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Upon hearing the commotion, Liam furrowed his brows and turned his gaze in the direction of the sound.
"Roooar!!"
In the very next instant, a loud bellow came from the edge of the platform. Liam saw a Rhyhorn wearing riding gear, charging onto the platform amidst a cloud of dust. Seated firmly on its back was a burly man.
"Ha! I'm not late, am I? Has the battle started yet?!"
Once the Rhyhorn stabilized on the platform, the brawny middle-aged man on its back burst out laughing and called out to Professor Oak.
Liam gave the man a once-over, feeling as if he had seen him somewhere before.
"Haha, Bronson! Welcome, welcome. You're not late at all—the battle hasn't started yet. In fact, you're the first to arrive out of the group."
Professor Oak greeted the man on the Rhyhorn with a warm smile.
Only then did Liam recall who he was. The man before him was one of the Kanto Elite Four who had appeared with Professor Oak the last time—the Ground-type specialist, Elite Bronson.
"Who said he was the first to arrive? I've been standing here for quite a while—I just didn't show myself yet."
Just as Professor Oak finished speaking, a large boulder at the edge of the platform suddenly spoke in a human voice.
Liam was startled and quickly turned to look, only to see the stone melting rapidly, eventually transforming into a pale purple Ditto. Behind it, the grim-faced Elite Norman walked forward with the Ditto in his arms.
"You really enjoy these creepy ghostly tricks, don't you… Would it have killed you to come out earlier?"
Professor Oak placed a hand on his forehead, looking exasperated as he addressed Norman.
"Hey! Calling it creepy is one thing—but what's with the 'ghostly' part? What, did Ghost-types offend you or something?"
Another cold, ethereal voice drifted in from the edge of the platform. A mist of ghostly fog floated up, and from it emerged Elite Agatha, whom Liam had met before.
She gently landed on the platform, carried by the fog, and gave Professor Oak a sharp glare. Professor Oak quickly coughed awkwardly, too embarrassed to continue.
Liam suppressed his curiosity about the potential gossip between Professor Oak and Agatha, and instead respectfully bowed to her. Seeing Liam's gesture, Agatha gave a faint, satisfied smile.
"My, is everyone here already? I ran into some fans on the way, so I was held up a bit~ Hope you all won't blame me~"
Just as the atmosphere on the platform was turning slightly awkward, a sweet voice drifted down from the sky. Liam looked up and saw a mature beauty dressed entirely in green, sitting on a swing pulled by two Jumpluff, slowly floating down to the platform. Liam was a bit on edge, worried that she might accidentally fall off.
"Haha, Erika, you're here too. Don't worry, not everyone's arrived yet—we're still waiting on one more…"
Professor Oak glanced around as he replied to her.
Liam blinked, glancing at all the Elite Four already gathered. He wondered—weren't they all here already? Who else hadn't shown up yet?
"Ahem, sorry! I ran into an old lady who was lost on the road and gave her some directions—that's what delayed me. Hope everyone can understand…"
"Roooar!"
Just as Liam puzzled over who was missing, a confident voice rang out from nearby, followed by a familiar roar. Then, Liam saw a strikingly bright Arcanine bounding onto the platform, carrying a middle-aged man with a thick beard.
"To have the League President himself come all the way here to bear witness—I'm already deeply grateful. Who would dare complain?"
Professor Oak smiled and nodded at the newcomer.
Liam immediately recognized that iconic beard. The man was none other than the Kanto League President, Mr. Charles Goodshow. Liam hadn't expected the President himself to show up. But thinking it over, it made sense.
After all, this was a Champion's battle—a major event for the entire Kanto region. Only someone of President Charles Goodshow's authority could serve as a fitting witness.
"Haha, with the former Champion and the Elite Four here, it really doesn't matter whether I'm present or not. But since I'm here, I'll see it through to the end… I'll serve as both referee and witness for this Champion battle. I hereby swear: I will act with complete fairness and impartiality, without any personal bias. I stake the dignity of the League President on it."
Charles Goodshow dismounted from his Arcanine and walked to the center of the battle platform, addressing both Professor Oak and Liam with a serious expression.
"Of course. That's exactly what we were hoping for," Professor Oak nodded, then turned to Liam, pulling a PokeBall from behind his back and smiling.
"Alright, Liam. Now that everyone is here, let me explain the rules for our battle today."
"First off! Each side may only use three Pokémon! During the battle, I cannot switch my Pokémon freely—but you can. The battle ends when all of either side's Pokémon are unable to fight, or one side concedes."
Liam frowned slightly upon hearing this, then spoke up.
"Umm… Professor Oak, isn't that kind of rule too unfair to you? You're at a disadvantage."
"Pfft~~ Hahaha! I can't take it! I didn't expect this kid to be so cute! Hahaha, my stomach hurts!"
As soon as Liam finished, Erika, still sitting on her swing, burst into laughter as if she had heard the funniest joke ever, tears forming at the corners of her eyes from laughing so hard.
"Hehe, Liam… I admit your Pokémon are very strong, especially that alternate shiny Garchomp. But you shouldn't underestimate the strength of a League Champion just because of that. If you think the rules Oak just mentioned are unfair to him, then you're actually doubting the strength of the entire Kanto League's upper echelon…"
Agatha chuckled softly with a slight smile, but her eyes flashed with a cold gleam that made Liam shudder slightly.
"Uh… I didn't mean anything by it. Since you've all said so, I won't argue."
Feeling the faint disapproval from several directions, Liam could only sigh softly and drop the issue.
"Alright! Now that both sides understand the rules, please take your positions! The match is about to begin!"
President Charles Goodshow raised his hands to signal the battle's imminent start.
"Heh, I should be the one to send out my Pokémon first, right? Alright then, I'll begin! Come out, my partner! Let's fight together once again!"
Professor Oak stepped back into the command zone, smiling as he tossed his PokeBall, a grin on his face like one from his younger days in battle.
"Pidgeoooot!!!"
With a flash of light, a Pidgeot almost twice the size of a normal one appeared, flapping its massive wings and letting out a crisp cry above the platform.
"Pidgeot, huh… Only three Pokémon are allowed in this match, so in that case—it's best to start at the beginning!"
"Go, Arbok! I choose you!"
Liam stared up at the Pidgeot for a moment, then smiled nostalgically. He quickly unhooked a PokeBall from his belt and threw it into the air with force.
"Chaaarbok!… Chaaaa? Charbok!!"