Chương 163: Win, Win All

"First of all, let's congratulate Gadalia and the Zhuqing Academy team on their victory today!"

Pansy, holding a microphone, stood beside Cattleya and Lu Sha, her voice filled with barely concealed excitement and joy.

"Indigo Academy is the strongest academy in the Kanto region, ranking first in this test round. Cattleya, having come from behind to defeat the number one academy while ranking 64th, what are your special feelings?"

We're all old acquaintances.

The interview questions for today had already been sent to Lu Sha's phone before the match even started.

This feeling of not having to prepare interview transcripts is a godsend for working people.

"I don't feel anything special. Today was a tactical mistake on our part. We overestimated Quartz Academy's strength and made too conservative arrangements."

Cattleya's tone carried its usual coolness.

Even the most ordinary words, when spoken by her, carry an air of utter disdain and self-righteousness.

"Conservative? But Zhuqing Academy only lost one game today, right?"

The pansy exclaimed in surprise, its performance perfectly capturing the essence of the scene.

Viewers at home were also curious about what exactly Cattleya meant by "overestimation".

Some viewers in Kanto have already started hurling insults at Shiba and others.

In the world of trainers, losing is the greatest original sin.

"Yes, we were definitely too conservative today. If either I or Cynthia had played in the first round of the doubles, the final result would have been 2-0."

Cattleya's words were arrogant, but the audience who heard them didn't find them out of place at all.

After all, a two-player battle only requires defeating four Pokémon.

In the previous tournament, Lu Sha defeated five Pokémon, including Machamp, without even sustaining any injuries.

With such an exaggerated gap in skill, even if Gadriya were to actually compete in the doubles match, no one would think she was exaggerating.

There's no way around it; the gap between the two sides is just too vast.

However, because Gadriya mentioned Cynthia in her words, Xiaobaicai inexplicably received a lot of criticism.

But in Lu Sha's opinion, if Cynthia were to defend in the doubles battle, Regirock's strength might actually allow her to win.

The score ends at 0.

Kanto, Pallet Town, Oak Laboratory.

"Grandpa, brother! This person is being way too arrogant! While our Kanto forces are indeed somewhat vulnerable, they're not as badly beaten as she claims!"

Xiao Mao, only 14 years old, crossed his arms and let out a soft snort of dissatisfaction.

"She was telling the truth."

A boy of similar age and with a similar face to Shiba Inu, but with a less arrogant expression, said, "With Cattleya's strength, she could probably really take on both Shiba and Lorelei. Grandpa, is that right?"

"Haha, that makes sense. That last Garchomp's attack almost touched the threshold of the domain, something Shiba and the others couldn't withstand. They didn't lose unjustly."

Professor Oak watched the spirited blonde girl on TV, and the Garchomp standing proudly beside her, a genuine, bright smile on his face.

Another powerful Pokémon trainer has emerged among humanity, and in his view, this is definitely a good thing.

As for regional disputes, he never really cared, otherwise he wouldn't have retired so early, before he was even 60.

"Tsk, to put it bluntly, Shiba and the others are just too weak. In two years, I'll show them what a true Kanto number one genius is!" Shigeru clenched his fist.

"Didn't you always say you wanted to be a traveling trainer with me? Why the sudden change of heart?" Green teased with a smile.

"Hehe, bro, I've changed my mind. Guandu lost so badly today, if we don't step up, Guandu is really finished."

Shigeru clenched his fists, his face filled with fervor: "Ever since Grandpa retired, Kanto has been on a downward spiral. As Grandpa's descendants, we should carry the Kanto banner and stand at the top of the world!"

"Oh! Gary's ideal is wonderful! Grandpa supports you. Young people should have this kind of passion!" Professor Oak laughed heartily.

"The ideal is wonderful, but it's simply impossible."

Qinglu, however, was completely unaffected and directly poured a bucket of cold water on it.

"What?! Grandpa already supports it, why do you keep discouraging me, brother!" Xiao Mao protested indignantly.

"Two years from now, Gadriya will only be 18. She can still participate in the Academy Cup. Are you sure you can win then?"

A single, light, and casual remark from Qinglu was like a torpedo, sinking the Xiaomao.

Hit Cattleya? Or Cattleya two years from now?... Him? Does he even deserve it?

Similar conversations are playing out in every household in Kanto right now.

Whether they were newcomers preparing to embark on their journeys or seasoned veteran trainers already renowned, they all fell silent upon seeing Cattleya's youthful face on television.

At the age of 16, his strength was already close to that of a champion. His ace Garchomp had even mastered the origin of his type at the professional level.

These two achievements alone make her worthy of being compared to champion-level trainers.

Even the Four Heavenly Kings from each region are probably only on par with her at the age of 16.

What happened elsewhere was unknown to Cattleya and Lu Sha, and the interviews continued.

"Now, let's move on to the second question. What's your assessment of Shiba, the player you faced today?"

Pansy posed the prepared question and then added some background information about Shiba: "There have always been rumors in the Kanto region that Shiba's strength is no less than that of Lance, and after this Academy Cup, Shiba will immediately participate in the Elite Four Challenge and officially become one of the Kanto Elite Four."

Upon hearing that Shiba possessed the strength of the Four Heavenly Kings of Kanto, some unsuspecting viewers in front of their televisions widened their eyes in astonishment.

Shiba being utterly defeated by Gadriya = the Kanto Elite Four being utterly defeated by Gadriya.

Overpowering the Kanto Four Heavenly Kings = Possessing the strength of the World Championship Finals = Gatricia can become the Kanto champion = Kanto's strongest.

Once the equation holds true, it means that the Kanto region has been completely defeated and utterly crushed by a 16-year-old girl.

Aside from the Kanto audience who felt a lump in their throat, viewers in other regions responded with mocking laughter from their homes.

Everyone has been suffering for a long time, and today we finally have a chance to kick them while they're down, so of course we're going to kick them while they're down.

"Shiba, well... he's a pretty good player."

Upon hearing the first half of Cattleya's sentence, the expressions of the Kanto audience softened slightly, while the other audience members who wanted to see some fun looked disappointed.

"He's a player with few weaknesses. Of course, he also doesn't have many strengths," Cattleya added casually.

Upon hearing this, the crowd of onlookers burst into laughter, while the Kanto audience looked on with strange expressions.

They wanted to say something in their defense, but faced with such a crushing defeat, they couldn't utter a single word.

"So, in other words, there's nothing about Shiba that you should remember. Is that right?"

This question wasn't in the interview transcript, but Pansy, undeterred by the risk of being swept away, still asked it out, adhering to the principle that the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish.

She's not some ordinary reporter, what's she afraid of!

Besides, she's a Carlos, so she's not afraid of the Kanto people causing her trouble.

"That's true. He may be a very good trainer, but today will be the day he comes closest to being me."

Q Although the question was unexpected, with Lu Sha by her side, Gadriya only needed to repeat the question.

In various situations, the speeches that Lu Sha prepared for her were so arrogant that even she herself felt they were a bit over the top.

But she liked it very much.

She didn't know how to express herself before, but every time she listened to Lu Sha's words, she felt a smoothness that was just how it should be.

These are the lines she should have spoken!

Sure enough, she and Lu Sha were the most in sync.

"Wow, Gadalia is very confident! But that's understandable, Gadalia is only 16 years old this year, just starting out as a trainer. And Shiba is already 18 years old, which is indeed considered old."

Pansies continue to produce without any hesitation.

Since we've already offended Guandu, we might as well go all the way and offend him to the end.

Besides, there isn't a single Carlos who doesn't hate Guandu.

Back then, Yan Kai carried the hopes of the entire Kalos to Kanto, attempting to establish a league for Kalos. However, he was ignored by the Kanto region, who simply found a gym leader and dismissed their representative like kicking a stray dog on the street.

The humiliation of that year is something the people of Carlos will remember for a lifetime.

However, the trainers watching on television were filled with a series of questions when they heard Pansy's comments.

Is 18 considered old?

What about these trainers in their early twenties? Should they just be buried already?

"Alright, let's move on to the next question."

Under Lu Sha's gaze, Pansy smiled awkwardly, realizing that she had overdone it a bit.

