Pokémon, but cultural invasion.

"If the future is yours, prove it to me."

Bigleaf stood with his hands in his pockets, with Houndoom and Infernape on either side of him, engulfed in flames.

"If you can get past me, then we can talk about the future."

...

Outside the arena, A-Liu listened to a child who had come to watch the match recounting post-match interviews he had given in the past: "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow..."

The child had forgotten his lines; he had intended to finish the sentence in a lighthearted tone: "But one day..."

But his desire for the championship and his competitive spirit prevented him from joking about it. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and whisper, "I will become the champion!"

...

In the last video call, he was still confronting Da Ye Qiangqiang, but this time he slumped in his chair, holding the microphone with an inscrutable expression.

"After the match, I felt my mind went blank, but think about it, failure is a constant throughout life, that's life."

"The happiest time of my life? I did reach the finals of a major competition once, and people might think that was it, but that's not actually the case."

"The happiest moment for me was when I met Electabuzz in the abandoned power plant in Seaside City and we won our first badge together."

People always focus their attention on the victors surrounded by applause and flowers, while few pay attention to the losers.

The promotional video will only focus on the first place winner, so it will be the first time that viewers will directly experience the loser's resentment and determination.

No longer as uplifting and enthusiastic as victory anthems, these promotional videos, interwoven together, convey a resentful undercurrent that is equally moving.

After watching each video, some observant viewers have noticed why most of the main characters in the videos fail.

The answer is obvious.

They were both facing an opponent they simply couldn't beat.

Although they did not appear directly in the various videos, they were involved to varying degrees.

Since it's the Lily of the Valley Tournament, the champion is naturally the central figure that can't be ignored.

But the authorities seem to be intentionally or unintentionally avoiding this issue. What does this mean?

Chapter 130 Reaching the Pinnacle

The promotional video for the Lily of the Valley Tournament, which is completely different from the past in style and stars various dojo masters and champions, quickly caused quite a stir on the internet.

It spread widely among trainers in Sinnoh, and even trainers from other regions joined in the fun.

"Lily of the Valley's promotional video this year is really good. It's innovative and at least it's not two Pokémon fighting on stage. I hope Kalos can learn from it."

"Is this battle between two Pokémon a reference to our Kanto's legendary masterpiece, 'Gengar vs. Nidorino'?"

"The filming was so moving, especially the scene where A-Liu turns around and looks back, it was full of resentment and longing."

"This is what the League Tournament should be like! Trainers and their partners, honing their skills on their journeys, arrive at their dream destination. Everyone has a reason not to lose, and the excitement is palpable!"

Most of the praise focused on the changes in shooting style and focus, while some people were confused.

"Don't you all feel a strong sense of déjà vu and a strange familiarity with the lines spoken by the museum owners?"

"I understand what you mean, upstairs. This unique style that can only be understood intuitively reminds me of someone."

"No doubt about it, the case is solved. Just look at the video description to see who the art director is."

"Hajiquan, you really have a wide range of businesses."

"No wonder he went to give lectures at the Sinnoh League, so he was hiding here all along."

Once the art director's name was clearly seen, the sense of incongruity and strangeness that fans felt became reasonably explained.

So it's a spring tree, then it's not surprising.

Based on what fans know about him, the promotion for this Lily of the Valley event is definitely not just a few short videos of a few dozen seconds; the bigger part is probably still to come.

Sure enough, the Lily of the Valley account released a new short video a day later.

The previous few scattered and abruptly ended interview videos were a warm-up, the calm before the storm.

The trump card is the one you drop when the time is right.

Reaching the Pinnacle

When Izumi Tree's fans saw the five familiar characters combined into an unfamiliar shape, they knew something big was coming.

......

"Hikari, you're going on a trip tomorrow morning and you need to go to Professor Yamanashi's lab to pick up your starter Pokémon, so don't stay up late."

In a house in Futaba Town, the mother reminded him from downstairs.

Hidden in her room, Dawn was wide awake as she watched Professor Oak's lecture on Pokémon for beginners.

She is about to embark on a journey, determined to become an excellent Coordinator, and is filled with excitement.

"Bulbasaur is very easy to breed, making it ideal for beginner trainers..."

Where did this Bulbasaur come from in the Sinnoh region? It's clearly a Turtwig.

Xiao Guang turned off the video and sighed.

She should watch Dr. Yamanashi's lectures, but she has already watched them countless times.

"The prerequisite for becoming a Coordinator is becoming an excellent Trainer."

Hikaru remembered what his mother had said: whether you are a breeder, a coordinator, or an observer, you all start as a trainer.

At this moment, after exiting the lecture channel, the homepage of the online TV suddenly pushed out a video with a cool cover.

[The dream destination for trainers: The Lily of the Valley Tournament promotional video: "Reaching the Pinnacle"]

Dawn is no stranger to the Lily of the Valley Conference, a competition on par with the Sinnoh Grand Festival, symbolizing the highest honor for trainers.

What she was curious about was that it was usually the trainers who coordinated the promotion of the Grand Contest, making it a grand and spectacular event.

Trainers pay little attention to publicity; they focus on performing well in their own battles.

Perhaps because it's not as visually appealing as the Grand Contest, the official Lily of the Valley Contest organizers haven't bothered to change their promotional video for three or four years, but they've changed their minds this year.

I bet the promotional video will be full of the same old, tired stuff.

Xiao Guang didn't have high expectations. A flashy style is something only trainers would consider. Asking a group of honest people who are good at hand-to-hand combat to shoot a promotional video is just asking for trouble.

She clicked on the video, and a blurry sky came into view, with several black dots circling high in the sky, emitting caws.

The photographer appears to have misfocused, resulting in a shaky and blurry image.

