"Everyone, the next battle is the sixth match of the first round! Mr. Aji from Fuchsia City in Kanto will face Mr. Youxing from Black City in Unova. Would both contestants please take the field!"
"It's Aji's turn. Good luck, Aji!" Amid Liu Qing and the others' well wishes, Daichi Misawa walked onto the field. Youxing emerged from the other side, encouraged by several of his teammates.
"Hey, Liu Qing, how long do you think this battle will last?" While Mayor Yuantai explained the rules, Han Ye leaned over and asked in a whisper.
"About as long as your battle against Moe. How long do you think it'll last? They're on completely different levels!" Liu Qing replied quietly, sounding annoyed. "Unlike Xun Chaoze and me, you aren't using recently caught Pokémon. At least our matches were competitive enough to be worth watching!"
"You can't blame me for that. If I entered a tournament like this and lost to anyone besides you or that guy from Unova, I'd never live it down!" Han Ye muttered. Liu Qing chose to ignore him.
"Go, Persian!" Daichi Misawa threw his Poké Ball first. As it opened, Persian appeared on the field, swishing his tail. The ruby-like red gem on his forehead lent him an air of elegance and commanding power.
"Persian, huh? Then I'll use... Purrloin, come on out!" A bloodthirsty, sinister smile crossed Youxing's face as he threw his Poké Ball. Amid a burst of white light, a wicked-looking Purrloin with a hook-shaped tail appeared on the field and gave Persian a lazy meow.
"That bastard! How dare he copy me!" Han Ye suddenly gritted his teeth.
"What's gotten into you now?" Liu Qing looked at Han Ye in puzzlement.
"When I fought Moe, I chose a fish Pokémon because she was using