As time passed, more and more people arrived at the stadium. The stands were already completely packed, and there were signs that they would soon overflow.
"No doubt about it—this really is an official League tournament. The title of Strongest Rookie Trainer sure draws a massive crowd," said Ethan from the competitors' area, looking at the endless stream of people entering the venue. He took a deep breath, and an inexplicable sense of excitement began to well up in his chest.
"Ethan, I knew you'd show up," said a familiar voice.
In the participants' area, Ethan also ran into several old acquaintances.
Lucas Silver, Marcus Foster, and Kyle Miller—his college classmates—were also taking part in this competition to earn one of the starter Pokémon slots.
In reality, qualifying for the starter selection tournament wasn't all that difficult. As long as one had the backing of an influential family and decent individual strength, securing a spot was possible. What was truly difficult was standing out among so many and ultimately earning the right to choose one of the starter Pokémon.
"Ethan, have you decided which starter you're going to pick?" asked Marcus, approaching him with a grin and nudging him lightly with his elbow.
"I haven't decided yet," Ethan replied after thinking for a moment. "When the time comes, I'll choose the strongest one."
Upon hearing that, Marcus's smile froze for a second. Then, forcing a laugh, he added, "Ethan, my brother from another mother, how about we make a deal... Why don't you leave the Charmander to me?"
"Charmander? Then you'd better pray that Charmander doesn't turn out too good," Ethan joked.
Marcus ground his teeth, irritated, and ended up swearing that he wouldn't lose this time.
Jokes aside, everyone knew that the starters for this edition were descendants of Pokémon belonging to Elite-level trainers—so none of them would have poor potential!
As they chatted and laughed, time flew by. The sun was already high in the sky when the announcer's voice came through the speakers, declaring that the opening ceremony was about to begin.
Ethan and the others didn't bother watching it; they knew it would be the same protocol as always. They preferred to use that time to talk and, hopefully, gather some useful information about potential opponents.
"To select the most suitable trainer for each starter Pokémon, the League has decided to adopt a double-elimination format," the announcement explained. "In the first round, matchups will be determined at random. Winners will advance to the winners' bracket, while losers will move to the repechage bracket."
"In the second round, both brackets will continue separately. Winners will keep advancing, and the losers from the main bracket will battle against the winners from the repechage bracket."
"This process will continue until the final champion is determined."
"As for the battles, all will be conducted in a 3-on-3 format, to comprehensively evaluate the trainers' skills."
While the explanation continued, Ethan and the others discussed the rules. In short, each participant would have two chances: if they lost in the winners' bracket, they could still redeem themselves in the losers' bracket.
As they talked, the opening ceremony came to an end, and the announcer officially declared the start of the tournament.
The first step, naturally, was the draw for the first round. On the giant screen appeared the names of the 128 rookie trainers who had passed the League's evaluation.
All of them were outstanding students from renowned universities. After all, only those with deep Pokémon training knowledge and sufficient resources could properly raise a starter Pokémon.
The draw soon began. Ethan's opponent turned out to be a trainer named Brandon Hayes, and their battle would be the fifth of the day.
"Looks like there aren't any strong opponents in the first round," Marcus said with a satisfied grin after seeing that his friends were paired against relatively unknown names.
"Hey, doesn't the name Brandon Hayes sound familiar to you?" said Lucas suddenly, thoughtful, catching everyone's attention.
"Brandon Hayes...?" Ethan repeated, frowning. The name sounded strangely familiar, though he couldn't quite place it.
However, once the fifth match began, Ethan finally remembered who he was.
On the battlefield, he and Brandon stood face to face.
"Well, I didn't expect to run into you so soon," said Brandon with a faint smile.
Of course! He was the same trainer with the Typhlosion who had represented Duskwell City's Pokémon University during the exchange event with Ironvale City's Pokémon University.
"Yeah, what a coincidence," Ethan replied, taking a deep breath. He knew this was a formidable opponent—he would have to act carefully.
"Both trainers are ready. Let's see who attacks first," announced the referee, tossing a coin into the air.
The coin spun and fell.
"The first move goes to Trainer Ethan Black!" shouted the announcer, raising the microphone.
"My turn first, huh? Since the opponent has a Typhlosion, it looks like I'll have to rely on you," Ethan said with a grin, expanding a Poké Ball in his hand.
From it emerged Sandslash.
"Sandslash? Starting right away with his ace?" murmured Brandon in surprise before throwing out his own Poké Ball.
From it appeared Poliwrath, a Water- and Fighting-type Pokémon.
Seeing that his opponent had chosen a Pokémon with a type advantage, Ethan wasn't surprised. Being the first to attack, he immediately ordered, "Sandslash, use Sand Whirl (Rapid Spin + Sand Attack)!"
Meanwhile, Brandon responded without hesitation: "I won't let you set up your strategy! Poliwrath, move in and use Dynamic Punch!"
Sandslash's body began spinning rapidly, hurling sand in all directions and forming a whirlwind. By this point, its speed in executing the combined move Sand Whirl was incredible.
Poliwrath, prepared to counter this tactic, stomped hard with its powerful right leg and lunged forward, channeling Fighting-type energy into its fist to unleash its full strength on Sandslash.
"Dynamic Punch, huh? Sandslash, raise a sandstorm!" Ethan ordered seriously.
He knew that Dynamic Punch had a secondary effect—it always caused confusion in the target.
If Sandslash took that hit, even if it managed to activate the sandstorm, it would be badly injured and left confused.
That's why Ethan immediately changed tactics, avoiding a direct blow.
(End of Chapter)