Chapter 41: The Tournament Begins!
The tournament was set to begin in one week, giving Kenji plenty of time to prepare.
Beedrill and Gyarados trained diligently every day, occasionally sparring with each other to hone their skills. Kenji, meanwhile, spent his free time fussing over the Ekans egg, checking it constantly. Days passed, but there was still no sign of hatching.
Melody dedicated her time to bonding with her rebellious Togekiss. After several days of trial and error, she finally figured out the trick: Togekiss wasn't disobedient like Ash's Charizard, driven by arrogance and looking down on its trainer. It was more of a classic tsundere. A little bit of affectionate coaxing and heaps of praise were usually enough to get it in a cooperative mood.
The week flew by.
The Supernova Championship was held at the Windswept Pokémon Battle Club. Kenji, Melody, and Leo arrived together. At the entrance, separate lines were designated for competitors and spectators. They queued up in the competitor line, verified their registrations, received their official participant badges, and headed toward the main battle hall.
The hall was massive, with rows upon rows of spectator seats flanking the central area, easily capable of holding tens of thousands of people. At the heart of the hall were five battlefields: one large main stage in the center, surrounded by four smaller fields at its corners.
A staff member guided them to their designated waiting area to await the official start. Each participant badge had a number, corresponding to their match order. Large electronic screens were mounted above the waiting areas. One displayed a live feed of the ongoing matches, while the other showed the tournament bracket for the first round.
There was still some time before the first match, and the initially empty spectator stands began to fill rapidly. Soon, the entire arena was packed with an eager crowd.
This was Kenji's first time participating in a formal Pokémon battle tournament. More than nervous, he felt a thrill of excitement. All the hard work he and his Pokémon had put in was for this: to step onto increasingly larger stages and test their strength. The Supernova Championship was the first official step toward his dream.
Due to the sheer number of participants in the preliminary round—over four hundred—all five battlefields were being used simultaneously to speed things up.
At 10:00 AM sharp, the tournament officially began.
An announcer, riding dramatically on the back of a Pidgeot circling above the central stage, delivered an impassioned opening speech into a microphone. After the hype-filled introduction, the first matches commenced.
The names of the first ten competitors appeared on the electronic screen, paired off for their battles.
"Competitors, please proceed to your assigned battlefields," a neutral, automated voice announced throughout the waiting areas.
From Kenji's section, a nervous-looking boy stood up and walked hesitantly toward the arena entrance. Soon, competitors emerged from various entrances, making their way to the center of the hall and taking their positions on their assigned fields.
Once all competitors were in place, the referees signaled the start, and Poké Balls flew across all five fields simultaneously.
Even though all the competitors were recent graduates, the skill gap was already immense. Wealthy students like Melody often grew up with Pokémon, forming strong bonds long before becoming official trainers. Once they received their temporary licenses, they could immediately register these powerful, long-term partners.
Ordinary students, however, lacked such advantages.
Kenji had little interest in watching these early matches. They were either clashes between novices or complete stomps where one side vastly outmatched the other. Neither made for particularly engaging viewing.
He waited as batch after batch of competitors took to the fields. Suddenly, Melody's name appeared on the screen.
Kenji raised an eyebrow, surprised her turn had come up relatively quickly.
"The following competitors, please prepare to enter the arena and proceed to your assigned battlefields," the announcer's voice echoed a few minutes later as the previous round of matches concluded.
Melody, her expression serious and focused, walked onto Arena 2. Her opponent was a boy with noticeable acne scars.
At the referee's signal, Melody threw her Poké Ball.
"Go! Charmander!"
Her opponent mirrored her action.
"I choose you! Houndour!"
Kenji leaned forward slightly, intrigued. A small, black dog-like Pokémon with bony protrusions appeared on the field, letting out a sharp, menacing howl.
Houndour
Being in the waiting area, Kenji couldn't use his system to scan the Houndour's level or stats. Melody's Charmander, however, he knew well. It had reached level 16. In the games, it would have been ready to evolve, but in reality, it was simply on the cusp. This battle might just be the catalyst it needed.
With both Pokémon on the field, the referee swung his flag down. Melody attacked first.
"Charmander! Use Dragon Breath!"
"Houndour, dodge it! Then use Howl!" the opponent countered.
Charmander unleashed a stream of pale blue, draconic energy that shot toward the Houndour. But the dark Pokémon, seemingly having anticipated the attack, darted sideways the instant Charmander moved, then threw its head back and let out a piercing howl that boosted its Attack stat.
"Charge in! Use Bite!" the opponent commanded.
Houndour barked and sprinted toward Charmander. While Houndour's Special Attack was naturally higher than its Physical Attack, its early-level special move pool was limited, likely only consisting of Ember. Facing a Charmander that knew a Dragon-type move, engaging in a ranged firefight was clearly not the smart play.
In just a second, Kenji understood the opponent's strategy.