"Welcome, everyone, to the second round of the Indigo Conference's Water Field qualifiers!"
After a long stretch of quiet, an announcer's rather shrill voice suddenly rang out across the Water Field, brimming with excitement.
"First out on the red side is the sunny and handsome contestant Xia You! He won his last match by an enormous margin. Will he carry that momentum into this match?"
Amid a wave of applause, Xia You emerged from the contestants' tunnel and waved to the spectators around him.
In the stands, the Biker Gang's frenzied flag-waving and cheering also drew sidelong looks from those nearby.
After the match the day before yesterday, they all knew there was a group of fanatics like this at the stadium, and that the person they were cheering for was the handsome young man before them.
But the stark contrast between their appearances, especially with the group constantly calling him "boss," gave people plenty to speculate about.
Some even dreamed up sensational scenarios like "Biker Gang leader turns over a new leaf and becomes a Pokémon Trainer" or "son of an underworld boss enters the Pokémon League Conference."
Once the applause subsided a little, the announcer shifted gears and continued, "Next out on the Green Side is contestant Saizo! He struggled to win his last match. Facing such a formidable opponent, has he managed to get himself into shape today?"
Amid friendly applause from the audience and boos from the Biker Gang, Saizo walked to the Pokémon Trainer's command area, facing Xia You from across the field.
Seeing that both were ready, the referee announced, "Both contestants, please send out your battling Pokémon at the same time!"
Xia You reached for a Poké Ball at his waist, let it expand in his hand, then released his Pokémon.
"Come out,