Chapter 974

"Battling."

"For me, it was once a path to realizing my dreams."

In my early childhood.

Shanren loved watching the Champion Leagues of various regions.

When the Champions defeated one Elite Four member after another, one challenger after another with unrivaled power, he could always feel his blood boiling.

Although the surrounding environment was like shit, under the protection of his parents, the young and ignorant him was full of longing—

Wanting to become a Champion.

Possessing that incomparable strength.

Perhaps one day, he could end the tragedies constantly unfolding around him because of it.

However.

Before Shanren truly began to grow.

A sudden "accident" took away his beloved mother.

At first, he deeply hated his father, who still put on a false front even though his most loved one had already passed away.

But whenever lonely nights descended, whenever he woke up from nightmares, he discovered that the person he hated most deep down was actually himself.

If he had become strong a little earlier, none of the tragedies would have happened.

Thus.

The dream gradually evolved into an obsession.

At the age of twelve, the conspiracy of the Mayor of Pith City, Barklay—real name: Elder Ejin—was destroyed by a defector from the Snag Team, and the Shadow Team hiding behind the Oulei region was shattered for the first time.

Shanren, like a temporarily liberated prisoner, gained the opportunity to study abroad.

He cherished it very much.

After all, this was the closest he had ever been to his dream; the life he had been thinking about since childhood was about to arrive.

The night before he left.

Shanren contacted his father and made a promise to him that he would return as a Champion.

His father said nothing.

At that time, they hadn't spoken normally for a long time.

Specializing in the Psychic type was Shanren's decision; he believed this type symbolized endless change while also possessing the power to protect.

It fit his wish to change and protect very well.

This also made Shanren, who had just arrived at a Trainer Academy in Cyllage City, Kalos, full of ambition.

Life was very easy.

The freedom of being released from constraints and the friendliness of the people around him exceeded his imagination.

But he didn't slack off; he worked twice as hard, becoming the busiest one in the school.

Giving up socializing, giving up entertainment.

The longing for the Champion title was greater than everything else, and it was also the driving force that pushed him forward.

Someone once asked him—"Are you happy like this?"

Actually, it felt unexpectedly good; being able to grow stronger together with his Pokémon, having new changes every day, made him somewhat unable to stop.

Although he didn't make friends, it didn't matter much.

The path of a Trainer is a single-plank bridge, there is only one Champion position, and he didn't want to waste too much time on emotional exchanges.

Just as Shanren wished.

He quickly became the strongest one in the school.

Full of hope, he began to challenge Gyms, attempting to obtain the qualification to participate in the League Assembly.

Many twists and turns occurred in between.

There were wins and losses.

But fortunately, he gained something every time he finished challenging a Gym; he believed this was something one must experience to grow.

Just like that.

On the competition stage of the Lumiose Assembly.

Shanren encountered a gap in strength that he couldn't understand.

In the Round of 16 match, which symbolized the ticket to advance to the finals, Alakazam, Meowstic, and Bronzong were all defeated by the opponent's Venusaur.

His first Assembly ended.

So carelessly, without any room for regret...

It ended.

And the opponent continued to march forward, winning the final victory.

Shanren felt blushing and ashamed because of this.

Unknowingly, he had become arrogant, thinking he was the hardest-working person in the world, the only one crossing the bridge among thousands of troops.

Afterward.

He watched the Champion League.

And discovered that the Trainer who had easily defeated him was actually defeated even more easily by Champion Diantha.

Shanren realized for the first time that the peak where the Champion stood was far higher than he had imagined.

High to the point of despair.

It was just a failure in his first Assembly, after all.

After learning that the winner had participated in the Assembly three times, he gradually cheered up.

He had only been out for a year; he could completely catch up slowly.

Assuming the past was to make up for his own negative numbers, then from now on, he would work hard to turn them into positive numbers.

The second Silver Assembly—

Top 4.

The third Ever Grande Assembly—

Top 4.

The repetitive results made Shanren feel anxious.

