Timeskip

"What the hell is this?"

Mu Chen, having lived in the Great Star Dou Forest for a long time, was bewildered by this strange event.

Wang Shóu, holding the wooden sign, also noticed Mu Chen nearby and waved at him.

"Hello! Are you perhaps interested in joining the tournament?"

Looking down at the yellow rodent, Mu Chen couldn't help but be slightly amused.

"You are quite a bold one to dare be so courageous in the inner region with merely this level of power."

Wang Shóu simply shrugged and calmly nodded. "I am quite aware of that. But I think I can handle myself quite well."

Mu Chen couldn't help but laugh, hearing Wang Shóu's fearless words. 

It had been a long time since he had met someone daring enough to seek death. 

"Hahaha! I like you. Alright, fine. Tell me about this tournament."

Amused by Wang Shóu's words, Mu Chen became curious about this so-called "tournament."

"The tournament is very simple. Spirit beasts will fight each other 1v1 until someone is defeated or knocked out. Then they can advance to the next rounds. 

After several rounds, those who manage to reach the final round and win will receive a prize. 

And to make sure there is relative fairness, there will be three tournaments. 

First is the Great Tournament. Spirit beasts 20,000 years old or younger are eligible to enter this tournament. 

Then there is the Ultra Tournament. Only spirit beasts 50,000 years old or younger are eligible to enter. 

And lastly, the Master Tournament. Spirit beasts above 50,000 years old are eligible to enter. 

Of course, if there is an anomaly among spirit beasts that is a bit too powerful, they can skip to the next tournament. 

Also, I assure you that there will be no deaths. My partner will be there to help heal the participants."

Mu Chen nodded, admiring the idea but point out an obvious loophole. 

"It is an interesting idea, but what if I want to take the prize myself?"

After speaking, Mu Chen's aura suddenly burst out, trying to forcibly suppress and crush Wang Shóu to the ground. 

However, Wang Shóu's expression didn't show any surprise and grinned at Mu Chen. 

"Yes, you can indeed. But can you handle the consequences?"

Then Mu Chen noticed a large orange dragon stepping out from behind Wang Shóu. 

"I admit this creature is stronger than you, but he is far weaker than—"

Mu Chen's words stuck in his mouth as Charizard suddenly underwent a brilliant, colorful glow of light. 

In less than a second, a dome of colorful light shattered, and a symbol of Mega Evolution flickered in the air for a few seconds before disappearing. 

Now, Charizard's body was revealed in his newest form! 

Compared to Charizard X, he was sleeker in appearance but still retained his skin color. Three pointed horns extended from the back of his head, with the middle horn being longer. Small wings had developed around his wrists, while the wings on his back became larger with ragged edges. The tail extended further than before, and the tip burned with an orange-red, majestic flame. 

If Charizard X was a tyrannical dragon that ruled over the land, then Charizard Y was a majestic dragon that ruled over the sky! 

"W-what is this?!"

Cold sweat appeared on Mu Chen's forehead. As a 90,000-year-old spirit beast, he could feel Charizard's power more deeply than others. 

'This is the aura of a 100,000-year-old! Is he from the core region?!'

As one of the most powerful spirit beasts in the inner region, he knew a few secrets about the core region. 

The core region of the Great Star Dou Forest was a forbidden area that all spirit beasts were terrified to enter. It was said that all spirit beasts in the core region were at least 100,000 years old! 

And any weaker spirit beast who dared to enter had never returned. Their fate was obvious. 

But he had never heard of a spirit beast that could instantly transform from a weak 10,000-year-old spirit beast into a powerful 100,000-year-old spirit beast! 

'Are spirit beasts from the core region coming out and now hiding their power? What is their purpose?' 

Mu Chen's mind raced, trying to speculate about the situation. 

"So, what's your answer now?" 

Unaware of Mu Chen's frantic thoughts, Wang Shóu asked with a playful smile. 

