Pokémon the Movie: The Journey of a Slate

Chapter 355: Lily of the Valley Conference, Top 4

The azure blue sky was like a flawless gem, and a small passenger plane with silver wings leisurely cut through the sky. Against the backdrop of the high sky, it looked extremely small, but it was flying freely like a bird. Two slender white trails slowly stretched and diffused on the pure blue canvas.

The cabin was stable and quiet. The tall and thin young man sitting by the window subconsciously raised his hand to block the dazzling sunlight pouring in from the porthole. His other hand was still holding the coffee spoon, slowly stirring the steaming cup in front of him. After a moment, he gently pulled down the semi-transparent sunshade to keep the light in the cabin at a comfortable brightness, and then his eyes fell back on the screen of his mobile phone.

“Wu—hum…”

The dull sound echoed in the pale young man's ears, making it impossible to tell whether it was the roar of the airplane engine or simple tinnitus. However, considering the Galar Alliance's excellent aviation technology, this sound should be the latter.

The young man had black and white hair, and his punk-style clothes were similar in color to the ones Mary had worn before, but the temperament he wore was completely different from that of the girl. Coupled with the faint dark circles under his eyes, he looked even more gloomy and difficult to approach.

That’s right, this person is the Galar region’s Dark-type gym leader and champion-level trainer, Nie Zi, mentioned by Eslo and Marie in the previous chapter.

"Ding~"

At this moment, Nie Zi's hand holding the coffee spoon paused slightly. Although it quickly returned to normal, Dulan Xiong, who was sitting opposite the sofa, still looked at him.

"Hohu?" The blocking bear groaned out of concern for his partner's physical condition.

"I'm fine." Nie Zi responded briefly without even looking up. His eyes were still fixed on the internal message from the alliance that had just popped up on his phone screen. He murmured in a low voice, "Dayu is weird... he's really quick."

As a member of the core circle of the alliance, Nie Zi always gets access to key information earlier than the outside world, and just now, an encrypted briefing from the top of the alliance confirmed: the major Pokémon alliances have reached a preliminary agreement to hold a formal diplomatic establishment meeting with the Great Orcs in the Quartz Plateau at the junction of Kanto and Johto in three months.

"Haha~" Dulanxiong was obviously not interested in the affairs between the alliances. He was more concerned about Nie Zi's current listless and gloomy look. If he got off the plane and went directly to see Mary and that kid named Aislo, anyone would think he was looking for trouble!

The blocking bear patted the armrest of the sofa with its paw and raised its chin in the direction of the rest cabin. The meaning was obvious: the most important thing you should do now is to get some sleep.

"...It is indeed necessary." Nie Zi pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly, and slid his slender fingers across the screen, exiting the briefing page. Before turning off the phone, his eyes quickly scanned the headlines of today's news push. A piece of news about the Sinnoh Region Lily of the Valley Conference came into view:

[The Lily of the Valley Tournament is in full swing, and the top four contestants have been decided! ]

……

……

"Perfect!"

In the slightly noisy audience seats, Mary looked tenderly at the black-haired boy who was jogging towards her. When he approached, she naturally stretched out her hand and gave him a crisp high-five.

In the just concluded quarterfinals, Aislo led Ma'la to eliminate his opponent cleanly and smoothly, and successfully advanced to the semifinals. Ma'la had taken back the ball to rest at this moment, and the young man also had a bright smile on his face.

"Well played." Mary praised softly. Perhaps it was because a lover's eyes see beauty in everything. Even though it was just an ordinary game of bullying, in the girl's eyes, Eslo still sparkled.

"Thanks to everyone's hard work." Aislo glanced at the Poké Ball hanging around his waist. The two chatted while following the crowd of people leaving the venue towards the waiting area reserved for the contestants.

When I pushed open the door of the waiting area, surprisingly, it was not empty. A figure was reclining on a comfortable sofa, his head nodding, as if he was about to fall asleep.

"Dakdo? How come you are faster than me?" Aislo looked at the young man who was about to doze off there in surprise. He thought he would be the first to arrive here.

“Ah? Oh! It’s Xiao Luo and Mary…” Dakodo, who was awakened, raised his head abruptly and rubbed his temples that were a little swollen due to sleepiness. There was a deep sense of helplessness on his face, and he seemed to be a little relieved that he could go back to sleep early. “Don’t mention it. I just stood on the command seat, and the player on the opposite side raised his hands in surrender… Ha~ah…”

As he spoke, Dakodo couldn't help but yawning, and even a few tears came out of the corners of his eyes.

