More than an hour later, the match officially began.
The announcement echoed throughout the entire area.
Spectators in the streets flocked toward the venue.
In less than ten minutes, all four plazas were packed with people.
Even the outskirts of the plazas were packed with massive crowds.
Shops and malls in the area were all crammed full.
Especially on the side near the venue, many tourists, regardless of the prices, insisted on getting a booth seat once they entered a shop.
A tea house called "Flower Tea Shop" was raking in profits. Just the spending of the current customers had already reached close to a million.
Inside the venue, the noise was deafening.
The top 8 contestants were all waiting to take the stage.
Each of the 8 stood on a movable platform, each stationed in one direction.
Under the spotlight, Stelle descended with Miris amidst the cheering crowd, seated on a throne, exuding overwhelming presence.
Aventurine slowly walked onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Honored guests! Today! We enter the final moments of our first-ever Spirit Tournament!Let's cheer for our 8 contestants and our Spirit King's trainer— Spirit!"
The crowd erupted in applause, cheering on their favorite participants.
"Go, Firefly! You must win the championship! You're the best!"
"That's right! Incalos is so cool!"
"Eula! Brookk, let's go! Represent the Water-type with pride! Show them our strength!"
"Exactly! Water-types are the strongest!"
"What are you saying? Psychic-types are clearly the strongest—every one of them is top-tier rare!"
"Psychic-types rule! Long live the Psychic-types!"
"Wait, are we seriously dividing by types now?"
"Yeah, so what? It's not like this in real life, but for Spirit, this is totally how it works. You just don't get it."
"Exactly! Shadow-types are heretical! Only Holy-types are the true orthodox ones!"
"How are Shadow-types heretical? I think your Holy-types are the weird ones!"
Hearing the audience's heated discussion about Spirit, Aventurine felt very satisfied.
"No matter the type, they are all legitimate. Spirit are our companions. They play with us, work with us, and live alongside us.
I believe that most of you already have your own Spirit.
Ask yourself—don't you agree?"
As Aventurine spoke, many people looked at their own Spirit.
Yes, Spiritreally had changed many people's lives.
Aventurine continued:
"If you wish to purchase Spirit, please only use the official channels:
The company's official Spirit specialty stores.
The company's shopping app.
All others are counterfeits and forgeries.
Now, without further ado, I'll announce the matchups for the Top 8!"
Aventurine paused, cleared his throat.
"Match 1: Firely VS Welt
Match 2: Fu Xuan VS March 7th
Match 3: Eula VS Amber
Match 4: Yanqing VS Sunday
Let the matches—begin!"
As his voice fell, the entire crowd erupted in a roar.
Spotlights shone down—one on Firefly, the other on Welt.
The platforms under their feet moved toward the central arena. The two stepped onto the stage and began battling without delay.
"Go! Younas!"
"Incalos! Attack!"
They released their elves.
Incalos spread its wings and soared toward Younas.
Younas instantly summoned a shield to block the attack.
Welt saw Younas withstand the blow.
"Well done, Younas! Keep using Shadow Barrier!"
Younas followed the command and summoned the barrier again.
Firefly remained calm.
"Incalos! Keep pressing! Use Dreambreaker Strike!"
Incalos vanished and reappeared behind Younas, swinging down its giant mantis-like arms.
Younas's barrier was absorbed by Incalos, and Younas took some damage.
Walter was shocked. Incalos had never used this move before.
Firefly explained, "This is Dreambreaker Strike, Incalos' ability. It absorbs buff states and deals damage."
Welt responded, "So Incalos had this trick. You really know how to hide your cards."
Firefly smiled. "Because until now, there was no need for it.
Incalos! Use Skybreaker Slash! End this battle!"
Welt quickly gave Younas a command too.
"Younas! Fight back! Use Gate of Darkness!"
Younas summoned a portal, from which dark energy poured out.
Incalos endured the energy, teleported to Younas' front, and slashed down, severely wounding him.
Incalos also took some damage, but not too much.
Younas, on the other hand, had essentially lost the will to fight.
Seeing this, Welt couldn't bear to watch him suffer.
Younas was already at a disadvantage—fighting-types counter shadow-types.
Not to mention, Incalos was a top-tier fighting-type.
"Return, Younas. You did great."
From the judge's booth, Jade and Topaz immediately declared Firefly the winner.
In the stands, the audience was thrilled. The shockwaves from Incalos and Younas' clash had even spread to the spectator areas.
Many weaker viewers couldn't even stay on their feet.
