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Since they had spent a little over two days on the road, there was now only half a day left before the official start of the tournament.
Outside the League venue, the torch relay ceremony was already underway. This ceremony would continue until nightfall, ending with the lighting of the massive torch at the heart of the stadium.
Once the torch was lit, the League's automated system would randomly assign each participant their opponent and battlefield.
As mentioned before, this phase was only the preliminaries. Only those who won four battles on different terrain types would earn the right to enter the main hall for the final showdown.
Only 16 participants would make it into the main stage. Liam observed that the number of registered trainers had already surpassed 200. Out of those, only 16 could advance and compete for the ultimate victory.
Each of the four preliminary matches allowed a trainer to use only three Pokémon. This format truly tested one's strategic choices. Many powerful trainers avoided sending out their strongest Pokémon too early, worried about exposing their full strength.
Ironically, this hesitation often led to their defeat and elimination.
Of course, this kind of rule didn't pressure Liam in the slightest. As long as he didn't encounter one of the seeded trainers, he was confident he could win without revealing the full extent of his power.
"Liam! Haha! It really is you! What took you so long?!"
Just as Liam finished surveying the area and was preparing to return to the competitor village, a familiar voice called out from behind.
"Ah, Lorelei! Haha, long time no see!"
Upon hearing the voice, Liam turned and smiled, waving at the girl who was now running toward him with excitement.
Even after more than a month apart, Lorelei still exuded the same vibrant energy. She shoved through the crowd and launched herself into Liam's arms without hesitation. Startled, Liam quickly reached out to catch her, worried she might hurt herself in her clumsy excitement.
"Hey hey! That's dangerous!"
With both arms straight out, Liam held Lorelei up as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Seeing her in that same fiery red, breezy outfit made him frown slightly as he scolded her.
"Heehee! It's been so long! Did you miss me? You're not allowed to say no!"
Lorelei giggled as she held onto him, then pried his arms apart, placed her hands on her hips, and playfully demanded a response.
"Uh…"
Liam was suddenly at a loss… How was he supposed to answer that? Was there a correct answer?
Just as cold sweat was beginning to bead on Liam's forehead, another familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Oh~~ Liam, you're finally back. We've been waiting for you forever… And who's this?"
"Squirtle~ Squirt~!"
The cold sweat that had just barely been held back now poured like a waterfall from Liam's forehead…
"Hehe… Delia, what are you doing here? Did everyone come too?"
Swallowing hard, Liam turned to face Delia, who was now standing beside Lorelei with a small Squirtle in her arms, smiling with a "dangerous" expression.
He quickly moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a half-embrace as he began the introductions with a nervous grin.
"Delia, this is Lorelei—the friend I told you about. She once saved my life."
"Lorelei, this is Delia—my girlfriend… Hahaha, now you two can finally meet!"
The moment Liam pulled Delia into his arms, her "dangerous" smile vanished, replaced by one of happiness, shyness, and sweet satisfaction.
Upon hearing that Lorelei had once saved Liam's life, Delia gave her a grateful look. Whatever tension had been in the air evaporated completely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Delia Ketchum. Just call me Delia. Liam has told me quite a bit about you. Thank you so much for looking after my big dummy. I really appreciate it."
She gave Liam a sidelong glance before handing the Squirtle over to him. Straightening up and adjusting her clothes, Delia gave Lorelei a slight bow and spoke softly.
"Huh?! I said all that many times? I don't remember that…"
Now carrying the Squirtle, with Larvitar perched on his shoulder, Liam wore an innocent expression as he turned to Delia.
But with just one glance from her, he immediately fell silent…
Lorelei studied Delia with thoughtful eyes, then looked at Liam—whose eyes were full of warmth and affection. With a light hum, she turned back to Delia and said,
"I'm Lorelei. Like Liam, I'm a Pokémon Trainer. My goal is to make Ice-type Pokémon the strongest of all. My resolve is as unyielding as the glaciers that never melt. Anyway, there'll be plenty of opportunities ahead. I'll take my leave for today so I don't interrupt your couple time. But… hehe, I'm not giving up~ Hehe, see you!"
With that, Lorelei turned and walked away, a cheerful smile still on her face.
Delia smiled as she watched Lorelei go, then turned back to Liam with an even brighter smile. Just as Liam was starting to panic, thinking she was about to erupt, she surprised him by gently wrapping her arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Hmph, you handled that pretty well just now. I'll let it slide this time. Let's go—Dad, Mom, Professor Oak, and Aunt Fumiko are all over there waiting for us. We should go say hi."
Feeling Delia's warmth, Liam let out a relieved sigh and smiled, nodding quickly before following her toward the others.
On the way there, the two of them walked side by side in silence, quietly basking in the joy of reunion. Suddenly, Delia spoke up.
"Lorelei… she really is pretty…"
And without thinking, Liam responded instinctively.
"Yeah, she is… Ugh…"
"Hehehe… You're so dead!"
"No.. no! I just said it without thinking! Hey! Little Squirtle is a weapon of mass destruction! Don't throw him like that!"
"Don't run! Get back here!"
"…Hehe."
"Take this!"
"Squirtle~ Squirt~!"
"AAAH!!"
.....
The next morning at 9 a.m., massive fireworks lit up the sky. A bright orange flame blazed within a towering torch—this was the sacred flame of the Kanto League, born from the flame of Moltres. It would bear witness to the grand tournament until the closing ceremony.
In the center of the spectator stands was a large VIP broadcast room, reserved for the tournament's commentators and several special guests.
As the tournament officially began, the announcers called all the competitors to the arena. The participating trainers formed a massive circle in the middle of the temporary field and bowed in all directions to the audience in respect.
Then an old man with a long white beard—President Charles Goodshow of the League—delivered an address to all the trainers.
Liam stood among the more than two hundred Pokémon Trainers, right at the heart of the arena.
As he gazed at the packed audience surrounding them and listened to the passionate speech ringing in his ears, his previously calm heart began to race with excitement. Hot blood coursed through his veins.
The fighting spirit was already ablaze!
After the speech, the trainers left the field and returned to the waiting area.
Liam had already drawn his first match—it would be held on a standard rock battlefield. His opponent was an unknown rookie Trainer, so Liam wasn't worried at all.
After double-checking his PokeBalls, he heard the announcer call out a string of names, including his own.
He stood up with a confident smile and strode proudly toward his first League match.
"I'm… here to conquer…"