redvbooks Chapter 567 The Galar League Tournament Begins!
Chapter 567 The Galar League Tournament Begins!
The following day, in the Galarian region, in the city of Mech.
The morning sunlight pierced through the steam and mist, casting a pale gold layer on the streets constructed of metal and gears.
Motostoke City woke up early, and the shouts of trainers greeting each other could be heard throughout the streets and alleys. The air was filled with the unique aroma of engine oil mixed with toasted bread.
After getting up, Li Luochen and Katishia changed into some comfortable clothes; the effects of the alcohol from last night's food stall party had long since dissipated.
The two left the Shy Bud Hotel and headed towards the Motor Arena.
It was a colossal building, with a steel frame interwoven with red brick walls, and huge gears slowly turning on the exterior.
The giant screen above the main entrance of the arena was lit up, playing promotional videos for the league tournament. Trainers gathered in small groups at the entrance, and the queue stretched from the entrance all the way to the center of the square.
The league season opening ceremony is today!
"Good morning, Pavilion Master Luo Chen and Katishia!"
Yuri waved and jogged over from the crowd. Today, she had replaced her Scottish round cap with a white sun hat, paired with a crisp white tracksuit and athletic shorts, making her look full of energy.
Mary followed behind her at a leisurely pace, dressed in a completely different outfit today.
Her upper body was a tight-fitting purple-black tracksuit, revealing a slender waist, while her lower body was ripped track pants with frayed edges at the knees.
Combined with her aloof face, it gave her an unconventional and efficient air.
"Good morning," Li Luochen replied, his gaze lingering on Mary's tracksuit for half a second longer, thinking to himself that this girl's style of dress was quite jarring.
"Are you alright last night?" Kathisia asked Yuri with concern.
"It's alright, it's alright, I can hold my liquor perfectly!" Yuri patted her chest, then leaned close to Katishia's ear and whispered, "But you, did you get bullied when you got back?"
Katishia blushed and quickly waved her hand.
Li Luochen coughed beside him, pretending not to hear.
Then Yuri skipped over to Li Luochen, twirled lightly in front of him, put her hands behind her back, and smiled expectantly under her white sun hat: "How is it? Don't I look good in this outfit?"
"It suits you well," Li Luochen said honestly. The white tracksuit made her look energetic and refreshed.
"Just 'quite suitable'?" Yuri tilted her head, clearly not satisfied with the assessment.
Li Luochen smiled helplessly and added, "It looks great, okay?"
"Hehe, that's more like it." Yuri returned to Mari's side with satisfaction, and even secretly winked at Katishia.
After joking around for a while, it was almost time to leave.
The arena's loudspeaker announced the official start of the entrance process.
The massive iron gate slowly opened, and the first to enter were not the participating trainers, but the gym leaders from the Galar region.
They ascended the platform one by one, and each person's figure was magnified on the giant screen, drawing thunderous cheers from the audience.
However, only seven of the eight academies came.
Leading the way was the Grass-type Gym Leader, Alo, followed closely by Lurina from Waterloo Town. With her dark skin and a neat tracksuit, she exuded the composure of a model in every gesture.
Kawu, the Fire-type Gym Leader of Motostoke, is in excellent spirits. Although he is old, his steps are more steady than those of young people.
Aya, the Fighting-type gym leader of Souden Town, remained expressionless, completely oblivious to the surrounding noise.
In stark contrast, Popira, the Fairy-type Gym Leader of Dancing Town, waved gracefully to the audience with a look of pure enjoyment on her face.
Marga, the Rock-type Gym Leader of Battlegrounds, crossed his arms and looked incredibly cool.
Finally, the Dragon-type Gym Leader, Raihana, appeared. As soon as his tall and slender figure appeared, the screams from the audience rose several octaves.
The absent one is Nie Zi, the Dark-type Gym Leader.
This is not surprising, as that person is known for not liking to join in the fun.
Li Luochen stood in the waiting area, counted the number of people on the stage, and recalled a detail that Dan Di had mentioned yesterday.
There are actually more than eight curators in the Galar region; there are ten in total.
The Traverse Gym and the Battle Gym each have a second Gym Leader: Onyx, a Ghost-type, and Melo, an Ice-type.
These two players will not play in every league tournament, but will take turns participating according to the tournament schedule.
For example, they might not participate in this year's competition, but they will participate in the next year.
So it's not surprising that there are only seven museum owners standing on the stage today.
After the owners were seated, the real protagonists finally took the stage.
All the entrances to the arena opened simultaneously, and trainers from all directions poured into the center of the arena like streams flowing into the sea.
Some stood tall and proud, their faces full of confidence; others gripped their Poké Balls tightly, their palms sweating; still others chatted and laughed in small groups. Looking around, there were at least a hundred people.
Li Luochen and his group were among them.
The group followed the crowd into the arena, where a giant screen overhead rapidly scanned faces, and cheers rose and fell from the stands.
Once all the trainers had entered, the noise in the arena gradually subsided.
On the high platform, President Rose slowly walked to the front of the stage.
He was dressed in a dark gray suit today, with the Marocomón Group emblem pinned to his chest, exuding an aura of authority.
The sunlight shone directly on him, casting a long shadow that fell onto the huge alliance logo in the center of the arena.
The audience was bustling with noise.
Lorz raised his hands in a gesture, and the entire room fell completely silent.
"Trains, welcome to the opening ceremony of this year's Galar League."
Loz's voice, steady and captivating, resonated throughout the arena via loudspeakers.
He didn't use a prepared speech. As his gaze swept over the sea of young faces in the audience, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
The content of the speech was actually quite limited.
It's about Galar's traditions, the bond between trainers and Pokémon, and the dreams and glory this land holds.
Finally, Lorz opened his arms wide, his voice suddenly rising: "May you leave your own legend on this field!"
As soon as the words were spoken, ribbons burst forth from all around the arena, exploding into a shower of golden dust in mid-air, marking the official start of the grand event.
The next step is to travel to various towns to collect badges.
Trainers dispersed in twos and threes; some headed straight for the station, some gathered in front of the battle schedule outside the arena to plan their routes, and some simply took out their Rotom phones on the spot to book gym challenges.
Everyone starts from the same point, but choosing which route to take and which gym to challenge first is entirely up to you.
"Gym Leader Luo Chen, which gym do you plan to visit first?" Yuri pulled Marie closer, her face full of eagerness.