"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"
"Crush him, use Meteor Mash!"
The orange figure darted across the sky, compressing the air violently around it and forming a series of sonic boom trails. It was as if a god wielding a brush had pierced the heavens.
The orange figure was a winged dragon Pokémon.
Destructive energy gathered in Dragonite's mouth, and in an instant, it burst forth as a beam of pure energy!
The terrifying power caused the air to roll up in waves of flame, heading straight for the ground below.
What met this devastating energy beam was a floating Pokémon with a metallic body and crab-like limbs.
The Steel-type creature raised its right arm, gathered the light of a meteor, and swung upward.
The two attacks collided violently, roaring like falling stars!
Powerful shock waves swept outward in all directions. Spider web-like cracks appeared on the battlefield's steel alloy surface, making the entire arena tremble.
Dragonite entered a brief recharge state after using Hyper Beam. For a Pokémon of its level, rigorous training had reduced this vulnerability to mere tenths of a second, and its aerial position provided decent distance from its opponent.
Theoretically, the drawbacks of Hyper Beam should have been negligible at this moment.
However...
Metagross, moving as if it had used Teleport, suddenly appeared before Dragonite with barely any delay and swung its comet-powered fist again!
The dragon's painful cry echoed through the sky.
The battle had taken a sudden turn for the worse!
"Wow!"
"What the heck? This Metagross is too strong!"
"The Asian Championship... we're going to lose..."
In Vanke Plaza, during normal working hours when people should have been coming and going, almost everyone stood still, watching the live broadcast on the giant screen. Exclamations of disbelief filled the air.
This wasn't just happening here—the entire country was closely following this match.
Because this wasn't just an ordinary Pokémon battle.
It represented their nation, a contest of honor and status within the Asian region.
Ten years ago, Frances, the Champion of China, had emerged and won the World Championship in one decisive sweep. His name resounded worldwide, bringing the highest honor to China.
The World Championship is held every four years, symbolizing each country's global influence for the following four years.
In simple terms, this was a high-stakes battle that could determine a nation's destiny.
Frances had won his second consecutive championship six years ago, securing eight years of glory for China single-handedly. Although he failed to win a third consecutive championship two years ago—only securing the runner-up position—this hadn't affected his status in China at all.
Frances was a hero admired by everyone in China and recognized as the strongest Dragon-type Trainer.
With his strength, he had maintained his position as Asia's Champion for ten years.
But today, that myth seemed to be shattering.
"...It's over! Dragonite is unable to battle!"
The referee announced the result with unmistakable disbelief in his voice.
The legend of the two-time World Champion hadn't fallen in the World Championship but in the lower-tier Asian Championship. This was an upset that no one had expected!
At that moment, bookmakers who had offered favorable odds were laughing all the way to the bank, while countless gamblers suffered from shock.
Everyone in the plaza fell into stunned disbelief and disappointment.
"The challenger is Japan's first international champion, right?"
"Yes, the heir to the Casoni Group, Japan's new generation champion."
"It's over now."
"It's just the Asian Championship—it's only about honor. It doesn't affect anything important. Don't panic; we'll win it back next time."
"You're talking nonsense. While the Asian Championship itself might not change much, it's the qualifier for the World Championships. Losing in the qualifiers like this..."
"Talented trainers emerge with each generation. Mr. Frances is getting older after all..."
Among the bustling crowd, one handsome young man stood out of sync with the shock and disappointment surrounding him.
Roy was stunned, but for entirely different reasons.
He had been shopping with his best friend, planning to buy a Gunpla model as a gift.
Don't misunderstand—his hobby wasn't shopping with male friends. Buying presents together was simply a necessary task.
His motivation? His best friend had a beautiful sister, and Roy wanted to help match them up so they could become even closer.
However, as soon as they arrived at the plaza, the big screen that had been displaying advertisements suddenly switched to broadcasting a Pokémon battle.
By the plaza's fountain, groups of Tranquill gathered, completely unafraid of strangers, enjoying the attention of passersby with their heads held high.
Canine Pokémon such as Growlithe, Mightyena, and Rockruff played with each other nearby.
At the entrance to a Japanese grocery store, a Meowth helped the owner sell merchandise and attract customers.
This scene left Roy stunned, and simultaneously, a sharp pain struck his mind as memories emerged.
Good grief, he had crossed over to another world.
Roy's identity hadn't changed, his family background remained the same, but the world around him had transformed completely.
A hundred years ago, spatial distortions had suddenly appeared worldwide, and creatures called "Pocket Monsters" or "Pokémon" for short had emerged. These creatures possessed all kinds of incredible abilities, immediately becoming coveted by humans.
Soon after, due to human greed, a war broke out between Pokémon and humanity.
A century ago, humans had already invented aircraft and artillery. If these Pokémon had been like the ones Roy knew from his previous life, they would have been at most half as powerful as human military strength.
However, in this world, the conflict had ended in a one-sided defeat for humans.
Roy had initially found the outcome incomprehensible, but after watching the Pokémon battle on the big screen, he immediately understood.
"The Pokémon in this world are too powerful..."
The Dragonite—the dragon champion from moments ago—had unleashed a Hyper Beam with destructive power comparable to missiles, evident even through the screen.
Compared to these powerful Pokémon, humans' only advantage was their intelligence.
Some Trainers who had mastered Pokémon power developed the Poké Ball, which officially entered the history books. This innovation stopped the war, established the Pokémon League with participation from various countries, and confirmed its leading position in the world.
Today, Trainers essentially represented the military strength of their respective countries and held prestigious professional status.
A powerful legendary Trainer could form an army by themselves and could potentially defeat an entire country single-handedly.
Frances had once broken through the border defenses of a small Southeast Asian country by himself.
Throughout history, there have been Pokémon known as "Legendary Pokémon." Their mighty powers could distort reality like natural disasters, approaching the authority of gods themselves.
And Roy's identity in this world? A freshman about to enter the Capital University.
"Do I have a chance to become a Trainer too?"
With this thought, Roy felt a burning sensation in his heart, and his confusion and panic melted away.
"This is crazy. Mr. Frances lost this time, and the internet is full of rumors claiming it was a fixed match. It's disgusting. These trolls..." Beside him, Roy's childhood friend Reece muttered angrily.
Roy read the comments on Reece's phone, finding them similar to toxic internet forum posts. "They can't accept that he might have had an off day and didn't perform well."
Reece, a die-hard fan, nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! Mr. Frances just had an occasional bad performance."
Roy took out his phone and began searching for a ride-share, saying, "Reece, something urgent came up. I need to head home."
"What?" Reece looked confused. "You're leaving now? What about you and my sister?"
"We'll deal with that later." Roy smiled slightly, his mind now filled with thoughts of 'Pokémon' and 'Trainers.' He couldn't wait to get home and research everything he could.
"I've called a car. I'm heading out."
"Hey, wait! Don't go!"
Reece couldn't stop him and could only watch his best friend leave.