One day later, the registration process for the Hoenn Champion Tournament was officially completed, and all participants received information regarding their first opponents.
Alex looked calmly at the data displayed on his TRH device.
His first opponent was nothing particularly special. Simply a low-level Elite Trainer.
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Contestant No. 213
Pokémon: Mightyena LV 45, Sceptile LV 45, Linoone LV 42, Swellow LV 41, Hariyama LV 39, Breloom 38,
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Although this participant looked extremely weak compared to Alex, the truth was that he was not particularly weak by normal standards.
In fact, compared to the majority of tournament participants, this Trainer was fairly average.
There were exactly 258 participants in this year's tournament.
And more than 80 percent of them were low-level Elite Trainers.
That alone demonstrated just how difficult it was to even qualify for such a competition. In order to secure a Seed Spot, a Trainer generally needed to possess at least mid-Elite-level strength.
Because only sixty-four participants would ultimately advance into the "real" tournament stage, all contestants first needed to battle through the preliminary rounds until only sixty-four remained.
With 258 participants, that meant most Trainers would need to survive two elimination rounds.
Only two particularly unlucky participants would be forced to fight an additional match because of the uneven tournament number.
...
Ever Grande Arena
Alex sat quietly inside the participant waiting room assigned to Block B while calmly waiting for his turn.
Around him, several other Trainers were either nervously reviewing strategies, talking quietly with their Pokémon, or staring silently at the large tournament screens mounted on the walls.
Compared to them, Alex looked unusually relaxed. Approximately five minutes later, Alex finally saw his participant number appear on the screen.
He calmly stood up and began walking toward Block B of the arena while carrying his participant identification card.
As Alex entered the enormous battle area, he immediately noticed several matches already taking place simultaneously across different blocks.
The Ever Grande Arena was absolutely massive.
Countless spectator seats surrounded the entire battlefield complex.
The structure looked very similar to the arena used during the Kanto Champion Tournament, although the Hoenn version incorporated far more water-based battlefield sections.
Large pools, canals, and aquatic terrain segments could be seen throughout the arena.
Even though the spectator seats remained mostly empty because the main tournament had not officially begun yet, the atmosphere still felt incredibly impressive.
The sheer scale of the arena alone made it obvious how prestigious this tournament truly was.
Alex walked calmly toward Block B and immediately noticed the referee already standing there waiting.
Without wasting time, Alex handed over both his participant number and his ID card for verification.
The referee quickly confirmed everything and nodded. Afterward, Alex simply waited quietly for his opponent to arrive.
Only about one minute later, a young man wearing participant number 213 approached the battlefield.
Alex glanced toward him with slight surprise.
Honestly, he had expected this participant to simply surrender immediately after learning who his opponent was.
After all, the level difference between their Pokémon exceeded 10 levels. At the Elite level, every single level mattered enormously so t was impossible for him to win.
Alex quietly observed the young man. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him. He looked to be around twenty-five years old and possessed the appearance of a fairly ordinary Trainer.
However, the young man quickly understood the meaning behind Alex's slightly surprised expression.
He smiled helplessly and said, "Even though I'm your fan—and even though my chances are probably slim—I still don't intend to give up. I should at least try."
Alex remained silent. Although internally, he could not help thinking: 'No, you really don't have a chance. Even in a one-versus-six battle, I would still win easily.'
The referee then raised one hand and made a clear gesture signaling both participants to release their Pokémon.
Alex calmly picked up one of his Poké Balls. The young man did the same.
Moments later, two flashes of light appeared on opposite sides of the battlefield.
Ditto and Mightyena appeared in the arena simultaneously.
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Pokémon: Mightyena
LV: 45
Type: Dark
Abilities: Moxie (hidden ability)
Gender: Male
Potential: Shallow Gold (4%)
Move:
- Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack [E], Bite [E], Odor Sleuth, Roar, Assurance, Scary Face, Embargo, Taunt, Crunch [E], Yawn,
- (Innate Talent) Snarl [E], (Innate Talent) Shadow Ball [M], (Innate Talent) Facade [M],
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"3, 2, 1, Go!" the referee shouted as the battle officially began.
The moment the match started, Ditto instantly transformed into Mightyena, perfectly copying its appearance.
Alex calmly looked at the battlefield and said in a soft voice, "Finish it, Ditto."
The young trainer reacted quickly and immediately shouted, "Mightyena, use Sand Attack!"
Alex, hearing this, thought, 'Not a bad idea, but with this large level difference, status moves barely affect the Pokémon anymore, even if they hit. Besides, an Expert Rank move is too slow.'
Ditto finished first and used Shadow Ball.
A dark-purple sphere rapidly condensed in front of Ditto's mouth before it was fired directly toward the opposing Mightyena.
Mightyena tried to leap to the side, but the difference in level and speed was simply too large. The Shadow Ball struck Mightyena directly in the side and exploded on impact.
The Dark-type Pokémon was thrown several meters across the battlefield before it collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
The young trainer stared at his defeated Pokémon in shock. He truly hadn't expected his Mightyena, who naturally resisted Dark-type attacks, to be defeated in a single hit.
The referee glanced at Mightyena for a brief moment before raising the flag and announcing loudly, "Participant 216 Pokémon is unable to battle. Participant 169 won this match."
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if the story total of 250 powerstones in 24 hours, I will upload 1 bonus chapter tomorrow.
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