"Dragonite is Unable to Battle! Iris has four Pokémon remaining!"
The commentator's voice rang out.
On the big screen, the Dragonite icon beside Iris's portrait dimmed. The Archeops icon above it was already dark, leaving only Garchomp's still lit.
Cheers rolled through the stands.
Together with Giant Steelix's victorious roar, they gave the arena an electric atmosphere that set everyone's blood racing.
Discussion surged online. The Hoenn tournament had already been heavily promoted, and Porygon2's and Steelix's astonishing performances drew more and more battle fans to watch.
Among them were plenty of people who knew Baimu or Iris.
There were Ash and Pikachu, back in Pallet Town; Clemont and Bonnie at Lumiose Gym; Cilan, who happened to be traveling through Kalos; Elder Iris, Shobu, and the young Dragon Tamers of Dragon Village; the elder and young Dragon Tamers of Meteor Village; and even the Team Rocket trio, who were working to pay off their debts...
That was without counting those who had been following the tournament from the start.
For a regional tournament, it had attracted attention far beyond its level.
Even a regional Champion League might not have drawn this much interest.
Clips of their battle spread across blogs as animated images. Through the likes, many people noticed that Hoenn Champion Steven and Contest Master Wallace were watching.
Gym Leaders from across Hoenn kept appearing too, and even Elite Four members Poppy and Pheobe left comments.
Interest exploded again.
Less than ten minutes after the match began, search terms related to the two had reached the world's top five. Above them were major technological breakthroughs, Leon's consecutive All-Star wins and new endorsement, and promotion for Sabrina's new film.
The whole world was watching!
Shan Ren and the Hoenn League's Contest Affairs Bureau also realized the situation had gone beyond