Silver Town was even more crowded the next day. The four of them—Chen Shi, Cynthia, Steven, and Phoebe—went out to take a look but quickly lost any interest in wandering around. Even finding a simple breakfast stall was impossible.
Thankfully, Steven solved the problem with money.
He directly hired a private chef.
So the four spent the entire day hiding in their villa: chatting lazily, drinking tea, and letting their Pokémon mingle and exchange battle experience.
Mew had vanished for two days straight, only appearing at mealtimes like an unpaid intern with perfect attendance.
Chen Shi didn't even bother to scold it anymore.
If it wanted to disappear?
Great. That meant fewer headaches for him.
October 18 — Morning
Today was registration day.
The four set out early. On the road, they ran into Wallace and Winona, who were also heading to the Silver Stadium.
Wallace smiled elegantly.
"What a coincidence—are you here to register too? Shall we go together?"
The group naturally agreed.
Winona, however, kept stealing glances at Cynthia—her expression faint, unreadable. A trace of insecurity flickered across her eyes.
Chen Shi noticed, but said nothing.
Silver Venue Entrance
The stadium was enormous, but the registration queue was even longer—stretching across the plaza like a massive serpent.
Phoebe squinted painfully.
"Waaah… Why are there so many people?"
Chen Shi sighed. If they lined up here, they'd be waiting until noon.
But Cynthia frowned—and pointed.
"Look closely. Their invitations aren't the same as ours."
He blinked.
She was right.
Most people held plain white invitations.
But Chen Shi, Cynthia, Steven, Phoebe, Wallace, and Winona…
All six had gold-embossed, silver-trimmed invitations—obviously special.
Moments later, a staff member walked out holding up a gilded invite.
"Attention everyone! If your invitation looks like this, please enter the fast-track line over here."
An uproar followed instantly.
"What?!"
"Favoritism?"
"Unfair—why do they get privileges?"
Others whispered:
"Those must be the seeded talents…"
"The League's elite picks…"
"Only prodigies get those gold invitations."
Enter the Arrogant Youth
At that moment, a green-haired youth swaggered up with his own gold invitation.
He sneered at the ordinary queue:
"Trash. Keep waiting in line like good little peasants."
The crowd exploded in fury.
Before anyone could punch him, someone recognized him:
"That's Kenji! Top four in last year's Silver Tournament!"
That calmed some tempers, but the boy's arrogance was still unbearable.
He tried provoking anyone who passed without acknowledging him…
Until he accidentally targeted the wrong group.
Because walking behind him were:
Steven Stone — Hoenn's top prodigy
Cynthia — Sinnoh's Battle Goddess
Wallace — Hoenn's idol champion
Winona — Fortree's Flying-type heir
Phoebe — Elite Four protégé
Chen Shi — The League's Youngest High-Level Breeder & Senior Researcher
The crowd erupted:
"Hoenn Carnival Champion—Steven Stone!"
"Sinnoh's Battle Goddess—Cynthia!!"
"Wallace and Winona are here too?!"
"Wait—that dark-haired boy… That's Chen Shi! The youngest Senior Researcher!"
"What kind of monster party is this?!"
Kenji's face turned deathly pale.
The same people who had feared him moments ago were now sneering at him.
Crushed by humiliation, he muttered something unintelligible and bolted.
Chen Shi didn't even spare him a passing glance.
Registration
The six presented their gold invitations.
After verification, the staff respectfully handed each of them a registration badge with their competition number engraved in silver.
"These are your participant numbers. Please keep them safe. Report tomorrow morning at 8:00."
Chen Shi glanced at his badge.
18.
Not bad.
The group left the venue shortly after. The chaotic crowd drained all the excitement out of the atmosphere.
Wallace and Winona split off to explore town.
The remaining four returned to the villa.
On the way back, Cynthia spoke quietly:
"Winona… seems a little insecure."
Steven blinked. "Really?"
Phoebe munched on a snack. "Huh?"
Chen Shi only smiled faintly.
He understood Winona's mentality perfectly—
the kind of person who collapses emotionally when standing beside shining talents.
But that had nothing to do with him.
He just wanted to prepare for tomorrow.
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