He knows Pokémon better than me.

The following day, the seaside festival officially began.

Early on, Ash and Shinji arrived at the overpass and secured the best viewpoint in advance.

"Huh? Aren't you going up there to host?"

Seeing Shinji standing there with his arms crossed and a cold expression, Ash couldn't help but ask.

Although hosting it can be a bit difficult for people to maintain composure.

Shinji surveyed the increasingly dense crowd on the overpass, nodded in satisfaction, and casually replied:
"It's outsourced."

Now that there's the convenient air-shooting Rotom, it feels like useless guys like hosts or referees can all be laid off.

Xiao Zhi's lips twitched. This guy's mind is still unfriendly.

With the surrounding overpasses packed with people, seemingly even more than yesterday's exhibition match, it's estimated that the match between Daye and Dianci served as a significant warm-up.

shhhhhh!
A Rotom drone also flew into the air and loudly announced the official start of the seaside festival.

Then the rules were explained, and everyone immediately fell silent as they listened:

"Each participant may use two Pokémon to battle in turn. Please note that this tournament is not an elimination tournament."

"Even if you lose, it's okay. You'll still have the chance to continue playing against opponents of the same rank and improve your ranking, but your playing order will be delayed."

"However, once a contestant falls out of the top 3000, they will be officially eliminated!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi stroked his chin. He was currently ranked over 3,000, which meant he only had one life left. If he lost, he would be eliminated immediately. Therefore, he had to send out a trustworthy general for the first match.

Xiao Zhi looked to the side and asked curiously:
"By the way, Shinji, what's your rank now?"

"Currently, there are 998 people."

Shinji answered truthfully that he had just signed up for the competition and, in addition, he had to deal with gym challenges, so he hadn't leveled up much.

"Is it already at the Superball level? Does that mean we can afford to lose two or three times?"

"Hmph, I don't intend to lose a single game."

Shinji snorted coldly, interrupting Ash's analysis.

On the electronic screen above, the information of the first match's opponents also appeared, and Rotom, the racket player, announced loudly:
"Xiao Wang, ranked 2789th in the Poké Ball class, will face off against Shang Zhi, ranked 3222nd!"

Ash was taken aback when he saw the two people who had climbed onto the central reef. They were both acquaintances!
Xiaowang is Xiaoguang's good friend. She is a confident and spirited girl with short, burgundy hair, and she is also a coordinator for the Grand Contest.

Shang Zhi is a gentle young man dressed as a bard, a player who excels in both the Grand Tournament and the League Tournament.

"Why are these two guys participating in the World Championships?"

Just as Xiao Zhi uttered his question, a hearty laugh came from behind him, followed by an explanation:

"Haha~ The World Championships are all the rage right now. It doesn't matter whether you're a coordinator or a trainer anymore. Anyone who owns a Pokémon wants to participate and give it a try, haha~!"

Xiao Zhi turned around and found a burly man standing behind him, who was 1.9 meters tall, shirtless, and wearing black and blue tights and yellow boots.

He was wearing a mask over his head, dressed like a wrestler.

"Oh, Mr. Yoshihiro?"

Ash recognized him; was he the Nohara Gym Leader, or was he also here to participate in the competition?
This conference really allowed him to see quite a few old acquaintances from the Sinnoh region. Could they all be here?

"Ji Xian? Who's Ji Xian? I'm the Masked Wrestler!"

Ji Xian simply raised his arms and shouted, without responding; he would never take off his mask.

Masked Man has a good number of fans in Sinnoh, which drew cheers from the surrounding area. The commotion on the overpass naturally attracted the attention of the two people below the field, who looked over curiously.

"Hey, isn't that Ash?" Xiaowang blinked and quickly recognized Ash.

He then looked around but didn't see Xiao Guang, so he frowned.

"Both sides, please send out your first Pokémon!"

Rotom was already urging them on, and Xiaowang and Shangzhi also looked away. After catching up briefly, they simultaneously threw out their Poké Balls.

Xiaowang's starting lineup is a Mismagius, while Shangzhi's starting lineup is Roserade, which has a similar temperament to him.

"Shadow ball!"

"Magic Leaf!"

The arena was instantly filled with countless beautiful, energy-filled green leaves. The Shadow Ball, carrying these leaves, unleashed a dazzling and spectacular attack—

Both are experienced Coordinators, making their battles highly entertaining.

However, the World Championships only consider the outcome, not the spectacle. Both Pokémon got serious, and the dazzling special effects gradually turned into a fierce battle.

"They're all quite strong."

On the overpass, Ash nodded in approval, noting that they were all significantly stronger than the Pokémon Ball-level opponents he had encountered in the Galar region.

After all, these people are not newcomers. Nowadays, they are all elite trainers, far beyond the level of 3000th in the Poké Ball class.

Shinji, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.

"You can only improve your ranking quickly in the Galar region. Ranking improvement is much slower in other regions. So generally, trainers outside of Galar are much stronger than their rankings suggest."

He glanced at Ash as he spoke.

You're useless for having such a low ranking when you're only traveling in the Galar region!

"hehe."

Ash chuckled dryly and looked back at the arena. Nozomi was stronger than Shōji. Mismagius seized the opportunity and unleashed a highly effective Magic Flame, completely defeating Roserade.

Shang Zhi then switched to his ace speaker, the Shrimp. Xiao Wang, seeing this, didn't dare to be careless. She knew Shang Zhi's abilities very well, so she also switched to her ace speaker, the Charming Cat.

"Oh, Xiaowang's Charm Cat isn't going to evolve?"

The evolved form of Glittery, Fat Eevee, does not meet the aesthetic standards of many people. In fact, many Glittery themselves dislike their evolved form and choose not to evolve.

However, not evolving also has its advantages; at least their agility has been preserved.

The battle begins!
"Charming Meow, surprise attack with a high-five!"

Charming Cat gave a high five, freezing the speaker cricket in place just as it was about to make a move.

Shang Zhi gently plucked the strings of his harp and conducted:

"Speaker Squirrel, use Silver Whirlwind!"

With a flick of its sickle-shaped claws, the speaker instantly unleashed a dazzling and beautiful silver-gray storm, which also carried many pretty crystalline powders.

While obscuring the view, it also kept the charming cat in place.

"Now's the time! Use the straw whistle!"

The speaker cricket used its body as a cello string, gently pulling its sickle-like arms horizontally, producing a soporific sound that drifted out.

"It's not that simple, use a loud roar!"

However, Charming Cat let out a sharp, piercing howl, instantly drowning out the gentle sound of the grass flute, and even making Speaker Cricket's violin playing sound distorted and off-key. (End of Chapter)