Moreover, the strength of his Pokémon seemed to have reached a plateau; not only was the level increase extremely slow, but various abilities also fell into stagnation.

He began to doubt himself, thinking about what he had actually worked hard for in the past year?

Could it be just like what some people said.

Was he lacking talent?

Having experienced three Assemblies, Shanren was forced to expand his circle of friends, just because battles between Trainers help each other improve.

When battling others, he learned that most Champions participated in the Assembly for the first time, and then marched all the way to the Champion throne.

While Trainers without enough talent, no matter how many times they participate in the Assembly, still cannot get the results they want.

No.

This statement is wrong.

Deep down, Shanren rejected the theory of talent, even though he was actually the most clear about the deeds of the Champions.

He still carried his dream and couldn't just fall on the road like this.

Just when Shanren felt lost, members of the Save Organization located outside Oulei found him.

He took the opportunity to learn about the Save Organization's overall plan, including his father's intentions.

That day.

Shanren felt like he was a joke.

Compared to those people in front of him who were doing real things, he had only done useless work.

But the appearance of the Save Organization was not to make Shanren give up.

On the contrary, they prepared to send him into the newly established Blueberry Academy, using that platform to continue improving his strength and march toward the Champion throne of his dreams.

Shanren agreed.

But he could no longer concentrate as he had in the past; he began to read some books unrelated to battling and slowed down the frequency of training.

Unexpectedly, his Pokémon began to improve again.

Preparing like this for nearly a year.

He didn't go to challenge the Unova League Assembly nearby, but came to the Sinnoh region.

The Gym challenge went very smoothly, so smoothly that it gave him a certain expectation.

Can I win the Assembly this time?

I don't know when.

His goal slowly changed from breaking through the Champion League to breaking through the League Assembly.

But without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles?

Shanren was very good at self-persuasion.

Until he was defeated in the finals by a Trainer who was participating in the Assembly for the first time and was younger than him.

"It's so good to have talent."

Shanren remembered this was the first sentence he blurted out after his defeat.

After saying it, he was stunned.

He, who had only cried bitterly at his mother's funeral, after handing his injured Pokémon to Nurse Joy, sat in a corner, biting his teeth in unwillingness, weeping silently.

Why are people...

Given the emotion of "jealousy"?

He didn't want to have the thought of "it's so good to have talent" about others at all.

Even if he encountered failure time and time again, he had to keep working hard; he also wanted to feel proud of himself and his Pokémon.

Shanren began to loathe himself.

He spent more time reading other books, adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward training, and no longer watched various match recordings tirelessly as he had in the past.

Since battling couldn't satisfy his wishes.

Then he would take other paths.

One day.

The Save Organization sent news that they were preparing to take action; the third-generation leader of the Shadow Team, the source of all tragedies, Elder Ejin, was attempting to establish the Oulei League.

Shanren decisively chose to respond and returned to his hometown, which he had been away from for many years.

He didn't stay in Pith City for a long time.

Mainly because he was worried that if he saw Elder Ejin's hypocritical and disgusting face too many times, he wouldn't be able to help but rush over and tear it off.

Furthermore.

He believed that after his systematic study, he could at least intervene in the affairs of Iron Town.

His long-lost father encouraged him and told him about a promising young man.

The young man was praised to the skies.

Something about being untainted by the mud and destined for greatness in the future.

Shanren became curious about the young man; he looked through his files and discovered that the latter had made many great achievements in just a few months.

Carrying colleagues out of abandoned mines, saving colleagues in charity assemblies, and not wantonly selling Pokémon or spending money on debauchery.

Every step he took was for the sake of moving forward, and every cent was spent on places that allowed his Pokémon to improve.

Shanren also began to appreciate this person.

He felt that the young man was very much like his former self, just in a harsher living environment.

With the help of a small competition with little gold content.

Shanren met him formally.

He could feel an out-of-place temperament on the other party, but it wasn't like what outsiders possessed...

The gradually deepening curiosity exploded completely in the subsequent battle.

