"The Starsnatcher."
Or as he styled himself in the past, the "Starsnatcher Chen Tianjun."
He was the charlatan who had once appeared during the legendary travels of the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao. His real name was Wang Ping'an. After being reprimanded by the Adeptus, he repented, corrected his evil ways, and dedicated his life and wealth to rebuilding the Temple of the Bronze Sparrow (Pervases).
"In fact," Hiroshi leaned into the microphone, his voice echoing through the stadium, "it is not entirely correct to call him a 'liar' anymore. After all, the Adeptal Talisman in Wang Ping'an's hand is genuine."
Beside Hiroshi, the massive, jet-black dragon Zekrom shifted its weight. Sparks of blue electricity danced between its claws, illuminating the commentary booth.
"A relic of the past," Zekrom rumbled, its telepathic voice projecting into the minds of everyone in the audience. "It holds a trace of power, but it is merely a borrowed echo. This human seeks to command beasts with paper and ink."
Hiroshi nodded at his legendary partner. "Exactly. That is a Sigil of Permission."
However, in the VIP guest seats, a certain Snezhnayan diplomat felt a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning.
Childe, also known as Tartaglia, stared intently at the talisman in Wang Ping'an's hand. He was very, very familiar with that specific design.
"Uh... isn't that a Sigil of Permission?"
Some guilty-minded individuals in the Fatui delegation couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves.
Ahem!
Childe stiffened. He felt the gazes of Zhongli (Rex Lapis) and Venti (Barbatos) drift casually in his direction. The Eleventh Harbinger felt a little numb.
Dare he say it?
The Fatui had spent immense resources researching and deciphering the Sigil of Permission. They had even managed to mass-produce a batch of counterfeit Sigils during the Osial incident. In the original history, the Fatui's fake talismans were convincing enough to deceive the Three Adepti of Jueyun Karst, which was a testament to the terrifying technical strength of the Fatui.
Now, Childe was somewhat suspicious.
Is Wang Ping'an's talisman real? Or is it one of ours?
"It looks suspiciously like the ones from our base," Childe thought, narrowing his eyes. "Did this guy raid a Fatui camp? Or did we sell it to him?"
He wanted to go back and order his subordinates to investigate strictly. But it was definitely not appropriate to make a scene or admit to anything in public right now!
The Arena Selection.
While the audience was buzzing with discussion about the players and voting to choose the simulated scene for this round of battle, the host and commentator Liu Su was looking a little confused.
He wiped sweat from his forehead. His job of explaining the backgrounds was becoming too difficult.
"Traveler Lumine," Liu Su read from his cue card, "The Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt, who made outstanding contributions during the Stormterror Dragon disaster."
That was easy enough. But the opponent?
"As for Wang Ping'an, the so-called Starsnatcher... he didn't even have a line of introduction in the official pamphlet!"
Wang Ping'an stood on the stage wearing a mask that looked very much like a Yaksha's mask—specifically mimicking Xiao. To the uninformed citizens of Liyue, he looked like a guardian deity.
Liu Su opened his mouth, not knowing how to introduce him without offending the Adepti. In his heart, he was thinking about whether to change places with the storyteller Iron Tongue Tian outside. This pressure is too much!
In this Super Competition, everyone seemed to have such a massive background. If this guy was really Liyue's Guardian Yaksha, then the people of Liyue would explode with excitement!
Seeing Liu Su's mind stuck in a loop, Hiroshi decided to rescue him.
"Player Wang Ping'an," Hiroshi said in a tone that barely suppressed his laughter, "is likely a human cultivator who utilizes Adeptal arts."
Zekrom's eyes glowed red as he scanned the arena. "The paper he holds... it commands respect from lesser spirits. It has the power to suppress evil."
"Correct," Hiroshi continued. "The talisman in his hand is called the Sigil of Permission (Hundred-No-Taboos Talisman). It has powerful abilities to kill demons and eliminate evil spirits. In the past, during the Archon War, when the Adepti of Liyue sacrificed this talisman, a large number of evil spirits would bleed!"
The barrage in the live broadcast room instantly went up to "666" (awesome/cool).
"It turned out to be called the Sigil of Permission!"
"Manager Hiroshi is really awesome, he knows almost everything!"
"This commentary duo—a human and a Dragon God—is unbeatable!"
The Battle Begins.
On the field.
Lumine and Paimon, who had just taken the stage, saw their opponent wearing the Yaksha-style mask. Inevitably, they thought of Xiao, whom they had met at Wangshu Inn.
"Ah, this..."
