novel-bin Chapter 590 The Battle for the Eight Masters!
Chapter 590 The Battle for the Eight Masters!
Chapter 590 The Battle for the Eight Masters!
After returning to Gongmen City, Qingyu stayed at home for the next few days, disappearing from the public eye.
Originally, he and Cynthia went to the Crown Tundra to gather material, planning to quickly produce a "Pokémon Legends" video series after the trip.
However, after seeing the gradually recovering King Raikou, he ultimately chose to keep this secret for the time being for the wise king.
During this time, it was Sonia, Dan's childhood friend who was about to inherit Dr. Mulan's research institute, who took the initiative to contact him, wanting to ask for more detailed information about the Sword and Shield King and the Dark Night.
In response, Qingyu unusually played the riddle-maker, saying, "After the Masters Tournament ends, you probably won't be curious about this anymore~"
With this answer, he left the suspense to the future, leaving Sonia looking on with a puzzled expression.
Time flew by, and soon it was time for the preliminary selection to end.
As the only "Master Ball" level tournament in the entire Pokémon world, the players who can participate in the first round of the preliminary rounds are all elites from various regions.
However, in the long and arduous battle that lasted for a week, most of the players were eliminated early and had to accept the fate of being knocked out in the first round.
The human world has never lacked geniuses.
Looking at the world's sixteen best trainers, the final spots were determined.
When the list was announced, large screens throughout Galilee, especially in the city of Palace Gate, were filled with onlookers.
The most discussed topic is, of course, the challengers who will compete with the champions for the title of "Master of the Eight".
"Teacher Yu is really too strong. She only played one teaching game during the entire preliminary round, and she still managed to stay firmly in ninth place after the results were announced."
"If the top eight hadn't been secured in advance, Teacher Yu might have gained another ticket!"
"Speaking of which, those two guys from Pallet Town in Kanto have been doing pretty well too. They've won all the way and actually made it into the knockout stage?"
"They're called Crimson and Blue, right? I heard they both became regional champions in Kanto. They're genius boys who can defeat Mr. Wataru, who's ranked third in the world, head-on."
"Genius teenagers — it feels like this year's class is all quite young. Could it be that a new golden generation is about to be created?"
""
The spectators gathered in front of the palace arena chattered amongst themselves, completely unaware that a black-haired young man wearing sunglasses in the front row curled up his lips and quietly slipped out of the crowd and left.
As expected, the final result was exactly as predicted.
Walking back to the hotel, Qingyu recalled the list that had just been announced.
Of the eight challengers who advanced to the knockout stage, all of them, except for himself, were names he had heard of to some extent.
Moreover, most of them were old acquaintances, people they had met in the live stream.
Crimson and Green need no further introduction; from the very beginning, Qingyu regarded them as formidable rivals on the road to the championship.
In addition, there are several other Heavenly Kings, including Wu Song, Aunt Kona, Heavenly King Genji, and Mr. Hachisaku.
As for the last spot —
Aoba was actually quite surprised; it was actually Cattleya, who had just become a Champion in Unova.
With her unique ability to control objects with her telekinesis, Cattleya's performance in this Masters Tournament was truly remarkable, as she made a strong run into the top 16 with her stable strategy.
Perhaps it was because of her appearance that Cattleya became even more obsessed with improving her strength?
Qingyu naturally took one-third of the credit.
The preliminary selection phase has now concluded.
What awaits these "challengers" next are the top eight trainers in the world rankings, who are almost certainly the eight strongest trainers in the world!
In January, the air in Galar is still chilly.
However, when the sacred flame was lit atop the Palace Arena, the entire stadium immediately erupted in cheers.
Even before the competition began, the enthusiasm of the audience ignited the arena.
The world's best lights converge on this world's most professional and top-tier battle stage, which can accommodate 100,000 spectators.
The brutal elimination round of sixteen to eight will determine the top trainers who will hold the title of "Master Eight" for the next four years. No one will want to miss this honor.
"After waiting so long, the battle is finally about to begin!"
In a corner of the stands, in front of the Sinnoh fans' support area, Da Ye and A Liu were fully enjoying the atmosphere of the competition, and their voices became much more bold as they spoke.
However, after glancing at the players in the first match that was about to begin, Da Ye's expression immediately became somewhat complicated.
"That guy Wusong actually made it to the knockout stage!"
Looking at the list of elimination matchups scrolling on the big screen, any trainer would surely be eager to participate, right?
[Dan-tei VS Gosho]
【Adu VS Bashuo】
[Mikri VS Genji]
【Bamboo Orchid VS Cattleya】
【Chibana VS Green】
[Dawu VS Kona]
【Karuni VS Crimson】
【Yeci VS Qingyu】
One contestant after another had their official photos displayed on the screen, each flash eliciting cheers from the audience throughout the venue.
Staring intently at Wusong's confident smile, Da Ye shook his head helplessly.
"I don't know whether to be happy or sad, it feels like he's overtaken me again!"
"Are you worried about your brothers suffering, but also worried about them dominating the Masters tournament?"
With Gosho absent, Denji, a temporary member of Sinnoh's "Dugtrio," patted him on the shoulder with a smile, his expression seemingly knowing everything.
"Now that we've come this far, let's all cheer for Sister Zhulan and Wusong!"
That makes sense.
Da Ye nodded.
Although I felt very unhappy, as if I would be inferior to others for the next four years.
But—Denji is right.
"Go for it, Wusong!"
"Even if our opponent is that Pill Emperor, we must fight with the spirit of the Sinnoh people!"
Da Ye once again demonstrated his will of fire.
Meanwhile, A-Liu stared intently at the scrolling list of players, and after a long while, she suddenly blurted out, "Thinking about it carefully, our Sinnoh team is truly terrifyingly strong—"
"If we include Teacher Yu, we have a total of four contestants who have advanced to the knockout stage this year!"
"They're all the same as Kanto now."
"Teacher Yu should be considered a Parthian, right?"
Dianci complained again.
However, even he found the description of Yu as "King of Padia & Master" a bit jarring when looking at the contestants' official photos.
As for whether it will change in the future, that depends on what Sister Zhulan does!
"Achoo!"
In the players' lounge, Qingyu, who was waiting for the battle below, suddenly sneezed.
His intuition told him that someone was probably stalking him from behind, after all, in the Pokémon world, humans are almost immune to catching a cold.
But there seem to be too many potential perpetrators; it's impossible to guess them all!
Therefore, he simply chose not to care about these details.
As the torch above the palace stadium unleashed a tongue of flame, the first match of the knockout stage officially began—
On one side is the world's number one, who enjoys home-field advantage and holds the title of "strongest champion":
On the other side is a young and ambitious Sinnoh psychic who has just become a Champion for a little over a year.
The large screen froze on the official photos of both parties, with a clear dividing line splitting in the middle, and three red and white ball icons appearing below each portrait.
In the first stage of the knockout rounds, the tournament rules remain the same: 6 players choose 3 for a singles match, making the competition unpredictable.
The difference in strength between the two sides is visibly large, but—
What if?
Once on the competition field, those who dare to step onto the stage are certainly prepared to embrace victory.
Therefore, all I need to do as a viewer is look forward to it.
"roar--!"
Charizard, now in Gigantamax form, spews flames and looks down with disdain.
A fiery bird-like shadow swooped down from the sky, baring its fangs and claws amidst a crimson aura, displaying its imposing presence.
Mega Gallade, having just used Foresight to dodge the attack, was already at its limit. Even if it wanted to dodge, it simply didn't have time to escape the attack range.
"Gallide, use the Holy Sword to cut through the attack!"
Wu Song gritted his teeth and gave the command, risking his last dance in this competition, to collide head-on with the opponent's attack.
"Boom—!!!"
In an instant, a tremendous amount of energy erupted from the point of contact between the two, and scorching waves of air swept across the ground, colliding with the massive protective barriers that had been erected around them, causing them to creak and groan.
After the explosion, Wusong helplessly lowered his head and watched as Gallade reverted to its Mega Evolution and floated lightly to the ground.
The outcome is decided!!!
"Dan has once again demonstrated his absolute strength as the strongest champion!"
"Gigantamax Charizard's Dynamax Flying Dash took down Gossung's last trump card, Gallade, with lightning speed!"
""
"Score 3-0, a sweeping victory with absolutely no suspense!"
The commentator from Galar spoke with great passion, and the local Galar audience applauded and cheered for Dante.
"A very interesting tactic, using superpowers and repeatedly wearing down the opponent's stamina. If the opponent were stronger, even I would find it very troublesome."
As the battle ended, Leon's voice echoed from the arena, reaching the online viewers' screens through the surrounding Rotom cameras.
"Unfortunately, as the champion of Galar, I have a reason to win every match."
"Therefore, I'll claim victory in this battle for now!"
