Chapter 959: Protagonist, Supporting Cast

"The valley centers on the sandstorm zone, extending 1,800 meters east! Flame Wheel knocked out Bulbasaur! Charizard wins! Congratulations to Kenji!"

Flobo passionately narrated.

But his commentary style resembled battlefield reports, making some viewers accustomed to metaphorical narration uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the match was thrilling enough that everyone was fully absorbed.

At this moment.

An hour had passed since the start; after intense, all-around competition, fewer than half the contestants remained.

The frequency of battles dropped sharply.

Many contestants had settled along the outer edges of the valley arena, where the terrain was widest and best for hiding with their Pokémon.

Yet the organizers had already planned ahead.

Each contestant wore a wristwatch displaying the arena map and their own location; every hour, a "shrink circle" would activate.

If you failed to reach the circle within the time limit, no matter how well you'd performed, you were immediately eliminated!

The preliminary round was scheduled from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. —eight hours enough to shrink the arena down to just sixty-four contestants.

To compensate for the contestants' and Pokémon's stamina loss, the organizers dispatched multi-role patrol drones to drop supplies.

Of course.

If your hiding spot was revealed because of the supply drops, there was nothing to be done.

Intentionally careless. jpg

Silber City.

Contestant rest area.

Marina stood anxiously outside the teleportation point, a Kadabra tracing circles in the air, bringing back the person and Pokémon she longed for.

"Junichi! Dusclops!"

She ran forward.

The boy with chestnut hair winced in pain, his Dusclops' eyes sparkling like stars.

"Ow… Marina!"

Junichi saw Marina sprinting toward him, saw the look of deep concern on her face, and instantly forgot all pain—he rose to meet her.

Unfortunately, the movements weren't as fast as the medical staff.

They moved in to perform a preliminary check on Junichi and Dusclops, then confirmed whether he had serious external or internal injuries based on the impact sensors on his protective suit.

After basic confirmation, they loaded him and Dusclops onto stretchers and transported them separately to the hospital and the Pokémon Center.

"Hey! Put me down! I need to talk to Marina!"

Junichi shouted, but the medics would never agree.

Safety concerns affected Orre's international image; they wouldn't allow any situation that might lead to accidents.

Marina sighed in relief after learning her friend wasn't seriously hurt and was merely undergoing detailed checks as a precaution.

She turned back to the large screen in the rest room, watching Kenji steadily moving toward the center, seeking more opponents.

"Please, please don't get too close to the center!"

Marina silently prayed.

Junichi had gotten too close to the arena's center and been blasted into the air along with Dusclops by a sudden Super Mega Steelix!

He hadn't even had time to counterattack—couldn't even tell where the opponent was!

The three of them had traveled thousands of miles from the Johto region to Orre—not to be background characters!

(Left: Marina, Center: Kenji, Right: Junichi)

Too bad.

Kenji, inside the arena, knew none of this—he was merely curious about the massive sandstorm at the center.

"A barrier created by the organizers?"

He stood atop a treetop, gazing up at the swirling dust, then suddenly spotted a fierce battle in the distance.

After brief thought.

Kenji decided to let it go.

He disliked interfering in others' battles and refused to take advantage of weakened opponents.

He wanted to defeat his rivals fairly and squarely!

And in the distance.

The fighters were Yamato's Mega Medicham and Manchur's Mega Alakazam.

"Psychic Shock!"

"Psychic Blade!"

Both shouted in unison.

Though they were acquaintances, on the battlefield there was no room for sentiment—that would be disrespectful to the opponent.

Mega Medicham's forehead ruby blazed brightly; as the air trembled, a purple-red wave surged forward.

Mega Alakazam didn't dodge or evade—its flowing cloak whipped violently forward.

In an instant.

The cloak hardened like iron, blocking directly against the terrifying psychic wave.

Boom!

Energy exploded.

The next second, Mega Alakazam emerged unscathed from the smoke, extending its psychic blade from the elbow to slash at Mega Medicham.

"Rido!"

The air hissed as if being sliced.

But Mega Medicham merely twisted its body, effortlessly avoiding the psychic blade.

Mega Alakazam swiftly dove forward, delivering rapid slashes—but not one struck the ancient, wood-like Mega Medicham.

"Rido!?"

"Fuu!"

Mega Medicham's forehead gem flashed brightly; a close-range Psychic Shock sent Mega Alakazam flying backward.

They stood several meters apart, watching each other warily.

Manchur frowned; Yamato did too—but inwardly, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Mega Medicham had gained brief precognition after Mega Evolution, allowing it to predict Mega Alakazam's attack trajectories and dodge accordingly.

