Ever since the World Championships, an event encompassing the entire world, came into existence, every major region has seen all kinds of powerful trainers continuously climbing the rankings.
Some of the most famous among them even possess strength comparable to Champions, and if not for the World Championships, they might never have been known to the general public at all.
For example, Iris from the Unova region. As Drayden's disciple and an occasional acting Gym Leader of Opelucid City, Iris is already a prodigy at Champion level. What truly made her known to the world, however, was her challenge match against Hoenn Champion Wallace.
Aside from Iris, there are other well-known Unova trainers as well, such as Hilda and Rosa. While they may not shine as brightly as Iris, they are still genius girls who, in a very short time, surged directly into the Ultra Class tier.
After all, the World Championships are a truly global competitive event. Some participate for fame, some to challenge themselves, and some for the honor of their region.
On today's World Championship rankings, there are already countless trainers whose names feel unfamiliar to the general public.
But without question, the most outstanding young prodigy among them all is the man currently ranked No. 2 on the Master Class leaderboard—Lucas Blackthorn.
The young master of the Blackthorn clan, who burst into the public eye by directly challenging No. 5 Iris and defeating her with overwhelming dominance, truly left an indelible shock on everyone.
And even when facing Leon, he still won with absolute superiority. Now, this same youth had once again begun a new challenge—
Challenging the current World Championship No. 1, the strongest trainer in the world: Lance Blackthorn!
When the information that Lucas had challenged Lance appeared on the main banner of the World Championship app, the entire world exploded.
"Finally! It's finally here! A showdown between two members of the Blackthorn Clan!"
"I've been waiting so long for this! I knew Lucas would challenge Lance sooner or later!"
"Whoa, I caught a wild Iris!"
"I'm so hyped! I want to see Salamence versus Dragonite!"
"Lucas versus Lance—who's stronger? I seriously can't guess!"
"Champion Lance is invincible, number one under heaven!"
"Lucas is the strongest, okay? Lucas will definitely win!"
The forums were instantly flooded with an overwhelming torrent of messages. Although there were still two days before the match officially began, there was no doubt that a battle between No. 1 and No. 2 would draw unparalleled attention.
Especially when the first and second place shared the same surname.
This ultimate showdown between cousins was something countless people were eagerly anticipating.
Indigo Plateau.
"Still training?"
Blue walked into the training field, his eyes landing on Red, who was currently doing intensive training with his partner Pokémon.
"The Indigo League is about to begin," Red replied calmly.
There were only a few days left before the Indigo Conference officially started, and once it ended, the Elite Four Challenge would follow.
At that point, the Champion of the Kanto region would finally be decided.
"Meh~ the Champion title is definitely mine anyway, no rush," Blue shrugged.
"Lucas has challenged Lance."
Before Red could respond, Blue spoke again.
Red froze for a moment, then fell silent.
"Well~ front-row tickets at the Silver Arena. Want to go watch together?" Blue pulled out two tickets and asked.
"Sure." Red nodded without hesitation.
The battle between Lance and Lucas—he absolutely had to see it. No matter which of the two it was, both were his current goals. Watching them fight in person would undoubtedly benefit him greatly in future challenges.
Hoenn.
"Steven!"
"I know, I know. The private jet is already prepared—we're flying out right now."
Steven had just hung up the phone when he spoke to Wallace at the door.
Sinnoh…
Unova…
When people saw the challenge announcement on the World Championship app, far too many hearts were stirred.
An internal battle between two top-tier members of the Blackthorn clan, a match to decide the strongest trainer in the world—being able to witness it live was simply irresistible.
And the end result was…
"Damn, I'm really laughing here—can't the Silver Arena be built bigger? Who are these few seats even for?"
"Hahaha~ lucky me! I bought tickets directly while you were all arguing on the forum. I'm already waiting in the lounge for my flight!"
"I'm so jealous… it's all those brain-dead Lance fanboys' fault for arguing with me. Otherwise I would've gotten tickets too. I'm pissed!"
"The guy above, what the hell are you talking about? I remember your ID! Weren't you the one starting fights saying Lucas would definitely win? I didn't get tickets either, damn it!"
"Seriously, League, if you're short on money just say so. This is a League arena—does such a small venue really match a battle for the world's strongest trainer?"
"Exactly! I strongly suggest moving the venue to our Wyndon Stadium."
"Anyone saying Wyndon, come out and get beaten. This Johto challenge has nothing to do with your Galar nonsense."
Blackthorn City, Blackthorn Clan Estate.
"Hehe~ these people are really interesting."
Green scrolled through the forums, her pure and pretty face filled with uncontrollable laughter.
"Lucas, are you planning to use Dynamax this time as well?"
After laughing for a bit, Green looked at Lucas, who was wiping his Poké Balls, and curiously asked while glancing at the Dynamax Band on his wrist.
According to Lucas, this battle against Lance would take place in the newly constructed Silver Arena.
Previously, Lucas had already had Eternatus in its Eternamax form plant a Dynamax energy spot at the Silver Arena's location.
This meant that Dynamax could also be used inside the Silver Arena!
"Yeah~ it'll make the battle more exciting," Lucas replied with a smile.
Ever since his challenge against Leon, Lucas had realized that while Dynamax and Mega Evolution couldn't be applied to the same Pokémon at once, they didn't conflict in terms of team usage.
This added far more competitive depth to battles.
So, he had installed energy spots in the main arenas of all major regional leagues, which could also be considered returning a favor to Rose.
After all, once Dynamax energy spots appeared in other regions, it inevitably boosted Galar's popularity.
