Dodgeball

"Not bad, this kind of game," Terrance said, looking at the well-equipped grand arena. He was impressed by the luxurious setup, having seen quite a few similar types of equipment before.

In order to enhance the entertainment value of these events, it seemed like the cruise had spared no expense and thoroughly equipped itself.

This was a 12x12-meter stone arena, with a massive machine placed on each side of the arena. The machines resembled walls but were filled with unevenly distributed small holes, presumably the places from which tennis balls would shoot out.

Terrance had already registered as a participant, and his number was 6, meaning he would be the sixth to enter.

The time slots for these events were separated, ensuring a large audience. Terrance saw guests entering the venue one by one, eagerly waiting for the events to begin.

"Participants, this way, please!"

Terrance was pulled over by an older sister who showed him the way. There were only around ten participants for this event, not a lot, which surprised Terrance. Even more surprising was the fact that most of them were female.

Even if there were males, Terrance, passing by, saw them gazing affectionately at the women beside them, saying things like, "Darling, don't worry. I'll make sure to win that necklace for you."

And there was a teenager clenching his fists, "I'm sure Little Hana will like this gift."

Little Hana, my foot!

Terrance nearly choked due to this group of people. It seemed they were all here for that necklace?

Is that thing really so beautiful? Terrance hesitated for a moment. Considering his own aesthetics, he decided to give up further investigation.

"Thanks everyone for participating in this event. I am the judge as well as the scorekeeper for this event." A young man in glasses walked to the most prominent spot.

"Everyone should be familiar with the rules of the competition. Within three minutes, try to dodge the tennis balls shot by the machine as much as possible. You are not allowed to use moves to hit the tennis balls. The team which gets hit the least will successfully advance. The winner of the second round will receive our precious prize — the Heart Scale necklace."

"I'm sure everyone has been looking forward to this, so let's get started!"

This was a small game testing the agility and reflexes of Pokémon. Terrance smiled to himself; he had decided early on that Growlithe will participate in this event.

It's not that he didn't want Swablu, Beautifly, and Misdreavus to participate, but they coincidentally met all conditions which restricted them.

Flying Type and Ghost Type Pokémon are banned!

This condition was like a blow that crippled Terrance's team, leaving only Growlithe and Ralts as usable Pokémon.

But Ralts had just recovered from the strain of overusing Teleport and needed rest. Terrance was hesitant to let it participate in such a high-intensity event and relying solely on the Teleport move was too monotonous, and he was concerned that Ralts might not be able to handle it.

Apart from that, the only option left was the newly joined Growlithe.

Terrance wasn't too worried about Growlithe; it had undergone similar training as Beautifly and Swablu, and in a sense, Growlithe was more agile than them.

Pokémon like Growlithe and Arcanine... running was in their nature. It is said that an Arcanine had once run for a day and night at an extremely fast speed, setting a record.

Terrance's Growlithe was quite ordinary, just like most Growlithe, but the turning point in its life was Terrance's guidance...

On a whim, Terrance threw Growlithe into the "Gravity Room." Since then, this Growlithe seemed to have found a new toy, thoroughly enjoying itself. Through the training of the "Gravity Room," Terence's Growlithe's personality of liking to tackle people... was completely unleashed.

Initially, Terrance found joy and happiness in Growlithe's tackles when it was just born. It was easy to handle. However, as Growlithe grew a bit, gained weight, and became stronger, Terrance's hard days began.

Due to the occasional enthusiastic tackles, it seemed like Terrance was living in a constant state of alertness. The training in the "Gravity Room" combined with its naturally active personality created a little monster that Terrance wasn't quite sure how to define.

In any case, Growlithe's speed and awareness have reached a point where Terrance can no longer keep up!

Because of this, Terrance understood Growlithe's strengths and had confidence in its ability to handle this event.

"Such an exaggerated speed... this..." a noblewoman watching exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. The first participant Glameow was able to hold on for 2 minutes before the machines on all sides were as if they had taken some stimulant as the power, speed, and quantity of the tennis ball had increased significantly.

"Meow...," the Glameow, initially in a relaxed state, immediately underwent a change. Unaware, it was hit by a tennis ball on its small body, letting out an instant cry of pain.

"Glameow—," Glameow's female Trainer looked extremely worried. The tennis balls were getting faster and more numerous. At the beginning, Glameow had been calm, but then it turned into a one-sided, chaotic, and unplanned fleeing in panic.

"1...2...13...24...Ahhh..." The scorekeeper counted exaggeratedly. Given the condition of this Glameow, it was no surprise that the scorekeeper had already been 'defeated'!

"This participant's Glameow seems to be in quite a state..." With an awkward laugh, the scorekeeper wiped his sweat and handed the camera to the recorder.

Despite the presence of the scorekeeper, real data still relied on the cameras; their mission was just to count! They aimed to make this event truly lively, intensifying the mood of the guests along with it.

The female Trainer looked disappointed. With a pained look on her face, she recalled Glameow. However, this couldn't be blamed on the machine. Even though the frequency of tennis balls had increased, the Glameow seemed too pampered and a bit sluggish.

The following Trainers showcased their own performances. Most could easily deal with the shooting frequency of the first 2 minutes, but it was the last minute that truly determined the outcome.

Terrance had sensed the pattern. During the first two minutes, the tennis balls were launched with a relatively low speed. Then, at a certain point, they suddenly increased in force. The acceleration wasn't gradual like before; it immediately transitioned into a burst state. This made many Pokémon unable to adapt to the change, and they weren't able to keep up with the new rhythm.

However, making it a bit challenging was also necessary; otherwise, everyone could perfectly dodge, and the event would lose its appeal.

Until Terrance took the stage, the best result among the participants was being hit by 16 balls. This indicated the difficulty of this little game.

"It's my turn." Seeing the Trainer before him step down, Terrance rubbed his hands together, prepared to go all-out. However, he was abruptly pounced on by the nearby Growlithe, letting out a yelp.

"Got it, got it. It's your turn. Come down!" Terrance gritted his teeth and forcefully pushed away the Growlithe that had jumped into his arms.

You can also read my other two books which I release daily. They are a dragon ball fanfic and pokemon+one piece fanfic.

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