hesitant due to this Tobias being different from the rivals she had faced before—their strength was formidable, and their Pokemon were rare enough.
She had never battled against Darkrai or Latios before, completely lacking experience.
So, in this upcoming battle, she could potentially be defeated... She didn't have much confidence, although the strength Tobias had shown wasn't overwhelming, she wasn't much better either.
"Which Pokemon should I send out..."
Thud, thud, thud.
Just as Marina was contemplating her upcoming battle with Tobias, someone suddenly knocked on her door.
"Miss Marina! Miss Marina!"
"Something big has happened."
"Rixiang, what's wrong?" Inside the room, Marina was slightly startled and said, "Come in."
As she spoke, the door was promptly pushed open, and Marina's assistant Rixiang came running in, panting and with eyes wide: "That Tobias... the one who is supposed to battle you..."
"Hmm..." Marina looked at her and nodded, "What exactly happened?"
"He said he's sorry and that the battle tomorrow might be canceled, that he needs to cool off," Marina's assistant said.
Marina: ???
"Apparently... it seems he was soundly defeated by another trainer and it affected his mentality quite a bit."
"Who??" Marina also widened her eyes in disbelief.
That Tobias, a King Level Trainer, having his mentality crushed by someone else? They were no novices, after all.
"It's this person..." Marina's assistant took out her phone, which displayed the championship APP ranking page.
She pointed at "Top10: Fang Yuan" with his profile picture and name, saying earnestly, "There should be a battle video by now, Miss Marina, you might want to see it for yourself..."
"Fang Yuan? Isn't he the trainer whose rank soared recently? He's reached the 10th position now? He's the one who had the battle with Tobias?" Marina paused as she recognized the name.
Shortly after, guided by her assistant, she began looking for battle videos recorded by spectators.
Because of his easy victory over Tobias, Fang Yuan's ranking climbed from 12th to 10th position.
This shift in ranking not only captured Marina's attention but suddenly drew the focus of championship trainers from around the world.
Since the battle against Tobias was in a public venue, the video of Fang Yuan's fight was no secret.
Even though the filming quality was not great, as long as one wasn't deaf and blind, it was clear what had happened.
Fans started to voice their opinions online.
How, who was culturally ignorant: "Damn, isn't that the Ice Dragon Chief Rayquaza from Ice Sealed Twin Dragons City?? Damn, Ditto transformed into a Legendary Pokemon? Even seeing Rayquaza in person shouldn't make that possible!!"
Daring Ideas: "Exactly, how could it be!!! My Ditto can't even transform into a person, let alone have this kind of power. It one-shotted Latios; are you sure this isn't Rayquaza itself??"
Alamos Town Enthusiastic Resident: "Did no one notice? Fang Yuan's Darkrai... that Darkrai... it pulled the Temporal and Spatial dragons out of the Dark Hole!!"
"Back when the Temporal and Spatial dragons invaded Alamos Town, there was a trainer commanding Darkrai to use a similar power and held off the dragons' attack on the town!!"
"I get it, it was him, the trainer who commanded Darkrai to withstand the Temporal and Spatial dragons was Fang Yuan!"
Dr. Ali, who studied theology: "... with Rayquaza, Darkrai, the Nightmare God, and the Temporal and Spatial dragons involved, why do I feel like Mr. Fang Yuan looks more like a Beast Man than Tobias, taming Legendary Pokemon, Ditto transforming into Legendary Pokemon, Darkrai, the Nightmare God, creating phantoms of Legendary Pokemon, he truly loves Legendary Pokemon!"
With Fang Yuan's battle against Tobias out in the open, it once again clarified Fang Yuan's strength to the public.
It wasn't just the Milotic and the Self-detonating Magnetic Monster from before but also two new and powerful Pokemon.
A Ditto that could transform into the Legendary Pokemon Rayquaza, conservatively estimated to have Champion Level strength!
A Darkrai that could materialize phantoms of the Temporal and Spatial dragons, its power unfathomable!
Within less than a day, Fang Yuan completely dominated the championship's official forum.
In the Galar Region, Union President Loz watched silently as Fang Yuan's rank shot up and then looked at Gibana, who was currently ranked eighth, nearly crying.
Loz felt it was too hard on them, with Gibana stuck as the gatekeeper among the Eight Masters, and behind her, Dr. Alola Kukui and Fang Yuan likened to Danti, looming menacingly. Loz couldn't help feeling like Galar's dream of having two 'Eight Masters' was about to be shattered.