She quickly composed herself and got to the point: "Now that you've won the first round, what are your expectations for the upcoming matches, Ms. Gadriya?"

"Our only goal is the championship. In the upcoming matches, Zhuqing Academy will choose to play with our cards upfront."

Cattleya raised her head and looked directly at the camera. Her voice was as cold as ever, yet it carried an undeniable domineering air: "In the upcoming rounds, whether it's doubles, singles, or arena matches, our lineup will be the same as today, and the order of appearance will hardly change."

"If you think you're better than us, if you think you're champions, then prove it to me!"

"Wow, that's quite a domineering declaration."

Pansy couldn't help but feel alarmed by the arrogance of Cattleya and Lu Sha. After all, this was the Academy Cup, a competition of comprehensive strength, not the World Championship, where individual strength determined the outcome.

Arranging the roster for the competition is itself a strategic game.

But now, Zhuqing Academy has chosen to reveal its hand.

This not only demonstrates Cattleya's strength, but also shows that they believe the entire academy's strength is unmatched.

But how is that possible?

It's worth noting that even with Gadriya on their roster, Zhuqing Academy's odds of winning the championship only ranked 6th out of 64 teams, even behind Miare Academy.

Even though they upset Quartz Academy, who were second in odds, today, not many people would dare to say that Zhuqing Academy will definitely win the championship.

What's more, they even dared to reveal their hand.

At this moment, not only were the audiences from other regions bewildered, but even the audiences from Sinnoh were completely dumbfounded.

It's not easy to find a team with the potential to win the championship, but they seem so arrogant that they're about to crash and burn.

Be careful!

Sinnoh needs a champion!

"May I ask why you made this decision?" Pansy pressed.

This sentence is in the interview transcript; she didn't dare to elaborate this time.

"This was a decision I made personally, and one that my teammates were forced to make. Now that we're on the highest stage of the Academy Cup, we should win every match in the most unquestionable way."

"Gardelia is quite a character."

The pansies outwardly cooperated, but inwardly they knew exactly what was going on.

She knew that Cattleya said this to absolve her teammates of responsibility.

If anything goes wrong, Cattleya will have to take the blame all by herself.

However, the interviews were all conducted simultaneously, and through the headset she wore, Pansy could clearly hear what was happening in the interview rooms next door.

Unlike Cattleya, the other students at Zhuqing Academy all told the camera that it was a unanimous choice.

Even A-Liu, Cynthia, and Wu-Song said the exact same thing as Gadria, explaining that the cards were suggested by them and had nothing to do with anyone else.

From this point of view alone, Zhuqing College is much more united than other colleges.

When faced with high risks, they are truly eager to take the blame.

"Cadelia, one last question, which I believe is also something everyone is very curious about. We all know that you ranked only 64th in the initial test, the last among all the academies. What is the reason for this?" Pansy asked the final question.

"The reason is simple."

Cattleya leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp: "Competing as the 64th-ranked player will make each match more interesting. And personally, I really enjoy doing challenging things."

After saying this, she and Lu Sha left the interview room side by side, and the interview came to an end.

But Cattleya's outrageous remarks did not subside after the interview ended; instead, they spread wildly across various regions at an astonishing speed.

Gadriya's words showed that she not only disregarded Shiba and Quartz, but also treated all other houses as human beings.

It was as if she was already certain that she had secured the championship.

Such arrogant words naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of countless people, even the locals of Sinnoh felt that she had gone too far.

If they lose the next match, Cattleya will definitely face retribution in the shortest possible time and be overwhelmed by a barrage of criticism.

Moreover, at this very moment, countless trolls are already itching to see her and Zhuqing Academy make fools of themselves.

They've even started writing smear articles about each other.

However, at the same time, this is a high-risk, high-reward statement.

Because of this arrogant statement with its unique style, everyone remembered Gadria and Zhuqing Academy, and all eyes were drawn to them.

People do not frivolously despise young people.

Some people prefer humility, while others prefer arrogance.

As a trainer, just show your personality.

If you win, people will naturally defend you in the future.

What Cattleya and Lu Sha have to do is also very simple.

Win, win everything.