You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 356 The World Evil Attribute Expert Tournament Begins!
December 18, Feiyun City.

More than a week has passed since the world-shaking Plasma Team incident came to an end.

For Feiyun City, a metropolis that is always full of vitality, it is still a topic of conversation among people during their leisure time.

But most people's attention had already been drawn to another major event that was about to take place.

That is the highly anticipated Evil Attribute Expert Tournament!

The "evil" attribute may not be the most well-known among the eighteen attributes, and it is often associated with negative terms such as "insidious" and "cunning".

However, it is undeniable that top trainers who specialize in this area are all formidable and tactically challenging individuals.

The list of participants for this tournament is filled with illustrious names, including Rika, the Elite Four member of the Indigo League; Kagetsu, the Elite Four member of the Hoenn region; and Cranberry, one of the native Elite Four members of the Unova region.

However, the most watched players in this competition, and the ones with the highest chance of winning, are not these veteran powerhouses.

Instead, it was Xia Chi, who was currently in the limelight and had almost single-handedly quelled the crisis of the United States.

When the official list of contestants was announced and the name "Xia Chi" was prominently featured, it certainly caused quite a stir online.

It's not surprising that this "newcomer," who has only been in the industry for a little over a year, is qualified to participate in such a high-level specialized competition—

This guy's past record is so impressive that the audience has already prepared themselves for it.

What's truly surprising is Xia Chi; he turns out to be an expert in evil attributes?
However, upon closer examination, there are Magical Masked Cat, Tyranitar, and Kumashita.
With three powerful Dark-type mainstays, Xia Chi truly meets the entry criteria for the Dark-type expert tournament.

Some people have also pointed out that Xia Chi's team seems to have more Dragon-type Pokémon, so they shouldn't participate in the Dragon-type expert tournament.

But when people list the Dragon-type Pokémon in Summerpool—Latias, Dragonair, Milton, Reshiram.
Those sounds vanished instantly.

Are you kidding me? You're letting these Pokémon compete?

Those Dragon-type Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and even Champions should call the police, okay?

So after a brief discussion, no one questioned Xia Chi's participation anymore.

Meanwhile, Xia Chi himself, at the center of the media storm, was in the most upscale hotel suite in Feiyun City, looking down at the dazzling lights of the city that never sleeps through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows.

The last time he came to Feiyun City, he forgot to book a hotel in advance, so he had to go to the neighboring Fanba City to stay.

This time, he made the same mistake again.

However, things are different now. He has met Cattleya, a wealthy woman whose businesses span the Unova region.

So, with just one phone call, Xia Chi checked into this top-tier luxury hotel, which belongs to the Cadilla family business, to make final preparations for the upcoming competition.

While it's called preparation, there's really not much to prepare. The main thing is to let the Dragonite, which will be leading the charge tomorrow, get used to its new body.

The martial arts bear master is practicing with it right now.

The two Pokémon weren't as powerful as Reshiram, and the energy shield in the training room of this luxury hotel was strong enough to prevent the energy from leaking out of a Champion-level Pokémon, so there was no danger.

"boom--"

A deep, resounding thud echoed across the training ground.

Taking advantage of Dragonite's slight hesitation in turning around, the Martial Arts Master delivered a precise [Dark Strike] imbued with pure Dark attribute energy.

Dragonite's massive and sturdy body was suddenly thrown backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the specially designed energy buffer railing at the edge of the training field with a sickening thud.

"Fuwoo."

Dragonite rubbed his aching chest, bared his teeth, and scrambled to his feet, looking rather disheveled.

A hint of stubborn defiance flashed in its eyes. It mustered all its strength, flapped its wings, and prepared to charge once again at the Martial Arts Bear Master, who was as steady as a mountain.

"Okay, Dragonite."

Xia Chi's voice rang out, stopping its charge once more.

Upon hearing the sound, Dragonite immediately stopped and obediently came to a halt.

It lowered its head and slowly walked over, its large eyes filled with frustration and self-doubt, letting out a low whimper: "Woo-woo."

I'm sorry, Xia Chi. Was my performance... too bad?

The confidence and pride that filled his body during the evolution were almost completely dissipated under the steady and unwavering blows from Martial Arts Master Xiong.

Xia Chi smiled and said, "No, I just wanted you to save some energy for tomorrow's match."