Especially during the final clash—nearly all spectators were forced into their seats.
If Aventurine hadn't neutralized the shockwaves, some might've died.
This scene was a hot topic in the livestream chat:
"Damn, even watching a match isn't safe now. Look at these people—almost no one can stay standing."
"No kidding. That wave hit and they dropped like wheat."
"If Director Aventurine hadn't stepped in, someone might've died~"
"Jealous. I want a powerful Spirit like that. The sense of security is next level."
"Yeah, like we wouldn't want one? The problem is—did you see how rare these are? This might be the only one!"
"What do you mean? There are only one of some of these?"
"You didn't know? Someone crunched the numbers—some powerful elves are one-of-a-kind."
"Huh? I was planning to spend money and hatch an Incalos next week…"
Soon, the second match began.
Lisa-Bubu and Fu Xuan's platforms moved toward the arena. Each had two elves with them.
Fu Xuan looked at Lisa-Bubu, already feeling a headache.
But since she was already here, she gave it her all.
"Dawn Rabbit! In the name of love!"
The heart symbol on Dawn Rabbit's head glowed pink.
This skill, "In the Name of Love," is Dawn Rabbit's core move—it causes burn status.
Lisa-Bubu's body sparked and she was inflicted with burn.
Fu Xuan followed up instantly.
"Dawn Rabbit! Use Moonlight Moment!"
Dawn Rabbit glowed white. A projection of the moon appeared above her head, and she howled. A moonbeam shot at Lisa-Bubu.
Lisa-Bubu immediately used her skill "Golden Light, Green Leaf," healing herself instantly.
A green glow surrounded her—any new injuries would be healed rapidly.
When the moonbeam faded, Lisa-Bubu stood unharmed. Fu Xuan gave up.
Yeah, no way she could win. She'd already used her big combos, and they did nothing.
This result didn't surprise the crowd.
Everyone knew how broken Lisa-Bubu was.
Dawn Rabbit was more of a burst-type. Once that burst ended, she was left exposed.
Next was match three.
Eula and Amber faced off—a friendly rivalry.
Eula summoned Brookk; Amber summoned Bumblebee.
Amber placed her hands on her hips.
"Eula! We're besties, but I won't go easy! Bumblebee! Use Tornado!"
Bumblebee soared and unleashed a small tornado at Brookk.
Eula calmly responded.
"Brookk! Use Roaring Wave!"
Brookk waved his little hand and summoned a massive wave, swallowing the tornado.
Aventurine, sitting nearby, sighed in relief.
"Good thing I foresaw this and had the arena enlarged. Otherwise, we'd be flooded."
The arena was enormous—four square kilometers.
Brookk's wave covered the ground. Bumblebee lost footing.
Luckily, Bumblebee could fly and was still in the fight.
Eula pointed again.
"Brookk! Keep firing Piercing Water Gun! Shoot Bumblebee down!"
Amber had Bumblebee dodge frantically.
Piercing Water Gun had immense power—it could even penetrate Younas' Shadow Barrier.
One hit and Bumblebee would be down.
Dozens of shots fired, but none hit.
Eula then called for Brookk's trump card.
"Brookk! Use Ocean's Heart!"
Brookk began chanting. A wave-like pulse spread out.
Bumblebee instantly weakened, like his life force was drained.
Amber was stunned.
"Eula! What's that skill?"
Eula explained, "It's Brookk's ultimate—Ocean's Heart. Any target hit by the pulse will continuously lose stamina."
Bumblebee was trapped in its range.
Left with no choice, Amber surrendered.
Finally, match four.
Yanqing and Sunday stepped onto the stage.
Both had stayed low-profile so far.
Yanqing's Spirit was a Fighting-type—Gargle.
Yes, the same Gargle from the Saierhao anime, the green robot-like Spirit.
Sunday summoned his Psychic-type Spirit—Nenefindo.
Nenefindo loved music. Her melodies had magical effects. Like Akshia and others, she was an SPT Guardian-tier Spirit.
She even had a super-evolved form.
Sunday looked at Yanqing.
"Give up. Gargle is no match for Nainifenduo."
Yanqing snorted coldly."You don't know until you try! Gager, use Tackle!"
Sunday shook her head quietly."Nenefindo, use Siren's Rhapsody."
Nenefindo gently tapped the ground with her front foot, and musical notes began rising from the floor.
Gargle had no time to dodge and was hit by the notes, instantly collapsing limply to the ground.
And it wasn't just Gargle—even many in the audience were affected and started falling asleep.
