Chen Shi had thought Yuko might ask him to help train her Pokémon or give her some resources.
Or perhaps she wanted to get a Mega Stone from him.
But Chen Shi had never expected that all Yuko wanted was for him and his grandfather to come see her on the day she won.
For some reason, that left Chen Shi feeling a little sad.
Even Grandpa Chen fell silent. This girl was far too considerate.
Chen Shi immediately said, "Don't worry. Even if the sky falls that day, I'll definitely be there to see you win and claim your seat as an Elite King!"
"But..." Chen Shi smiled. "Are you really that confident you can stand out among all the geniuses in the Hoenn Region?"
Yuko sniffled and said, "I've asked around. Mr. Steven doesn't seem to be joining this special training program. I think he's planning to go straight for Champion."
"Mr. Wallace doesn't care about becoming an Elite King. He's been busy preparing to establish Pokémon Contests lately."
"That leaves me with only a few opponents."
"The most outstanding one among them is Miss Pheobe."
"As long as I beat Miss Pheobe, I'll pretty much have an Elite King seat secured."
"Pheobe..." The corner of Chen Shi's mouth twitched. "Then are you confident you can beat her?"
"You should know, her background is anything but ordinary. Her family even has a Ghost Mystery Realm."
"I can do it!" Yuko clenched her fists, seemingly trying to encourage herself.
Chen Shi nodded. "It's good that you're confident, but Pheobe isn't as easy to deal with as you think. Don't underestimate the others too much, either."
"Maybe you're still missing a few little things."
With that, Chen Shi beckoned, and three stones and a bracelet instantly appeared in his hand.