After speaking, Dan Di pointed to the sky, and the purple-gold cloak behind him, symbolizing the champion, fluttered in the wind.
The audience erupted in cheers once again.
If it weren't for the entire back of the phone covered in GGlogo logos, it would have been a very successful declaration of victory.
Qingyu scratched his head.
He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy every time he saw Dan Di's cloak.
Galar isn't short of money, so why does the champion have to personally go on stage and get GG?
I have a feeling that this place is a bit dead.
Perhaps this is what makes Dan Di special.
"In the clash between the dragon messengers, Wataru, the dragon tamer from Kanto, ultimately prevailed, securing a comfortable 3-1 victory!"
"In the internal battle between the Hoenn acting champion and the Dragon-type Elite Four member, the victor was indeed this powerful figure who was on par with Steven!"
The results of the next two battles were not unexpected for Qingyu.
After all, the difference in strength is obvious.
So far, the defending champion has won all three of his matches, and it seems that no one has been able to upset the champion and take the title of "Eight Masters".
In the next round, the contestant who challenged Bamboo Orchid before him was Gadriya.
It is indeed quite difficult to win.
Qingyu originally thought so, but Cattleya's performance really surprised him.
"A very clever shadow-tracing strategy!"
"Using Shadow Tag and Crystallization, Catelia's Gothic Lady successfully caught Cynthia's ace Garchomp!"
"While the balloon evaded the earthquake attack, Fairy-like Pokémon also completely sealed off Garchomp's other attribute!"
"The final burst of Taijing energy successfully dealt a heavy blow to the opponent!"
Although the final score was 3-1, Cattleya's pre-battle preparations far exceeded all the audience's expectations.
"You've grown so much, Cattleya."
After the battle, Cynthia recalled the exhausted Mega Lucario into its Poké Ball and smiled as she looked at Cattleya walking towards her.
"Of course, underestimating me will come at a price!"
This failure did not discourage Cattleya; instead, she gave Orchid a peace sign.
"Next time, next time I will definitely beat you, Zhulan!"
"Okay, I'm really looking forward to it!"
After responding gently, Zhu Lan smiled and patted her head.
That heartwarming scene was naturally captured by Rotom cameras from multiple angles.
Qingyu's expression was somewhat complicated.
It seems like a very touching story of friendship between best friends.
Hey, Claudia, why are you blushing like that? Something feels off!
In the previous four battles, the defending champions demonstrated their terrifying tactical skills.
Overall, it was a complete and overwhelming victory, and they maintained the glory of the "Eight Masters".
But things seemed to be going wrong in the last four games of the afternoon.
"An upset has occurred in the first knockout match!"
"Qinglv made an unexpected key pick, successfully predicting Qibana's lineup!"
"Facing Qibana's Sunny Day team, his impromptu choice of Mega Tyranitar proved incredibly effective, securing a resounding victory in this weather-themed battle!"
On the field, the Sandstorm King Mega Tyranitar unleashed a deafening roar.
"I never expected you to have been hiding something—Bangiras!"
Cibana sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat unwilling, but quickly put it down.
"Just lucky, just lucky."
After making a gesture to him, Qinglu left the scene with a flourish.
Finally, only one sentence remained, its meaning unclear.
"I still have a score to settle with that guy, and I can't afford to lose to anyone before I get my revenge on him."
"Daigo's Metagross performed exceptionally well, easily winning the match against Lorelei, who was at a type disadvantage!"
"Next, let's turn our attention to..."
"etc???"
"Red's Pikachu is still going strong; it has completely dominated today's match!"
"The score is now 3-0!"
"No one expected that Miss Karuni, the champion on whom the Carlos audience had placed such high hopes, would be swept aside by a complete newcomer!!!"
"—"
After the battle, Crimson didn't say a word.
He silently returned Pikachu to its Poké Ball, then straightened his red and white hat, turned around, and walked into the player tunnel before leaving.
Karuni was left standing there, bewildered in the wind, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"That's definitely a crimson style—"
In the players' lounge, Qingyu also wore a helpless smile.
Did seeing Qinglv's victory give him a shot of adrenaline? His aggressiveness in today's match was off the charts.
The final list of those who advanced was exactly as I expected.
After shaking his head, Qingyu stood up, pushed open the door, and walked towards the players' passage.
Let me and President Yeji finish off the final, climactic battle.
I've heard stories of gekokujo (young men overthrowing their superiors) countless times, but experiencing it firsthand...
It seems like this is my first time.