Seeing the man swallowed by the tidal wave, his female companion screamed, "Ahhh!" But moments later, the wave receded, and the man was completely unharmed!
"What... what is this?" The man looked dazed, relieved to have survived. He had thought for sure that he was done for!
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm," Leo said, standing at the center of the water, smiling. "This is the latest result from our exclusive U20 opening event sponsor, Leiden Tech—virtual projection technology!"
"What you're witnessing right now is all composed of virtual imagery." Leo stretched out his arm proudly. "This entire venue has been equipped with this new technology, capable of achieving an almost lifelike effect!"
"What kind of garbage tech is this? Nearly scared me to death!" A hot-tempered middle-aged man in the audience threw a water bottle that hit the light wall hard.
"Exactly! I came to watch an opening ceremony, not to get scared half to death!" Voices of agreement rose from the crowd.
"We had no choice," Leo said apologetically. "The sponsors specifically requested that we not reveal any details about the final segment. We did mention on the tickets that the last part of the program is not suitable for viewers with heart conditions or high blood pressure."
"After all, it's the exclusive sponsor's requirement, so we hope you all understand." Leo winked playfully, adding, "But just now, wasn't it like being right in the middle of a movie?"
Back in the luxury box, Lu Cheng was also startled by the wave, which had nearly flooded the room. But Mu Mei remained calm, smiling as she encouraged Lu Cheng to touch the walls. Sure enough, the moment his hand touched the wall, the water receded instantly. Lu Cheng realized that the same principle applied here as it did in the hallway earlier.
Scratching his head with a wry smile, Lu Cheng said, "This sponsor, honestly... who would dare buy their products after that?"
Mu Mei chuckled. "You're so naive! Ordinary people can't afford this kind of high-tech stuff. It's clearly aimed at large companies and big corporations!"
"This kind of technology can provide real-time holographic Pokémon battles. For any gym or tournament organizers, it's a huge business opportunity!"
Lu Cheng suddenly understood. Indeed, coming from different professional backgrounds allows one to see many different perspectives. Good-natured laughter echoed from the audience. No one could deny that the previous scene had been truly breathtaking!
The man, who had narrowly escaped the wave, hugged his tearful companion, relieved and thinking to himself, "Thanks to this opening ceremony—Leiden Tech, you're amazing!"
Leo's voice boomed, "And up next, something even more exciting!"
"What you just witnessed was a reenactment of the famous tidal bore of the Qiantang River. Every year on the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, due to the gravitational pull of the moon, Qiantang experiences a magnificent tidal phenomenon. What you just went through was merely a small taste of the grand Qiantang tidal bore."
As Leo explained, the scenery around them shifted once more. This time, the audience was more patient, curiously observing their surroundings and occasionally letting out gasps of amazement.
"The tides come crashing in with the force of thousands of galloping horses. And last year, during the tidal bore, we witnessed something extraordinary!"
The sound of the rushing tide grew thunderous as waves surged from the distance, forming a white line that raced toward them. Lu Cheng squinted his eyes, watching as the tide came barreling in, unstoppable!
And there, in front of the oncoming wave, stood a lone figure, so small in comparison, yet even just standing there, you could hear the northern winds howling.
Suicune!
With a massive blue gem atop its head and majestic, lion-like limbs, it stood proudly. Even by Lu Cheng's warped standards of beauty, Suicune radiated an imposing grandeur.
Suicune let out a fierce cry toward the tidal wave, and an intense blue light burst from its head. Then, with a mighty leap, it jumped onto the over-10-meter-high wave, towering over everything as the northern winds howled like the stampede of a thousand horses.
Waterfall!
As the waves receded, Suicune's figure gradually disappeared. The audience sat in stunned silence, their hearts still captivated by the scene they had just witnessed, unable to snap out of it.
Even Lu Cheng was somewhat lost in thought. Could this be the aura of a Legendary Pokémon? Leo's voice was filled with emotion, along with a trace of reverence: "Last year, a group of brave tidal observers captured this precious moment during the great tide."
"It's said that Suicune has a habit of walking on waves, and the Qiantang tidal bore is one of the most brilliant gems among the countless waves it has conquered!"
"Leiden Tech created this virtual projection from that footage, hoping that through this scene, everyone can experience the greatness of both nature and Pokémon!"
Vulpix stared blankly at Suicune and suddenly barked at Lu Cheng. No words were needed. Lu Cheng nodded with a resolute gaze, as if making a vow.
