In the game: I stole Groudon at the start.

As they walked towards the contestant entrance together, Bakura patiently taught Ash.

"……I see."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi hesitated for a moment, but still nodded in reply.

"If possible, come to Alola for the challenge next year. The first Alola Grand Tournament will be held then, and I look forward to your performance."

Bakura patted Ash on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Huh? Really?"

Ash's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. He remembered clearly that Bakura was a trainer from the Alola region.

And the very first Alola Tournament? That's going to be really challenging!

"Yes, Alola has a great environment, and I don't think you'll regret this decision."

Bakura patiently coaxed Ash, hoping to trick him into traveling to the Alola region.

Given the strength of those Gym Leaders and Battle Masters in Alola, they could definitely make Ash feel like he was in heaven.

"Okay! It's decided then for next year! We're going to Alola!"

"Pikachu~"

Completely captivated by Bakura's descriptions of all sorts of strange landscapes and Pokémon, Ash completely forgot the bitterness of being eliminated just now and confidently raised his hand to make his decision.

"However, the gyms in Alola will be very difficult, so you'd better be prepared."

Bakura, seeing Satoshi full of energy, kindly offered a reminder.

"What? Dojos and stuff? That's no problem for me."

Ash casually tossed his hand, despite having suffered quite a few losses at the gym throughout the year.

But he quickly made it through without any problems; the dojo was just a piece of cake for him.

Even the gyms in the Alola region, Ash doesn't think they're much harder than the gyms in the Kanto region.

Seeing Ash's confident demeanor, Bakura revealed a meaningful smile.

"Forehead……"

Outside the contestant tunnel, Yukinari Oki and the others were waiting. They had come over to comfort Ash, who had been utterly defeated by Bakura, but upon seeing Ash's smiling face, they were all speechless.

He doesn't seem to be in a bad mood at all?

……

With Bakura's battle against Ash over, the Round of 16 continues in full swing.

There are no shortcuts to achieving better results!

Only by relying on your own strength can you win all the way!

The Quartz convention is now halfway through, with only three rounds remaining until the final round.

Three days later, the Round of 16 finally came to an end, and the final eight trainers emerged victorious!

There was a day of rest after the round of 16, and on this day...

Today is a bright and sunny day. Under the azure sky, the life of the Moltres burns brightly.

"Welcome everyone to the Quartz Arena. After three days of intense competition, our eight contestants have defeated all their rivals and made it to the top eight stage with their outstanding skills!"

The sunglasses-wearing host, holding the microphone, excitedly narrated his story, and at the end, he pointed heavily at the big screen.

On the big screen, one contestant's portrait after another appeared, exactly eight in total!

Bakura, Yellow, Gladion, Blue, Crimson, Iris, Touko, Gary!

The entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers!

"Waaah... I'm so angry! Alice and Touko both made it to the quarterfinals, but I didn't."

Looking at the eight enlarged portraits, Mei bit her handkerchief, her eyes brimming with tears, her expression one of deep resentment, clearly showing how much she envied them.

"And why is it that such an incompetent young master can get in? Waaah~ It's so frustrating!"

Especially when Mei saw Shigeru's profile picture at the end, she almost wanted to bite the handkerchief in her mouth to pieces.

I could take on three of these trash players by myself!

In Lampurch, how come the three girls I pushed out made it to the quarterfinals?!

····Requesting flowers·····

I'm so angry! I'm extremely angry!

"Hey, hey, hey! Mei, be gentle, this is my last handkerchief." Touko looked at the handkerchief on Mei's mouth with heartache.

"Ahh~"

Completely unaware that a girl behind him was spitting lemons, the young master sneezed, then pointed at the big screen, tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, and looked down at the lemon-loving genius with a smug gaze.

"See that, Ash? That's the difference between you and me."

With a flamboyant flick of his bangs, Gary's superior voice made Ash want to smear a brick in his face.

"Tch...Stinky Mao, he's just lucky."

Ash hugged Pikachu tightly, completely unaware that Pikachu's face was slowly turning pale as he held it captive, and said sourly.

"Huh? Luck is also a kind of strength, Ash. Just admit it, you're a loser in the top 16."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mao lowered his head slightly and smoothed his bangs, feeling quite proud of his luck.

Well, he's definitely outmaneuvered Ash, and he feels incredibly refreshed right now; even the air feels fresher.

……

"Now, let's look forward to the quarterfinal matchups!"

After spouting a bunch of nonsense, the sunglasses-wearing host finally got back to the point, speaking in an impassioned voice.

Meanwhile, the eight portraits on the big screen began to spin wildly.

Countless people stared nervously at the big screen, including Gary, who had just been showing off his superiority over Ash.

He knew his own skill level very well. To put it bluntly, among these eight people, no matter who he was matched with, he would be a free win!

.................

Even so, he didn't want to run into those few notorious monster players!

Otherwise, wouldn't he be like Ash, not only getting swept away, but being completely crushed by the sweeping team?

The avatars moved rapidly, and soon the first avatar came to a slow stop.

Bakura!

The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers!

Legendary trainer Bakura! So no matter who you're matched with, at least you'll have a legendary Pokémon to watch!

Bakura's portrait stopped, and immediately afterward, the second portrait also slowly came to a stop.

Another very handsome young man, Ooki Aomori!

Bakura vs. Aomori!

"How could this be... Brother Green..."

Upon seeing the matching result, Xiao Mao was completely stunned.

"Oh dear, this is a terrible result."

Oki Yukinari was also slightly dazed, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Regardless, Bakura is no easy opponent.

Regardless of the circumstances, in Oki Yukinari's view, as long as they didn't get matched with Bakura, Aomine had a 90% chance of making it to the top four.

but now……

"Ooh wow~ a collision of monsters!"

Meanwhile, Mei raised an eyebrow when she saw the matching result.

The battle between Aoyama and Bakura is definitely the highest quality battle since the start of this Indigo League.

"Green... finally, an interesting opponent has arrived."

Bakura looked at the two enlarged portraits on the big screen, a slight smile playing on his lips, and stood up to walk toward the players' tunnel.

Ooki Seiraku, a boy with monstrous talent!

That's really great!

"Oh~ Ladies and gentlemen, the contestants for this match are Bakura and Aomori!"

"This will be a very exciting match! To this day, Blue Green remains a powerful trainer who has made it into the top eight with only one Pokémon!"

"Now, let's welcome our two contestants to the stage!"

The host, wearing sunglasses, was also very excited when he saw the match-up list and announced it with great enthusiasm.

As the host finished speaking, Bakura and Aomori appeared in the contestants' passage and slowly walked into the battlefield.

"Wow! Go Bakura!"

"Green! Green!"

"Ugh~ Why did my two male gods have to be paired up so early?"

The audience also spared no effort in cheering for both of them.

Bakura smiled as he carefully examined the boy opposite him.

Wearing a black fitted short-sleeved shirt, with flamboyant hair, he had an extremely handsome face, a tall and straight figure, and a free and easy demeanor with an air of arrogance.

Judging solely by his appearance, Qinglu is truly a rare and dashing young man.

"Green, I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of surprise you'll bring me."

After gazing at the verdant green for a long time, Bakura chuckled and spoke.

"A surprise? There will be, a big surprise."