Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

He took a deep breath, and his voice suddenly rose:

"The final will be held right now, at this very moment!"

Although they had already heard the gist of it, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

"That's it! That's right! Let's go straight to the finals!"

"Wait a minute, didn't that kid's Pikachu just finish a battle?"

"You call that throwing two punches? I spend more time in the bathroom than that!"

"Hahaha, you're right!"

"Going straight to the finals is great! It saves us from having to make another trip tomorrow!"

"Well done! You're a true patriot of the people of Northeast China! You didn't disgrace us!"

Some were surprised, some were excited, but most were filled with anticipation.

After all, who doesn't enjoy watching a spectacle?

And this kind of last-minute addition to the betting excitement is simply too much!

The host breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the audience's reaction was much better than he had expected.

He seized the opportunity to build the railway.

"Now, let's give a warm round of applause to thank our two contestants for their understanding and cooperation! And thank you to all the audience members for your support!"

applause.

Although it wasn't particularly enthusiastic, it was quite considerate for a last-minute change in the schedule.

The host stepped down from the platform, and before leaving, he glanced at Xiaozhi.

The boy was looking up at the masked royal man opposite him.

There was not a trace of panic or dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Only—the will to fight.

The host was taken aback for a moment.

No wonder even the King of Shiba personally intervened.

That's interesting!

He stepped off the stage and brushed past the staff members who were walking towards him.

The staff member jogged over to Xiaozhi.

"Ash, please enter from this side."

Xiao Zhi nodded and followed him toward the arena.

Pikachu perched on his shoulder, its ears twitching slightly as it caught the surrounding chatter.

Who do you think will win?

"Is that even a question? They're definitely the royal masked men!"

"That Blazing Roaring Tiger is so fierce! It crushed all the previous matches!"

"Not necessarily, right? Our Pikachu from Kanto is just as good. Did you see those two punches just now?"

"What can two punches prove? He's just a top-sixth Fast Punch Man. Why don't you try fighting Blazing Roaring Tiger instead?"

"That's true... but I still think that kid is not simple."

"Nonsense, how could those who made it to the finals be easy? But the Royal Masked Men are clearly stronger!"

......

"Xiao Zhi".

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang cheered from the sidelines.

"Don't get distracted, focus on the game!"

Xiao Zhi nodded and turned his gaze to the opposite side.

The royal masked man, Kukui, is standing at the other end of the field.

Incineroar stood beside him, its eyes never leaving Ash from the very beginning.

"Xiao Zhi..."

Kukui smiled, his eyes filled with admiration.

"I didn't expect you to be so strong."

He looked at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

The little yellow creature was holding its head high, with a "you know what I mean" expression on its face.

"Those two punches just now were perfectly timed in terms of speed, power, and timing."

"You are very talented to have trained Pokémon to this level at this age."

Xiao Zhi scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"No, not really... it's mainly because someone taught me well."

"Pikachu pikachu~"

Pikachu chimed in, patting its chest with its little paw.

That's right!

The main reason is that it provides good supervision!

Kukui's smile deepened as he watched the interaction between the human and the mouse.

But then his expression turned serious.

"However, Ash, there's a reason why I absolutely must win this match!"

"I need more people to understand Alola and recognize its strength."

"Every match, every appearance, every opportunity to promote Alora—I will seize it all!"

"Let more people know that Alola also has powerful trainers and powerful Pokémon!"

"what?"

Ash scratched his head, a confused look on his face.

"Does fighting now require such lofty reasons?"

Kukui was taken aback.

Xiao Zhi continued.

"In our Kanto region, if our eyes meet, it's time to fight!"

He waved his hand.

"Who cares about all that nonsense!"

The Kanto audience members standing nearby nodded in agreement, their expressions conveying a sense of "that's more like it."

"That's right, that's right! If you want to fight, just fight! Why all the high-sounding principles!"

"That's right, a battle is a battle!"

"No wonder they are from Kanto!"

"purely!"

Their gazes fell on Kukui, their eyes carrying a hint of "You're so indecisive!" and "If you're going to fight, just fight! What are you whining about!"

hiss~

I've only heard that people from Northeast China are unrestrained.

But I didn't expect you people from Northeast China to be so unrestrained...

"Roar!"

Blazing Roar, standing to the side, seemed to agree.

Kukui: "..."

He glanced at the Blazing Roaring Tiger with a hint of helplessness.

"Alright, let's do it your way in the Kanto region—if our eyes meet, we'll have a fight!"

He looked at Ash again, his gaze sharpening.

"The Pokémon I'm sending out is my ace, Incineroar!"

The Blazing Roaring Tiger took two steps forward, clapping its fists together with a dull thud.

"Roar!!!"

The roar echoed throughout the arena.

"Next... send out your Pokémon, Ash!"

All eyes were on Ash.

To be precise, the focus was on Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Pikachu".

Pikachu nodded, then patted Ash.

"clear."

Xiao Zhi didn't say much.

He reached down to his waist and grasped a Poké Ball.

The Poké Ball is thrown.

A red light flashed.

A figure landed on the field.