Evening.
Pallet Town was bathed in the afterglow of the sunset.
Ash and the others finally returned from the Back Mountain of Pallet Town.
When they got back to Pallet Town, Ash was the first to rush into Professor Oak's Research Institute, his expression tense.
"Ash, wait a minute—"
Behind him, Brock and Misty followed helplessly, not understanding... why Ash still had so much energy after a busy day.
Is this guy a human-shaped Pokemon?
"Hurry up, you guys."
Ash shouted as he pushed open the door of the institute and ran straight inside.
At that moment, in the lobby.
Fang Yuan, Hirona, and Professor Oak were all still sitting on the couch, calmly chatting.
As they saw Ash enter the research institute in a hurry, they couldn't help but look at him together.
This kid, why is he always in such a hurry?
"Ash, you're back... Why are you sweating so much, do you want some water?" Professor Oak offered, holding a teapot.
"Never mind that... I just remembered, if you came back early, it wasn't for a battle, was it!"
Ash spoke quickly, gasping for air, with wide eyes eagerly looking at Hirona and Fang Yuan.
In the morning, Hirona and Fang Yuan were supposed to have a battle which hadn't happened yet.
After resolving the Super Ancient Pokemon incident, the two of them returned with Professor Oak. After thinking it over just now, Ash realized, perhaps Miss Hirona and Mr. Fang Yuan came back early to have their battle in secret—
This can't be right; such an important battle, he had to watch as well.
"Ash..." Seeing Ash's anxious look, Fang Yuan was slightly taken aback.
Hirona also showed a slight smile.
A battle, huh...
After chatting for an afternoon, they had all forgotten about it.
"You can rest assured, we haven't had the battle yet," Fang Yuan said helplessly.
It's not your battle, what are you so anxious about?
"That's good—" Ash breathed a sigh of relief and then raised his head, "Ah, it's so late today, so do Miss Hirona and Mr. Fang Yuan plan to have the battle tomorrow?"
Garchomp VS Dragonite, he had been looking forward to it for a long time.
"Probably not."
"Tomorrow..." Hirona stretched out her slender finger and touched her cheek as if thinking, "I need to hurry to the Sinnoh region for an important match in the afternoon, so I won't have enough time."
If it was a battle, Hirona thought it would be best to settle it tonight, so she could leave with a clear mind tomorrow.
"Is it a championship match?" Fang Yuan asked.
"Yes." Hirona nodded, her opponent was not simple, and although she was confident in winning, she still needed to take it seriously.
Fang Yuan thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I also plan to go to the nearest city to register for the championship match tomorrow, so why don't we do this, let's postpone our unfinished battle to the championship."
"Championship??"
Upon hearing Fang Yuan's words, Ash and the recently arrived Brock and Misty all showed surprised expressions.
But Professor Oak and Hirona realized Fang Yuan's determination.
Currently.
The Pokémon World Championship is about to enter the mid-season soon, and registration is also about to close. Hirona is one of the current Eight Masters, so if Fang Yuan wants to face her in the championship, it means he needs to reach the world's top eight before the end of the half-season, before the total rankings are settled for the elimination rounds.
This is not going to be easy...
Hirona was slightly shocked.
It seems Fang Yuan indeed desperately wants the Tablet... no, he is absolutely determined to win it.
"A championship match."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Hirona smiled and nodded her head. If it was a championship battle, it would be different from a private match.
Although she would give her all in a private match, she would treat an official public competition even more seriously.
Hirona knew that Fang Yuan had a King Level Dragonite, and as for the Super Ancient Mohawk Werewolves, perhaps there wouldn't be a suitable arena for it to perform, and due to its size, in Hirona's view, it could only be considered a King Level. So, Fang Yuan might also be a formidable King Level trainer.
But that's not enough!
She glanced at the listless Eevee beside Fang Yuan, and since Fang Yuan had the confidence to obtain the Tablet on his own, it meant he was confident in his own strength—so let her see what kind of performance Fang Yuan would have in the tournament!
The bearer of Overcome Force, the one who traverses time and space.
What kind of spark would be ignited in a battle against her.
This sounded much more interesting than a private battle; she hoped Fang Yuan would successfully become one of the Eight Masters.
"Then it's settled," Fang Yuan said.
This way, he also had time to prepare.
