Rivals

"Do you have any respect for Pokémon battles?"

I looked at the woman in front of me for a moment, blue hair, a ponytail, tight dress...

Yes, it was none other than Clair.

Respect... it's probably because people want to see a fight, not a war of attrition with Vaporeon or a suicide move like Glalie.

But I had a different approach.

"Of course, I respect Pokémon battles! They're an art form, a blend of strategy, training, and each Pokémon's unique abilities. Trainers who master battles don't just understand the types, but also how to leverage moves and abilities to maximize their potential. My favorite is using Toxic and Protect."

That last part didn't sit well with Clair, who narrowed her eyes.

"Are you saying my cousin is weak?" she simply said.

To that, I replied.

"I think I criticized the champion of Kanto and Johto for bringing three Dragonites to the same team. Dragons are weak to Ice and the newly discovered Fairy type."

"Use all the Ice and Fairies you want, my Dragonite will destroy you."

I laughed.

"I doubt that."

"Are you going to fight?"

The blue-haired woman ignored the comment and walked away. They tried to harass her, but one look from Clair was enough to make them back off.

Then they tried to catch me, but I was already gone.

x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**Dawn's POV**

I was with my best friend Barry in my league-assigned room, having made it to the top 64.

"Wow, I'm excited! I'll get to see a gym leader from Johto in action. Is this Coute guy strong?"

"We've only seen four of his Pokémon in action: Vaporeon, Shuckle, Gliscor, and Glalie. According to his profile, he also has a Chansey, Murkrow, and Lucario."

"HA! I researched him too; I was just testing you."

I smiled, knowing Barry was so absent-minded that he probably hadn't researched anyone.

"ALRIGHT, I didn't know. Anyway, you're the only real threat."

I stopped smiling.

"Only me? What about Aaron? He's an Elite Four, top 5 most powerful in Sinnoh. His Vespiquen has wiped the floor with the competition, and this Coute guy is only a year older than us but is also crushing his opponents."

"Meh, Empoleon and Torterra have done that too, and that Coute guy won't fool me with his dirty tricks," Barry said, his arms behind his head.

"BARRY PEARL AND TOM ANDERSON, REPORT TO THE BATTLEFIELD."

"Oh, it's my turn. Good luck in your match, Dawn. Don't miss a second, or I'll fine you 1,000 Pokédollars."

"Haha, I won't, don't worry."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**Coute's POV**

"BARRY PEARL AND TOM ANDERSON, REPORT TO THE BATTLEFIELD."

Alright, time to check out the opponents. It's Barry's turn.

While waiting for the match, I checked my Pokédex. This device has a ton of functions, one of them being the ability to see both casual and professional battle records of trainers.

**Barry Pearl**, trainer for nearly 1 year. 

Battles won: 245 

Battles lost: 5 

Badges earned: 8 

Leagues participated in: 1 (in progress) 

Registered Pokémon: 7

They are:

- Torterra 

- Staraptor 

- Floatzel 

- Rapidash 

- Roserade 

- Heracross 

- Snorlax

If maintaining Glalie was expensive, I can't imagine what a Snorlax would cost.

Alright, Barry is just like in the games. Now let's see Dawn.

**Dawn Platinum**, trainer for nearly 1 year. 

Battles won: 312 

Battles lost: 0 

Badges earned: 8 

Leagues participated in: 1 (in progress) 

Registered Pokémon: 11

They are:

- Empoleon 

- Wormadam 

- Lucario 

- Porygon Z 

- Jolteon 

- Drifblim 

- Lopunny 

- Froslass 

- Togekiss 

- Piloswine 

- Ambipom

She's going to be dangerous... 11 Pokémon in just one year.

Her Piloswine isn't evolved, does she not know how? 

She also has a Lucario, my Lucario would love to fight it. 

I guess Lucas has an Infernape.

Alright, now let's check Aaron--

"THE PENULTIMATE MATCH OF THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE SINNOH LEAGUE AT LILY VALLEY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

I'll watch that later.

"ON ONE SIDE, WITH HIS POWERFUL TORTERRA, HE IS THE SECOND YOUNGEST IN THIS TOURNAMENT. BEING HIS FIRST YEAR AS A TRAINER, HE'S MADE IT VERY FAR. WE HAVE BARRY!"

"ON THE OTHER SIDE, A FIRE-TYPE SPECIALIST. THIS IS HIS THIRD TIME PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONFERENCE, SHOWING HIS EXPERIENCE. WITH A NINETALES THAT BURNS EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH, TOM ANDERSON!"

I watched the TV closely and turned up the volume to see what a main character could do.

"Go, Torterra!"

Hmm, his starter.

I've watched all his matches. He's crushed his competition with just Torterra. Sure, in three-on-three battles, it's a Pokémon to be feared.

His opponent sent out a Magmar.

Guess they don't know how to evolve it.

"BARRY SENT OUT A GRASS-TYPE AGAINST A FIRE-TYPE SPECIALIST. IS THIS DUE TO INEXPERIENCE, OR DOES HE HAVE SOMETHING PLANNED?"

"Fire Blitz."

"Earthquake."

"WOW, BARRY'S TORTERRA KNOWS EARTHQUAKE! UNTIL NOW, HE'D BEEN DESTROYING THE COMPETITION WITH WOOD HAMMER."

Magmar fell to the ground, unconscious from the Ground-type move.

The rest of the match was the same. A Rapidash and a Ninetales fell to the power of Earthquake.

"AND THAT ENDS THE MATCH! ANOTHER CRUSHING VICTORY FROM A NOVICE AGAINST A VETERAN. THIS TOURNAMENT IS FULL OF YOUNG PROMISES!"

Wow, poor Tom. He lost to a complete rookie, but that's what happens when you face a main character as an NPC.

Now it's Dawn's turn.

"NEXT UP, THE FINAL MATCH OF THE FOURTH ROUND: DAWN PLATINUM AND ANASTASIA HOKIN, REPORT TO THE BATTLEFIELD."

This was the last three-on-three battle. From now on, they'd be six-on-six.

Anastasia had purple hair and was short, specializing in Flying-type Pokémon. Dawn, on the other hand, had blue hair and—who cares, we know who's going to win this.

Dawn sent out Empoleon, who, to my surprise, knew Ice Beam. With it, she wiped out the three Pokémon of her opponent: Staraptor, Swellow, and, with more difficulty due to its speed, Ninjask.

Now to wait and see who I'll face.

"THE TOP 16 PARTICIPANTS FOR THE FIFTH ROUND HAVE BEEN DECIDED. THESE TOP TRAINERS WILL FIGHT TO PROVE WHO IS THE BEST WITH THE STRONGEST POKÉMON. THEY ARE:

- Rachele Tyler 

- Madison Wilson 

- Aaron Parks 

- James Blair 

- Connor Wells 

- Azalea Walk 

- Cameron Tanner 

- Damied Becher 

- Chad Blake 

- Jack Scott 

- Gabe Rowling 

- Thalia Bernard 

- Dawn Platinum 

- Barry Pearl 

- Jane Smith 

- Amber Lee"

"THESE 16 REMAINING PARTICIPANTS WILL BATTLE TOMORROW. NOW, LET'S CREATE THE TOURNAMENT BRACKET."

Hmm, a bracket system?

On the TV screen, 28 empty slots appeared, arranged in a tournament style: first, round of 16, then quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finally, the final match.

"NOW, WE'LL ASSIGN THE NAMES RANDOMLY."

The names appeared on the screen, and I looked to see who I'd face in the round of 16.

Well...

Barry Pearl vs. Coute Vi Britannia.