After the battle ended, Ethan immediately took his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for recovery.
During the tournament period, healing services were completely free for all competitors and even came with priority treatment. Thanks to that, Ethan was able to return to the stadium shortly after.
According to the tournament's rules, each participant was only required to fight one match per day, ensuring their Pokémon could remain in peak condition.
Having secured victory that day, Ethan's participation was over, so he used the rest of the time to watch other trainers' battles, gaining a wealth of new insights.
That night, back at the hotel, Ethan decided to organize the information he had gathered about the other tournament participants.
From what he'd seen, his strength wasn't among the top. Without Slowking, even reaching the Top 16 would be uncertain.
It was clear that the tournament for the starter Pokémon slots—also known as "The Strongest Rookie Trainer Competition"—truly lived up to its name. Practically every young trainer with some degree of fame had come to participate.
Reviewing the data, Ethan noticed that the strongest competitors came mainly from the country's four major Pokémon Universities.
The representatives from Ironvale City Pokémon University were Ethan, Lucas Silver, Marcus Foster, and Kyle Miller—all recognized as the best new trainers of their university.
Unfortunately, Jasper Reid hadn't been selected. That probably had something to do with the fact that his family didn't own as many mines...
What?
You're saying Ethan is just a commoner and his family has fewer resources than Jasper's?
Don't forget that Ethan has the backing of the Pokémon Research Guild!
From that perspective, his support was undoubtedly among the strongest of all the participants.
On the other hand, Duskwell City Pokémon University sent five competitors—the same ones who had participated in the previous exchange competition. Although their team had lost to Ethan's back then, that was a team battle; in one-on-one matches, all five were top-tier opponents.
In fact, the match between Ethan and Brandon in the first round had already proven it: although Ethan had won by a large margin, anyone could tell there were circumstantial factors involved. In a perfectly balanced duel, the outcome would've been uncertain.
Besides those two universities, there were also the Imperial Pokémon University of Daleron and the Arcaia City Pokémon University.
The Imperial Pokémon University of Daleron, ranked number one in the entire country, had an exceptionally strong team. This time, they sent no fewer than seven competitors—essentially the entire substitute roster of their official team.
Among them stood out Lucien Foster, the captain of the substitute team, whose signature Pokémon was none other than a Dragonite—a pseudo-legendary. In the first round, he had crushed his opponent, defeating three Pokémon in a row!
The name Lucien Foster sounded quite similar to Marcus Foster, didn't it? That was no coincidence: Lucien was Marcus's cousin, and he was also connected to the legendary Dragon Valley, one of the country's mega Secret Kingdoms.
In fact, Lucien Foster was recognized as the strongest of all the new-generation trainers—and the top favorite to win the tournament.
Lastly, there was the Arcaia City Pokémon University, the weakest among the four major universities. They had only sent three participants, though each of them also possessed considerable power.
Arcaia City itself, however, was a place shrouded in mystery. On its outskirts, in what was known as the Ancient Battlefield, there existed an entrance that connected directly to the Spirit World, making that area a paradise for Ghost-type Pokémon.
Speaking of which, Ethan happened to have a Dusknoir under his control—and its power was truly formidable. He had long considered the possibility of capturing it formally.
But that Dusknoir seemed to harbor a sort of natural hostility toward him. Even after being defeated in direct combat, it showed not the slightest sign of submission, which Ethan found frustrating.
Even so, during his encounters with it, Ethan had discovered something fascinating: Dusknoir possessed the ability to open portals to the Spirit World. That revelation had stunned him. Although he couldn't capture it yet, using it as a key to the Spirit World might be an excellent alternative.
However, the Spirit World was a Secret Kingdom of enormous scale—virtually an entire world—inhabited by countless Ghost-type Pokémon. With his current strength, Ethan wasn't yet ready to venture there.
"I'll have to wait. Once I reach the Advanced level, maybe then I can safely explore the Spirit World."
"Although, the smarter move would be to hand Dusknoir over to the Pokémon Research Guild. I'm sure they'd be extremely interested in studying it."
"If I cooperate with them, I might gain even greater benefits."
"I'm still worried, though, about why that Dusknoir appeared before me... and that strange peculiarity of my soul..."
Ethan rubbed his temples and placed Dusknoir's Poké Ball back into his backpack. For now, he had enough resources at his disposal—it wasn't the right time to risk something as dangerous as the Spirit World.
...
Over the next two days, Ethan battled again, sending out Sandslash and Cacturne. Both matches were tough, but he ultimately emerged victorious in each.
Soon, the fourth day of the tournament arrived—the most important one so far.
That day, the winners of the winners' bracket would advance directly to the Top 16, while the losers of the winners' bracket would battle the winners of the losers' bracket for the final eight slots.
In other words, that very day would determine the sixteen qualifiers—and with them, the trainers who would earn the sixteen available starter Pokémon slots.
Under that tense atmosphere, the fourth round of the winners' bracket finally began, and the match list was immediately announced.
Ethan's new opponent turned out to be someone he had unfinished business with: Jake Turner—the very same person he had defeated to take his tournament slot.
Apparently, the Turner family wielded considerable influence, as they had managed to secure another entry spot for him... and he had made it to the second round of the winners' bracket.
"Tch... why did it have to be you?"
Jake frowned upon seeing Ethan in front of him.
"Who knows? Maybe fate just enjoys watching us cross paths."
Ethan shrugged calmly, a Poké Ball expanding in his hand.
If he won this battle, he would officially earn the right to choose a starter Pokémon. One way or another, he couldn't afford to lose.
"The fourth round of the winners' bracket begins! Ethan Black versus Jake Turner. The first move goes to the competitor Ethan Black."
The referee announced, raising his flag to signal the start of the battle.
(End of Chapter)