Chapter 691: Chaos in Glass Bottle City?

To speak the plain truth.

The preliminary rounds of the Ever Grande Conference really weren't worth watching.

It was fine for outsiders just looking for excitement, but in reality, the skill level of most conference participants was uneven.

After all, among them were those who, instead of challenging the eight gyms recommended by the official Hoenn League, sought out other weaker gyms with lower difficulty to secure their spots.

The battles between them could be described as noobs pecking at each other; compared to them, even Ash counted as having superb command skills.

However, the preliminary rounds were precisely the format prepared to filter out this group of participants.

Don't let the casual remarks that a conference championship means nothing fool you; for many people, simply collecting all eight badges to participate in the conference, even if they lost in the first round, was already an event that brought glory to their ancestors.

With this qualification, even if they didn't become Trainers in the future and started working, they could find a decent job, either as an enlightenment coach for children or in positions related to Trainers that required Pokémon assistance.

It was very realistic, but this was also a point never reflected in the anime.

The focus of the Ever Grande Conference would only concentrate on a small number of people.

It was roughly similar to the plot in the anime.

Ash's opponent in the first round of the preliminaries was still that martial arts dojo apprentice, who sent out Hitmonlee.

But unlike in the anime, having undergone considerable tempering nowadays and often being beaten down by Delibird, Pikachu's strength far exceeded his own from the same period.

Pikachu easily defeated Hitmonlee.

His two original rivals scheduled for the Ever Grande Conference, Masamune and Morrison, defeated Electabuzz and Persian with Metang and Meowth wearing boots, respectively.

Meanwhile, Paul and Shizuku, whom Luo Mu mainly focused on, also performed their abilities quite steadily; given that their opponents' strength was not outstanding, they easily breezed through the preliminaries.

In just one morning, the preliminary rounds of the Ever Grande Conference had already concluded.

The number of participants shrank directly from over six hundred to two hundred and fifty-six at a terrifying speed.

Next, these two hundred and fifty-six individuals would participate in the official preliminary tournament.

The format adopted 2VS2 double battles, with one match deciding the outcome; the loser was eliminated immediately.

In other words, if a participant wanted to advance to the next round of the final tournament, they needed to win all three matches, only then could they become one of the Top 32 contestants qualified for the 6VS6 full single battles.

In Luo Mu's view, this round was still about filtering people, but among those filtered out were those lacking strength and also unlucky souls who happened to run straight into strong opponents.

"If this preliminary tournament's double battle format were the 'choose four out of six' mode, I feel that kid Uli's Incineroar would definitely become the brightest star."

Murmuring to himself, Luo Mu put down the remote control in his hand.

The television in front of him also entered standby mode due to his action.

Having watched matches for an entire morning, even while sitting on a comfortable sofa, one would still feel tired.

Not just physically, but mentally as well.

If only he were leaning against the belly of a Snorlax, he probably wouldn't have such troubles.

Thinking of the Pokémon egg Brother Brother Qingmu had sent over, a trace of anticipation flashed in Luo Mu's eyes.

A Snorlax's belly completely outclassed all man-made bedding; it was the most comfortable little bed imaginable.

—The only danger was that Snorlax slept too deeply, or when they wanted to scratch an itch; they might not notice your presence and roll over, directly crushing you into the second dimension.

However, given that most Snorlax were as lazy as Slaking, they probably wouldn't even bother rolling over.

"Hu." Exhaling a long breath while stretching, Luo Mu's nostrils twitched; a fragrant aroma quietly drilled into his nasal cavity, instantly causing his stomach to start protesting, "What smell is this? It's so fragrant."

Following the scent all the way to the kitchen, upon seeing the red expanse inside the wok where the Falinks were stir-frying over fierce heat, Luo Mu's eyes immediately lit up.

It was crayfish!

Of course, as always, don't misunderstand.

The crayfish in the pot were simply animals, not Pokémon like Crawdaunt.

Let's not bring up the sharp question of why crayfish still exist in a world with Pokémon.

Luo Mu sniffed heavily several more times, his gaze sticking to the crayfish waiting in the large iron basin nearby for his "royal visit."

Steamed, garlic-flavored, and the spicy flavor currently in the Falinks' iron wok.

Just thinking about it made one crave them.

Luo Mu attempted to sneak a taste, but was caught red-handed by the Oranguru specifically keeping watch over him.