"So, what exactly is this tournament?" Xiaozhi asked blankly from the side.
"Don't you know? It's a large-scale competition that spans the globe. Miss Hirona is one of the highly ranked trainers, and Mr. Fang Yuan is also planning to sign up to compete," Dr. Oak explained. "It seems they've decided to compete in this tournament."
"Ah..." Xiaozhi was stunned. Wouldn't he have to wait a long time before he could see the two of them battle?
However, his attention was immediately drawn to other peculiar aspects.
He suddenly said with eagerness, "Can I participate in the competition??!"
Xiaozhi's question dumbfounded Dr. Oak.
"Hold on a second. Of course you can participate, but I would still recommend that you challenge the Pokémon League. Of course, the Orange League in the Orange Archipelago, where you're heading next, is also available to challenge, and those competitions are more suitable for you right now," Dr. Oak advised with concern.
Seeing Xiaozhi all eager, he knew trouble was coming.
Xiaozhi could certainly participate if he signed up.
But as someone with experience, Dr. Oak knew the current ranking battles were not suitable for Xiaozhi. They were only appropriate for those Master Level Trainers who have grown.
Those were the ones who needed to clash with all sorts of masters to improve themselves.
Xiaozhi, participating in such a high-end competition, would only get crushed and not see the finish line, muddling along for a long time.
By contrast, challenging Gym Leaders was more suitable for Xiaozhi.
Even though the weakest Gym Leaders were Master Level Trainers, they would adjust according to the challenger's ability to allow water down, taking an "advise and nurture" approach to battling as part of gym contests—this was perfect for rookies like Xiaozhi.
So seeing Xiaozhi showing interest in the World Championships, Dr. Oak immediately started advising him.
"Xiao Mao is also going to participate in the Pokémon League, and I've heard, he really wants to battle with you," Dr. Oak said, using his own grandson as leverage for Xiaozhi's sake.
"Orange League? Pokémon League? Xiao Mao is also participating..." Upon hearing this, Xiaozhi paused for a moment.
This also sounded pretty good.
"Yeah, Xiaozhi, you should aim for winning a championship first," said Misty from the side, holding her head. Brock also nodded repeatedly; although they didn't know much about the World Championships, with a trainer like Hirona participating, it couldn't be simple. For someone like Xiaozhi, it was better to start with regional tournaments—with good-hearted Gym Leaders like her and Brock to guide him to become stronger.
"Is that so..." Xiaozhi scratched his head, feeling underestimated, but he had no evidence.
"Pikachu..." Pikachu also suggested that we should challenge Gym Leaders, as they seemed easier to deal with.
"I second the motion," Fang Yuan added.
Seeing Xiaozhi looking clueless, Fang Yuan, Dr. Oak, and Hirona all shook their heads—was this kid really cut out to be a Trainer?
...
"Then, I shall take my leave," she said.
"And I'll take my leave as well," he added.
In the evening, after having dinner at Professor Oak's Research Institute, Fang Yuan and Hirona bid farewell to Dr. Oak and the others.
After an afternoon of interaction, Fang Yuan had nearly gained the trust of Hirona and Dr. Oak.
Hirona promised to help Fang Yuan solidify his forged identity through the Shinnoh League's household registration system once she got back.
And Dr. Oak also expressed that Fang Yuan could ask for his help with anything.
Fang Yuan obtained both of their contact information.
As for Xiaozhi, he also expressed he wanted to battle Fang Yuan again next time.
For Fang Yuan, of course, he was very welcome to this, because Xiaozhi was a Legendary Pokémon attractor, and following him, he should be able to easily encounter Legendary Pokémon.
So Fang Yuan planned to keep an eye on Xiaozhi's movements.
The one who found it hardest to let go of Fang Yuan was Miss White, who was dedicated to studying the Super Ancient civilization, but now that Fang Yuan had received a main quest, he didn't have the time to stay and continue exploring the Super Ancient culture with her. He outright declined her request to stay and planned to set off immediately.
"Bwoo..." Eevee nudged Fang Yuan on his shoulder, urging him to hurry up. Eevee couldn't wait, as it was eager to hit a big jackpot at the Rainbow City Game City.
"Bwoo! (Stop looking at Hirona, she's already far away!)"
"What nonsense. I'm trying to decide where we should head next. Rotom, come out and navigate!" Fang Yuan called out.