"According to meteorologists, this year's Qiantang tidal bore is expected to be the largest in a century." Leo's smile carried a hint of mystery. "So, will Suicune make an appearance during this tide?"
"Let's wait and see!"
Ding—New mission detected: 'Embodiment of the North Wind.'
Objective: Observe Suicune's true form during the Qiantang tidal bore on the 18th day of the lunar calendar.
Rewards: Mystic Water, 10 random stat points, ¥50,000, and TM 'Surf.'
A Legendary Pokémon indeed—truly grand! This Suicune was also the first Legendary Pokémon Lu Cheng had encountered since the timeline shift, and he couldn't help but wonder—have other Legendary Pokémon been discovered in this world? Like Groudon, who can't fly, Rayquaza often joked about as a "green caterpillar," Celebi who can travel through time, or even Jirachi who can grant any wish...
Lu Cheng found himself deep in thought. In this world, would he have the chance to witness the majesty of these Legendary Pokémon with his own eyes?
Suddenly, he turned to look at his two Pokémon. Perhaps one day, he and his Pokémon would stand before a Legendary!
Mu Mei was still marveling at the scene, but when she turned and saw Lu Cheng lost in thought, she had no idea what he was thinking. However, seeing his confident smile, she couldn't help but smile as well.
Looking at Suicune in the virtual projection, Wu Ye smiled once again. This time, his smile was utterly genuine, showing his pearly white teeth, reminiscent of sunlight on a winter's day. He dialed a number, and after just one ring, the call connected. On the other end came a distorted voice, "Go ahead."
"It's confirmed—Suicune has appeared in Zhejiang Province," Wu Ye said. "However, they were the ones to release the information."
"There might be a lot of old-timers lying in ambush, but this obvious trap—" Wu Ye continued to smile, though his eyes turned icy cold. "If you want me to make a move, the price will be triple."
There was a brief silence on the other end. "Deal."
After hanging up, the room returned to silence. In the dim light, Wu Ye leaned on the table with both hands, murmuring to no one in particular, "If the fish drawn in by the bait is too big, even the most skilled fisher can be dragged into the water."
---
If there are any mistakes let me know!
Read up to 30+ Chapters! [P@treon.com/WiseTL]
At the same time, the groupings for the U20 tournament were officially announced. According to complete statistics, this year's competition saw a total of 604 participants. Excluding the 28 seeded spots from various schools, the remaining 576 competitors would face off in 1v1 elimination matches to fight for a place in the top 100. After three rounds, 72 contestants would be chosen, and along with those selected from popularity polls, revival matches, and the 28 seeded players, the tournament would reach its top 128.
This tournament's level of attention and popularity had reached an all-time high in recent years for any Jiangcheng event. Major newspapers and television stations had already begun extensive coverage, while businesses had quickly seized the commercial opportunities and started preparing in full swing.
"Detailed tournament rules, only 10 yuan per copy!" A street vendor was shouting in the crowd, rushing over to block passersby, saying, "Hey kids, I see you're also contestants. You've got to take a good look at the rules!"
Hearing this, A Le was about to take out his phone to scan the QR code, but Lu Cheng stopped him, exasperated: "Are you stupid? All of this is available on the official website for free. This stuff is just a scam to rip you off!"
Upon hearing Lu Cheng's words, the vendor's face turned green as he waved them away: "Get lost! Don't interfere with my business!"
"Hey, uncle, looks like you're not just selling this stuff," Lu Cheng said with a grin, eyeing the vendor's stall and picking up a booklet titled Exclusive! U20 Trainer Rankings. He asked, "How much is this?"
"20! No haggling!" the vendor grumbled.
"So expensive," Lu Cheng muttered as he flipped through the booklet.
What surprised Lu Cheng was that the booklet actually had a serious-looking ranking of contestants. Ranked number one was a 16-year-old boy named Gao Chi, with an exaggerated introduction beside his name. "Number one at Lingjun High School, heir to a fighting Pokémon family, city youth tournament champion, and a genius trainer determined to win the U20 tournament!"
The chubby A Le peeked over and exclaimed, "That title sure sounds impressive!"
The vendor, a bit frustrated, said, "If you're not buying, don't just stand there!" But seeing A Le's Wingull eyeing him warily from his shoulder, the vendor softened his tone: "Just don't block other customers, okay?"