What did he see?

He saw the determination, rare even in the outside world, of a Trainer and Pokémon with a unified goal, firmly moving toward a common direction!

If talent truly exists.

Shanren felt that this young man must be the one who possessed it.

Living in such a terrible environment, the bond established with his Pokémon was so precious that even he wanted to hold it carefully.

The second meeting.

Was at an auction.

He and a friend he met at Blueberry Academy—A-Wu—wanted to rescue the kidnapped Deino together.

Coincidentally, A-Wu saw that wooden plaque, the wooden plaque symbolizing the young man's identity.

Only then did Shanren know that the other party was very likely a member of the Dragon People lost in Oulei.

No wonder.

He would possess that kind of rare talent.

Shanren thought of Lance, the most famous Dragon Person in the world.

He suddenly felt an impulse, an impulse to invite the other party to become a partner.

Since he couldn't become a Champion no matter what, what if he cultivated one?

The young man possessed value worth his investment.

However, the matter was of great importance; he used the Save Organization's mouth to probe the other party and ask for his thoughts.

Was he leaving Oulei, or fighting with them?

The answer was very pleasing.

Shanren felt he had encountered a treasure.

Many subsequent events made him discover that what he had picked up was more than just a treasure; it was clearly a treasure trove!

The young man was almost like himself in his dreams, growing rapidly and making a series of unimaginable great achievements.

Winning the Assembly, defeating the Elite Four, and making a huge name for himself.

Everything he had dreamed of was held in the hands of this young man he had high hopes for.

And he himself.

Remained in Oulei, working hard to achieve his goals through other directions...

Goals?

The once-clear words became blurred; saving Oulei through administrative work was also a very good path!

But whenever night descended.

Many memories, many scenes always flashed in his mind.

To avoid being affected, Shanren chose to take sleep aids, cast hypnosis on himself, and increase his workload.

As long as his body was tired enough, he wouldn't dream.

He could forget everything.

Forget...

——

"Fury Cutter!!"

Tetsuya's angry shout interrupted Shanren's thoughts.

These past two days.

He always uncontrollably recalled past events, even on the critical competition stage.

He should have been focusing on the battle.

Tetsuya, winner of the Ever Grande Assembly, an excellent young Trainer who succeeded on his first challenge.

Just like his opponent at the Lily of the Valley Assembly.

His Pokémon were even more naturally powerful; even after he racked his brains, he still inevitably fell into a disadvantage.

Ding!

The Twisted Spoon was knocked away.

The crisp sound symbolized that the opportunities left for Mega Alakazam were becoming fewer and fewer.

But Shanren had no other choice.

A sufficient number of status moves and tactics were his only weapons.

"Just drag it out like this!"

He conveyed his will to Mega Alakazam in his heart; the price of taking the initiative to attack was too high.

Perhaps he could also try?

It was nothing more than losing.

Shanren's lips curled into an imperceptible arc.

But it was noticed by Otsuka and others who were constantly watching him from the audience.

"Boss! The President... did he smile? Smiling at this time must mean he's confident!"

That's what they thought.

A-Wu, who hadn't spoken, said: "Actually, not necessarily..."

Everyone looked at him upon hearing this.

A-Wu realized he had made a slip of the tongue and covered his mouth, but after discovering Dinis was also looking over with a probing expression.

He said helplessly: "I met Shanren at Blueberry Academy; he was already a very powerful figure in the school at that time, but he had a nickname called 'Efficiency Expert'."

"Any battle he saw no hope in, he would let it take its course and default to failure, waiting to win again in the next battle. I'm worried he... has developed that kind of thought again."

Choosing to give up at a critical Assembly!?

Everyone looked at Shanren in shock, and as the Twisted Spoon was knocked away time and time again, Protect was used and used again.

Compared to the urgent Mega Sceptile, the relaxed Mega Alakazam seemed more like what A-Wu said than being confident.

Once the Twisted Spoon is used up, if Mega Sceptile isn't poisoned to the ground, it's over!

