Eric's victory over David earned him unexpected recognition from the crowd. Though David hadn't been a favorite to win the tournament, he was still a well-known competitor. Eric, by contrast, was completely unknown, making his victory a true upset. Many even began calling him the dark horse of the tournament.
Eric's Gastly also left quite the impression with how easily he beat Charmeleon.
Eric, however, was neither interested nor aware of the stir he had caused. He headed straight to the Pokémon Center to have his team treated.
"I saw your match. Quite impressive," Nurse Joy commented as she took his Pokémon.
"Thanks," Eric replied, a bit awkwardly, drawing a small chuckle from her.
Well, at least he was better than before.
After leaving the Pokémon Center, Eric turned his attention to preparing for his next match.
The top 32 would be competing later that same day.
Day 4 would feature the top 16 and the quarterfinals, while Day 5 would host the semifinals and finals.
The good thing was that both Spearow and Poliwag had gained levels after the intense battle. Spearow was now level 19, and Poliwag had reached level 18.
---
Eric's next opponent was decided: Amanda Barnes, a young woman with blonde hair.
Her first Pokemon was Butterfree.
Pokémon: Butterfree
Gender: Female
Level: 23
Type: Bug/Flying
Ability: Compound Eyes
Held Item: None
Potential: Green
Eric had plenty of experience battling Butterfree. Thus despite its level and potential, Spearow still took the win with little difficulty.
It was only when Amanda sent out her next Pokemon that this battle got interesting.
Pokémon: Luxio
Gender: Male
Level: 25
Type: Electric
Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: None
Potential: Deep Green
A Luxio!
Eric knew Spearow was at a severe disadvantage, yet he chose to keep her in the fight. It would be good for her to gain some experience against electric types.
"Aerial Ace!"
"Counter with Spark!"
"Avoid a direct clash, dodge and strike from behind."
Eric knew Spearow would suffer if she clashed head-on with Luxio, so she moved around him using her aerial advantage, and hit him from behind.
But Luxio was ready, as he used the move spark to cloak his body with electricity like a shield. Spearow landed the hit on Luxio, but took much more damage herself.
Direct attacks won't work against Luxio.
But the problem was, Spearow had no long-range moves. In the end, Eric ordered a full-power Aerial Ace.
Spearow struck Luxio but fainted from the electric damage. Luxio reduced most of the damage he took with his electric shield.
Well it wasn't too bad. At least she got some experience.
Eric recalled Spearow and sent out Gastly.
Gastly dominated the fight completely. Luxio didn't land a single hit, and was knocked down with 2 Ghost Balls, neither of them used at full-power.
Amanda's third and final Pokémon was Gloom.
Pokémon: Gloom
Gender: Female
Level: 26
Type: Poison/Grass
Ability: Chlorophyll
Held Item: None
Potential: Deep Green
Unfortunately for Amanda, Gloom was no match for Gastly. Her Poison-type moves had little effect, and Gastly's superior speed and power overwhelmed her.
Gastly beat her with 3 Ghost Balls.
It was an overwhelming victory for Eric.
He was declared the winner, and promptly promoted to the top 16!
He gained even more popularity after this display, developing a small fanbase of his own. Gastly was really domineering in all his fights.
Even other members amongst the top 16 took note of Eric.
'He's quite good,' Iris thought, recalling her brief interaction with him. At the time, she had sensed that he might be strong, but was uncertain. Now, she quietly raised her estimation of him.
But that was about it. She was confident that her Murkrow alone would be enough to beat Gastly, primarily due to his type advantage.
Alister also took notice of him, but he was a lot more dismissive. Eric was not important enough for the Great Alister to take notice of him.
As for Belle… well, she was Belle. She hadn't even watched Eric's match, too busy visiting every food stall in sight.
The one who was most impressed by Eric, however, was the middle aged man with the Scyther. His experienced eyes could tell that Eric hadn't given his all yet. That Gastly was holding back with his attacks.
Eric took his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center and then headed home, paying no attention to his growing popularity.
On the way, he ran into Alan again, who congratulated him and went on and on about how he was so impressed by Eric and that he would set him as his new goal.
Eric was exhausted however, and barely had any energy to listen to Alan. So he excused himself and left him alone.
Once home, he had his Pokémon do some light training before calling it a night. He was careful not to overdo it so that they were well rested for tomorrow.
---
Day 4
Eric stepped onto the battlefield.
The stands were noticeably fuller than yesterday. Many people were interested in his match today, treating him more and more like a dark horse.
Across from him stood a muscular man named Leo Armstrong. He was the same trainer that was training with a Machoke in the waiting area.
"Let's do this, Machoke!"
Leo threw his pokeball onto the field without delay. Normally, both trainers are expected to release their Pokémon simultaneously to prevent either from gaining an advantage. Leo didn't care about any of that, giving Eric the strategic advantage.
Pokémon: Machoke
Gender: Male
Level: 29
Type: fighting
Ability: Guts
Held Item: None
Potential: Deep Green
Moves: Low kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight, Low Sweep, Seismic Toss, Revenge, Knock off, Vital throw, Wake-Up Slap, thunder Punch, fire punch, ice punch, Heavy Slam
'That's a scary Machoke,' Eric thought as he sent out Gastly. Only he could stand a chance against this Machoke...