If not for others waking them up, some might have just passed out completely.
This was the first time Nenefindo had used this move in public.
Sunday had been holding back until now, but now that they were in the quarterfinals, there was no need to anymore.
Nenefindo walked up to Gargle, lowered her head, and gently picked him up in her mouth, placing him below the stage.
Topaz and Jade saw this and declared Gargle eliminated.
Yanqing sighed, turned, woke Gargle up, and left the stage.
And thus, the top four had been decided:
Firefly, March 7th, Sunday, and Eula.
The audience didn't leave their seats, because the semifinals would begin in just half an hour.
Many spectators headed to the restrooms.
Lines formed at the entrances—it had been a no-bathroom-break kind of match, and now that it was over, everyone suddenly needed to go.
Aventurine, Jade, and Topaz had their staff push carts out, selling snacks and drinks.
Many spectators bought some—what could be better than snacks during a match?
Milim and Paimon each bought an entire cart and sat in their private box, crazily munching away.
Watch the match? Not likely—they were there for the snacks.
Milim was having the time of her life. Since arriving on the train, she'd only returned to her domain once.
And even then, it was just to grab some magic crystal ore. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone back at all.
Come on—how could her place compare to here? There were tons of fun games and so many delicious foods she'd never tried before.
Go back? Just to keep eating boiled radish? Then sleep, wake up, eat, sleep again? How boring! That's just wasting life!
Today, Rimuru also brought Benimaru and Shuna to watch the match.
After watching, Benimaru admitted to himself that he couldn't beat those Spirit.
If the Spirit alone were that powerful, he didn't even want to imagine how strong their trainers were.
But thinking about it, it made sense. These people were Lord Rimuru's friends. If Lord Rimuru was that powerful, his friends certainly wouldn't be weak either.
Backstage.
Furina and The Robin were doing their makeup.
The makeup artist looked at Furina.
"Miss Furina, I noticed something—you only have a few performance outfits. It might be time to buy more."
***
Robin smiled at the side.
"I think what she said makes sense, Furina. We've indeed bought a lot of clothes recently, but they're all casual styles—not really suitable for stage performances."
Furina rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"You're right. I heard from Stelle that there's a woman named Aglaea in Amphoreus who's amazing at making clothes. Once this performance is over, let's go check it out together, shall we?"
Robin nodded in agreement.
"Sure! Let's go together and have matching sister outfits made!"
Furina lit up at the idea.
"That's a great idea! It's settled then—we'll get matching sister outfits!"
Far away in Amphoreus, Aglaea had no idea that a big order was headed her way.
On the arena.
The first round of the knockout stage began.
Firefly faced off against Lisa-Bubu.
This time, Lisa-Bubu did something unexpected—she made the first move and went on the offensive.
The flower on Lisa-Bubu's head trembled, scattering a cloud of pollen.
Firefly recognized this move. It was Parasitic Seed—the seeds were hidden in the pollen, and once someone was contaminated, they'd continuously lose stamina.
"Inkalos! Dodge quickly!"
Inkalos hurriedly evaded.
At that moment, Lisa-Bubu attacked again—countless leaves flew toward Inkalos like knives.
Inkalos quickly swung his arms to block the attack.
When the barrage ended, he had sustained several cuts.
Firefly glanced at Lisa-Bubu, just about to order a counterattack, but suddenly paused.
Lisa-Bubu had released Parasitic Seed again. Now, with the previous ones, a dense ring of pollen surrounded her, forming a defensive barrier.
All of Inkalos's skills were close-range, so to land a hit, he'd have to endure the effects of the Parasitic Seeds.
With no wind today, the pollen wasn't dispersing anytime soon.
While Firefly hesitated, Lisa-Bubu launched another attack.
Vines burst from the ground, charging at Inkalos.
It was Lisa-Bubu's move, Mega Drain—if it hit, it would absorb the opponent's stamina.
Inkalos slashed with both arms, cutting the vines apart.
But as soon as he defended, a new attack struck him.
A green energy beam hit Inkalos squarely, leaving a deep wound.
Seeing this, Firefly called out a desperate move.
"Inkalos! Use Sky-Cleaving Slash!"
Inkalos leapt high, instantly dashing in front of Lisa-Bubu. A flash of white light—Lisa-Bubu was knocked away.
But Inkalos was now infected with Parasitic Seed, and his stamina began to drain rapidly.
Meanwhile, Lisa-Bubu recovered quickly thanks to the reverse absorption effect of the seed.
She used Parasitic Seed again, surrounding herself in pollen once more.