Mu Chen was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding his head. "My clan will enter this competition." 

He doesn't know the situation, but it was best not to oppose a 100,000-year-old beast likely from the core region. 

'Besides, it would be good experience for Mu Zeng,' Mu Chen thought, thinking about his hard-working son. 

"Good, I'm glad you made the right choice!" Wang Shóu beamed. "I was worried that you might refuse." 

'If I refused, that dragon would instantly kill me...' 

Mu Chen complained in his mind but didn't dare say that to Wang Shóu's face. 

Then Wang Shóu turned around, with Charizard following him, and muttered something as if unintentionally. 

"By the way, one of the treasures has the effect of purifying bloodlines..." 

"?!" 

Mu Chen's eyes widened as he realized what he had heard. 

"Wait, Wang Shóu, what do you mean by that?!" Mu Chen asked, but Wang Shóu was already heading elsewhere to recruit spirit beasts for the tournament. 

"..."

After a period of silence, Mu Chen finally made up his mind. 

"I don't know if this information is true, but if it is, I must enter the competition!" Mu Chen spoke with a deep, determined expression. 

In the far distance, Wang Shóu could still hear what Mu Chen said with his sensitive ears. Upon hearing that, he smiled. 

The reason he shared that information was to motivate the spirit beasts. He knew that if spirit beasts joined unwillingly, it would instead bring a negative impact. 

So, he had to make the spirit beasts incentivized to join at all costs! 

He used his Scarlet Blood Fruit as one of the prizes. Though it was very precious, Wang Shóu already had hundreds of them in his inventory, so giving a few away wouldn't hurt him. 

"Now, let's find other spirit beasts to recruit for the tournament." 

Then Wang Shóu quickly leapt away to find spirit beasts lured by the smell of heaven-and-earth treasures. 

After staying in the inner region and adding the tournament to fight spirit beasts, Wang Shóu was confident his strength would undergo a massive, qualitative change! 

---

Unconsciously, time flows like a river, and five years have already passed. 

In the Great Star Dou Forest, in the inner region, there is a great spectacle the forest has not witnessed in hundreds of years. 

Even spirit beasts from the middle region, mustering up their courage, have entered the inner region to see the spectacle. 

In the inner region, there is a huge arena, approximately 50 meters by 50 meters, created from thick, durable minerals extracted from the ground. 

On the right side of the arena, there are massive audience seats packed with spirit beasts, their emotions tense and excited. 

A few meters away from the audience seats, a large black metallic bird stands behind a table, hollering at the nearby spirit beasts that have come to watch the battle. 

"Choose the contestant you want to bet on! If you're lucky, you might win a big fortune! This might be your only chance—grab it while you can!" 

Corviknight loudly shouts, tempting spirit beasts to gamble away the spirit fruits they have been hoarding. 

Spirit fruits are ordinary fruits nourished by the energy of heaven and earth, making them one of the favorite foods of spirit beasts. 

Across from Corviknight, a vendor is occupied by a massive green and reddish fish, magically floating above the ground. Behind the giant fish is a red, smoke-like substance wrapping around its rear end. Eerily, angry cries can be faintly heard from the red smoke, as if it isn't smoke but souls. 

This is Basculegion, who has finally evolved from Basculin after five years. His vendor has a long line of spirit beasts waiting patiently.

He is cooking and selling meals... made from ordinary fish? 

Not going to ask why a fish is cooking fish, but how is that even possible? 

How does a fish cook without hands??? 

Don't ask how it works. It's magic. Don't worry about it. 

Nearby, Charizard stands alone near the arena. As if avoiding a plague, the spirit beasts steer clear of him. 

It can't be helped. Charizard is an enforcer of the tournament, and when dealing with unruly spirit beasts who refuse to comply with the rules, he can be... quite brutal. 

In the arena, a yellow, furry rodent slowly walks to the center, holding a microphone in his hand. 