"Um...are you okay?" Mary asked hesitantly, looking at his forced spirits. Molubeko on her shoulder also poked his head out and called out worriedly, "Mobemobe~"

"It's okay, I'm fine..." Dakoto waved his hands repeatedly, trying hard to separate his upper and lower eyelids, but with little effect.

He had stayed up all night last night to study the decks for the upcoming Pokémon Card World Championship. At this moment, Dakoto felt like a tree-pillowed bear that could never wake up. No matter where he was, the deep sleepiness followed him like a shadow.

[You're still fine? How many times did I tell you last night? Go to bed early, go to bed early!] Latios complained speechlessly.

"Why don't you hurry up and get some sleep? There's still some time before the semi-finals start." Aislo advised sincerely as he looked at his friend who looked like he could die at any time.

"Well, well... I'll just take a nap..." Darko muttered vaguely, his voice was already very close to a dream talk, and his body sank uncontrollably into the soft sofa again.

Aislo and Mary exchanged helpless looks, tacitly lowered their movements and voices, sat down next to each other, and tried not to disturb their friends not far away.

However, the tranquility in the waiting area did not last long. The door was pushed open again, and the iconic energetic sound instantly filled the space.

"Hey! Xiao Luo and Ma Li! Congratulations on advancing to the semi-finals. Ma Li was so handsome just now!" Xiao Zhi rushed in, and Pikachu squatted steadily on his shoulder, "Pikachu!"

Following closely behind him were the calm Xiaogang and the gentle-smiling Xiaoguang.

"Congratulations, Aislo." Xiaogang congratulated with a smile.

"Mary is here too, that's great!" Xiaoguang greeted Mary affectionately.

"Thank you..." Aislo and Mary quickly stood up and responded.

"Are you all here?" A cold voice sounded behind Xiaozhi. Shinji walked in with his arms folded. His expression was as cold as ever, but his words were much more polite than before.

His eyes swept across the waiting area and lingered for a moment on Dakodo, who was curled up on the sofa. He seemed a little surprised by the young man's appearance, but did not say much.

"Hey, Shinji! You're here too?" Xiaozhi greeted enthusiastically.

"Hmm..." Shinji glanced at Xiaozhi and said calmly, "The drawing should start soon. You should just sit there and save your energy."

"Oh, I get angry when I talk about this!" A resentful voice suddenly interrupted Shinji. Then, Ajin walked in with an unhappy look on his face, pointing at the sofa with a clear target, "Dakto! Wake up!"

Dakoto on the sofa just turned over unconsciously and snored slightly.

"..." A cross seemed to pop out from Ah Xun's forehead, "This guy! He eliminated me so easily in the round of 16, and now he's sleeping so soundly here! This is too much!"

The blond boy recalled the battle, the overwhelming strength displayed by Darkrai in commanding him, and the other party's complacent expression when he was defeated (although Darkrai might have simply not woken up), and he became furious.

(ps: The quarterfinals and the round of 16 were held in the same morning, so Dakduo was indeed the one who eliminated Axun on that day.)

"Ajun, calm down." Xiaoguang tried to comfort him.

"It's normal to win and lose in a game." Xiaogang also advised.

"But...!" Ajin wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Shinji coldly: "If you lose, just admit it. Waking up a sleeping person here will only make you look more childish."

"Who are you calling childish?! (▼皿▼)" Ah Jun immediately stood up like a cat whose tail was stepped on. Normally he would never dare to say this to Shinji.

"Whoever responds should speak for it." Shinji responded bluntly.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing, you two..."

"Ajin, calm down. And Shinji, you too..."

Xiaozhi and Aislo quickly tried to smooth things over, and Pikachu shook his head helplessly, "Pika Pika~..."

Just when the atmosphere in the waiting area was becoming a little "lively", a bright broadcast voice suddenly sounded, drowning out everyone's voices.

【Zi... Attention, audience members and contestants! 】

[The top four contestants of the Lily of the Valley Conference have all been produced! 】

[Next, the semi-final opponents will be drawn. Please prepare, Eslo, Darko, Xiaozhi, and Shinji! ]

[The result of the draw will determine your path to the finals! ]

……