But this ability couldn't be sustained for long.

Mega Medicham wasn't yet fully accustomed to it.

Through this exchange, Yamato had already confirmed he stood little chance of defeating Manchur.

He began weighing whether to fight, flee, or widen the area to lure other contestants in and create chaos.

As he pondered.

Yamato suddenly, inexplicably, turned his head—and saw, in the shadows of the trees, a pale-haired figure slowly rising.

And farther off, a long-haired man with the lower half of his face covered by a red scarf.

"Darkrai? Darkrai!?"

His back hairs stood on end—he remembered All All Baimu's warning before the match.

Don't fight this man!

Lose, and you're out; barely win, and you gain nothing—others will swoop in and steal your victory!

"Go!"

Yamato extended his hand to Mega Medicham.

Manchur and Mega Alakazam also spotted Darkrai; unlike Yamato's intense reaction, their attention was oddly diverted.

"The Legendary Pokémon Darkrai…"

Without a sound.

Several black spheres shot through the air!

Mega Alakazam naturally wouldn't let itself be hit—it raised its cloak to block.

Yamato, gripping Mega Medicham's arm, shouted: "Those are Dark Holes! Not an attack Mega Alakazam can block!"

"What?"

Manchur's alarm bells rang—Mega Alakazam narrowly avoided the Dark Holes.

Yamato and Mega Medicham instantly teleported away.

Leaving Manchur alone facing Darkrai.

"What the…?"

He was stunned.

But he didn't forget why he was here—he ordered Mega Alakazam to attack Darkrai.

"Close combat!"

A brown-red aura surrounded Mega Alakazam.

It shot toward Darkrai like a missile.

A great battle was about to begin!

No time to pray for Yamato's escape—the one who arrived at the battlefield was—Nightmare God Darkrai!

Main arena.

A small number of people were dissatisfied that Yamato had run again.

They hoped the two would unite and cooperate to face Darkrai, after all, Manamo was so adorable, and Super Alcremie so handsome.

But most people believed Yamato's judgment was correct.

Wolves in front, tigers behind—run if you can; what's the point of staying?

It has nothing to do with so-called honorable conduct; a true man knows when to advance and when to retreat!

Online, similar arguments clashed.

The organizers, upon seeing this, felt no panic—instead, they were ecstatic.

Whether a competition is popular depends not only on viewership but also on the intensity of discussion.

Is a match without debate a good match?

As long as it doesn't violate public order and good customs, no matter how heated the public opinion, it can never backfire.

"Start shrinking the circle!"

"Shrink the circle!"

The organizers officially began shrinking the circle, forcing all competitors to converge toward the center.

Meanwhile.

At the very center of the arena.

All All Baimu sat cross-legged atop the Super Colossal Steelix's head, bored, like an empty-nester.

"Can anyone break through this sandstorm… I'm so bored…"

He looked up at the golden-yellow sky.

Had he not feared destroying the Orre Grand Prix too drastically, he'd have taken Super Colossal Steelix out for a stroll long ago.

In a certain sense, he was no different from Darkrai.

He would ruin the excitement of the match.

Dominating alone is satisfying.

But for viewers, it's far less enjoyable than seeing a hundred flowers bloom; while many love crushing weaker opponents, there are just as many who adore strategic battles.

How could All All Baimu, who already claimed himself Orre Champion, let a moment of caprice make the Orre Grand Prix dull?

Life has dreams; each shines in their own way!

"Let's go! See which little cutie's unlucky today!"

All All Baimu slowly rose, spun around, and pointed toward a spot. "That way! Come on! This time, ten thousand horsepower!"

The camera pierced through the sandstorm along his finger's direction, revealing a hooded boy and a Magmortar advancing toward a roaring, spinning wall of sand.

——

By the river valley.

Yamato stood atop a large rock, looking down to see someone under attack.

Four against one.

The surrounded Pokémon was a bizarre hybrid: bird's head, beast's body, fish's tail, its feathered crest glowing blue.

Its Trainer stood behind—a blond boy.

"Gracidea and… Silverboro?"

The young master of the Aether Foundation.

Yamato had met him once; the boy seemed aloof, quiet.

For various reasons, he decided to lend the kid a hand. "Let's go! Precognition! Bind the Grass!"

"Fuu!"

Super Alakazam responded instantly, controlling its body and carrying Yamato downward.

Before the rocky wasteland.

Gracidea shouted solemnly: "Tear Claw!!"

"Ssibaa!"

