Arriving at the battlefield, Xia You and the boy took their places on opposite sides, while Misty and the middle-aged man each stood behind their respective Pokémon Trainer to watch.
There were plenty of people in Mauville Park at the time, but most were skateboarding, walking their dogs, or jogging. Apart from them, no one was using the battlefield.
As battling was the most popular activity in this world, the people with nothing to do gathered around when they saw that a battle seemed about to take place.
The crowd grew, and soon more than twenty people stood outside the field.
There were men and women, young and old, all studying the two on the field with curious eyes and privately guessing what Pokémon they would use.
Having seen this sort of thing so often, Xia You could already ignore such scenes completely. The boy opposite him, however, was clearly being watched by so many people for the first time. He could not help looking around nervously, seeming to grow very tense and even more ill at ease.
Only when he noticed Xia You calmly taking a Poké Ball from his waist pouch on the other side did he snap back to his senses. After taking a deep breath, he focused on the match.
He bowed to Xia You again and introduced himself. "My name is Wally. I look forward to battling you!"
Since his opponent had given his name, courtesy naturally required Xia You to do the same. At his age, however, he certainly did not need to bow to a child, so he simply nodded and smiled. "My name is Xia You. I'm a Pokémon Trainer traveling from place to place."
With their introductions finished, Wally took out his own Poké Ball.
Since this was a street battle,