All Baimu didn't speak, just gazed at Shanren below, his face full of a calm smile.

On the field.

Ding!

The last Twisted Spoon was knocked away.

Mega Sceptile's storm-like Fury Cutter continued, and the toxic foam overflowing from its mouth didn't affect its combat power in the slightest.

It's coming!

The final moment!

Divine light overflowed from its eyes, shattering the light barrier that had lit up in front of it, and then it swung out a fatal sharp blade!

Shanren watched this scene with his own eyes, suddenly having the illusion that the whole world had begun to slow down.

His brain became extremely active, all his senses were heightened to the extreme, and his vision was clearer than ever before!

He even felt the gaze All Baimu was sending from the audience.

It's estimated that only All Baimu would possess this kind of look.

As if things he had decided on could never be changed by any situation.

Arrogant guy!

I really want you to handle this kind of situation...

This kind of situation?

Shanren's gaze was somewhat dazed; he recalled the first time he met All Baimu.

And the reason he would bet on All Baimu.

Did they snatch the stolen Deino together?

The friendship of resisting the Shadow Team together?

The goal of building Oulei together?

No.

It was the call, the call that made Aggron stand tall and even evolve when he was on the verge of despair.

At that moment, he, who was completely shocked deep down, understood that there was something incredibly precious in this person.

Precisely because of this.

When he later discovered All Baimu was still marching forward, he decided to completely put down battling and shift the focus of his future elsewhere.

Genius?

All Baimu might be a genius, that's true.

But what he himself lacked was more than just the talent for raising Pokémon.

It was more conviction, more of a pure heart that was indomitable and deeply connected to his Pokémon.

He worked hard on his own, and felt lost on his own, using his own abilities to decide the future of his Pokémon.

Seemingly moving forward, but how many times had he actually put his eyes on them?

It was he who was arrogant and inferior.

"It's so good to have talent."

In a simple sentence, it was filled with envy and jealousy, as if everything was caused by luck, lightly as if others had completely sat back and enjoyed the fruits of others' labor.

To reach that kind of strength, how could it be something one could rush up to just by relying on talent and luck.

In the past week or even more distant time, he witnessed All Baimu and those Pokémon training with his own eyes.

That was several times the effort compared to him.

Even the so-called laziest Galarian Corsola had a training volume more than twice what they once had.

The sentence "it's so good to have talent" easily overturned all the efforts All Baimu and his Pokémon had made.

He knew better than anyone how much hardship and time it took to become stronger!

How shameful.

In the name of building Oulei, he constantly deceived himself, participated in the competition while pretending to be mature, and called it wanting to draw a perfect period for the past.

In reality... it was just self-deception.

Afraid of gaining nothing after trying his best, afraid of not getting a return if he continued.

The results of the four Assemblies were never glory; they were scars, each time he touched them, he felt pain, to the point where he stopped completely and dared not move forward again.

Using work to numb his own will, even entrusting his Pokémon to others, he never faced his inner thoughts, simply using various excuses to muddle through.

As a result, he remained immersed in pain.

He had no face to face All Baimu.

He also had no face to face the Pokémon that had always silently protected him and accompanied him on his growth journey until now.

He had even less face to face the former self who wanted to make Oulei prosperous with his own strength.

"Father! I will definitely become a Champion! I will return to save Oulei!"

The promise made when parting with his father the day before leaving home was still unforgettable.

The will continuously transmitted back through the mind link awakened a firm heart.

At this very moment.

Shanren stood in the position All Baimu had once stood.

He looked directly at the thoughts deep in his heart.

Really...

I don't want to lose!

I don't want to let down everyone's expectations, I don't want to let down the Pokémon's expectations, and I don't want to let down my own expectations!

The voice from the bottom of his heart was as deafening as a great bell, prompting Shanren to slowly raise his right hand.

If possible.

He wanted to find the self that was full of longing once again.

And then.

Win together with his most beloved Pokémon!

