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Sector D30.
The audience here was sparse, mostly consisting of friends and relatives of the contestants, or spectators who had failed to snag tickets for the main stadium, their faces etched with boredom and impatience.
Ariel moved against the small stream of people and found his position.
The referee was a young man who looked like he had just graduated from school, checking information with a manual, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Will contestant Ariel and contestant James please prepare for battle."
The voice coming from the broadcast was laced with static, sounding weak and listless.
James?
Ariel's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
The name momentarily pulled him out of the moment, as the shadow of a Meowth subconsciously flashed through his mind.
The Trainer walking up from the opposite side was about twenty years old, his hair dyed a trendy flaxen color, wearing streetwear printed with skull patterns, and carrying an air of cynical confidence on his face.
He tossed his hair, holding a Poké Ball between his index and middle fingers, striking what he thought was a cool pose.
"Brother, you're quite lucky to run into me in the first round."
He winked at Ariel.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you look good while losing."
Ariel didn't speak, only watching him quietly.
Trash talk of this level couldn't even stir a ripple in his heart.
Seeing both parties in position, the referee cleared his throat and announced loudly:
"We will now begin the first round of the Ever Grande Conference qualifiers, the Sector D30 battle! The rules are 1v1; the match ends when one side's Pokémon loses its ability to battle! Now, please release your Pokémon!"
The youth named James tossed his Poké Ball high with a sense of ceremony.
"Go, my ace! Let the opponent feel the fear of the sting! Beedrill!"
A flash of red light later, a robust Beedrill appeared in the center of the field.
Its wings vibrated at high speed, making a 'buzzing' sound, while its two incredibly sharp silver stingers glinted coldly in the sunlight.
Judging by its energy fluctuations, it was indeed around Level 35, which was decent for the Advanced Trainer category.
"Oh? Not speaking? Are you scared?"
James crossed his arms, his chin tilted up.
"My Beedrill is the fastest in our town! It's not too late for you to surrender now."
Ariel finally moved.
Without any redundant posturing, he simply tossed a Poké Ball forward.
Poof.
The Poké Ball bounced on the ground and opened automatically.
A black, somewhat silly-looking little dragon appeared on the field.
The thick bangs on its head covered its eyes, leaving only a wide-open mouth visible, looking as if it were giggling foolishly.
Deino!
Pfft—
James couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.
Pokémon like Deino were indeed rare, as most people only ever saw its final evolution, Hydreigon, on television.
As for this ordinary-looking little thing, many people actually didn't recognize it.
Clearly, James was among them.
"No way, brother? You're bringing this unevolved little thing to the Ever Grande Conference? Are you here to be a comedian? It can't even see; can it even find where my Beedrill is?"
A low wave of laughter also came from the stands.
"What Pokémon is that? It looks so weak."
"Probably just here to make up the numbers. To think it dared to come to the Ever Grande Conference with that kind of strength."
"This Pokémon looks a bit familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it..."
Ariel turned a deaf ear to the surrounding discussions, his gaze remaining fixed on his Deino.
He could feel Deino's emotions.
It wasn't anger, but a displeasure born from the deep-seated pride in its bloodline after being slighted.
"Begin the match!"
The referee swung down his flag.
"Let's end this quickly! Beedrill, Agility, then use Twineedle!"
James was impatient to end this match that, in his eyes, held no suspense.
Beedrill's figure instantly turned into a yellow afterimage, tracing several jagged lines across the field at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track.
The next second, it appeared behind Deino, its two cold-glinting stingers aimed at Deino's defenseless back.
"It's over!"
James shouted triumphantly.
However, Ariel had not issued a single command from start to finish.
Just a moment before those stingers were about to pierce Deino's body.
Deino, which had been keeping its head down, suddenly opened its mouth.
There was no sound.
But a surge of energy condensed purely from malice and fear formed a black ring, which violently expanded outward with Deino as the center!
Dark Pulse!
The lightning-fast yellow afterimage, the moment it contacted the black ring, seemed to slam into an invisible wall.
Beedrill let out a shrill cry of pain as its entire body was violently blown away by the energy shockwave, tumbling several times in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Its wings were broken, one of its stingers had snapped, and its eyes were filled with swirls.
One hit.
In fact, Deino hadn't even shown its eyes or moved an inch.
The entire arena fell into a dead silence.
The spectators who were just laughing now had their mouths open wide enough to fit an egg.
The triumphant smile on the youth named James's face froze completely, replaced by a look of bewilderment and shock.
"This... how is this possible..."
The referee was also stunned, only reacting after several seconds to run forward and check on Beedrill's condition.
"Bee... Beedrill is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner is contestant Ariel!"
Ariel recalled Deino; the little fellow returned to the Poké Ball, seemingly still wanting more after the brief fight.
He walked past James without expression.
"Your Beedrill's speed is indeed very fast."
Ariel's voice was very soft.
"Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, speed is meaningless."
Having said that, he left the field without looking back.
Leaving only the youth named James standing dazed on the spot, as if petrified.
The next two matches were unremarkable.
Ariel didn't even have the interest to swap Pokémon.
One opponent used a Level 36 Machoke, and another used a Level 40 Electabuzz; both were easily dealt with by Deino.
These Trainers, just as Ariel expected, had varying levels of strength.
Perhaps they were outstanding geniuses in a small town or a small city, but when placed in the entire Hoenn region, on the massive stage of the Ever Grande Conference, they seemed far too ordinary.
They might be able to build confidence by accumulating badges, but real battles were far more cruel than Gym battles.
Because the opponents they faced wouldn't be like Gym Leaders, who specifically used Pokémon with strength similar to their own.
Before the fourth match began, Ariel glanced at the battle information.
The opponent's Pokémon was a Level 43 Golbat.
"Oh? Finally, someone slightly interesting has arrived."
A faint, barely perceptible curve finally appeared at the corner of Ariel's mouth.