As he spoke, he gestured for Latias and Victini to come forward and perform battle recovery on the Dragonite.

"You just haven't fully adapted to this new body yet. The changes brought about by evolution are too great: strength, size, center of gravity, sense of speed. Everything needs to be relearned and mastered."

His words were not merely words of comfort.

Before and after Dragonite evolves, it transforms from a slender and elegant serpentine dragon into its current round and chubby form, a stark contrast in size.

While the strength increases exponentially, this large and somewhat bulky body also means a larger impact area and relatively slow turning ability.

This sense of unease is amplified when facing an opponent like Martial Arts Master Xiong, who is extremely adept at seizing fleeting openings and delivering a fatal blow.

This is precisely the reason why Xia Chi insisted on having the Quick Dragons undergo adaptive training before the match.

"Fuwoo?"

Dragonite raised its head, its eyes filled with doubt.

Rationally, it felt that Xia Chi's words made a lot of sense, but emotionally, the frustration brought by being "educated" by Master Xiong again and again still weighed on its heart like a stone.

"Okay, stop overthinking it."

Looking at its pitiful yet adorable appearance, Xia Chi couldn't help but smile and reached out to pinch its incredibly soft cheeks.

"Don't worry, I'll still be there for tomorrow's competition. You just need to remember to believe in your own strength and my guidance, play freely, express yourself to the fullest, and enjoy the feeling of standing on the big stage. Leave the winning or losing to me."

The trainer's comforting smile and the unwavering trust in his words seemed to inspire Dragon Heart even more than the power of unlimited energy.

Dragonite stared blankly at Xia Chi, seeing the unwavering composure and certainty in his eyes, and the gloom in his heart seemed to be dispelled by the sunlight.

The confusion and frustration in its eyes gradually faded, and it nodded vigorously.

"Fuwoo!"

------

December 19, Feiyun Arena.

It was early winter, and the biting wind swept across the towering buildings of Feiyun City, but it couldn't dispel the warm atmosphere that permeated the city's air.

Located in the city gardens of the city center, the Flying Cloud Arena, shaped like a blooming flower, is now packed with enthusiastic crowds, every seat filled. The 60,000 seats are overflowing with cheers, the roar almost lifting the arena's retractable dome.

The highly anticipated world-class tournament – ​​the Dark Attribute Specialist Tournament – ​​officially kicks off today.

Eight top Dark-type trainers from around the world have gathered here.

Over the next week, they will engage in fierce battles to determine who is the strongest Dark-type Pokémon user in the Pokémon world today!
The organizer, United Alliance, clearly understands the power of online traffic, and directly arranged Xia Chi's first match, who has the highest popularity, as the opening match of the entire event.

His opponent is Nie Zi, the gym leader from Spiketown in the Galar region, known for his unique rock style and rebellious temperament.

Of course, for many Pokémon fans, especially those in the Galar region, Nie Zi also has another, more well-known identity—the older brother of the popular idol trainer Marie.

This is what many members of the cheering squad implicitly refer to as his "brother-in-law".
Well, in any case, this opening match has already generated a lot of buzz and attracted the attention of countless viewers around the world.

Inside the studio high above the Feiyun Arena, the lights shone brightly.

Two popular gym leaders from the Unova region, best friends Kamizley and Furu, are providing commentary for this match.

"Hello everyone~ Welcome to the World Dark-type Expert Tournament! I'm your commentator, Feng Lu!"

With a lively and cheerful personality, Feng Lu flashed a bright smile at the camera, skillfully warming up the atmosphere.

Kamizley, who usually presents a cool and elegant image, gave a very faint smile to the camera and said in a cold voice: "Hello everyone, I am Kamizley."

"The first exciting match is about to begin!"

Fenglu continued in her infectious voice, "Viewers can post their predictions for the match results in the live stream chat! Our exclusive sponsor, Devon Corporation from the Hoenn region, will draw one lucky viewer to receive a super prize: one of the three starter Pokémon from the Hoenn region—Treedkir, Torchic, or Mudkip!"

The market value of a single starter Pokémon is at least tens of thousands of yuan.

Devon's generous giveaway event instantly caused a tsunami of comments in the live stream, with all sorts of predictions and memes emerging.

