The Super Queen Of The Pokemon Era

c77: Creating Happiness With Salary

Chen Xiaoxiao and Leng Yue, who had been tolerating the chatter in their ears, finally ran out of patience.

But just then, after glancing at the detailed competition rules printed on the flyer clearly listing battle format, brackets, and fair-play clauses a glint of strategy flickered in their eyes.

The two exchanged a meaningful glance and smiled.

"Let's go, seniors. Weren't you planning to sign up? Let's all head there together," Chen Xiaoxiao said with a bright smile to Zhang San and Li Si.

She and Leng Yue turned and walked toward the registration area.

Zhang San and Li Si, thinking Chen Xiaoxiao had accepted their "generous" offer, looked at each other with smirks of satisfaction, spirits soaring.

"We've got this in the bag," Zhang San muttered as they followed, chatting nonstop along the short walk barely a hundred meters, but long enough for them to endlessly brag about past battles and school accolades.

"I once beat a guy who used a Scizor trained by a Battle Frontier mentor!"

"I've trained under Huaqing's top doubles instructor our synergy is elite-level!"

Chen Xiaoxiao and Leng Yue humored them with polite nods but didn't respond.

Upon reaching the registration desk, Chen Xiaoxiao stepped up first.

"Hi! We're here to register for the doubles tournament," she said.

The staffer, a young woman in a volunteer cap emblazoned with a stylized Poké Ball, looked up from her clipboard.

"Welcome! Two pairs of Trainers so four people in total? Registering together?"

She eyed the group, puzzled by the arrangement.

"Yes, we're registering as two separate pairs. Please process us together," Chen Xiaoxiao confirmed, flashing a calm and knowing smile.

The staffer tilted her head. "Have you read the rules thoroughly? Including the bracket draw order and matching procedures?"

"Yes, very clearly," Chen Xiaoxiao replied without hesitation.

She unfolded the flyer, pointed to a section near the bottom: "To prevent collusion or manipulation, teams are placed into the bracket based on order of registration. Friends can coordinate by spacing out sign-ups to avoid early matchups."

Zhang San and Li Si exchanged confused glances.

"Bracket what now?" Li Si whispered.

"Was that on the flyer?!" Zhang San muttered back.

Unfortunately, they had crumpled up and tossed their own flyers earlier, confident they didn't need instructions.

"Great. Fill out these two registration forms and return them to me. These are your team number plates hold on to them. The opening rounds begin at ten o'clock sharp. When your number is called, head to the arena," the staffer explained patiently, handing over two forms, a pen, and two sets of numbered pins.

"Got it, thank you," Chen Xiaoxiao said sweetly.

Then, glancing briefly at the number tags 33 and 34 she handed the #34 plate and forms to Zhang San and Li Si without missing a beat.

"Here are your registration items. Thanks, Mr. Crouching Tiger and Mr. Hidden Dragon. See you on the battlefield," she said lightly before she and Leng Yue turned and walked off without another word.

Zhang San and Li Si stood frozen.

Wind blew. Time stopped. Their faces? Total confusion.

"Wait, what just happened?" Li Si asked, holding the number 34 pin.

"Didn't we agree to team up?"

"How should I know?!" Zhang San gritted his teeth. "If they're messing with us, let's give them a lesson in the arena. I just hope they survive long enough to face us."

But fate, as designed by tournament logistics, had other plans.

Because clearly printed in the flyer was this rule:

"To ensure fairness and eliminate potential manipulation, battle order will follow registration sequence. Players signing up consecutively may be matched in early rounds. Strategic spacing is allowed to avoid overlap."

The Penguin Group even thought of fairness and kindly offered loopholes.

"Xiaoxiao, what Pokémon are you using in the first match?" Leng Yue asked as she pinned the #33 tag to her chest.

"I haven't decided yet, Xiao Yueyue. What about you?" Chen Xiaoxiao responded with a relaxed smile, arms behind her head.

She wasn't worried.

Because unlike Zhang San and Li Si, she had already simulated her strategies using data from Professor Kukui's doubles battle lectures, combined with movesets she memorized from elite Trainer reports she'd read during her stay at the Huaxia Pokémon headquarters.

And she knew:

Her Lapras had never lost in a doubles match.

"That's right, your Pokémon are strong! Then I'll send… Ninetales! Let's teach them a lesson!"

