October 7.
Sootopolis Arena buzzed with voices.
After two days, the eagerly awaited second round of the Wallace Cup reignited.
It was hard to imagine that an unofficial Contest Battle tournament, hardly a mainstream event, could attract hundreds of millions of viewers.
Yet thanks to Xia Chi's "Mega Evolution roundup" stream, which had taken the internet by storm, that had become reality.
In the morning's match, Wallace had defeated Fantina with little suspense.
After all, whether in showmanship or Pokémon strength, Wallace was more than an entire tier ahead.
Mega Swampert, making its first appearance on Wallace's team, had also demonstrated astonishing dominance in this Contest Battle.
It had fully lived up to the "top-tier" rating Xia Chi had given it on his stream two days earlier.
After his easy victory, Dami had once again dragged his good friend Steven into the commentary booth to cover the afternoon's headline match together-Xia Chi versus Skyla!
Inside the broadcast studio.
"Speaking of which, Champion Steven, who do you think will win this one?"
Wallace elegantly adjusted his microphone and asked casually.
A playful smile tugged at Steven's lips. "The winner will be facing you in the finals. Why don't we ask who you'd rather battle?"
Wallace tapped his chin, anticipation in his eyes. "If I had to choose, Xia Chi. Every time I battle that guy, there's a surprise."
As a neutral commentator, taking sides like this might have seemed somewhat biased.
But this was essentially a friendly tournament, and Wallace hardly cared what others thought, so it did not matter.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield beneath the spotlights.
With a sharp blast of the referee's whistle, the match officially began!
Xia Chi and Skyla threw their Poké Balls almost simultaneously!
"Go, Flutter Mane!"
"Soar, Altaria!"
Two bursts of white light exploded, and