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March 22nd, Sunday. Clear blue skies.
This year's first Ultra Ball-tier tournament would grandly commence at Goldenrod's Poké Dome.
Thus, the stadium seats were packed even before dawn.
As a top-tier Ultra Ball event, most spectators were naturally locals from Kanto and Johto. But many loyal fans had also traveled from other regions to cheer for their hometown competitors.
Before the matches began, the giant screen beneath the shimmering Poké Ball emblem cycled through the tournament's star trainers.
Most were regional Psychic-type Gym Leaders and renowned elite trainers.
"I'm a decade-long diehard fan of Miss Sabrina!"
"When it comes to skill, Kalos' Miss Olympia is no slouch either—psychic users have tiers too!"
"Honestly, the most normal-looking one in the pre-match promo was probably Teacher Azure…"
Among the rotating footage, other trainers struck flamboyant poses in customized outfits, while Aiden appeared just as he always did.
Yet that unchanging confident smile made his stream viewers feel right at home.
"When challenging us in Paldea, Teacher Azure smiled just like this—so authentic!"
"Go, Teacher Azure! Show them Paldea's strength!"
"To be fair… did you all forget we have an official Psychic-type Gym Leader, Miss Tulip? She's competing too!"
"..."
In a way, Aiden's overwhelming popularity did tend to overshadow other excellent trainers.
But reminded of this, his Paldean fans quickly rallied to cheer for both Tulip and Aiden.
Meanwhile, in an unassuming corner of the Poké Dome, a black-haired youth with a slanted bang showcasing his personality impatiently awaited the opening ceremony.
"I heard DJ Mary is one of the commentators for this tournament—I can't wait!"
"As for the matches themselves… watching won't hurt. I'll stand on stages like this someday anyway!"
His voice carried loudly. Though drowned out by the Dome's roar, it still drew glances from nearby spectators.
Among them, another red-haired youth his age glanced over, then shook his head.
'Such bold words…'
'But it's none of my concern.'
The red-haired youth's expression remained cold, intently waiting for the tournament's start.
To prove that person wrong, he had to become the strongest trainer.
This Master Tournament in Johto was a perfect chance to absorb elite battle experience—possibly useful for his growth.
Moreover, he'd heard a young but exceptionally strong Gym Leader would compete, worthy of close attention.
As the red-haired youth pondered this, his twitchy companion suddenly leaped up, shouting so loudly it startled him:
"DJ Mary is the best!!!"
The central screen had indeed changed.
Beside the adored "DJ Mary"—who did look adorably cute—sat a handsome redhead.
But compared to DJ Mary, the true crowd-drawer was clearly this Johto legend: Dragon Master Lance.
"Good morning, everyone!"
DJ Mary's sweet voice instantly filled the arena.
As Johto's most famous broadcaster, her professionalism was unquestionable. Within moments, she'd electrified the crowd.
Beside her, Lance remained nearly silent—upholding his "wind-like cool beauty" persona.
Watching from his player lounge, Aiden shook his head.
Though he'd known Lance would commentate—likely to cover ongoing matches—
'Judging by these few minutes… he feels more like the "pretty face" while DJ Mary does all the heavy lifting.'
'Quite ironic.'
As time passed, DJ Mary soon turned serious:
"Thus, the Goldenrod Psychic-type Master Tournament officially begins now!"
"Let's turn our attention to the upcoming matches, anticipating the competitors' brilliant performances in the first round~"
Unlike past events, pragmatic Johto skipped lengthy opening ceremonies or exhibition matches between star trainers. The main tournament began immediately.
Probably because Johto's biggest star—Lance—was already in the commentary booth. The other Elite Fours, with their personalities, certainly wouldn't perform exhibition matches. So they'd given up on the idea.
"According to the schedule, my match is quite early today. But my opponent… someone I've never heard of."
As Aiden waited for the first match to start, he muttered to himself.
This tournament's format mirrored the Dragon-type Master Tournament in Mesagoza: five matches over three days to crown eight group-stage winners for the elimination rounds.
Compared to his previous world's sports tournaments, Pokémon world championships moved at breakneck speed. Type Master Tournaments were relatively leisurely.
For larger events like regional conferences, group stages would split into multiple brackets—nearly a hundred matches daily, rapidly filtering elites for eliminations.
Overall—a trade-off.
Since no one had rankings on Day 1, matchups relied entirely on luck.
But likely to ease spectators into the action, top seeds avoided facing each other initially.
Aiden's third-round slot pitted him against David—a psychic user.
'Theoretically, unknown trainers aren't top-tier.'
'But still… can't be careless in the first match. Must secure victory,' Aiden thought, mentally preparing himself.
...
Thirty minutes flew by.
The first two matches were exciting—but to viewers, merely appetizers.
The main course now scrolled across the giant screen!
"Teacher Azure's on so early? Bros, let's hype the atmosphere!"
"Though I know Teacher Azure won't flop in group stages… still—go, Teacher Azure!"
"Cheering before the match even starts? Teacher Azure's suddenly covered in victory flags before his win lol."
Standing in the player tunnel, Aiden couldn't make out the cheers clearly—the noise was deafening.
But he knew they were chanting his name.
His expression turned complex.
Don't celebrate at halftime… what if some mysterious causality curse triggers…
"Next, let's focus on our two competitors!"
DJ Mary's passionate voice rallied the crowd.
"They are—"
"From Johto, David—a formidable trainer who reached the quarterfinals at the Silver Conference!"
"And…"
Her voice paused. The Poké Dome fell eerily silent for three full seconds before she resumed, her tone brimming with excitement:
"Paldea's outstanding Gym Leader, Aiden—competing in his first Ultra Ball tournament!"
Honestly, the introduction was rather plain.
But it didn't matter—just hearing "Aiden" ignited the entire stadium.