Hutao shook her head at the scene.
"Lisa-Bubu is such a cheater."
Zhongli calmly took a sip of tea, then slowly said,
"Lisa-Bubu's skill does have a counter. A wide-range attack could scatter the pollen. Alternatively, a ranged attack would do."
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"Still, Inkalos is clearly at a disadvantage here. All of his skills are melee.
It's a shame. If he were higher level, he might have taken out Lisa-Bubu in one hit."
Ten minutes later, Inkalos's stamina was depleted, and he lost the match.
From the throne, Stelle watched this unfold. Though she kept a lofty, unbothered expression, inside she was panicking.
Lisa-Bubu, do you have to be this strong?! Am I going to get humiliated?!
Soon, the second match also ended.
Surprisingly, Nenefindo won, defeating Eula and her Brukuk.
Brukuk was a strong counter to Nenefindo—Ye Yun had used Brukuk to defeat Nenefindo in a previous life.
At that time, Brukuk's Piercing Water Gun was the only move that could break Nainifenduo's shield.
But to think—Nenefindo actually won this time.
Eula was very frustrated.
"Sunday! How is your Nenefindo so fast? You kept getting the first move every time!"
Sunday calmly replied,
"Because that's the best way to train Nenefindo. It has a lot of control-type skills. If it's fast enough, it gains the upper hand."
Eula was really upset. Her Brukuk didn't even get a move in before it was taken down by Nenefindo.
Just like the earlier Gargle match—completely one-sided.
Aventurine stepped onto the stage and called Sunday and Lisa-Bubu to his side.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Our finalists have been decided!
I'm surprised. Both of our final contestants are from the same place, the same faction.
They are Mr. Sunday from the Express Crew—and Miss March 7th, also from the Express Crew!
The Express Crew truly is full of talent. As our company's valued partner, we're proud of their accomplishments."
His speech flattered both the Express Crew and her own company—well said.
"Unfortunately, Miss March 7th has not been feeling well lately, so she isn't here in person.
Lisa-Bubu, wishing to cheer her up once she wakes, signed up to compete in her place.
That's why, everyone, you haven't seen Miss March 7th on stage."
The audience sighed emotionally at this.
They believed in the deep friendship between Lisa-Bubu and March 7th, admiring their bond.
"Our lives have really changed since the appearance of Spirit. With just a little credit, we can get a loyal companion."
"Yeah, I always felt awkward in social settings, but being with my Spirit feels natural."
"Did you hear? Some people are posting videos of abusing Spirit—it's caused a huge uproar."
"I reported one on the spot, but nothing seemed to come of it."
"Who? Who dares abuse a Spirit?! Give me their location! I'll deal with them myself!"
Topaz, watching the livestream comments, saw that line and immediately informed Aventurine to issue a statement.
Aventurine received the news and announced:
"Everyone, I have an official company statement.
Anyone caught abusing Spirit will be blacklisted! Furthermore, their Spirit will be forcibly reclaimed by the company."
The mention of a blacklist startled many in the audience.
Kiana was curious and asked Himeko beside her:
"Himeko, is that blacklist really that scary?"
Himeko nodded.
"Yes. The company's influence spans the galaxy.
Aside from a few major powers, most beings and societies depend on the company for food, clothing, shelter, and transport.
Getting blacklisted doesn't just mean the person—it can wipe out the future of an entire civilization."
Silver Wolf added,
"It's like cheating in a game, and the company bans your IP address. You cheat, and your whole region gets blocked."
Kiana nodded in understanding.
"Oh~ Now I get it."
Back on stage.
Aventurine smiled at the camera.
"To those of you who have purchased Spirit—if you've mistreated your Spirit, return them on your own.
Don't make us come to your door. Don't cause trouble, understand?"
The crowd largely supported this statement.
The rule was strict, yes, but fair. Most people could accept it.
Why be afraid? If you don't abuse Spirit, this rule doesn't concern you, right?
After that brief interlude, the finals began.
Sunday and his Nenefindo faced off against Lisa-Bubu.
Lisa-Bubu opened with Photosynthesis. Nenefindo immediately tried to use Hypnosis, but Photosynthesis cured the status.
Lisa-Bubu used Leaf Storm, hindering Nenefindo's movement.
Then, she cast Mega Drain again.
Vines erupted and coiled around Nenefindo, draining its energy.
Sunday gave a command:
"Nenefindo, use Prismatic Aria!"
Nenefindo stomped the ground, summoning a field of vibrant musical notes around itself.