He only heard him shouting things like "If the cook doesn't steal, the five grains won't be harvested," and "I used to be a chef too, you can't treat me like this," and other obscure and incomprehensible words, before being forcibly exiled out of the kitchen.

However, in the end, he still happily slurped down three basins of crayfish with different flavors all by himself.

Biting into the firm, bouncy, and slightly sweet shrimp meat, plus the secret garlic stir-fry sauce prepared by Audino, one bite could only be described as so delicious one's eyebrows were about to fall off.

Even though it was only February, still some time away from the crayfish season.

But perhaps due to the differences in the ecological environment of the Pokémon world, these crayfish were all very large, and eating them was full of satisfaction.

"It's so good; finally, I don't have to be that bitter corporate worker who comes home exhausted after work, hesitates repeatedly on a food delivery app before ordering some crayfish, only to find the delivered crayfish are not only pre-made but the meat is also loose and scattered."

"Even big brother Brother Qingmu wasn't this miserable."

Stringing together the shrimp meat that Oranguru had helpfully peeled using psychic power, Luo Mu swallowed it in one gulp and silently prayed in his mind.

"I hope everyone with these experiences can be like me, coming to this world which, although imperfect, is quite wonderful."

In the afternoon, after eating and drinking one's fill.

The preliminary tournament of the Ever Grande Conference had already kicked off in full swing.

As far as Luo Mu knew, among the current several regions, it seemed only the Hoenn region had chosen to insert double battle rules into the Ever Grande Conference.

Double battles indeed occupied a rather awkward position in this world; there weren't even a few decent, classic records or footage of 6VS6 or 6VS4 double battles.

In terms of spectability, it wasn't bad; compared to sports where dozens of people played soccer together on a huge field, double battles requiring attention to only four Pokémon and two Trainers were not so visually fatiguing.

Although, in those sports, the audience's line of sight generally followed the ball anyway.

Ash probably made his entrance for his first match around three o'clock.

His opponent remained unchanged, but unlike in the anime, Ash's lineup had undergone some slight changes.

That opponent of Ash named Tomoya sent out Swalot and Tropius; speaking reasonably, even Luo Mu couldn't see what kind of coordination these two could have to unleash the 1+1>2 combat capability that only appears in double battles.

At best, they could only fight individually and offer each other some assistance.

Looking at the other side, where Xiao Zhi was.

Perhaps the time he spent here had opened his mind a bit.

The lineup he sent out was unexpectedly reasonable.

The Torkoal caught in the Hoenn region, and the Heatran caught in the Paldea region.

In Luo Mu's view, Heatran's best teammates were either one of the few Pokémon capable of activating the "Psychic Terrain" ability at the start, or Pokémon capable of supporting the release of Psychic Terrain.

With the support of Trick Room and Psychic Terrain, how devastating Heatran's "Wide Guard" becomes against fast, fragile opponents is something only those who understand truly know.

However, this Fire-type and Fire-type combination, while not saying it is perfectly reasonable, is at least heading in the right direction.

Neither side needed to worry about interfering with the other.

Unfortunately, Torkoal's ability was not "Drought"; even though this would provide a boost to the opponent's Tropius, the combat power amplification for Torkoal and Heatran under sunlight was already enough to surpass that portion of the buff.

The battle between the two sides did not last long.

That trainer named Tomono was not at the level of those eliminated in the previous round, but his own strength was not outstanding either.

Even though both Heatran and Torkoal were Pokémon that Xiao Zhi only actually began training or catching during his travels in the Hoenn region.

They were sufficient to deal with Swellow and Tropius.

Luo Mu turned his gaze to the Shinji and Joy Jingxiang who appeared later in Xiao Zhi's lineup.

Probably to play it safe.

Shinji sent out his ace, Torterra, in the first match, paired with Ursaluna, whose battle experience had greatly enriched during his travels, and directly secured victory through sheer hard power.

But Joy Jingxiang's opponent was a bit of a story.

In Luo Mu's view, her opponent had at least the strength of the top 32, meaning the ability to break into the finals tournament.

Precisely because of this, in this battle with no chance for a rematch, neither side wanted to stop here.

On Joy Jingxiang's side was the combination of Chansey and Skarmory.

The opponent was a Sceptile evolved from Treecko, one of the Hoenn region starters, paired with a lineup featuring Breloom.

One specialized in defense, the other specialized in the Grass type.