Leng Yue clapped her hands, sending out a glittering Poké Ball.

She originally intended to use her strongest partner Lapras but paused upon reconsideration. It was too attention-grabbing.

Lapras, known in the Pokémon manga for its intelligence and rare telepathic abilities, was listed as endangered due to overhunting by poachers. Even the International Police under Looker had declared Lapras sightings as "high-priority protection cases."

In China, the only known line of Lapras was kept by the Leng family, and the sole Lapras that ever left their care had been entrusted to Chen Xiaoxiao under special licensing from the Huaxia Pokémon Research Bureau.

There was no second known breeder or trainer with access to one.

---

The clock ticked to 9:50 AM.

"All participants, please enter the waiting zone and take your assigned seats according to the number on your registration pin," a staff member called, holding a digital megaphone that echoed across the park plaza.

A makeshift battlefield had been set up in the open space of Temple of Heaven Park, with regulation-sized Trainer zones clearly marked.

Behind the battlefield, rows of foldable chairs were lined up, labeled by number and separated into odd and even sections a standard practice in large tournaments, as per League organizational rules seen in the Pokémon World Tournament arc.

Multiple cameras were mounted at various angles, with a tall LED display screen already running promotional animations on one side. Around the makeshift stadium, a crowd of thousands had gathered.

Chen Xiaoxiao and Leng Yue strolled over to Seat 33 in the odd-number section and sat down together.

When all contestants had taken their places, the time struck 10:00 AM sharp.

The host, dressed in a vibrant tuxedo featuring a stylized Piplup logo, bounded onto the temporary stage amid fanfare and LED flashes.

"Hello everyone! Create happiness with your heart or salary! I'm your host A.J. from Penguin Group, wishing you all a happy Alliance Celebration!"

The crowd erupted in applause.

"On this special day, our Penguin Group is thrilled to present you with dazzling programs and competitions! Of course, nothing screams 'Alliance Celebration' more than an electrifying Pokémon battle! Today's highlight: the Pokémon Doubles Match Tournament!"

"If you have family or friends who can't attend in person, don't worry—Penguin Live will stream the entire tournament online in real-time! Let them experience the heat of battle right from their screens!"

"Plus! Penguin Live is running a live Q&A prize draw throughout the broadcast watch, answer questions, and win exclusive gifts!"

"And don't forget our sloganbCreate happiness with your heart... or your salary!"

---

Chen Xiaoxiao suppressed a laugh, her shoulders trembling.

"I don't even have the salary to create anything with your M.B…" she muttered under her breath.

"What are you saying?" Leng Yue leaned over with a confused look. The crowd noise had muffled Chen Xiaoxiao's whisper.

Seeing Leng Yue's puzzled expression, Chen Xiaoxiao quickly changed the subject.

"Nothing. Just saying the matches are about to start."

But in her heart, she grumbled: These corporate overlords really know how to market...

---

"Create happiness with your heart (salary)! Now, let's welcome Team No. 1 and Team No. 2 to kick things off with a thrilling first round!"

Host A.J beamed under the spotlight as the large screen displayed "MATCH 1 – TEAM 1 vs TEAM 2".

"Pfft!"

Chen Xiaoxiao snorted, covering her mouth.

"A.J… you really do say it every time. What is this—trying to laugh me to death so you can inherit my PokéCoins?"

Her shoulders shook as she giggled uncontrollably.

"Are you short-circuiting or something? Why are you acting so weird?"

Leng Yue poked her temple with a concerned look.

Chen Xiaoxiao's expression immediately stiffened into mock indignation.

---

Meanwhile, across the field in the even-numbered rest area…

"Tch. We got played by those two chicks. I can't tell if they're naïve or smug."

Li Si scowled as the host called Team 1 and Team 2 to the battlefield without any lottery draw.

"Damn it. They baited us, and now we're the first match?! We'll hit hard and show them not to mess with us!"

Zhang San growled, clenching his fists.

What they didn't know, of course, was that the flyer had explicitly stated:

"Match orders will follow registration sequence. Trainers wishing to coordinate with companions should register with intentional spacing."

But unlike Chen Xiaoxiao and Leng Yue—who had memorized every line—Zhang San and Li Si had tossed the flyer without reading a word.

And now, they were about to pay for it.

---

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