The next day, Alex was back at the arena, waiting for the tournament to begin.
On the second day, the battles would no longer take place in the same arena. Instead, all remaining participants would fight in the main stadium, and the matches would no longer occur simultaneously.
The new battlefield was considerably more complex than the one used on the first day.
It consisted of two rings. The outer ring was made of solid ground and functioned as a normal battlefield. The inner ring, however, was filled with water more than ten meters deep.
This unique layout naturally favored Water-type Pokémon, but they were not the only ones who benefited.
Flying-type Pokémon could also make excellent use of the terrain by forcing their opponents into unfavorable positions near the water.
For many Pokémon species, movement through deep water would dramatically reduce mobility.
As a result, the battlefield itself became an important factor that had to be considered before every match.
Alex understood this immediately and began thinking about how he could best exploit the arena if necessary.
Beside him, Flannery stared at the screen explaining the battlefield and looked slightly disgruntled. "Why do Water-type Pokémon always get special treatment? Water-types are so boring compared to cool Fire-types."
Alex couldn't help smiling. "Well, we are in Hoenn, after all—the place with 'too much water.' Haha."
He immediately began laughing at his own joke.
Steven and Flannery both looked at him strangely. Neither understood what was funny.
Alex didn't bother explaining it. Even if he wanted to, he wasn't sure how he would explain a joke that originated from a completely different world.
Fortunately, the awkward silence didn't last long.
The tournament soon began. Steven was scheduled for the first match of the day.
A staff member entered the waiting room and led him away.
As Steven disappeared down the corridor, Alex looked toward the television screen displaying the upcoming matchup.
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Participant 2: Steven — 57.33
Pokémon: Claydol Lv. 56, Armaldo Lv. 56, Cradily Lv. 56, Aggron Lv. 57, Skarmory Lv. 59, Metagross Lv. 60
VS
Participant 13: Amara — 50.16
Pokémon: Venusaur Lv. 48, Charizard Lv. 48, Blastoise Lv. 48, Pidgeot Lv. 51, Alakazam Lv. 51, Dragonite Lv. 55
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Seeing the matchup, Alex already knew the result.
A full Kanto team was relatively rare in Hoenn, but rarity alone wasn't enough to overcome a seven-level average disadvantage.
The match unfolded almost exactly as he expected. Steven completely dominated the battle.
His first Pokémon, Metagross knocked out Amara's opening Pokémon in a single attack. Faced with such an overwhelming difference in strength, Amara immediately forfeited the match.
The battle ended in a clean 3-0 victory.
When Steven returned to the waiting room a few minutes later, he wore an unusually large smile.
Alex looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you so happy about beating someone when you had such an unfair level advantage?"
Steven's smile somehow widened. "You'll understand when you watch my next battle."
Alex thought about it for a few seconds before immediately reaching a conclusion. "Metagross leveled up?"
Steven blinked. "How did you know?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "What else could make you that happy and also be visible in your next match? I'm not stupid."
Steven looked slightly disappointed that his surprise had been ruined.
Beside them, Flannery suddenly realized what Steven had meant. Unfortunately, she had needed Alex help to understand it.
Although she felt a little annoyed by that fact, she quickly pretended she had understood from the beginning.
"Obviously," she said.
Fortunately for her, nobody commented.
The next few matches passed quickly.
One battle after another ended in relatively one-sided fashion as the stronger participants steadily advanced. Eventually, it was Flannery's turn.
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Participant 7: Flannery — 53.33
Pokémon: Arcanine Lv. 52, Houndoom Lv. 52, Rapidash Lv. 53, Magcargo Lv. 54, Camerupt Lv. 54, Torkoal Lv. 55
VS
Participant 15: Alice — 49.33
Pokémon: Gardevoir Lv. 48, Azumarill Lv. 48, Clefable Lv. 50, Mawile Lv. 50, Wigglytuff Lv. 50, Sylveon Lv. 50
------
The moment Alex saw the matchup, he felt a little jealous.
Among all remaining participants, Flannery had probably received one of the easiest opponents possible.
At this point, he was starting to suspect that somebody involved in organizing the tournament liked her.
Alex knew from experience that pairings in large tournaments weren't always as random as people believed.
Flannery's battle proceeded smoothly. Although she lost one Pokémon, she still secured a convincing 3-1 victory.
A short while later, she returned to the waiting room.
The moment she entered, she smiled proudly and announced, "Well, I've officially achieved my goal. Top 8."
Steven offered a friendly smile as he agreed, "Yes, that's a great achievement."
Overhearing this friendly exchange, Alex tried to recall a time when Steven had been this friendly toward him.
After thinking about it for a moment, he realized the only example he could remember was the very first time they had met.
The closer they became as friends, the more relaxed Steven grew around him—and the more comfortable he seemed making fun of him.
Alex knew this was normal and that Steven would truly help him if necessary. He was simply surprised by how friendly Steven usually was toward people he didn't know very well.
Alex stopped thinking about it when he saw that his match was next. A staff member approached him, and he could see on the TV screen that it was his turn.
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Participant 3: Alex: — 57.33
Pokémon: Ditto Lv. 56, Umbreon Lv. 57, Blaziken Lv. 57, Gardevoir Lv. 58, Scizor Lv. 58, Crobat Lv. 58
VS:
Participant 10: Milo: — 52
Pokémon: Shedinja Lv. 45, Banette Lv. 48, Gengar Lv. 51, Dusknoir Lv. 56, Drifblim Lv. 56, Chandelure Lv. 56
-----
Alex stared at the screen for a few seconds. His first thought was, 'Who hates me in this tournament?'
At this point, he no longer believed it was merely bad luck.
Out of all the possible opponents he could have drawn among Participants 9–16, he had somehow ended up facing the one with the strongest 3-on-3 team.
Alex simply didn't believe it was a coincidence. The average level of Milo's team was only 52, but that number was somewhat misleading.
His three strongest Pokémon were all Lv. 56.
Ghost-type Pokémon were also notoriously difficult to deal with. So, even with a two-level advantage, it wasn't an easy match for Alex.
The staff member stopped in front of him and said, "Participant Number 3, please follow me."
Alex stood up and followed the staff member out of the waiting room.
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