After the battle.
The match between Ethan and Lucien Foster spread across the cities of the country in no time.
As soon as the news broke, all the major figures who knew Lucien's true identity were completely shocked.
It had to be remembered that, although the tournament followed a double-elimination format, the first-place winner could only emerge from the winners' bracket. In other words, the final victor of the winners' bracket would become the absolute champion of the tournament, while the champion of the losers' bracket could only fight for second place by facing the runner-up from the main bracket.
Therefore, by losing to Ethan, Lucien fell into the losers' bracket... which meant he no longer had any chance of taking first place.
To think that someone as powerful and prestigious as Lucien had been defeated by a complete unknown!
...
"Ethan, that was incredible!"
That night, Lucas Silver, Marcus Foster, and Kyle Miller gathered with Ethan for a small celebration.
"It was just luck, pure luck." Ethan smiled faintly.
In truth, he knew his victory over Lucien had been pure fortune.
"There's no such thing as luck in Pokémon battles."
"You managed to bring out the full potential of your partners and defeated someone much stronger. That's what's truly admirable."
Lucas sighed and raised his glass of nutrient juice. Deep down, he thought that perhaps Ethan was the one who truly deserved to be the university team captain.
"We're talking about Lucien here..."
"He's been considered a genius since he was a kid. You might be the first person to ever beat him."
Marcus, who was usually quiet whenever Lucien came up in conversation, couldn't help but feel stirred seeing that the "prodigy" had been brought down by Ethan.
"Those three Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries are really terrifying. But you, Ethan, are even scarier."
Kyle raised his glass and clinked it against Ethan's.
They talked for a while longer, and as expected, the topic soon turned to the four competitors remaining in the winners' bracket.
Besides Ethan, the other three were:
Rowan Thorne, captain of Arcaia City's Pokémon University.
Derek Ashford, vice-captain of Duskwell City's Pokémon University team.
Ronan Keats, vice-captain of the Imperial Pokémon University of Daleron.
Rowan was a trainer who specialized in Ghost-type Pokémon, and his ace was a Gengar. His style resembled that of an assassin—each of his victories came from the unpredictable, lethal speed of his ghostly Pokémon.
Derek, whom Ethan already knew from the exchange tournament, had a Feraligatr as his trump card—one of the Johto starters. Its raw strength was legendary: very few Pokémon could withstand even a single direct hit from it.
Lastly, Ronan was an expert in Fighting-type Pokémon. His main Pokémon was a Machamp, whose overwhelming physical power had allowed him to bulldoze every opponent on his way to the winners' bracket.
Reaching this stage meant there were no weaklings among the four finalists. Ethan felt that, aside from himself, the other three had enough strength to become champions.
...
The next day.
The sixth round of the winners' bracket began amidst cheers and excitement from the crowd.
Perhaps due to his stellar performance the day before, Ethan was surprised to find that he now had a small group of fans.
Standing in the center of the stadium, listening to the shouts of encouragement, he couldn't help but smile warmly. This... didn't feel bad at all.
Soon the drawing stage began, and the four finalists' images spun across the big screen.
"Well, fate really does like to mess with me."
Seeing the final matchup, Ethan sighed and rubbed his forehead.
His opponent would once again be a familiar face: Derek Ashford, vice-captain of Duskwell City's Pokémon University.
"Ethan!"
When Derek saw who he'd be facing, his expression immediately darkened.
He was good friends with Brandon, so he'd heard countless complaints about Ethan. He never imagined he'd end up facing him too.
"This is going to be rough..."
"With how cunning Ethan is, I bet he's already thinking up some kind of trap for me."
Derek glanced sideways at Ethan, who looked deep in thought, and couldn't shake the bad feeling creeping up on him.
Was it possible that he'd end up falling victim to Ethan's tricks as well?
Well... after all, Ethan's main team only had three Pokémon, plus a Shellder he hadn't used yet; it didn't seem like he could come up with anything new, right?
"The first battle of the sixth round of the winners' bracket: Ethan Black versus Derek Ashford. Please step onto the stage and prepare!" announced the referee.
"Ethan, I'm warning you—no dirty tricks."
Derek glared at him the moment he stepped into the arena.
Ethan, half amused and half exasperated, just shrugged before taking his position on the opposite side, thinking, "If I don't use tactics, how am I supposed to win against people like you?"
The referee tossed a coin, and the result showed that Derek would take the first turn.
"I start? Fine then."
"Go, Ludicolo!"
Derek threw his Pokéball, and a cheerful Ludicolo appeared on the field.
It looked like a mix between a pineapple and a duck: standing upright, its body was yellowish, it seemed to wear a rain poncho and a green lotus-leaf hat. Its black eyes and orange bill gave it a lively, comical air.
"A Ludicolo?"
"With its dual Water and Grass types, its only double weaknesses are Flying, Poison, and Bug... a perfect choice against my team."
Ethan frowned; it was clear Derek had come prepared.
"Go, Cacturne!"
After a brief pause, Ethan sent his Pokémon into battle.
"In that case, I'll start."
"Ludicolo, use Rain Dance!"
At the command, Ludicolo let out a cheerful cry and began to wave its hands, summoning a thick layer of dark clouds that covered the sky, dimming the entire stadium.
"What? Rain Dance!"
Seeing the change in the sky, Ethan's face stiffened.
He hadn't expected that, in addition to his own Sandstorm strategy, Derek would also be a master of weather systems—specifically, rain.
"Cacturne, use Poison Sting!"
Ethan reacted immediately, ordering a long-distance attack.
Cacturne let out a sharp cry, spread the spikes on its body, and began to spin rapidly, firing a shower of poisonous needles toward Ludicolo.
(End of chapter)