The young man led Ariel through several corridors.
At regular intervals, paintings hung on the walls. They didn't depict famous mountains or rivers, but rather group photos of past Ever Grande Conference Champions with their ace Pokémon.
The poses of the people and Pokémon in the paintings ranged from flamboyant to reserved, but the aura of the strong that permeated throughout silently pressured every passerby through the frames.
"We're here."
The young man stopped before a wooden door with a string of numbers engraved on the doorplate.
B-066
"If you have any needs, you can contact the service center at any time through the communicator in the room. I wish you success in the competition."
The young man bowed slightly and then turned to leave, his footsteps gradually fading in the empty corridor.
Ariel pushed the door open and entered.
The room wasn't large; one could see everything at a single glance.
A single bed, a desk, and a private bathroom.
However, the attention to detail was evident.
The wood at the head of the bed emitted a faint fragrance, a charging slot for a Pokédex was reserved at a corner of the desk, and there was even a small, padded platform by the wall specifically for feeding and grooming Pokémon.
Compared to the cookie-cutter luxury of a Pokémon Center, this place felt more like an exclusive camp tailored for a Trainer.
Ariel tossed his backpack onto the bed. Instead of rushing to unpack, he took out the card that recorded the tournament rules.
His gaze swept across the lines on the card.
Two thousand people.
A massive number.
This meant that two thousand Trainers had collected all eight badges of the Hoenn Region.
This in itself was a threshold.
The Ever Grande Conference would last seven days.
Tomorrow would be the opening ceremony and the preliminary rounds.
The preliminaries were 1v1.
Day one.
Within a single day, half would be eliminated.
Ariel's finger gently rubbed the words 'half eliminated.'
Simple, brutal, and efficient.
For the organizers, this was the fastest way to filter out those who were just there to make up the numbers.
For the participants, however, it was a test with almost zero margin for error.
Any slight underestimation of the opponent or a single mistake could result in all previous efforts going down the drain.
Of course, the rules also left a glimmer of hope.
The Repechage.
From the thousand eliminated, another hundred lucky ones would be fished out.
Ariel was noncommittal about this.
The Repechage wasn't so much an act of mercy as it was an even more cruel meat grinder.
Those who could fight their way out of a thousand losers were either lunatics or ruthless individuals, possessing extraordinary spirit and resilience.
These hundred people, plus the thousand who advanced from the first round—a total of 1,100 people—would enter the official tournament, which lasted two days.
This would be the second and third days of the Ever Grande Conference, using 3v3 rules.
Then, they would compete for the top sixty-four.
From 1,100 to 64, the elimination rate was equally staggering.
Furthermore, one could see that the Ever Grande Conference itself was a stage for elite competition.
Most participants wouldn't even get a single shot on camera; they were merely background noise.
And from the schedule, it was clear that the entire first three days were high-frequency elimination matches.
Ariel's gaze continued downward.
Day four: Top 64 to 32 in the morning, Top 32 to 16 in the afternoon.
Day five: Top 16 to 8 in the morning, Top 8 to 4 in the afternoon.
Day six: Top 4 to 2 in the morning, rest in the afternoon.
Day seven: The Finals.
The schedule was suffocatingly dense.
This was the ultimate test of a Trainer's commanding ability and tactical reserves, as well as a Pokémon's physical strength, endurance, and ability to fight continuously.
To win the championship, counting from the preliminaries, one would have to go through at least eight to nine high-intensity battles, and the opponents would only get stronger.
"Interesting."
Ariel placed the card on the table with a soft 'thud.'
He finally understood why so many people flocked to the League Conference, yet most only held the mindset of just participating.
Because this path was paved with the bones of the vast majority from the very beginning.
Only the truly strong could step over these bones and ascend to the final throne step by step.
A growl from his stomach interrupted his thoughts.
From waiting in line until now, he hadn't had a chance to eat anything.
Ariel stood up and left the room.
The scale of the public canteen exceeded his imagination.
Rather than a canteen, it was more like a massive Food Court.
The ceiling was high, with dozens of lights mimicking sunlight hanging from it, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.
The air was thick with the aroma of roasted meat, the saltiness of seafood, and the sweetness of cream, mixed with various spices and the scent of sweat; the noisy chatter of people was like an unending tide, hitting the eardrums wave after wave.
Trainers gathered in groups of three to five, some loudly boasting about their experiences catching powerful Pokémon, spit flying everywhere;
Others ate ravenously with their heads down, the plates in front of them stacked high like small mountains, the grease on the corners of their mouths glistening under the lights.
Even more people interacted with their Pokémon while eating.
A Charmeleon was cautiously poking a piece of roasted meat with the tip of its claw, only to be scalded and shake its hand frantically, making its Trainer burst into laughter.
Not far away, a gorgeously dressed young girl was using a small spoon to feed the Eevee in her arms special Pokémon food blocks bite by bite.
Everything here was free!
For Trainers who traveled year-round and often had to worry about food and lodging, this place was simply paradise.
Ariel scanned the area and walked toward the food service section.
There was a wide variety of food.
Large Tauros steaks sizzled on the iron griddle, golden-brown Psyduck roasts hung in a row, and in the large soup pot next to them, a milky-white Moomoo Milk thick soup bubbled.
There were even some specialty dishes made from berries, featuring all sorts of flavors and colors.
Ariel didn't gorge himself like the others. Instead, he selectively put together a nutritionally balanced dinner for himself.
A steak, some vegetable salad, a bowl of thick soup, plus a glass of orange juice.
Carrying his tray, he found an empty seat in a corner.
It was relatively quiet here, allowing him to avoid the clamor.
He sat down and began cutting the steak unhurriedly.
The meat was tender and juicy, clearly a top-tier ingredient.
As he ate, he observed the people around him.
These were all his opponents.
Perhaps among them were the future Top 32, Top 16, or even... his opponent in the finals.
Every face was written with different emotions.
Excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and ambition hidden deep in their eyes.
Just as Ariel put the last piece of steak into his mouth, a voice rang out by his ear without warning.
The voice was soft, with a hint of sweetness, like a piece of candy melting by his ear.
"Are you Ariel?"
Ariel's chewing motion paused.
He was certain that in this world, he didn't have any female friends familiar enough to address him in such an intimate tone.
He turned his head.
A girl stood prettily by his table, her head tilted, looking at him with a beaming smile.
The girl wore a white dress and was quite beautiful; a faint scent of perfume wafted in the air.
Her eyes were large and sparkling, and right now she was staring at Ariel without blinking, as if she had discovered some novel treasure.
Seeing Ariel look over, the smile on her face grew even sweeter as she added as if to confirm,
"You are Ariel, right! What a coincidence!"
Ariel recognized her.
It was Ayaka.
She was the girl from the registration line who had come to apologize to him after her companion cut in line for no reason.
Ariel had no good feelings toward this clean-looking person.
Intuition was a mysterious thing, but Ariel's intuition had always been very accurate.
There was a scent about this woman that made him uncomfortable—a deliberately crafted, unreal aura.
She has an ulterior motive.
That was the first thought that popped into Ariel's head.
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