Paimon covered her little head, having a headache and whispering in panic to Lumine. "Lumine, we won't run into another Guardian Yaksha, right? Xiao is super strong! If this guy is like him, we're in trouble!"
She immediately stomped her foot in the air, criticizing the matching mode angrily. "There is a problem with the matching system! Unfair! Unfair! Why are there such high-level opponents in the prelims?"
Lumine's golden pupils also shrank slightly, a little surprised.
However, Lumine was a traveler of time and space who had witnessed the birth and death of stars. Although her true spiritual power was sealed and many memories were lost, the temperament of a warrior was still engraved on her soul.
She never panicked. She adjusted her gloves and reached for her belt.
At this time, the smart broadcast of the virtual venue sounded:
[Voting Complete. 41% of the audience chose the Alabaster Icelands / Lake Acuity map.]
[The battle scene is being simulated...]
Hearing this news, Hiroshi almost choked on his water.
"WOC!" (Holy crap!)
Hiroshi almost complained aloud. Lake Acuity?
In the ancient Hisui region (Alabaster Icelands), or the modern Sinnoh region, that location was legendary. It was one of the three major lakes of Sinnoh.
The point is... there are three Legendary Lake Guardians in those lakes. Among them, Lake Acuity is the home of Uxie.
Uxie is known as the Being of Knowledge. It gave humans the intelligence to improve their lives.
Hiroshi thought, If Lumine and Wang Ping'an fight here... could it have alerted the Legendary Pokémon in the cave at the bottom of the island in the middle of the lake?
Hiroshi had no doubt that this high-tech virtual space provided by the System could project an angry Legendary Pokémon if the environmental conditions were met.
However, the thought of such variables... it was enough to make the battle situation and style of the Super Series even more exciting.
The corners of Hiroshi's mouth turned up into a grin. "It wasn't me," he muttered to himself. "It was chosen by the audience. It is none of my business as the organizer if they abuse the contestants! There really is no script!"
"Fate is rarely scripted," Zekrom added philosophically.
While Hiroshi's thoughts were spinning, the virtual arena transformed. The floor vanished, replaced by a land of biting ice and heavy snow. A large, crystal-clear lake lay between Lumine and Wang Ping'an. The water was not frozen, but steam rose from it due to the cold air.
The island in the center of the lake was filled with a mysterious and quiet aura.
"Um?"
When this scene was completely mimicked, the sensitive individuals in the guest seats—Xiao, Zhongli, Venti, Madame Ping, and even Guoba (brought by Xiangling)—were all keenly aware of the deep atmosphere hidden at the bottom of the lake.
And in the Plane of Euthymia.
Raiden Ei also frowned across the live broadcast screen.
"This lake is not normal," Yae Miko said after thinking for a while, tapping her chin. "I sense... a consciousness. Ancient and vast."
There were also many people with keen senses in the barrage in the live broadcast room. After all, there were millions of online viewers, and there must be many capable people and strangers among them.
"What a beautiful lake scene. I deduct 6 to the audience. This map was chosen well!"
"I seriously feel that there is some kind of water monster hidden under the lake on the map!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Looking at the clear lake water, I just seemed to catch a glimpse of a pair of eyes emerging from the bottom of the lake! My scalp is numb!"
My scalp is numb.
There were also Lumine and Paimon feeling this pressure.
When the scene was 100% simulated, a biting cold wind blew across the lake. The wind wrinkled the surface of the water, sending ripples outward.
Oh!!
Paimon, who was floating in the air, suddenly stiffened.
She noticed it. She swept her gaze over the water. Her eyes stayed on Lumine for a few seconds, then immediately floated towards Wang Ping'an, who was still unaware of it.
Finally, her gaze locked onto the water. Or rather, something under the water seemed to be observing the Immortal Talisman in Wang Ping'an's hand with great interest.
The unknown Adeptal power in this foreign land obviously made the God of Knowledge at the bottom of Lake Acuity very concerned.
When Hiroshi saw this detail, he clicked his tongue in his heart.
"Amazing," he thought. "This 100% realism is really not a boast. The System is awesome! The temperament and behavior of a Mythical Pokémon are so vividly simulated. If this was not 100% realistic, I would be the first to express dissatisfaction!"
When he thought about this, he became a little impatient. What will happen? It's so interesting!
He cleared his throat, snatched the job of the commentator and supporter Liu Su again, and said with a mischievous tone:
"This battle will start after the 3-second countdown whistle! If either Trainer falls and loses combat effectiveness, it's over!"
Beep!
The venue's intelligent mechanical voice silently counted down:
3... 2... 1...
"Go! Pikachu!"
"Come out, Jigglypuff!"