"Thank you for coming to watch the tournament! Today marks the 10th Master Tournament, and I'm glad you're all here to witness this exciting competition!" 

Pikachu, also known as Wang Shóu, points to his right side, and the audience's gaze shifts to a massive ape covered in white-blue stone. Upon seeing him, a thunderous cheer erupts from the crowd. 

This is Diamond Ape, an 85,000-year-old spirit beast with a top-level bloodline. With almost unrivaled defense and strength, he roams the inner region freely, unchallenged. 

What's troublesome is his ability to manipulate and create diamonds from his fists. With the hardness and sharpness of diamonds, even spirit beasts specializing in defense must avoid his blades. 

Even spirit beasts more powerful than him must be cautious when confronting someone with his combination of strength, defense, and diamond manipulation. 

"Welcome Diamond Ape, the current defending champion of the Master Tournament! He has successfully defended his title for two consecutive tournaments! Can he win again and earn the title of Champion?" 

In most tournaments, spirit beasts who win three times in a row can automatically enter the next tournament regardless of their age. 

However, those who win the Master Tournament three times consecutively earn a special title: Champion. Their name is engraved in the Hall of Fame, and they receive generous rewards, enough to make even 100,000-year-old spirit beasts envious. 

As a result, many powerful spirit beasts dream of earning the title of Champion. But it isn't easy. So far, only Mu Chen, the leader of the Spacial Horse Clan, has achieved this honor. 

After introducing Diamond Ape, Wang Shóu points to his left, presenting the second contestant. 

"Everybody, welcome Tyranitar, the dark horse of the tournament! Since his debut, Tyranitar has won every match, climbing through the tournament like a rocket! Will he defeat the reigning champion and become the new Champion?" 

Before the audience's gaze even shifts, thunderous cheers erupt from the spirit beasts. 

On the left, a large, bipedal green creature with armor-like hide emerges. Several spikes of varying sizes protrude from the back of his head, neck, and shoulders. Both sides of his chest feature triangular holes, and its gray belly is covered by a diamond-shaped patch of scales. A ring of spikes surrounds the tip of his tail. 

This is Tyranitar, one of the Pseudo-legendary Pokémon! It took time, but after years as Larvitar, he has finally evolved into his final form. 

Tyranitar, hailed as one of the rarest Pokémon, is now able to exert the full might that earns him the title of Pseudo-legendary Pokémon! 

Strictly speaking, if Pokémon base stats were categorized into spirit beast bloodlines, starter Pokémon would be considered top-tier, while Pseudo-legendary Pokémon is comparable to divine bloodlines! 

After a few minutes, the audience's cheers finally subside, and countless spirit beasts intently watch the battle, afraid of missing any detail. 

"Now, begin!" Wang Shóu announces, quickly leaving the arena. 

With the beginning of the battle, both contestants didn't directly fight. Instead, they are silently watching each other, waiting for flaws of the other side to appear. 

Diamond Ape is the champion of Master Tournament for two times in a row, so normally, there should be ease on his face. But there is only solemnity on his face.

Then his expression changes when Tyranitar makes the first move. 

Thump. Thump.

With each heavy step Tyranitar takes, the arena shooks, and a thick sandstorm fills the battlefield, obscuring vision. 

Fear flickers in Diamond Ape's eyes. He knows how troublesome this sandstorm is! 

This sandstorm is Tyranitar's most feared ability, allowing him to dominate the tournament! 

[Sand Stream]

[Create a sandstorm that can last indefinitely. It will continuously damage creatures within the area over time.]

"But don't think that you can win that easily!"

Bellowing a loud roar, Diamond Ape slammed his right fist, imbued with white-blue light, into the ground. Large, sharp diamonds erupted from the ground, leaving a massive hole in their wake. 

The diamond eruption advanced toward Tyranitar at an unstoppable speed. 

"Your time has already passed. Now step down and welcome the new champion!" Tyranitar snorted disdainfully. He slammed his right leg into the ground, creating a heavy impact. 

