On the Battle Court, Lucian instinctively reached up to smooth his hair as Qingyu walked toward him.
At the same time, he casually wiped away the beads of sweat that had already formed at his temple.
Should he have expected anything less from Teacher Yu? He was already feeling the pressure before the battle had even begun...
Especially since he had noticed Qingyu watching the matches with their Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia, that morning.
The thought that Cynthia would definitely be watching his performance instantly piled on even more pressure.
Ultimately, even though Lucian had already become a member of the Sinnoh Region's Elite Four, he was still something of a newcomer. His only major tournament experience was the Lily of the Valley Conference, where his outstanding performance had earned him a chance to challenge Cynthia.
Beyond that, he was hardly better off than Qingyu.
By contrast, Qingyu looked much more relaxed.
"This should be our first time meeting in person, right, Elite Four Lucian?"
Although they had never met before, they had battled several times in the game, and Lucian was even a regular in his livestream room.
So they were fairly familiar with each other.
Since they knew each other, they ought to have a proper chat before the battle.
With that in mind, Qingyu spoke first.
"Just call me Lucian, Teacher Yu."
Seeing Qingyu take the initiative, Lucian immediately drew a deep breath, then did his best to give him a friendly smile.
Even though the corners of his mouth seemed to tremble at first, he quickly composed himself.
"I've been looking forward to today's battle for a long time."
"It's an honor to battle a Trainer of your caliber, Teacher Yu."
After exchanging a few words with Qingyu, Lucian suddenly felt his nerves settle somewhat.
In response,