"Spiritomb!"
Lumine threw three Poké Balls in rapid succession. When taking out the fourth ball, hesitation appeared on her face. She gritted her teeth and put the ball down. There was a wry smile at the corner of her mouth.
That Pokémon has a high level and extremely strong combat power, but its personality is too irritable and it can easily hurt others and itself. Better to save it.
On the other side, Wang Ping'an, the Starsnatcher, had learned the lesson from the last game with Jiu. He didn't dare to be too boastful or wait. He immediately released his strongest Pokémon at the very beginning.
"Go ahead, Gyarados!"
Boom!
Lake Acuity exploded as water splashed high into the air. A huge Water/Flying-type Pokémon, maybe six or seven meters long, emerged from the red light of the Poké Ball. Its blue scales were hard as steel, and its mouth was gaping wide.
ROAR!!
As soon as it appeared, it roared with enough force to shake the snow off the trees. The temples of the group of people in the guest seats were throbbing. The audience was also shocked and instinctively stood up.
The barrage passing through the live broadcast room was silent for two or three seconds, and then boiled over:
"Damn it! Does anyone really dare to conquer a Gyarados?!"
"Hehe, what do you know? Why are you so afraid!"
"That is, are you willing to be a bug catcher boy forever?"
"Who doesn't know that Gyarados is ferocious and violent? It will even eat its own Trainer if it's unconvinced! But the combat power of Gyarados is undeniable. No one will give up such power if given the chance!"
Wang Ping'an stood firm, though his eyes behind the Yaksha mask showed some nervousness. He took out the Sigil of Permission and spoke in a low, chanting voice.
A stream of gold-colored Adeptal power was transmitted from the talisman to the heart of the angry Gyarados.
"Gyarados!" Wang Ping'an commanded. "Use Aqua Tail!"
Hearing the sound and feeling the soothing energy of the Sigil, a trace of clarity appeared in Gyarados's scarlet pupils. It turned its head and looked at Wang Ping'an. The violence and hostility in its body gradually disappeared, replaced by a focused battle intent.
Of course, Gyarados only rarely obtaining a state of rationality did not mean that it fully recognized Wang Ping'an as a master. It was the magic of the Sigil doing the work.
However, after looking around and finding that it was in a Pokémon competition, Gyarados no longer hesitated. It also wanted to fight for its own honor!
"Boom——"
The seven-meter-plus giant beast slapped its tail hard against the water surface. A massive wall of water rolled up, turning into a stormy sea crashing toward Lumine.
Holy crap.
"This Wang Ping'an," Hiroshi tutted, impressed. "He has some imagination! He actually relies on the purifying power of 'exorcism and elimination of evil spirits' in the Adepti Talisman to eliminate the mental hostility of Gyarados?"
Zekrom nodded. "A clever trick. He bypasses the need for trust with magic. Effective, but fragile."
Hiroshi continued his explanation: "Player Wang Ping'an actually managed to tame Gyarados by relying on his magical power? The breeding level of this Gyarados is Level 45. But there should be good news for the Traveler."
"This Gyarados obviously hasn't learned the ultimate move Hyper Beam! Otherwise, any Pokémon of the same level could be killed in one move!"
The Counterattack.
On the field.
The entire Lake Acuity was disturbed by the Aqua Tail.
"Fluorescent!!" (Help/Watch out!)
Paimon shrank her head in fright and shouted.
Lumine saw the huge waves sweeping over her and took a deep breath. She had to act fast.
"Jigglypuff, use Defense Curl! Hold on!"
"Spiritomb, use Payback!"
"Pikachu..."
Lumine looked at her partner—the Pikachu wearing a familiar cap. She gritted her teeth, a stern look appearing in her eyes.
"Pikachu! Volt Tackle!"
"No... wait!"
Lumine suddenly changed her mind. She raised her wrist high. The camera quickly zoomed in, showing a Z-Ring inlaid with a mysterious, diamond-shaped crystal on her wrist. It was a long close-up shot.
The Z-Crystal on the bracelet pulsed with light.
"Pikachu! Let's show them our bond!"
"10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!!"
Lumine yelled, crossing her arms in a specific pose.
At the same time, the Pikachu in the hat mirrored her movements. Its body became engulfed in dazzling, multi-colored light. Seven different colors of electricity began to converge.
At this moment, the "God of Skin" (Pikachu) seemed to be possessed by the Electro Archon herself. His small body was covered with brilliant golden and rainbow lightning!
Huge pressure enveloped the arena. The audience held their breath and stared, their eyes wide open. It felt as if they were truly witnessing the arrival of a true god of thunder!