Author's Note: Seeing the strong response for the latest chapters this is a bonus , enjoy
Grey's POV
After my match and watching the other trainers' battles, I went to the Pokémon Center on the ship, where they had brought nearly 10 Nurse Joys along with several assistants to heal Pokémon. Even though Exeggcute was in good shape, I still had it healed just in case.
The top 64 had been decided, and within 30 minutes I received a message that I would have my second match. Surprisingly, for the first day of the tournament, both my matches were scheduled very early. Despite such a huge number of trainers, most matches were getting over within five minutes, with stronger trainers finishing theirs in under a minute. It made me realize that I had dragged my previous match for no real reason, but I had wanted to teach that guy a lesson since he had rubbed me the wrong way. Well, maybe I would finish the next match quickly if I ended up facing an easy opponent.
Until the top 16, most matches would be randomized, but from the top 16 onward there would be a predetermined order until the final two. At least, that was what I found out after asking a few referees about it.
One more thing that surprised me was that there was no noticeable waviness or imbalance on the ship. It remained steady, so no Pokémon struggled to maintain their footing. That was a blessing, as I had initially thought it might become a factor that could cause problems for me. Of course, some of my Pokémon, like Persian with its upbringing, could adapt and fight even on a ship, as footing was never really an issue for it.
I then decided to head to Arena 5, where my next match would be held. This time, there were 15 arenas where matches were taking place simultaneously. The S.S. Anne was quite large, large enough to handle all of it without much difficulty.
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Third POV
Both trainers arrived at the arena. The referee asked them if they were familiar with the rules as a formality, then proceeded to instruct them to get ready.
"On the right side is a trainer from Viridian City, Alex. And on the left side is a trainer from Celadon, Grey. On the count of three, release your Pokémon."
"1… 2… 3…"
Alex called out, "Go, Nidorino!" while Grey responded, "Go, Shellder!"
Both Pokémon hit the field at once. Alex was immediately surprised to see a Shellder of that size, while Grey observed the Nidorino but wasn't particularly impressed. The referee then yelled, "Begin!"
Immediately, Grey ordered Shellder to use Water Gun in the opposite direction to launch itself forward and follow it up with Rapid Spin. Shellder fired the Water Gun backward, propelling itself like a missile toward Nidorino, its body spinning rapidly as it closed the distance.
Alex quickly reacted and told Nidorino to use Horn Attack. Nidorino charged forward head-on, aiming to clash directly with the incoming spinning shell.
The purple horn collided with the massive spinning shell, but instead of piercing through, it was repelled. The impact sent Nidorino crashing backward, with Shellder's momentum heavily injuring it.
Grey capitalized immediately and ordered Shellder to use Icicle Spear. Multiple sharp ice projectiles were launched at the poison-type, who struggled to even get back on its feet, unable to properly block the incoming barrage.
Alex yelled for Sludge Wave, and Nidorino tried to rise despite being struck repeatedly by the icicle spears. Before it could fully execute the move, Grey gave another command, ordering Shellder to use Aurora Beam. Shellder fired the beam directly at Nidorino's face, cutting off any chance of retaliation.
Grey was about to call for an offensive Counter Shield to maintain the momentum, but before he could even say it, he noticed that Nidorino had already collapsed, completely knocked out.
In his mind, Grey thought, That's it? Seriously… the previous opponent was tougher than this.
The referee announced Grey's victory. Grey recalled his Pokémon and left the field without even attempting to speak to his opponent. To be honest, he knew he should be polite, as that would have been the right thing to do. But at that moment, he also realized something fundamental about himself.
He genuinely didn't care about keeping up appearances.
Somehow, he had become someone who only respected strong trainers, or at least those who put their heart into a battle and made it exciting. He realized that everything he had experienced as a trainer so far had influenced him to crave stronger and more intense battles.
And that realization unsettled him slightly.
He thought that maybe he would actually need to visit that therapist whose contact he had gotten in Lavender. He hadn't been like this before becoming a trainer.
But now, he was slowly changing.
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Grey's POV
I healed my Pokémon at the Pokémon Center with Nurse Joy, not that it had taken any real damage. Even that Horn Attack hadn't managed to leave a scratch on Shellder's shell, let alone injure it. Still, I went through the process out of habit. Despite how easy the match had been, I found myself deep in thought, realizing that I might have changed over the course of my journey, whether for better or for worse.
I decided to go and watch the rest of the matches to get my mind off those thoughts. While reflecting on myself was important, I had somehow assigned more importance to scouting these battles, creating counter-strategies, and figuring out the possible Pokémon my future opponents might use.
Not much in the matches really interested me, but I did finally get to see Red in action. He finished his opponent very quickly, using his iconic Pikachu, which seemed to know Thunderbolt.
Aria also revealed a new Pokémon, and my guess about her having rare Pokémon was correct. Her second Pokémon turned out to be a Darumaka, a Pokémon from the Unova region. Its evolution would make it a strong physical Fire-type attacker with Sheer Force, or she could go for Zen Mode and make it a mixed attacker. Either way, it was clear that she had strong and unique Pokémon on her team. She also secured an easy win.
Blue showed his Kadabra this time, and it seemed to have gotten faster with its Teleport, at least from what I could tell. Though it was difficult to judge properly from the stands, his opponent's Corsola was defeated very quickly.
Even Ash was doing well. This time, he used his Pikachu to defeat his opponent's Nidorina by targeting the horn with electric attacks. One thing I noticed was just how fast Pikachu was. Ash was calling out Quick Attack at impressive speeds, and he was using hit-and-run tactics surprisingly well, almost to the point that Pikachu didn't get hit even once. The fact that Ash of all people had improved this much was honestly a bit scary.
Stefan also revealed another strong Pokémon this time, a Victreebel, which overwhelmed his opponent very quickly and defeated a Rhyhorn.
Ryu continued to use only his Shelgon even in this round, so I couldn't see any new Pokémon from his side. It easily defeated its opponent. Once again, I noticed him glancing at me from the arena. Why did I keep getting the feeling that he knew me?
After watching enough, I decided to leave and rest for the remaining time. Each trainer had been assigned a room for rest, and there were more than 200 rooms on the ship for this purpose, which was convenient. I went to the reception, collected my room key, and headed to my room to rest. Dinner would be a buffet-style meal where you could take whatever you wanted, served at night. For lunch, I had already eaten some seafood and grilled food that had been served between matches by the staff.
I relaxed for a while in the evening before heading out for dinner.
I made sure to stay vigilant and avoid unnecessary conversations or eye contact. From experience, such gatherings often led to conflicts. I even saw one happen right in front of me, where someone tried to impress Aria but ended up getting rejected harshly. There were also a few trainers trying to butter up those from noble backgrounds.
I noticed Ash eating with his friends as well, but I chose not to join him. Instead, I took my food and went back to my room to eat in peace, avoiding any interaction. My instincts told me that something unnecessary might happen if I didn't. It reminded me of those comics I used to read in the library when I was bored, where some noble or arrogant person would randomly escalate a situation for no reason. I had no interest in being part of something like that.
I ate peacefully in my room and fed my Pokémon as well, giving them their Pokéfood along with some specially prepared food provided by the ship's staff.
After that, I thought about my plans for tomorrow. In my mind, I would likely use either Exeggcute or Shellder. However, if I faced a tougher opponent or someone I knew could cause trouble, I would switch to using Persian or Axew.
With that decided, I went to sleep.
Author's Note: Lack of a good battle I know , this was one purpose as sometimes you face tougher opponents in early rounds than later.