The notes disrupted Lisa-Bubu's vines, causing them to wither.
Nenefindo broke free with a simple motion.
Fu Xuan's eyes widened.
"It broke free!"
The crowd was stunned—it was the first time someone had broken Lisa-Bubu's Mega Drain.
By the speaker's stand, Jimmy exclaimed:
"My goodness! Lisa-Bubu's Mega Drain was countered!"
This was the first time in the tournament that someone had broken it.
Sunday remained calm.
"Nenefindo, Siren's Bliss."
Nenefindo sang out, sending a wave of musical energy toward Lisa-Bubu.
The move landed, dealing damage.
Instead of pressing the attack, Sunday ordered a defensive move—Nenefindo summoned a barrier to stay cautious.
Lisa-Bubu responded with Parasitic Seed, which clung to the barrier and absorbed it.
With the barrier gone, Lisa-Bubu summoned a cloud of pollen.
The pollen gathered together and slammed into Nenefindo.
At the last moment, Nenefindo summoned another shield to block the hit.
Sunday had it use Siren's Bliss again, landing another hit.
Lisa-Bubu, unable to land her draining or parasitic moves, began to tire.
Photosynthesis could only heal injuries—not replenish stamina.
Sunday played it safe. The battle slowly but surely tilted in his favor.
Half an hour later, Lisa-Bubu was crouched on the ground, too exhausted to lift her hands.
She looked at Nenefindo, still standing strong—and felt deep guilt.
"Bu… Bu~ Bu…"
Lisa-Bubu blamed herself. She couldn't bring the championship trophy back to her trainer.
The thought of this filled her with unwillingness—it was so close! They had come so far!
Just a little more, and she could've brought the trophy home!
Just a little more, and her trainer would've woken up proud and joyful!
But… her body simply wouldn't listen—she couldn't move at all.
Seeing this, Sunday spoke softly to her.
"Lisa-Bubu, you've already done great. Go back and rest—March will be proud of you."
Lisa-Bubu looked up at Sunday, and at that very moment, she caught sight of the championship trophy behind her, placed at the base of the Ascension Staircase.
No… She couldn't lose—not yet!
She had to win!
Just as Jade and Topaz were about to declare Lisa-Bubu's defeat—
The sky suddenly turned black, clouds gathering with a crushing force like a city under siege.
Gales swept across the entire arena, leaves swirling and spiraling into the sky.
Everyone's attention was drawn to this sudden change in weather.
Then—
Lisa-Bubu's entire body burst into radiant light as she slowly began to rise into the air.
From all directions, razor-sharp leaves shot toward her, forming a protective swirl at the center.
Then, a brilliant yellow-green light blazed from her form.
The radiance was so intense that no one in the audience could keep their eyes open.
Ten minutes later, the light slowly faded.
Sunday, closest to the scene and shielded by Nenefindo, forced his eyes open and looked to the sky.
A beam of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds and illuminated a figure.
The figure wore a top like a blooming pink rose, with a long skirt made of tender green leaves.
Atop her head, a vibrant pink peony bloomed gloriously in the light.
Petals drifted around her in slow descent.
Lisa-Bubu had reached her fully Ultra-Evolved form—
The Sovereign of Life—Mona Lisa!
Everyone present stared in disbelief.
Another mid-battle evolution?!
Was Lisa-Bubu really going to win the championship?!
Every time—it was at the edge of despair! Every time—in the face of crisis!
Jimmy's eyes widened in shock.
"This is nothing short of a miracle! Lisa-Bubu has evolved once again! Fully Ultra-Evolved! The Sovereign of Life—Mona Lisa!"
In the livestream, Mona Lisa was bestowed a title widely embraced by the public:
[Miracle Pokémon!]
Mona Lisa had become synonymous with miracles—always breaking through at the brink of defeat to find new life!
At that moment, Mona Lisa was hailed as a Divine Beast.
Countless trainers who owned Bubuseed watched her silhouette on screen, their eyes filled with hope.
They all wished that their own Bubuseed could also push beyond their limits, becoming powerful beings like Mona Lisa.
Seated gracefully atop a narcissus flower, Mona Lisa raised a hand and murmured softly:
"A Thousand Layers of Tree Shadows."
In an instant—
Within a 100-kilometer radius, countless towering trees erupted from the ground, forming a vast, primordial forest.
***
Sorry guys, I've been a bit too busy lately, so I can't translate this novel every day. I'll keep translating it whenever I have time, so don't worry—I won't stop translating it, because I really like the story too.