Silverboro roared and lunged at one of the Pokémon, but was forced to dodge by a lightning bolt from the side.

The attack missed.

Gracidea was indeed strong, but the four before him were no pushovers.

He searched for an opening.

There had to be a way to take out these four!

Suddenly.

A humming sound came from above.

Everyone looked up and saw Yamato and Super Alakazam rapidly approaching, a purple-red energy sphere hovering above them.

The larger group cheered wildly: "Yamato! Come help us!"

Undoubtedly.

The four were Trainers from Silph City.

"Got it!"

Yamato replied.

Super Alakazam swung its spoon, and beneath Gracidea's wary gaze, countless emerald vines erupted from the ground, binding all four Pokémon.

【Bind the Grass】!

Huh!?

Gracidea froze; the four were stunned.

But the former quickly recovered, waving his hand and shouting: "Pure White Sacred Beast! Darkness fades, light descends! Bring forth your wrathful fire upon your enemies! Multi-Type Attack!"

"Ssibaa!"

Silverboro charged at one Pokémon, its claws wrapped in water, smashing it flying!

Boom!

At the same moment.

The purple-red energy above Super Alakazam shot toward another, instantly engulfing it!

Boom boom!

The situation shifted instantly from one-on-four to two-on-two.

The four were furious.

"Yamato! How can you team up with outsiders against your own? This is betrayal!"

"Exactly! You've gone too far!"

"What outsiders, what own? This is a tournament—everyone is an enemy!"

Yamato sneered, utterly indifferent to these so-called acquaintances' words. "And does not fulfilling your duty mean you're not on the job? Hmm?"

The tide swept away like autumn leaves.

The seamless coordination between Silverboro and Super Alakazam allowed Gracidea to successfully resolve the crisis.

The defeated four were teleported away, faces filled with resentment.

The two exchanged glances.

Suddenly.

Yamato extended his hand. "See you in the preliminaries!"

Gracidea's wary expression softened; he coolly reached out and shook hands. "See you in the preliminaries!"

The two parted ways.

This battle also stirred up waves beyond the arena.

The four from Silph City had quietly formed a team after being teleported nearby, ambushing countless others—long ago drawing audience resentment.

They didn't want to watch team matches!

The free-for-all was the point!

Now defeated, many viewers cheered, silencing the wealthy elites from Silph City who had accused Yamato of siding with outsiders.

VIP seats.

Lillie released the tentacles of Shiny Cresselia, whispering apologetically: "Sorry, Cresselia, did I hurt you?"

"Lae~"

Cresselia shook its head; it was fully absorbed in the match footage and felt nothing.

Lusamine excitedly shook her daughter's body. "Wonderful! Gracidea! Broke through the encirclement!"

"Mother, please calm down!"

Nearby.

Dennis rubbed his chin.

He had assumed the entire qualifying round would be All All Baimu's solo show—but now, in terms of discussion, Yamato was clearly outshining him.

Had they planned this in advance?

One fighting on the outside, the other holding the throne?

Regardless, Yamato's performance would win him audience favor; the old Orre elite, once few but loud, would no longer dominate.

"Hmm! Your son has met our Master Mizuwo's favorite general!" Chi Yan Song suddenly spoke.

Disney turned at the sound.

He saw with shock that on the big screen, Shan Ren and A Chao had come face to face.

Water Water Wutong said nothing, clenching his right fist.

Even in the Pokémon world, human relations matter. He trusted Disney and Shan Ren's tolerance, but feared this damn Chi Yan Song would spread rumors everywhere—

"Team Aqua? One of their executives blocked our chairman in the qualifiers! Hahaha!"

He's absolutely capable of ordering his subordinates to do something like this!

Water Water Wutong stared at A Chao on the screen, then sighed again. What could he do?

A Chao is the most honest man—he'd never let Shan Ren win on purpose!

Canyon Arena.

Shan Ren looked toward the distant dark-skinned giant.

"Mr. Shan Ren! What a coincidence!"

The giant growled in a deep voice.

He nodded and said: "Indeed a coincidence. Your Pokémon—"

Boom!

Before he could finish, a terrifying deep-blue giant shadow burst from the stream beside him!

It surged toward Super Hypno with unmatched speed!

Fortunately, the latter had Future Sight and activated Teleport in time to evade the predator's ambush.

Shan Ren looked up and saw a massive shark, covered in yellow blotches, rocketing back into the stream.

Boom!

Water sprayed everywhere!

Fierce Pokémon, Mega Gyarados!

A Chao grinned: "Let's battle, Mr. Shan Ren! The kind where one of us dies!"