I Have a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon System in a World with Pokemon

The matches after that were easy for both Dante and Shinobu. 

The both of them proceeded to defeat their opponents until finally, it was time for the two of them to play against each other.

The finals of this competition was held just after lunch time, so both the Trainers and their Pokemon, as well as the audience, can have a break.

"We're finally back! Whew, what an intense competition this has been. And all of them haven't even been Trainers for a year! But now, we'll finally determine who among them will emerge as the strongest!"

"Indeed. I still remember when I participated in this competition 8 years ago. At that time, most of us had to rely on the type advantages of our Pokemon in order to win."

Erika had a look of reminiscence when she mentioned this. During that period, she participated with the very common Oddish as her starter and proceeded to emerge as the final winner.

Because of that, she was scouted into the prestigious Philippines Pokemon University which was of immense help to her becoming the Grass-type Gym Leader of today.

Looking at the young Trainers on the battlefield, she hoped that one day, each of them would be able to grow up to become Trainers that will have a great impact in this world.

"According to our intel, our two finalists are known to have a close relationship with each other! The two of them crushed all the other competitors and finally had a grand reunion in the finals!"

"Oh my! Are Trainers Dante and Shinobu in a relationship with each other?"

Erika had a gossipy look on her face when she heard this information. Mike shed a drop of sweat after seeing her like this.

"Well, let's all find out from our earlier interview with them during the lunch break!"

With Mike's word, the screen above the stadium suddenly switched to a scene showing the cafeteria table. Both Dante and Shinobu can be seen sitting together with their Pokemon, chatting after just having finished their lunch.

"Hello Mr. Dante and Ms. Shinobu, may we take some of your time to conduct an interview for the finals?"

The two of them looked at each other before agreeing.

The screen switched, and it now only showed Dante with Pikachu on his shoulders in a separate room.

"Mr. Dante, we're very curious about you. Can you give us a brief introduction about yourself? Things like your hobbies, dreams, goals for the future, as well as your expectations when you came to this competition."

After hearing the interviewer's question, Dante's expression became solemn. This was a good opportunity to fulfill one of the things on his bucket list!

"My name is Dante Zulueta, 18 years old. My family lives in sector 7 of Manila and I don't have a girlfriend. I usually train with Pikachu at the Intra Forest, and we get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. Pikachu and I share a hobby of watching Pokemon battles and movies every night. We're in bed by 11 PM, and I make sure we get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. As for my dream…"

Dante paused. He stopped doing his best Yoshikage Kira expression here and he turned to look at the camera with a more serious expression.

"My dream is to become the Strongest Pokemon Trainer in the world, so my next goal would probably be to become the Champion and then participate in the next World Masters Tournament."

The audience were already getting a bit drowsy from Dante's initial introduction, but after watching this scene, they instantly became wide awake.

"How arrogant!"

"Isn't the next Master's Tournament just three years away? It's already good if he's able to complete a whole team by then, not to mention replacing the Champion. He's crazy!"

"He's a child after all. He doesn't know how tall a mountain really is when he's just standing at the bottom."

"I really hope he loses in the finals. That'll teach him more about humility."

On the commentator's stand, both Mike and Erika could hear the crowd's discussion regarding Dante.

"Wow! Trainer Dante's dream really elicited some violent reactions from the crowd! What's your take on this, Erika?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with his goals. You know what they say, 'Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.' Trainer Dante just needs to be careful not to be too disappointed in himself when he doesn't achieve his goals."

After the audience heard Erika's statement, they all gradually calmed down.

"Yeah, he's still a child after all. It's already better that he has a goal for his future. Sigh, I remember when I was his age, I was still confused about what I wanted to do with my life."

"I really hope he can wake up early and set a more realistic goal for himself. It's sad to see if a Trainer like him stopped their journey due to the burden of their expectations for themselves.

Among the people in the VIP seats, most of them stared disdainfully at Dante. Some of the scouts even marked less points for Dante due to his arrogance.

"This civilian Trainer grew so arrogant after just winning against the common rabble. After joining a University, he'll be able to learn what the truly elite Trainers are made of."

"Heh, just a Pikachu as a starter and he still dares to say such outrageous things?"

Unbeknownst to most of them, an 'elite' Trainer was already eliminated at yesterday's match, against an unevolved Accelgor no less.

In a private room for the finalists, Dante and Shinobu also noticed the discussion going on outside. 

Shinobu gave a worried look at the expressionless Dante beside her.

"Are you okay, Dan? Don't let what they say get to you. I, for one, believe you will be able to achieve your goal one day!"

"Nah, it's alright. I'll let my actions in the future speak for itself. However…"

Dante stepped closer and hugged Shinobu.

"Thank you for believing in me. It really means a lot, especially coming from you."

"Y-yeah. I mean, I'm your friend, after all."

Shinobu was a little surprised at being suddenly hugged. However, hearing Dante's sincere thanks, her body relaxed as she raised her arms and reciprocated the hug.

"Hey, Shinobu."

"Hmm, yeah?"

"What does it take for us to advance past friendship?"

Shinobu's heartbeat began to speed up after hearing Dante's question. 

Looking up at Dante's serious face that was only an inch away from hers, and smelling the musky scent from his body, Shinobu's eyes gradually became a bit hazy. 

She suddenly felt that the temperature of the room was a little warmer.

A/N: Get early access to 30+ chapters and vote for Dante's next Pokemon at: patreon.com/Ked2002