Ever since they met at the opening ceremony, and then later when Ritchie came to his aid during a conflict with someone from the Pokémon Academy, they had all become good friends.
From the beginning of the competition until now, everyone had been very lucky. So far, except for Ash, who had defeated Giselle, there were no other acquaintances among their opponents.
Although Gary had been eliminated, he hadn't met anyone he knew either. This would be the first time Ash and Ritchie faced each other in battle!
However, this situation wasn't surprising. After all, as competitors were eliminated, the probability of meeting acquaintances would naturally increase.
But no matter what, meeting here meant that one of them—either Ash or Ritchie—would definitely be eliminated.
The two looked at each other for a while. Then Ritchie put down the fishing rod in his hand and walked toward Ash. Ash also put down his fishing rod when he saw this.
Ritchie took a deep breath, then looked at Ash and said, "Ash, I didn't expect that my first match in the promotion round would be against you. But because it's you, Ash, I'll definitely give my best in this match."
Ritchie faced Ash and put away his initial surprise. At the same time, he wasn't panicking like those who were worried about Ash bringing out Moltres.
"Me too! Regardless of the outcome, I hope tomorrow will be an unforgettable battle," Ash responded.
As they spoke, strong fighting spirit was revealed in their eyes.
Soon, Ritchie said goodbye to them and left. But Misty and the others felt a little sad.
"I can't believe that our first opponent in the promotion round is Ritchie!"
Everyone knew each other and hoped to go further, but meeting here now meant that someone would have to stop at the Top 16.
"It doesn't matter. We would've encountered each other sooner or later anyway," Ash said.
It didn't matter whether he met Ritchie in the finals or in the promotion round.
This was how competitions worked. If some players failed to achieve good results, it didn't necessarily mean they weren't strong enough. Sometimes two Trainers who both had the ability to win the championship met early in the tournament, and one of them had to be eliminated.
When both of them were strong enough to win the championship but met early, it was very likely that neither would get good results in the end.
In the 6v6 competition format, the number of Pokémon captured was also tested. In subsequent matches, the same Pokémon would be used repeatedly.
Under such circumstances, even if some Pokémon were treated by the Pokémon Center, their condition would still decline due to continuous battles.
In other words, two very strong Trainers might cause their Pokémon to consume excessive stamina or suffer serious injuries during battle.
This would affect subsequent matches. It wasn't that the Trainer's strength wasn't enough—it could only be said that they weren't lucky enough.
Many people only saw Ash losing matches in the anime, and their first reaction was that Ash wasn't strong enough.
But in fact, after defeating Ash, there really weren't many Trainers who were capable of winning the championship.
After the matchmaking ended, Ash and the others returned to the dormitory. Ash didn't do much else, lying on his bed and planning tomorrow's lineup.
In the anime, the Pokémon that Ritchie used were somewhat vague, but according to the anime's setting, the Pokémon used by Ritchie were roughly similar to Ash's, or to Red's in the games.
At this time, Misty was sitting in front of the computer, clicking on the keyboard. Soon, Ritchie's information appeared on the computer screen.
"I found it! Ritchie's information."
After hearing this, Yellow and Brock also looked over curiously, and Misty pulled up Ritchie's data.
Looking at the Pokémon that Ritchie had used so far, the three of them unconsciously looked at each other, their expressions a little odd.
"Not only are their personalities similar, but the Pokémon they've captured are also similar!"
No wonder they thought it was strange. To put it bluntly, they were like brothers! They were so similar.
In fact, in the anime, Ash's personality was completely different from Ritchie's. At that time, Ash was still reckless and inexperienced in battle.
Ritchie was more mature and steady. But now, Ash wasn't as reckless as in the anime, so they seemed to have similar personalities.
The three of them looked at the Pokémon that Ritchie had used and naturally noticed that many of them were similar to Ash's.
"Ash, Ritchie's strength shouldn't be underestimated. Judging from his previous matches, he focuses on a steady and calm battle style. Be careful!" Brock reminded him.
They had also been paying attention to Ritchie's previous matches.
Although not as impressive as Ash's battles, Ritchie's matches had always been fought with an optimal strategy.
When faced with a type disadvantage or when his Pokémon's stamina was excessively drained, he would switch Pokémon.
It wasn't that his Pokémon were completely unable to fight—it was that this kind of Trainer was more difficult to deal with.
"I know. Don't worry!" Ash responded simply after hearing this.
Of course, Ash knew what kind of Trainer Ritchie was. When it came to the promotion round, there was no way it would be the same as the qualifiers. A 1v6 sweep was basically impossible.
He stayed in the dormitory until evening and decided on his lineup.
After being called by Brock and the others, Ash came back to his senses. He was about to finish his meal and leave the dormitory with the three of them when Ash told them to go ahead to the restaurant.
He would go to the registration area to register his battle lineup. The three of them didn't say much. Although they were also curious about what lineup Ash would field, they didn't ask any more questions.
After registering his team, Ash went to the restaurant to join Misty and the others.
When he arrived, he found that Professor Oak and his mother Delia were also there. After having dinner together, Ash went back to rest and recharge his energy.
As for Misty and the others, they were all sensible and didn't interrupt. They all knew that Ash needed some quiet time now.