"But both Mudkip and Bulbasaur are among the most popular ones."
"If I want to make sure I can choose one of them, being in the top eight won't be enough. I'll need an even higher ranking."
"However, the opponents in the winners' bracket of the Top 8 are all incredibly strong... if I don't use Slowking, it'll be really tough."
Ethan thought silently, but when he saw the list of the eight finalists in the winners' bracket, he could only sigh again.
...
The next day.
Amid a tense atmosphere, the drawing ceremony for the fifth round of the winners' bracket began.
Names flickered rapidly across the big screen, and all the competitors held their breath.
After a brief round of shuffling, the matchups were decided. Some celebrated, while others lamented their luck.
"Ethan, your opponent is... Lucien?"
Marcus Foster, who stood beside him, exclaimed in surprise.
"Lucien?"
Ethan froze. He looked up at the screen and indeed saw his name paired with Lucien Foster's.
"Congratulations, Ethan."
"I'll be waiting for you in the losers' bracket."
Brandon Hayes smiled playfully, winking at Ethan.
"So you drew the tournament's favorite, huh..."
After his initial surprise, Ethan took a deep breath and began thinking about how to deal with Lucien.
"The first battle of the day is about to begin! The participants are Lucien Foster and Ethan Black! Please head to the battlefield!"
Hearing the referee's announcement, Lucien stepped onto the stage. Instantly, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
As the captain of the reserve team of Daleron's Imperial Pokémon University, Lucien was a well-known figure ever since he'd enrolled. And since this was the capital itself, he was literally on home ground. The enthusiasm of the crowd was deafening.
When Ethan entered, only a few scattered claps could be heard. Some spectators even smirked mockingly, convinced he didn't stand a chance against Lucien.
"Begin the match! The first to attack will be Lucien Foster! Both trainers, send out your Pokémon!" announced the referee once they were ready.
"Then come out first, my spearhead."
With a calm smile, Lucien opened his Poké Ball. Immediately, a massive Dragonite appeared, floating in the air.
Dragonite was a bipedal Dragon-type Pokémon, orange in color, with two long antennae and a small horn atop its head. Its belly was a cream color that extended to the tip of its tail. It had strong arms and legs with three claws each, and relatively small wings that still allowed it to fly with great agility.
"DRAAAGGG!"
As it emerged, Dragonite let out a mighty roar that instantly fired up the crowd.
"Crush him! Crush him! Crush him!"
The audience broke into a deafening chant, all shouting the same thing.
"Well, this is just..."
Ethan frowned slightly, a little resigned.
It seemed the crowd had already lumped him together with all the other trainers who had been mercilessly crushed by Lucien's Dragonite.
"Looks like I'll have to fight seriously. Losing too fast would be too embarrassing."
He took a deep breath, opened his Poké Ball, and released Meltan, who floated into the air using magnetic levitation.
"So that's the famous Meltan?"
"Is he really planning to fight in the air against my Dragonite?"
"Crush him, Dragonite! Use Fire Punch!"
Lucien's voice was calm, without the slightest hint of concern.
Dragonite nodded smoothly; its fists ignited in flames as its wings flapped powerfully, vanishing from sight in an instant.
"Hold on and use Acid Armor!"
Ethan knew very well how fast Dragonite was. Meltan couldn't keep up under normal conditions. But precisely because of that, this was the moment when Dragonite would be most confident. Ethan decided to take the risk — no risk, no reward.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan's liquid body began to ripple, transforming into a fluid mass of gleaming mercury.
At the same time, Dragonite's fire-wreathed fist struck with brutal force, slamming straight into Meltan's body.
BOOM!
The concentrated energy behind that flaming punch was astonishing. Even though Meltan had used Acid Armor to raise its defense, its mercury-like body was pierced through from chest to back.
"Now! Harden!"
Ethan's eyes flashed. Suddenly, Meltan's liquid body shimmered with metallic light; the mercury solidified like pure steel and clamped down around Dragonite's arm, locking it in place like a shackle.
Dragonite flinched, thrashing wildly to shake Meltan off.
"Use Toxic!"
An opportunity like this wouldn't come again, and Ethan wouldn't waste it.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan's body glowed with poisonous energy. Its shape shifted slightly, and a needle-like spike extended from its body, stabbing directly into Dragonite's skin.
"DRAAAGGG!"
The dragon roared in pain, trembling from the sting.
"No! Use another Fire Punch!"
Seeing the poison attack, Lucien finally showed a look of surprise.
Dragonite growled furiously, its fists blazing once again as it began burning Meltan's body with searing fire.
"Meltan, now! Thunderbolt — full power!"
Meltan, enduring the scorching heat with all its might, gathered every spark of electricity in its body and unleashed it in one massive discharge.
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire stadium. Dragonite was blown high into the air before crashing to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
"What... what was that?!"
"Dragonite's been injured!"
Lucien's fans shot to their feet, alarmed at the sight of the fallen dragon.
When the dust cleared, Dragonite stood up shakily, clearly wounded. In front of it, Meltan lay motionless on the ground — unable to battle.
"Meltan is unable to fight! Dragonite wins the match!"
After confirming the state of both Pokémon, the referee raised his flag.
"Ohhh! I knew it — total annihilation!"
"For a moment I got scared, but come on, there's no way our Dragonite would lose!"
Lucien's supporters erupted in cheers, relieved.
That huge, chubby dragon — Dragonite — remained the strongest.
Crushing everyone with a single blow!
(End of chapter)