[Huh? Isn't this just giving away a free Pokémon? Does anyone really think Xia Chi will win? No way, no way? (Growlithe doge emoji.jpg)]

[Fun fact: The odds for Nie Zi to win offered by Golden Betting have reached 1:100. In other words, if you bet 100 yuan on Nie Zi to win, congratulations, your 100 yuan is gone.]

[Stop betting on the outcome, it's pointless. Instead, bet on the specific score. I'm going all in on 6-0 and 6-1, a sure win!]

[The comment above is too aggressive. Xia Chi will likely send Hakron up there for practice. To be conservative, I predict a 6-3 victory.]

[Sorry, brother-in-law! Although I'm also a member of the cheering squad, I can't honestly support you this time by actually giving away an elf!]

【.】

Amidst the overwhelming support for Xia Chi, the pre-match predictions displayed on the live streaming platform showed an astonishing 99% approval rating for Xia Chi's team!

This astonishing figure left even Feng Lu in the studio speechless.

"It seems everyone has high hopes for Xia Chi~"

Feng Lu sighed, then naturally turned the conversation to her best friend beside her, asking, "So, what are your thoughts on this opening match, Miss Xiao Ju'er?"

Without any hesitation, Kamizley succinctly uttered four words: "Xia Chi will win."

"So decisive!"

Feng Lu cooperated by making a surprised expression, then rubbed her chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Hmm, I do think that Nie Zi from Galar might not be entirely without a chance."

Upon hearing this, Kamizley slowly turned her head. Although she didn't say anything, her speechless gaze said it all.

Feeling a little uneasy under her best friend's gaze, Feng Lu shrank back and weakly explained, "Uh, according to the conventions of the commentary world, shouldn't the two commentators each favor different players to create suspense and discussion?"

Kamizley: "."

Okay, that's probably the only reason I'm optimistic about Nie Zi.

But jokes aside, Poké Balls are round, and anything can happen on the battlefield.

Ultimately, the outcome is determined by the battles fought by the Pokémon and their trainers, not by prediction.

At that very moment, the live stream switched to the magnificent central main arena of the Flying Cloud Arena.

The deafening cheers, transmitted through the recording equipment, instantly brought the audience's emotions to a climax.

Feng Lu put away her joking expression and said seriously, "Alright, the first match of the quarterfinals of the World Evil Attribute Expert Tournament is about to begin. Let's look forward to what kind of wonderful duel the two contestants will bring us!"

------

Inside the main arena of the Flying Cloud Arena, Xia Chi stood on a high-tech white arena platform suspended in mid-air, a gentle breeze ruffling the hem of his clothes and the ends of his hair.

With a low, mechanical hum, the massive battle platform in front of him slowly rose from below.

What comes into view is not a standard flat field, but a complex field simulating a challenging natural environment.

The jagged rocks form rolling hills, a small patch of dense forest provides cover, and there is even a winding artificial river running through the center of the site, shimmering under the lights.

Xia Chi looked around the venue with great interest.

This reminded him of the venue for the Luna Reign in the anime.

Although this was his first time competing in such a complex man-made terrain, he had fought many times in open field battles and was naturally familiar with this type of terrain.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the wide field and reaching the contestants' platform at the other end.

There stood his opponent, Nie Zi.

The owner of Spiketown still sported his signature rock-and-roll look: dark clothing, a slightly unruly hairstyle, and a somewhat aloof and indifferent expression.

Out of politeness, Xia Chi gave him a friendly smile and nodded in acknowledgment.

Whether it was because of the distance, her personality, or her focus before the competition, Nie Zi did not give any response. She simply stood there silently, her sharp eyes scrutinizing the field.

Xia Chi didn't pay attention and focused her attention back on the field.

Soon, the referee arrived at the center of the arena riding a Shielded Swordsman.

He hovered in mid-air and announced: "The rules of this match adopt the League's standard 6v6 all-player battle rules. Both sides are allowed to use one Super Evolution and one Crystallization during the match! Do either side have any objections to these rules?"

Xia Chi and Nie Zi shook their heads almost simultaneously.

After confirming that everything was correct, the referee swung his raised arm down sharply, his loud voice echoing throughout the arena.

"Now, the first match of the World Dark Attribute Experts Tournament, the quarterfinals—begins now!"

(End of this chapter)