"Can you still hold on?"

"Yes!!"

Ding!!

The crisp striking sound echoed in the arena.

In the shocked eyes of all the audience, under the unbelievable gaze of the commentator.

Mega Alakazam raised its thumb high, and the decisive sharp light blade was blocked by the twisted spoon in its hand just like that.

"Fury Cutter! Fury Cutter deflected! Alakazam actually took out another spoon!!"

Commentator Shiratori roared, and after seeing clearly, he said in disbelief: "An ordinary stainless steel spoon!?"

That's right.

The spoon held in Mega Alakazam's hand was not a special spoon created by its psychic power at all.

It was an ordinary stainless steel spoon!

But even so, Mega Sceptile still subconsciously hit the spoon with Fury Cutter based on the experience of slashing five spoons before!

Although it almost cut it off and knocked half of Mega Alakazam's body crooked.

But at this moment.

Facing Mega Sceptile, which was close at hand, Mega Alakazam, which had always been passively beaten, gained the opportunity to counterattack!

Even if only for a brief moment.

It's enough!

"Expanding Force!"

"Detect!!"

Shanren and Tetsuya's voices rang out one after another, one calm, one anxious.

It's just.

Before the voices rang out.

The powerful Psychic Pokémon—Mega Alakazam had already taken action.

An unprecedented, dazzling light erupted from the gem on its forehead.

Completely connected to the Trainer's heart, nearly resonating, it lowered its raised fingers.

You.

Have been defeated!

Mega Alakazam, capable of glimpsing the "future," had read the final result from the very beginning.

And it firmly believed that what it saw was reality!

"Jiu-gai—"

Mega Sceptile shrieked, attempting to pull away, but the pink-purple light forming under its feet was faster!

Psychic energy, like a square pillar of light, rose up!

Hum!!

The terrifying light that seemed to distort reality engulfed Mega Sceptile, then exploded with a bang!

Bang!

"Sceptile——!!"

Tetsuya's shout echoed in the arena.

Shanren held his right hand up, his eyes filled with unprecedented confidence and a smile; it could be said that he had been paving the way for this strike throughout the entire match.

Psychic Terrain, Toxic, and even the Twisted Spoon and Protect.

All he wanted was a chance, a chance to counterattack Mega Sceptile.

For this, he gambled!

Gambled that Mega Sceptile would attack the spoon out of inertia, gambled that Alakazam would absolutely hold on!

Shanren didn't need to pay anything; he just needed to maintain trust.

And the Pokémon that receives the Trainer's trust.

Will definitely be able to do it!

——"Mega Alakazam held on so as not to make you sad!"

The smoke cleared.

Revealing Sceptile, which had returned to its original form.

With long-term Toxic plus the Expanding Force amplified by Psychic Terrain, unless Sceptile had a locked-HP ability, it was absolutely impossible for it to hold on.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! Alakazam wins!"

At this moment!

The whole arena was in an uproar!

No one expected that Mega Alakazam would finish off Mega Sceptile in the final moment through a deceptive form!

What happened to using Toxic to drag out time?

How did it suddenly counterattack?

The same thought filled Tetsuya's heart; he quickly sent out Torkoal, causing the sunlight to descend again.

"Overheat——"

Before he could finish shouting the command, Mega Alakazam used Expanding Force first.

Hum!

The prismatic light pillar rose!

Torkoal, which was not in full condition and had no Trick Room acceleration, naturally couldn't dodge this swift attack.

Bang!

Smoke and dust exploded.

Torkoal was on its back, fainted without any suspense.

"Torkoal is unable to battle! Alakazam wins! The winner of this match is Shanren!"

"An amazing reversal! Tetsuya lost by only one step, losing everything!"

Shiratori's voice left many people unable to recover for a long time.

On the field.

Shanren raised his fist, and Mega Alakazam teleported to his side, clenching its fist to touch his.

"Well done, partner."

"Fu!"

Twenty years old.

The road has clearly just begun, how can one say goodbye so easily?