As the scene gradually became clearer, Xiao Guang was stunned. Wasn't this Shuangye Town?

Three Poké Balls lay quietly on the metal stand, engraved with the symbols of flame, water droplets, and green leaves.

As the three rookie trainers each extended their hands, the Poké Balls were opened and flashed white light, and the song "Rise" began to play.

Amidst the booming guitar and bass, and the gradually intensifying drumbeats, the three parted ways, setting off in three different directions, each trudging alone towards the distant Tianguan Mountain.

Under the scorching sun, the boy who was walking with the grass turtle initially walked on the flat wasteland, then trekked up a slope a few seconds later, and finally climbed a near-vertical rock face.

The vine whip gripped the boulder on the edge of the cliff, dragging the boy up the cliff.

Above is a golden ocean of wheat ears, and the vegetable seed, dressed in a green trench coat, sits cross-legged on a boulder, as if it has been waiting for a long time.

The battle was about to begin, with Roserade's Razor Leaf and Turtwig's Vine Whip cutting the wheat into various shapes.

A strong wind blew, dark clouds blocked the scorching sun, and a torrential downpour began.

The girl, carrying Pogaman, entered a cave filled with churning lava.

Wearing red glasses, Da Ye stood on high ground looking down as the Duckbill Flame Beast slowly emerged from the stagnant lava waterfall.

The ripples of water collided with the jet of flame, and a large amount of white steam burst forth, obscuring the view.

As the snow dispersed, heavy snow began to fall from the sky. The camera zoomed out, and the outline of Tianguan Mountain appeared and disappeared.

On a frozen waterfall, the little fire monkey and the boy struggled to climb, clinging to driftwood.

When they climbed onto the river, they were exhaling white mist.

Xiao Song, sitting atop the Blizzard King's head, opened her eyes, and the blizzard howled away without mercy.

Amidst countless swirling snowflakes, the flame on the little fire monkey's tail flickered precariously.

As the music slowed, the boy and Turtwig parted the waist-high wheat field, the girl and Piplup left the scorching fire cave behind them, and Chimchar and the trainer shattered the icy river.

They gathered on the mountainside of Tianguan Mountain and began their individual climbs.

The colossal stone sculptures of Paluchia and Dialka blot out the sky, and looking up, the mountaintops appear as dazzling as a deep galaxy.

Looking down, I could see the figures of other climbers, some close at hand, others almost invisible.

At the summit of Mount Tenguan, amidst the ruins of the Spear Pillar, the boy and Infernape ascended the temple steps, looking around.

The girl and Emperor Naboo, another boy and the earthen tortoise emerged from behind the collapsed stone wall.

The three looked at each other, their expressions revealing their unspoken understanding.

The lights of water cannons, flashing flame charges, and flying leaf storms flickered amidst the ruins, the camera rotating around the pillar of guns, the battle scenes appearing and disappearing intermittently.

The screen gradually darkened, the music stopped, and only heavy breathing remained in the ears.

When the image became bright and clear again, two indistinct figures could be seen walking down the mountain.

Looking down, the Poké Ball in his hand appeared.

Looking up, behind the magnificent and splendid temple lies a colorful starry sky.

The victor ascended the steps, pushed open the heavy doors of the temple, and at the throne at the far end, a figure sat with one hand supporting his chin.

Wearing a black belted trench coat, Cynthia raised her silver-grey eyes to look at the challenger.

The Garchomp behind him slowly opened its eyes, and the Purple Disc of the Rockruff began to spin.

The six champion Pokémon each displayed their poise and gazed upon the scene, exuding an unparalleled sense of oppression.

Xiao Guang's hands, which were holding the phone, trembled slightly.

"So...so handsome!"

Chapter 131 A man only cries seven times in his life

The video ended and the screen went black, but Xiao Guang's emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

Is this still the Lily of the Valley event she remembers? Why is it so cool?

The three main characters in the promotional video actually set off from their own town, Futaba, and embarked on a journey with the Sinnoh region's exclusive starter Pokémon.

The final battle will not take place on Lily of the Valley, but on Mount Tenkan, which is covered in snow all year round and has been steeped in mythology since ancient times.

The sense of destiny that seemed to have been predetermined from the day they set off, the exciting battles the three experienced on their respective journeys, and the trainer who ultimately challenged the champion must have been carrying the unfulfilled dreams of the other two.

A childhood dream, rivals who are also best friends, and a wonderful journey witnessed together with Pokémon.

Its overly complete and classic elements, and its pure, passionate spirit, are precisely what new trainers love most and find most irresistible.

Even though Hikaru's goal is the Grand Contest, he can't help but be moved and excited by it.

To be honest, she has an urge right now to grab a Poké Ball and head into the forest to catch them all, even in the dead of night.

Even those aspiring to participate in the Grand Contest were almost kidnapped, let alone those eager, impetuous youngsters.

Xiao Guang was in high spirits and pulled the progress bar back to the beginning to watch it again.

The second viewing required far less visual information to be processed by the brain, allowing for a break from thinking.

Putting aside the narrative of the trainer special attack, the production quality of this promotional video is also extremely high.

Even if Xiao Guang were a complete novice, he could see the complexity in the shooting angles, pacing, background music, and visual presentation.

In comparison, the promotional videos for the Sinnoh Contests theme pale in comparison.

It doesn't tell a complete story like "The Ultimate Climber," nor does it have the unique atmosphere brought by the mysterious color of Tianguan Mountain. It seems to be just for visual splendor, like an empty shell.

Excited and unable to sleep, Xiao Guang got out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains.

As night deepened, how many people tossed and turned on the night this promotional video was released?

The Alliance Conference has always been poorly publicized, and even when it is effective, it is limited; people treat it as a routine event.