Since so far, Galar remained the region with the most extensive Dynamax experience—if you wanted to truly master it, Galar was still the place to go.
Although with the advent of the World Championships, regional tournaments had lost much of their former spotlight, the World Championships were, in the end, a challenge-based competition.
If one truly wanted to grow stronger, traveling and real-world experience were still the fundamental path.
"I heard that some time ago, Lance deliberately went to Galar to meet Leon. He was probably learning about Dynamax," Marnie said thoughtfully, recalling something Piers had mentioned before.
"That really does sound like him—he's always been extremely obsessed with strength."
In the past, Lance hadn't cared much about Dynamax because its regional restrictions were too severe.
But after Lucas had Eternatus install those energy spots in League arenas across the regions, Dynamax could now be used in League stadiums everywhere.
Naturally, it became something worth learning—though outside League arenas, it still couldn't be used.
"I'm really looking forward to it~"
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
At 12:20 p.m., the Silver Arena was already packed to the brim.
The main stadium, capable of seating twenty thousand people, was completely full, with an atmosphere that was both lively and electrifying.
The short-statured Chairman Loki sat atop the grand platform, and beside him were Rose, who had traveled all the way from Galar, and Diantha, who had come from Kalos.
Diantha wore her usual elegant smile, but inwardly she was cursing Steven and the others for going too far.
They had dumped her here to accompany Loki and Rose, while they themselves hid down below.
Yes—Steven and the others were all standing in the corners of the arena to watch the match. After all, sitting up there would put them directly in front of the cameras, which was rather inconvenient.
As for why Diantha was the one being 'sacrificed'?
Well, being a celebrity actress was also part of her job—wasn't this kind of public exposure exactly what she excelled at?
12:30 p.m. sharp.
A commentator in a black suit and sunglasses rose up from the lift platform.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Silver Arena!"
The usual opening remarks echoed throughout the entire stadium via the microphone.
"Although many of you may already know this, I will still reiterate it once more."
"Today's match is a Master Class challenge in the World Championships!"
"Ranked No. 2, Lucas Blackthorn, challenges ranked No. 1—Lance Blackthorn!"
The commentator's voice rang out clear and passionate.
"The World Championships are a competition to decide the ruler of the world!"
"And ever since their inception, the No. 1 position has always been held by Champion Lance!"
"For several whole months! Ever since Champion Leon's challenge failed, the rankings have constantly shifted—even in the Master Class!"
"But the one thing that never changed was Champion Lance's No. 1 position!"
The commentator's fervor grew stronger and stronger, to the point that, amplified through the microphone, it was practically thunderous.
Yet no one felt annoyed—on the contrary, everyone was visibly excited.
Yes, ever since the World Championships began, Lance's top position had never wavered. And today…
"And today! Champion Lance finally welcomes his second challenger!"
"What makes this even more special is that this challenger shares the same surname as Lance—and is also his cousin!"
"That's right! It's Lucas Blackthorn!"
"This young man with a brilliant record challenges Lance here today!"
"So let us wait and see—what will the final outcome of this battle be!"
The commentator took a deep breath and raised his right hand high.
"Now, let us welcome our two battlers!"
"Lance!"
"Lucas!"
"WOOO—!"
Amid thunderous cheers and applause, Lucas in his white robes and Lance draped in his Champion's cape slowly walked out from the player tunnels, stopping in their respective positions.
"It's starting," Leon said, staring intently at the two of them. Both of these men had defeated him before.
And today's battle filled him with anticipation.
Although in Leon's view the result was already decided, it was the process that he looked forward to the most.
"The battle rules are a full 6-versus-6 match on a standard field."
"When all six Pokémon on one side lose the ability to battle, the opposing side is declared the winner."
"If the victor is Lucas, he will take over Lance's ranking."
"Now…"
The referee raised the small flags and announced the rules, glancing at both trainers.
"The battle begins!"
"May both of you have great fortune in battle!"
After offering his final blessing, the referee withdrew from the field, leaving only Lucas and Lance facing one another.
The arena gradually fell silent, waiting for the clash to begin.
"Actually, I prepared to challenge you a long time ago, Cousin," Lucas said, taking a Poké Ball into his hand and locking eyes with the red-haired man across from him.
"But for various reasons, it kept getting delayed until now."
"Still, we've finally reached this moment. This feeling is truly incredible—having a full team battle with you on a stage watched by the entire world."
"And then defeating you head-on. That's something I've always wanted to do."
A slow grin spread across Lucas's lips. His tone was no longer gentle as usual, but instead carried an unmistakable arrogance.
Yes, although he had already fought Lance twice before, those were merely clashes on the battlefield.
To have a full team battle with Lance on such a grand stage had always been what Lucas desired.
Defeat the opponent's Pokémon.
Crush the opponent's beliefs.
Shatter the opponent's pride.
This was the romance of the arena!
"That's exactly what I wanted to say as well."
Lance's eyes sharpened, gleaming with draconic pride and intensity.
"I am Lance—Lance Blackthorn!"
"Lucas, if you want to take my position, then show me your strength!"
Lance stared straight into Lucas's eyes, crimson hair fluttering.
Even if his opponent was Lucas, Lance felt not the slightest fear—this was his Champion's conviction.
His Dragon Legion would never fear anyone, no matter who stood before them!
"As expected of you, Cousin," Lucas said, gazing at him for a long moment before chuckling softly and lowering his head.
In that case, there was nothing more to say.
"Crush the opponent! Gyarados!"
"Suicune! Prepare for battle!"
Almost simultaneously, Lucas and Lance hurled their Poké Balls forward.
The battle began!
(End of Chapter)