Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

Chapter 501 Pre-match Registration: Gathering on Suzuran Island!

The clattering sound of the train finally became slow and heavy.

With a long whistle and the slight hiss of brakes, the train finally slowly pulled into the Suzuran Island station.

The scenery that comes into view is no longer a monotonous snowfield, grassland or dark tunnel, but a vibrant scene.

The air on Lily of the Valley was filled with a warm feeling, mixed with the salty, humid smell of the coastal area, and the sunshine was much warmer than the sunshine I had seen through the car window on the road.

The train journey took longer than they had anticipated because a section of track was accidentally damaged by a group of wild ground squirrels, forcing the train to stop for almost a day for repairs. They had originally planned to spend another day leisurely after arriving at Lily of the Valley, but now it seemed that time was running out.

There are only two days left until the official start of the League Tournament.

"Ah—! We've finally arrived!"

"Pickup!"

Ash was almost the first to jump off the train, and Pikachu followed closely behind, landing steadily on his shoulder and letting out an excited cry.

"There are so many people..."

Xiao Guang followed behind, and couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the bustling crowd on the platform.

Many of the people gathered on the platform had Pokémon with them, clearly trainers from all walks of life who had come here specifically for the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference.

Serena and Sakiko also got off the car. Serena looked around curiously, as this was clearly her first time in such a crowded environment.

Or.

This is my first time visiting a place where a large group of energetic and dream-filled peers have gathered.

"In any case, you should hurry up and go to the Pokémon Center to complete the registration."

Although Hikaru and Serena seemed eager to try it out, and appeared quite interested in taking a trip to Lily of the Valley—after all, they had even prepared a travel itinerary while on the train—it was more important to complete the registration first.

Although they wanted to see the scenery of Lily of the Valley, everyone knew that Xiao Gang's suggestion was correct, so the group walked through the bustling streets and headed towards the iconic red-roofed building in the center of the island.

The closer you get to the Pokémon Center, the more trainers there are, and the air is filled with a tense and exciting atmosphere of an impending battle.

The lobby of the Pokémon Center was packed with people.

"Hello, Miss Joy, I'm Ash from Pallet Town. I'm here to register."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Miss Joy responded with a smile. While helping with the registration, Miss Joy would occasionally look up and glance at Ash, her eyes showing a hint of happiness.

Actually, Ash and the others had gotten used to the similar looks they received from Nurse Joy on their way here.

However, unlike Nurse Joy from Lily of the Valley, who seemed very interested in Pokémon battles, Ash and his friends... or rather, Ash alone, received somewhat wary and hostile glances along the way.

no way.

He's become quite famous.

All the trainers who have signed up for the competition regard Ash as their biggest rival, and Ash is also aware that his competition videos have probably been thoroughly analyzed.

It seems this Lily of the Valley conference won't be so simple.

......

Just as Xiaozhi was waiting to register.

Hikaru, Tsuyoshi, Serena, and Sakiko found a seat in the waiting area and sat down.

Looking at the various trainers in the hall, Xiao Guang couldn't help but start comparing them.

The scale and atmosphere of the League Tournament are indeed different from the Grand Tournament.

Especially the expressions of all the contestants.

Almost everyone involved in the Grand Contest, including myself, was tense before the event began, and had no time to pay attention to how others were doing.

However, the situation is different for the many contestants participating in the Lily of the Valley Tournament right now.

Perhaps there was also an element of intimidation and intelligence gathering involved. Almost every trainer had a Pokémon by their side, and all the trainers participating in the competition openly observed what Pokémon the people around them had in order to gather information. Some even started taking notes.

The atmosphere at the scene was far too tense.

Just as Xiao Guang was surveying the surroundings of the hall, a voice that sounded noisy yet full of energy suddenly boomed through the hall:

"Ash—! I've found you!!"

With that shout, a figure rushed over in a flurry, nearly knocking over a trainer who hadn't reacted in time.

"Ah Xun?"

Ash turned around to look at the figure.

However, it wasn't just Ah Xun who shouted that came; following closely behind Ah Xun was Kao Ping, who wore glasses and a green vest and always seemed to be lost in thought.

"Ah Xun? Kaoping? How come you two are together?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Hmph! What's there to doubt? After all, almost all trainers go for special training before the tournament starts, right? And I met the evaluator during special training, so we just trained together."

"Of course, it's just regular daily matches. We'll naturally separate when it comes to tactical training." Kaoping added, pushing up his glasses as he joined the conversation.

Koping seemed to want to say something more, but Ashun didn't give him the chance. Instead, he ran up to Ash triumphantly and patted Ash's shoulder hard without any politeness.

"Haha! It's been such a long time! You've done quite a few amazing things since we last met! I've seen them all in the newspaper! You're truly something else~ But you didn't even call me when there was something to do about fighting crime! Isn't that a bit too formal? Fine! You absolutely have to fine me!"

After hurriedly saying a lot of things, Ash suddenly realized that his purpose in coming to greet Ash was not to fine him, but to declare war.

"Ahem! Sorry for digressing! Let's start again!" After composing himself, Ash pointed at Ash again and said, "During the special training, we watched all your previous match videos, studied your Pokémon and your tactics thoroughly! I will definitely beat you at this Lily of the Valley Conference."

Koping pushed up his glasses, a cryptic smile playing on his lips, and slowly added, "That's right. Besides having thoroughly figured out your Pokémon and fighting style, we've also devised several tactics specifically targeting your various Pokémon. This time, we're determined to avenge our previous defeat at your hands."