"Look at this," Lu Cheng pointed at a part of the text, reading aloud: "Starter Pokémon: Machop. Signature move: Karate Chop. Has multiple records of one-hit KOs in tournaments."
"When did Karate Chop become a signature move?" Lu Cheng wondered aloud.
A Le chimed in, "Don't knock it! I've actually heard rumors about this guy."
A Le thought for a moment and said, "That so-called 'fighting family' must be the one that got replaced by the Jitian Gym. They used to teach karate but had their gym license revoked by the Pokémon Association for not being strong enough."
"That bad?" Lu Cheng was surprised.
"Yeah," A Le nodded, "but still, as a gym leader's son, he's bound to be pretty strong."
Lu Cheng kept flipping through the booklet and was surprised to recognize a few familiar names. Among them was the foreigner A Le had mentioned earlier—his name was Kevin. Bold red letters beside his name read, "Noble son from the U.S.! Starter Pokémon: Ralts!" The picture showed Kevin standing with his arms crossed, showing off his cufflinks and watch, smiling confidently like a model on a magazine cover.
"Next page!" A Le urged.
The next page featured their old classmate Hu Sheng, striking a flashy pose with one hand on his hip, in stark contrast to Kevin's polished appearance.
Lu Cheng noticed that most of the booklet featured high-profile contestants with a lot of buzz, along with the schools' publicly announced seeded spots, forming this so-called ranking. However, other seeded contestants, including Su Xiangrou and Lu Cheng himself, weren't listed. Clearly, this ranking focused more on popularity than anything else.
With 600 contestants, even the preliminary matches were bound to be filled with hidden talents. If anyone got complacent just because they were seeded into the top 128, they'd be setting themselves up for an early exit! Lu Cheng smiled as he returned the roster to the vendor's stall and continued walking with A Le toward one of the tournament's sub-venues. Today, Lu Cheng was mainly accompanying A Le to familiarize himself with the competition grounds ahead of time.
With just a month to complete such a large tournament, the schedule was tight. Three days after the groupings were announced, the first round of elimination matches would begin. A Le was assigned to Venue 17, located on the southeast side of the "West Lake Egg." Since this was a rookie competition, the battlefields would be kept simple, with no additional terrain effects.
After returning from the venue, the chubby A Le wore a distressed expression. "Lu Cheng, I'm so nervous!"
"Nervous about what?" Lu Cheng chuckled. "You should be using these three days to train your Wingull, rather than fretting."
"But my Wingull has never been in a real battle," A Le groaned. "Even in the few sparring matches with my crush, she wasn't even trying, and I still got crushed!"
"Well, her parents are professional trainers," Lu Cheng said awkwardly, trying to offer some comfort.
"No, this won't do, Lu Cheng!" A Le suddenly grabbed Lu Cheng, shouting, "You've got to help me!"
"Huh?"
"For the next three days, let's train together!"
Ding—New Task: 'Youth is Sweat and Passion!'
Task Objective: Train Pokémon with A Le for a total of three days (at least three hours of training per day).
Reward: 5,000 yuan, potential points (based on training results), and a Competitor's Vest.
A Le's small eyes were filled with big hope. With the rewards at stake, Lu Cheng had no reason to refuse. Plus, it was a good way to motivate himself to train as well. Nodding, Lu Cheng agreed.
---
"The first lesson of special training is a Pokémon battle!" Early the next morning, Lu Cheng dragged A Le to the familiar construction site.
"Uh, alright..." A Le had a long red band tied around his head, with the words "Passion" on the front and "Determination" on the back. But clearly, he wasn't fully awake yet, yawning constantly and looking dazed.
"I'll say this upfront, I won't go easy on you." Lu Cheng, also dressed in a tracksuit, said seriously, "I'll treat you as a real opponent, and you need to take this battle seriously too!"
I can't beat you even if I try! A Le grumbled silently in his heart but still threw out his Poké Ball. "Go, Wingull!"
"Treecko, I'm counting on you!" A Le was surprised to see the rare Treecko, especially in Zhejiang province, and asked, "Is this your new Pokémon?"
Lu Cheng nodded. "Pay attention, I'm going on the offensive!"
This was also Treecko's first battle since being captured. Lu Cheng vividly remembered Gongsun Rong's teaching: Never underestimate your opponent. No matter how weak they seem, you must always give your all in every battle!
---
If there are any mistakes let me know!
Read up to 30+ Chapters! [P@treon.com/WiseTL]
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