Lily of the Valley Island, Lily of the Valley Stadium.
Viewed from the sky, three slightly smaller circular stadiums formed a triangle around the main stadium.
At that moment, every seat was filled.
With neither of the two stars having appeared yet, a Rotom Drone carrying a high-definition camera swept over the seats.
The crowd bustled, and vendors selling snacks and drinks wove through the aisles.
The Master League, which the audience had eagerly awaited, was kicking off.
It had generated even more buzz than the Pokémon World Championships in previous years.
The newly established Master League packed in as many battles as possible, satisfying the viewing needs of the vast majority of spectators.
As for the two competitors,
one was the first female regional Champion, a powerhouse with both beauty and strength.
The other was a Dragon Messenger with two Champion titles, a master of Flying types whose cape was practically his true form.
In the previous Pokémon World Championships, these two had placed second and fourth: Cynthia second, Lance fourth.
Steven had come third, and Diantha fifth.
Since the previous tournament had been held in the Galar Region, Leon had certainly enjoyed an advantage with his Gigantamax Charizard.
The cafeteria had a television, so Li Wei and the others watched while they ate.
Shiyin marveled, "There are so many people!"
Mizuki nodded. "That's Pokémon battling for you. The most popular competitive event, bar none."
No one argued with her, because it was true-not even Dayou, a three-time Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament champion.
At 5:15 that evening,
just as Dayou had predicted, Cynthia and Lance's opening match began.
The host had finished reading the advertisements and was about to introduce the two competitors.
Li Wei wasn't really eating, nor was he watching the match that had yet to