69novels Chapter 117 The Duel Begins
Chapter 117 The Duel Begins
Chapter 117 The Duel Begins
The soul-stirring roar of the opening ceremony lingered and sank in the magnificent space of the battle tower after the 256 contestants were slowly descended into the underground depths from the central platform, transforming into an even more tense and fervent anticipation.
As the tower's interior lights returned to normal, before the audience had fully recovered from their emotional peak, the giant screens surrounding the tower lit up and began to flash and arrange themselves rapidly.
The grouping has begun.
The program is not completely random.
Those who paid attention to all the contestants' information quickly noticed the clues: the grouping algorithm clearly took into account the Pokémon's attributes and suitable environment.
Water-type Pokémon, whether it's Gyarados, Goldeen, or Starmie, have their trainer portraits mostly grouped together in a large area on the left side of the screen; while trainers using Rock or Ground-type Pokémon like Golem, Sandslash, and Onix are clearly concentrated in another area.
Grass-type and Bug-type, Flying-type and Fighting-type—while not entirely distinct, their general trends are traceable.
"This is... roughly grouped by attribute?"
Yu Qin whispered to Wang Jiajia.
"Perhaps they want to let those of the same type spar internally first, or at least avoid an ugly clash between Fire and Water types right from the start."
Wang Jiajia held Nidoran, lost in thought.
"Yeah, and look, it seems like Gyarados like Hong You, and a few others known for their powerful Water-type Pokémon, aren't in the same starting group. They've been separated."
This is an ingenious design.
The organizers clearly hope that, through a large number of battles in the early stages, they can more quickly and intuitively showcase to audiences across the country and even the world the unique tactical styles and powerful aesthetics of Pokémon of different types in their relatively suitable "home" environments.
At the same time, this also minimizes the possibility of premature "instant kills" that could be predictable and unwatchable due to extreme attribute counterplay, thus protecting the players' sense of participation and the audience's enthusiasm.
The tournament schedule has already been announced: Day 1, 256 to 128, then 128 to 64, two rounds a day to determine the top 64;
On the second day, 64 teams were narrowed down to 32, then 32 to 16; on the third day, 16 teams were narrowed down to 8, then 8 to 4; on the fourth day, the semi-finals determined the finalists; on the fifth day, the final competition took place, followed by the closing ceremony.
The tight schedule is a test of the physical strength and willpower of both the players and their Pokémon.
The system designed to match the competition is a dedicated artificial intelligence developed by the group's technology department under official supervision.
One of its core principles is to avoid premature "internal strife" among the recognized strong seeded players in the early stages, thus ensuring a balance between the entertainment value and fairness of the competition to some extent.
This principle was explained to all participants before the competition and was understood.
After all, in this new era where everyone is still exploring and learning in just six months, many trainers have devoted all their efforts to raising only one main Pokémon. It is indeed a pity that it is eliminated too early due to bad luck encountering its natural enemy or a stronger opponent.
The intervention of AI is a reluctant but pragmatic compromise.
Just as the audience was whispering about the group results and speculating about the key matches in the first round, a clear and gentle electronic announcement rang out from inside the battle tower: "Attention all spectators, the battle tower is about to undergo a terrain transformation. During the transformation, please remain in your positions and do not move around or panic. Thank you for your cooperation."
The moment the notification tone ended, a shocking scene unfolded!
The towering wall that had been a single, unified structure surrounding the audience seats began to unfold slowly outwards and downwards from the top, along countless gaps that were barely visible to the naked eye, like blooming lotus petals!
Natural light, accompanied by the sounds of city noise, flooded in, instantly transforming the enclosed arena into a semi-open, grand theater!
At the same time, the audience platform beneath our feet emitted a low mechanical hum as it began to move smoothly backward and outward, making way for a huge space in the central area.
Immediately afterwards, an even louder roar came from the "black pit" that the contestants' platform had previously descended into.
Five distinct and massive battle platforms, like giant stage installations, slowly rose from the ground and finally settled at a height suitable for the audience to watch.
Watery Grounds: A vast expanse of water shimmering with light, with a few floating platforms and a solitary mast scattered on the surface, and the shadows of reefs faintly visible underwater.
Stone Grounds: The area is filled with jagged rocks, scattered stones, rock pillars, pits, and narrow crevices, exuding a primitive and rugged atmosphere.
Grass Field: Simulates the edge of a dense jungle, with abundant vegetation, grass, low shrubs, and a few tree stumps and earthen slopes for hiding.
Ice Arena: A smooth, mirror-like ice surface covers the entire area, with several raised ice rocks and hanging icicles shimmering with a cold light, and the chill seems to penetrate the screen.
Standard arena: A flat, solid surface made of special materials, with clearly marked battle boundaries, free from any extraneous elements, a ring for the purest power and skill.
The five venues are arranged in a pentagram shape, separated by energy barriers so they do not affect each other. Each venue has an entrance at its edge that connects to the players' passageway.
Almost simultaneously, the viewing glasses worn by the audience also refreshed, clearly displaying the options for five venues.
Choosing one option will focus your view on the venue, zoom in, making you feel like you're right there on the sidelines, while the voice of the venue's dedicated commentator comes through your headphones.
"First round, first match, players enter!" the announcement rang out.
The gates at both ends of each venue opened, revealing the athletes.
In the air, the five referees took their positions on small, hovering platforms, their calm gazes sweeping across the battlefield.
"Pokémon battle, begin!"
As the command was given, ten Poké Balls were simultaneously launched from five fields, bursting into white light!
For the audience who chose the water-themed viewpoint (which was clearly quite numerous), the scene before their eyes changed instantly.
The rippling blue water dominated most of the view, and the slightly damp breeze seemed to blow through the screen onto your face.
A fast-paced, energetic young male voice immediately captured everyone's attention: "Here we are! Ladies and gentlemen! This is the Water Arena of the Battle Tower! I'm your old friend, commentator A-Miao! Let's focus on the first battle! From the Red Team's passage, the first to emerge is Hong Youxuan from Taiwan! A powerful newcomer trainer ranked fifth in the overall points competition!"
The camera zoomed in rapidly, giving Hong You a close-up of her face.
He looked darker than in the match footage, his expression tense, his lips pressed into a line, but his eyes were bright, fixed on the water ahead.
"His partner, I'm sure everyone already knows by heart—Shinny Gyarados! Look, it's here!"
As the camera zooms in, the Gyarados "Little Gold," which is entirely red and much larger than its kind, floats above the pool, its scarlet eyes fixed on the opposite side.
"roar-!!!"
A deafening roar rang out first, its violent aura undisguised.
The fierce aura accumulated from countless battles and crushing countless opponents sends a chill down your spine, even through the screen.