"OHHHHHH!"
"Teacher Azure—the GOAT!"
"Calculate the opponent's psychological trauma… sometimes luck is tangibly felt…"
Cheers exploded. Under countless expectant gazes, Aiden emerged slowly from the player tunnel.
Standing on the battlefield, locking eyes with his opponent, the battle was set to begin.
But before it started, his opponent David suddenly smiled, greeting him warmly:
"Teacher Azure—I'm your loyal fan! I've got a nearly Level 20 fan badge on your livestream!"
The golden-haired young man's face glowed with excitement.
Aiden's mouth twitched involuntarily.
'Sure enough—my stream viewers aren't simple at all!'
'Facing a true stream fan in Round 1—is this fair?'
'No chance to throw the match here… one slip and it'll be obvious…'
As Aiden prepared polite words to brush this off, David raised a hand to stop him.
"I almost said 'go easy on me' or 'save face for a viewer'… but stepping onto this battlefield, I realized—"
"Fighting a serious Teacher Azure might actually be a happy thing."
"So let's have a passionate battle, Teacher Azure!"
"..."
Meeting his opponent's earnest gaze, Aiden sighed in relief. He nodded seriously:
"Understood. I look forward to your skills."
At their signal, the referee raised his flag:
"Battle start!"
A whistle blew. Both threw two Poké Balls simultaneously.
Red light flashed. The starters appeared before roaring crowds.
"David chose his ace Exeggutor—it seems he wants an all-out offense from the start."
Lance—usually silent except for visuals—sprang to life in his professional role.
"As for Aiden… Lucario is also one of his core Pokémon. A solid choice."
"In theory, Fighting-types are weak to Psychic moves, but Steel-typing's excellent defensive synergy offsets this."
"Of course, beyond theory, actual performance decides victory."
Lance's concise analysis earned DJ Mary's nod.
"Exactly."
'Leave professional analysis to professionals. I'm skilled at hosting, not battling.'
'Better to support Lance while fulfilling my basic duties.'
When Aiden sent out Lucario, David breathed a sigh of relief.
As a longtime stream viewer, he knew some intel about Aiden.
Like Aiden's apparent bond with Mew… and that "psychic-looking" Pokémon called Mewtwo that appeared in gym streams.
Facing Mew or a completely unknown Pokémon would make anyone sweat bullets…
'Thankfully, Teacher Azure kept it reasonable at the start.'
"Exeggutor, use Hypnosis!"
David—a "Teacher Azure model student"—immediately gave Aiden a headache.
'Bare Hypnosis at the start? Are you even human???'
Aiden suppressed his urge to complain, commanding instantly:
"Lucario, approach while using Detect to dodge!"
"Luca!"
Lucario roared fiercely, charging forward.
Beyond type disadvantages, Exeggutor had another flaw—abysmal Speed.
If it had Chlorophyll in bright sunlight, this Hypnosis might surprise opponents.
But today's sun wasn't intense enough to affect battles.
Thus, Lucario easily dodged the slow Hypnosis wave with an agile flip.
Simultaneously, the distance between them shrank rapidly.
Though the move missed, David grinned, shouting passionately:
"Didn't expect this, Teacher Azure!"
"My Exeggutor holds an Blunder Policy!"
Knowing he'd face Aiden today, David felt both nervous and excited.
'After lurking in Teacher Azure's streams so long… today he'll test my learning results!'
Blunder Policy—a tool frequently featured in early Aiden streams—was David's exam answer.
"..."
Aiden frowned.
'Now his strategy makes sense.'
After triggering Blunder Policy, Exeggutor's Speed would double—matching Chlorophyll's effect.
With drastically increased Speed, its next moves would pose real threats.
But…
"Theory's one thing. In actual battles, psychics caught up in close combat rarely fare well, right?"
Battle momentum shifted in seconds. Wasting time explaining one's strategy only gave opponents openings.
'Villains die from monologuing—exactly this principle.'
A sly smile spread across Aiden's face as he commanded coldly:
"Lucario—close in and strike!"
The battlefield was small. In a blink, Lucario reached a critical position.
One more step—Exeggutor would enter its attack range.
David realized this too.
"Exeggutor, use Protect to block, then retreat!"
He made the optimal choice instinctively.
'Block this hit, create distance… with Exeggutor's new Speed, Lucario won't get close again!'
A solid plan—but…
"Luca!"
Facing Exeggutor's defensive stance—energy barrier thickening to absorb force—Lucario's eyes narrowed. It unleashed a punch at blinding speed.
Unseen Fist—a martial art passed down from Urshifu—made all defenses meaningless.
Every move had weaknesses.
To Lucario, the energy net's central connection point stood out clearly.
Break that—and the unbreakable barrier would shatter.
"Lucario!"
Lucario's fist pierced the Protect barrier. Black energy exploded from its right hand, slamming into Exeggutor's forehead and hurling it meters backward.
In the commentary booth, Lance froze mid-sentence.
'Did I see that right… was that Dark-type energy?'
This violent, defense-piercing style reminded him of a living legend—
Mustard, Isle of Armor Dojo master and former Galar Champion, and his famously ferocious Dark-type Urshifu.
That punch was too similar to Urshifu's signature Wicked Blow…
'But can Lucario even learn that move?'
Doubt lingered, but he kept it to himself—commentary required neutrality.
Exeggutor, knocked back by Lucario's punch, skidded to the arena's edge. After seconds of struggling, it finally collapsed—eyes rolling back.
"Ahhh? Lucario one-punched Exeggutor???"
"Wait… turns out Teacher Azure isn't just about mechanics—his stats are absurd too…"
"TERRIFIED. Imagining how I'll face this thing in Champion evaluation… suddenly feels like not earning this Gym Badge is fine!"
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