There was just one thing that made Joy Jingxiang's Chansey very difficult to play its expected role.

—That Breloom had the "Poison Heal" ability.

After being inflicted with Toxic, it did not become weak; instead, it became even more lively.

Coupled with that Fighting-type move which had excellent effect, and Chansey's own physical defense being as fragile as paper.

It could be said Joy Jingxiang instantly fell into a disadvantage.

Chansey could only be forced to try to endure Breloom's punches through its powerful recovery abilities and skills.

In this battle where switching was not allowed, Skarmory could not deploy many of the skills in its move pool, such as the disgusting tactic of "Spikes" plus "Whirlwind".

It could only act as a meat shield, using its own extremely high physical defense to protect Chansey from the siege of Sceptile and Breloom.

Fortunately, the value of the Serene Grace Chansey was still so sufficient.

After a lucky roll of a Rock Slide that caused "Flinch" for everyone, Joy Jingxiang's side gradually stabilized the downward trend, inch by inch turning the situation around.

Although in the end Skarmory was taken out by Breloom's final "Recovery", Chansey also withstood the "Leaf Storm" released by Sceptile, whose Special Attack had already been lowered to the point of no return, which was practically a tickle, watching the Sceptile without the "Poison Heal" ability be worn down to death by her own hand.

"Barely passing, I suppose."

After giving an evaluation, Luo Mu turned off the TV without lingering.

Even after he finished striking his pose, the TV would be turned on by Victini, Ogerpon, and the others clamoring to watch the match.

Luo Mu, not minding these details, began to ponder.

Shinji was needless to say; this kid rarely performed poorly, and as long as he didn't encounter some tricky opponent, the possibility of him failing almost didn't exist.

As for Joy Jingxiang... compared to the battle where she lost to Dan Yu at the Blueberry Academy, she had indeed improved a lot.

It could be said that traveling was indeed effective and useful.

Battles against different trainers, battles against Gym Leaders, and interactions with things she couldn't encounter in school allowed Shinji to complete a small transformation, and Joy Jingxiang looked more like a trainer.

The idea of "Joy · Paldea Pokémon Inspector. ver" might not be a delusion.

Unfortunately, he couldn't prepare legendary Pokémon like Latias or Latios for her.

This kind of thing could really only rely on one's own personal opportunities.

After the two people's matches ended, the afternoon schedule of the Ever Grande Conference was, for Luo Mu, as good as over.

He had no desire to keep watching; just then, the afternoon sun was not too strong, so Luo Mu decided to drive out for a spin.

He had driven the RV recently, but his own customized small pickup truck hadn't been driven much, so naturally, he had to enjoy it.

"I'm going out for a drive; does anyone want to come along?"

Glancing around the living room, Luo Mu asked.

Unexpectedly, Lei Guan Wang stuffed Cosmog into Olivia, who was cosplaying a swing nearby, stood up.

"I'll go with you."

On the pickup truck with an empty cargo bed behind, the young man and the former king were chatting intermittently.

When Luo Mu asked why he wanted to go out with him, Lei Guan Wang smiled and replied: "Probably just wanted to understand modern human lifestyles a bit more."

"The farm is good, but going out to see things occasionally isn't bad either."

"Alright then..." Luo Mu, biting off the last bit of the lollipop in his mouth, spoke indistinctly: "We'll also head to Porto Marinada; Grandma Ju Zi recommended a feed store there. I heard the fish fed with the fish feed sold in that store are all very plump and delicious."

Calculating the time, the other half of the Thunderstorm Pond's farming area had been divided for a long time.

Unfortunately, raising fish couldn't be rushed; otherwise, Luo Mu wouldn't have to, when wanting to eat fish, either take his Luxray to the lake to electrocute it—scratch that—or go fishing, or run to the market in Paldea Town to buy it.

Isn't it wonderful to just go online and scoop up the fish raised by his own farm?

Although Porto Marinada was not near the seaside, and was even located near a desert.

But that place was actually a city with a developed fish farming industry, and its specialty foods were all related to fish.

After all, this city was a water city similar to Alto Mare.

Just like an oasis standing alone in the desert, Bottle City, through the vigorous construction of waterways, had forcibly created a city belonging to humanity right in the middle of the desert.

However.

When Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang drove to Bottle City, they discovered... did it seem there was some unrest here?

(End of Chapter)