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"...!"
Seeing Ritchie suddenly step in, and hearing what he said, the expressions of the Pokémon Academy students changed dramatically.
They had been somewhat irrational before, but listening to Ritchie's words, many people broke out in cold sweat. Ash's mockery hadn't been wrong.
Ordinary Pokémon Trainers typically wouldn't deliberately learn these regulations because there was no one to teach them—they basically learned the Alliance Conference rules on their own.
However, the Pokémon Academy, as an institution where students could participate directly as long as they had enough credits, explained the Alliance competition rules during class.
During the Alliance Conference, any physical fights or arguments were strictly prohibited. Even during the tournament, using Pokémon to battle privately fell under the scope of prohibited conflicts.
Once discovered, competitors would be immediately disqualified from the competition. If the situation was serious enough, as Ritchie had mentioned, participants could be stripped of their right to compete—meaning they wouldn't be able to participate even if they traveled to other regions.
The most severe consequence would be losing their Trainer license entirely. Hearing about such consequences, the Pokémon Academy students exchanged glances but didn't dare act rashly anymore.
"Enough! Don't embarrass yourselves any further!" Seeing the situation before her, Giselle suddenly spoke up.
"This is our fault, but Ash, I'll settle the score for your contempt toward us during the competition. Let's go!"
Giselle obviously knew the rules, so she hadn't intended to conflict with Ash and the others from the start. Looking at the current situation, she stepped forward and spoke.
She was giving her side a way out. Hearing Giselle's words and remembering Ritchie's earlier warning, the others didn't dare say anything more and retreated behind her.
"I'll be waiting," Ash responded calmly without elaborating.
After receiving Ash's response, Giselle left with the others. After watching them depart, Ash also looked at Ritchie and the others.
"Thanks, everyone!"
"Come on, seriously—can you cause less trouble? You're always like this. I don't want to deal with you. I'm starving. Let's eat!"
After Gary spoke, he immediately turned and left with his companions.
Ash knew Gary had slipped back into his usual tsundere behavior, so he didn't say much. Ritchie, Green, and the others also responded in kind.
"I'm leaving too!"
Silver, who stood next to Green, was obviously uncomfortable with such an atmosphere. He glanced at Ash, then turned and walked away with his hands in his pockets.
"What a kid," Green couldn't help but comment as she watched Silver leave.
Afterward, the group invited Ritchie and Green to join their table. Neither objected, and they soon sat down together.
The group enjoyed dinner together, chatting and sharing interesting stories from their travels, when suddenly an announcement sounded over the speakers.
"Attention all contestants: the bracket list for the second round will be announced in ten minutes. Trainers can check in the Pokémon Center lobby. Those who miss the announcement can also check via computer."
Nurse Joy's voice echoed through the speakers. After hearing the announcement, everyone's expressions shifted slightly.
Their previously relaxed demeanor immediately turned serious. Although they were sitting together chatting now, they could very well be opponents next.
They had just finished dinner. After hearing the announcement, everyone naturally decided to head to the lobby to view the brackets.
After gathering their things, they stood up from the table. The group left the restaurant together. As they emerged, they found Gary, Giselle, and others also heading toward the lobby. They made eye contact but didn't speak.
Hall
They soon arrived at the lobby. As soon as the designated time came, the large screen began cycling through the four venue categories, the bracket listings rotating in sequence.
"Ah! I see Ash!"
Everyone watched the big screen carefully when Yellow suddenly spoke up, pointing in the direction she was looking.
Everyone followed her gaze—not just Ash's group, but even Gary and the others looked over.
Ash himself looked at the display on the screen. The field type settled on an ice crystal pattern, which meant his next battlefield would be the Ice Field.
Looking at his assigned opponent, he saw a boy who appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old—not much older than Ash, and also a relatively young trainer.
"The next one is the Ice Field! That's another challenging venue!" Misty said while holding Togepi.
Ash's first two venues weren't particularly favorable. The Water Field and Ice Field were indeed less friendly compared to the Rock Field or Grass Field.
"It's the first match tomorrow morning. The preparation time is very tight!"
Brock also commented. The first match was scheduled for tomorrow morning.
Since there would be no opening ceremony tomorrow, there would be three matches in the morning and three in the afternoon. Today there had only been two matches because the opening ceremony was held in the morning.
Therefore, tomorrow's match time coincided with when this morning's opening ceremony had been held. It would be relatively early, leaving basically minimal preparation time.
"Don't worry, it's no problem!"
Ash responded as well. This kind of preparation had been completed as early as a month ago at Mount Hideaway.
Now that he was here, he was simply focused on participating in the competition—there wasn't much more to prepare.
Soon the other names appeared one after another. Green was assigned to the Water Field for tomorrow morning, and Gary was assigned to the Grass Field, also for tomorrow morning.
Ritchie was assigned to the Ice Field for the third match of the morning, and Giselle was assigned to the Rock Field.
Fortunately, none of them were matched against each other, which made Misty and the others feel relieved for the time being.
"Ash, have you figured out which Pokémon you're going to use tomorrow?"
After the bracket announcement concluded, everyone in the hall dispersed, and Yellow asked.
"Yeah! I've already decided!"
Ash nodded slightly in response. Without much deliberation, Ash had already determined his lineup.
After answering, Ash walked directly toward the registration desk. The others glanced at each other unconsciously.
Even though the first match would be tomorrow morning, there was no need to be in such a hurry! In theory, one could research their opponent's information and try to predict which Pokémon they might use.
However, Ash ignored everyone's thoughts and went directly to register his Pokémon for tomorrow's match.