The arena rumbled violently before dozens of large, sharpened boulders erupted from the ground. 

[Stone Edge] 

The stones surged forward, advancing toward the diamond eruption at an unstoppable speed until the two collided. 

Crash! 

There was a fierce collision between the two moves before [Stone Edge] directly crushed Diamond Ape's attack and continued toward him unimpeded. 

But Diamond Ape directly smashed the boulders into countless debris with his fists, which is harder than diamond itself. 

However, Diamond Ape's face still showed a surprised expression. He hadn't expected Tyranitar to copy his move and even surpass him! 

Feeling threatened, he raised both fists and pounded his chest to assert dominance. 

Then, Diamond Ape slammed both fists into the ground. Instantly, a thick barrier made of diamond erupted behind Tyranitar, surrounding him. 

Diamond Ape then charged at Tyranitar at full force on all fours. Advancing menacingly, each impact of his fists against the ground caused the thick barrier surrounding Tyranitar to shift into numerous sharp spikes that steadily moved toward Tyranitar. 

"It was your mistake to start off with that move!" 

Roaring fiercely, Tyranitar slammed his feet into the ground, sending powerful tremors through the arena. 

In the next second, the arena rumbled violently, and large, jagged cracks began to appear on the ground. 

[Earthquake] 

In an instant, the cracks quickly spread toward Diamond Ape, shaking the ground beneath him violently as powerful shockwaves pulsed through it. 

Caught by surprise, Diamond Ape lost his balance, stumbling as the ground continued to quake, sending shockwaves rippling through his body. 

As the shockwaves traveled upward, Diamond Ape suffered massive internal strain, like the reverberation of a drum coursing through his bones and muscles. 

Unable to guard against it, Diamond Ape convulsed uncontrollably, spitting massive amounts of blood onto the ground. 

Coughing violently, Diamond Ape wiped the blood from his mouth and quickly looked toward Tyranitar's location, fearing a surprise attack. 

But it was already too late. In battle, even a few seconds can already decide the outcome. 

Brilliant light began to concentrate in Tyranitar's mouth, condensing into a dazzling ball of energy. 

[Hyper Beam] 

A massive beam of light gushed from Tyranitar's mouth, rocketing toward Diamond Ape. 

"!!" 

Diamond Ape hurriedly shielded his upper body with his arms, but the [Hyper Beam] was too fast. 

BOOM! 

A huge cloud of smoke erupted from the explosion, shaking the entire arena. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared, revealing Diamond Ape lying fainted in a crater. His pose is very similar to a certain meme... 

And Tyranitar is standing triumphantly, showing the outcome of the battle. 

"Aaaand we have a winner! The winner is Tyranitar! Give a round of applause for his victory!" 

The audience was silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous cheers at Tyranitar's victory. 

"I love you, Tyranitar!" 

"I want to have your babies!" 

"You're the strongest, Tyranitar! No one can beat you!" 

As the crowd cheered and followed Tyranitar out of the arena, Diamond Ape was left behind, alone on the arena. 

Standingt and patting the dirt off his body, Diamond Ape glanced around the now-empty arena. He couldn't help but feel slightly lonely. 

Then he noticed a tall, pink creature approaching him. She had long, pointed ears with dark brown tips and black, oval eyes. On her forehead was a curled lock of fur, matching her long, tightly curled tail. A pair of dark pink wings adorned her back. 

It was Clefable. Like other Pokémons, she had finally evolved into her final form from Clefairy after five years. 

"You did well. The battle was amazing!" 

Clefable smiled gently as she waved her finger, and a healing aura surrounded Diamond Ape's body, mending his injuries. Clefable is the tournament's nurse, ensuring there were no casualties or fatalities. 

Hearing her kind encouragement, Diamond Ape became emotional and he directly burst into tears. 

"Fairy Godmother! I love you!" 

"...I'm sorry, but I'm underage."

---

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving!