Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
The battle was over. Axu walked over to Tyranitar with a dazed expression, crouched down beside the unconscious Pokémon, and gently stroked its back, eyes full of regret and self-reproach.
After recalling Arbok into its PokeBall, Liam walked over to Axu's side. Seeing him silent and withdrawn, he reached out and patted Axu on the shoulder.
"Don't be too upset. A lot of Pokémon tend to get a bit moody after evolving—especially powerful and temperamental ones like Tyranitar. As long as you spend more time with it, help it understand your heart, this kind of situation won't happen again. I speak from experience."
Axu looked back at Liam, then nodded slightly. He took out the PokeBall and recalled Tyranitar, then stood up and forced out a smile.
"Yeah, I get it. This was my fault too. I didn't take good enough care of it before—it's only natural for it to be upset now. I'll handle it properly, so you don't need to worry… Also, congratulations, senior. You're moving on to the next round. From now on it'll be full six-on-six battles—I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of Pokémon you'll bring out. I'll be rooting for you."
Liam smiled and gave Axu another reassuring pat on the shoulder as they walked out of the battle area together. There were still more matches to be held in the arena, and they needed to take a break and rest up.
"Everyone, take a look! While they showed no mercy in battle, after the fight—Liam and Axu are still the best of friends! Ah~~ this is what true Trainer friendship and sportsmanship looks like!"
"That last match was absolutely thrilling, but don't go anywhere— because we're just getting started! Up next, we've got seven more exciting, passionate matches! Let's all look forward to them! Now! The second match is about to begin! Let's welcome our two Trainers into the arena! First, from the red corner, it's..."
"Whoooaahh!!"
"Awoooo!!"
With the announcer's enthusiastic commentary, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause once again. The next two contestants stepped onto the battlefield, standing across from each other as another fierce match kicked off.
Liam and Axu returned to the Pokémon Center to retrieve their fully healed Pokémon. After that, they temporarily parted ways—Axu disappeared off somewhere, while Liam headed back to his room, changed his clothes, put on a baseball cap and sunglasses, then slipped back into the main stadium building.
Holding his audience seat number, he made his way to where Delia and the others were seated and quietly sat down beside her, head lowered.
"Hey! What's with the getup? Why so secretive?"
Delia spotted him the moment he approached. As soon as Liam sat beside her, she grinned and teased him.
"Heh, well, I am something of a minor celebrity now. It'd be bad if too many people recognized me. Better to keep a low profile," Liam said, lowering his voice as he gently took Delia's hand and leaned closer.
"Show-off!" Delia giggled. "Still, that match just now was amazing! That Tyranitar or whatever—when it came out, I was seriously worried for you! It was terrifying!"
"There was nothing to worry about. I wasn't even going all out. That was just a warm-up... Oh? Bruno's on stage now? That guy's really strong. If I end up facing him later, that might be tricky. Let's watch carefully together—see if we can spot any of his weaknesses."
Changing clothes had taken Liam some time, and by now, the next match had already begun. On the field, it was Bruno going up against a mature older woman using an Exeggutor, and the battle had already reached a fever pitch.
Liam immediately perked up, slipped an arm around Delia's shoulder, and started watching intently.
Delia glanced up at Liam's serious expression and smiled softly, leaning her head against his shoulder as they watched the match together.
Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum and Aunt Fumiko also recognized Liam, exchanging quiet smiles without saying anything.
....
"Ladies and gentlemen! After an entire morning of intense battles, the eight winners have finally been decided! These eight Trainers will face off in tomorrow's one-on-one matches, where the winners will enter the semifinals to compete for a spot in the grand final!"
"Now for the list of our eight victors! They are:
- Winner of Match 1: Liam from Pallet Town!
- Winner of Match 2: Hando from Celadon City!
- Winner of Match 3: Bruno, also from Celadon City!
- Winner of Match 4: The Ice Beauty from the Sevii Islands—Lorelei!
- Winner of Match 5: The traveler from the Johto region who came all the way to Kanto to train—Anon!
- Winner of Match 6: Maple from Viridian City!
- Winner of Match 7: Also from Johto, the powerhouse who crushed all competition—Lance!! His strength is truly astounding!
- And lastly! From Pewter City—Akami!"
"These are the eight Trainers moving on to the next round! Let's give them a thunderous round of applause!"
"Wooooaaaahhhh!!!"
"Now for the match rules! Tomorrow's matches will be full 6v6 battles! And the matchups have already been determined based on the order of victory! Match 1 vs. Match 5! Match 2 vs. Match 6! That's how tomorrow's pairings will go! Don't miss a second! Let's all look forward to tomorrow together!"
Liam sat in the stands, listening to the announcer. He looked up at the big screen above the commentary platform. Eight avatars were displayed—four in the top row, four in the bottom—pairing them into matchups.
As the winner of Match 1, Liam was matched with the winner of Match 5: Anon. Seeing Anon's avatar appear next to his own, Liam couldn't help but smile slightly.
Anon was definitely a formidable opponent. Liam had long been looking forward to a good battle with him.
That thought sparked a bit of excitement in Liam—until he noticed something that felt off. He quickly scanned the other pairings, and his smile turned into a wry grin as he muttered under his breath:
"Bruno's been matched with Lance? That's not good. Lance's Flying-types will hard-counter Bruno's Fighting-type Pokémon. Bruno's in real danger this time."
Liam had originally planned to seek out Bruno in the afternoon to discuss a counter-strategy, but in the end, he held back.
He knew that Bruno was fiercely proud, and doing so might hurt his pride. So Liam just sighed and let it go.
....
The afternoon passed quickly, and Liam—being the first match of the next round—prepared his PokeBalls. Delia picked up little Larvitar sitting on Liam's shoulder, gave him some encouragement, and sent him off with a smile.
Liam, grinning, walked toward the waiting room, headed for the battlefield.
Liam stepped up to the red side's Trainer platform, eyes scanning the transformed battlefield. Then he stood quietly, waiting for Anon to arrive.
"To all our live audience and viewers at home! Our red corner Trainer—Liam from Pallet Town—is now in position! Let's now welcome the talented young challenger from Johto—Anon!"
"OHHHHHHH!!"
Amid thunderous cheers, Anon stepped out from the green-side waiting room, baseball cap pulled low. He strode quickly and steadily to his platform, then looked up and gave Liam a small smile, his voice tinged with excitement.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time! And you didn't disappoint—making it this far just proves how strong you are! But I'm not going to lose, no matter what!"
Liam smiled back, holding a PokeBall in hand.
"I've been looking forward to this too, Anon. Show me your true strength! Don't let me down!"