After Ash and Kao Ping finished their declaration of war, the other trainers gathered in the hall also showed smug expressions, indicating that they had all studied Ash's match recordings quite a bit.

only......

Looking at Ash and Kaopin, who were full of enthusiasm and seemed to have victory in their grasp, Ash suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

On the other side, Xiao Guang and Xiao Gang, who were sitting in a row, couldn't help but suppress their laughter and turned their heads away.

Serena and Sakiko, however, felt somewhat like outsiders after witnessing this scene, wondering what Hikari and Sakiko were laughing about.

"Hmm...is that so?" Ash's smile revealed a hint of apology.

"It sounds like you're very well prepared... However, for this Suzuran Tournament, I plan to have all my companions who have been traveling since the Kanto region participate together."

"..."

Ah Xun's smile froze instantly.

"..."

Kao Ping paused for a moment as he adjusted his glasses.

After a brief silence.

"Eh?! E ...

Ah Xun seemed to be struck by lightning, instantly petrified on the spot, and even the background seemed to crack.

He opened his mouth wide, his eyes widened, and his finger pointing at Ash began to tremble uncontrollably, looking utterly incredulous.

"All...?!"

Kaoping's smile became somewhat forced, his eyes behind his glasses flickered, and beads of sweat seemed to be trickling down his forehead.

He chuckled dryly twice: "Heh...heh heh...as expected of Ash, really...really came up with this method to evade our targeting...really...too cunning. But it's okay, I...we still have a backup plan..."

Although he said that, anyone could see the turmoil in his heart at that moment.

What was thought to be a foolproof preparation suddenly became uncertain, which was indeed a fatal blow to a tactical player who specializes in information warfare.

The other trainers present didn't perform much better.

After realizing that the match videos and information about Ash were outdated, the trainers present scratched their heads in frustration, and many of them were holding a thick notebook and looked like they were about to cry.

In this slightly awkward and dramatic atmosphere, a melodious harp tune flowed into the hall like a clear spring.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Shang Zhi carrying his emerald green harp, walking slowly over with a gentle and serene smile on his face.

“It’s only natural that other contestants would see you as a target and use specific tactics against you.” Shangzhi’s voice was as melodious as his piano playing. “After all, based on your performance so far, you are undoubtedly one of the contestants with the highest chance of winning this Lily of the Valley Tournament. If they were to encounter you in the draw, the probability of defeat would naturally increase infinitely, and those contestants would naturally watch your videos to find ways to counter you.”

Shangzhi turned his gaze to Xiaoguang beside him and said with a smile, "Just like Xiaoguang's situation at the grand festival, whether it was Kengo, Ulala, or even Miss Xiaowang at the end, the tactics they used in the competition were all very targeted. That's why Miss Xiaoguang's journey to victory seemed so thrilling."

Shangzhi's words brought Axun and Kaoping to their senses.

"Ah! That's right!" Ah Xun finally recovered from his petrified state. Although his face still looked a little cracked, he still congratulated Hikaru loudly: "Hikaru! Congratulations on winning the championship of the grand festival! It's amazing to win the championship in your first year of debut."

Kaoping nodded in agreement: "Yes, congratulations."

"Thank you," Xiaoguang replied with a smile.

Although there's always a feeling of being carried along, it doesn't really matter.

After briefly congratulating Hikaru, Ashun scratched his head, looked around, and asked, "Speaking of which, have you guys seen Shinji recently? That guy has vanished into thin air since we last met, there's been absolutely no news about him."

Ash shook his head: "I haven't heard from Shinji either. Maybe he's training somewhere."

Shinji had nothing to do that would delay his journey, so he mainly focused on attacking the various gyms along the way, defeating them as quickly as possible. That's why Ash guessed that Shinji probably went into preparation mode after challenging the eighth gym.

Just as everyone was discussing Shinji's whereabouts, a cold yet familiar voice came without warning from the registration desk not far away, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Excuse me, I'd like to register for the Lily of the Valley Festival."

? !

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the registration desk.

That cold, stern profile and that voice.

It was Shinji, whom they had just been discussing.

He seemed completely oblivious to the commotion around him and ignored the stares from those around him, focusing intently on confirming the registration information with Miss Joey, radiating his usual aura of unapproachability.

"Hey! Shinji!"

As he shouted, Asuka ran toward Shinji's location.

After being called, Shinji showed an expression of annoyance and looked towards Ash and the others.

"Honestly, since you saw us, you should have come up and said hello. We're all acquaintances, don't be so cold~ Being too cold will get you fined..."

Just as Asuka greeted Shinji with a smile, he suddenly realized that Shinji's mood seemed a little off.

Shinji's usual expression is just a bit expressionless and indifferent.

But now there's something more... somber?

"Did something happen?"

Ash and Kouhei also noticed immediately that Shinji's expression was a little off, so they asked him about it.

"It's nothing." Shinji took a deep breath, seemingly realizing that his expression was different from usual. "I just had a Pokémon battle."

Pokémon battles?

Before the competition began?

Ash, Ash, and Kao Ping exchanged glances, clearly intrigued by the trainer who had successfully battled Shinji before the Lily of the Valley Conference even began.

Moreover, it seems that Shinji was defeated by his opponent.

This makes the situation even more rare.

"Who is it?! Could there be a hidden dark horse contender?!"

Shinji: "......"

Shinji closed his eyes in frustration, just as he was about to say the person's name.

At the same time, a figure silently appeared behind them and slowly said in a melodious voice, "The person who just fought him was me."

.......