Xia Chi's sweeping victory over Blue hardly seemed like news anymore.
Five consecutive 3-0 sweeps-not only had he never lost a match, no one had even defeated a single one of his Pokémon!
Xia Chi didn't need a victory over Blue to prove his strength.
But the tactical prowess both sides displayed in this match was the finest of this tournament, perhaps even in the entire history of the World Academy Tournament.
As a result, the claims that had flooded the internet a few days earlier-"It was 3-0 anyway. I could've done that too"-had largely died down.
Both competitors had delivered a thrilling match from start to finish, and netizens showed considerable respect even to the loser.
As for tomorrow's final?
Most people felt that whether Iris or Red made it through the afternoon semifinal, it made no difference.
They would merely be a stepping stone for Xia Chi to cement his legendary status at this World Pokémon Academy Tournament.
And just as Xia Chi had expected, Red emerged victorious from the afternoon match.
It hadn't gone as smoothly as Xia Chi's match against Blue, but it had been every bit as spectacular.
That Pikachu's miraculous performance, in particular, completely changed the audience's view of this early-route rodent Pokémon, supposedly "as common as stray dogs by the roadside" in the Kanto Region.
Perhaps, if Xia Chi hadn't appeared, Blue and Red, those two close friends from Pallet Town, meeting in the final would have become a story fondly remembered for generations.
If the Pokémon world in this timeline was also an anime or some other creative work, that was.
Xia Chi would count as a deus ex machina.
But he felt no shame about that.
Among everyone eligible to enter this World Pokémon Academy Tournament, who hadn't come from a