Time passed quickly during training.
The second round of the Sinnoh Tournament had begun.
The match schedule was delivered a day in advance. Unlike the first round, where all matches took place within the same time frame, this time the battles were much more spread out, giving the impression that the random pairing system was truly functioning.
However, upon closer observation, it was evident that the trainers considered favorites from each region had not been pitted against one another. The matchups assigned them to compete only against common trainers from different zones.
Of course, among those common trainers, there were also some strong ones, but Cain and the others managed to avoid the most difficult ones.
Thinking about it, it made sense. If a trainer from a region, considered one of the strongest, were eliminated only in the second round, both the region and the trainer would become the target of ridicule.
Others wouldn't care who their opponent was; they would only focus on the fact that the eliminated trainer had fallen in the second round.
That's why Cain and the others had different battle schedules. Cain was lucky since his match was scheduled for the first day of the second round, while Steven and the others would battle in the following days.
Cain arrived at the stadium alone.
Despite the tournament's massive scale, the number of people in the stands hadn't diminished in the slightest. Even with dozens of matches happening simultaneously, spectators were free to choose which battle to watch, making most of them stay in the stadium all day, only taking breaks for meals, restroom visits, or sleep.
Cain couldn't help but wonder, "Do these people not have jobs?"
...
Cain was assigned to one of the battlefields.
Many spectators recognized him instantly, and since he was the only favored trainer scheduled for this time slot, the giant screen at the top of the stadium focused on his battle.
Cain's opponent was from the Unova region, but what surprised Cain the most was that this competitor turned out to be weaker than the one he had faced in the first round.
"This is surprising," Cain thought. Progress in this tournament depends a lot on circumstances.
If a trainer is lucky and faces weaker opponents in each round, they could easily advance to the Top 128. However, reaching the Top 64 would be more difficult, as by that stage, the remaining participants were usually favored trainers or highly skilled independents.
Since his opponent's level wasn't high, Cain was able to defeat him quickly using Poliwhirl.
Poliwhirl fought in a completely different style compared to Swampert, using its speed to toy with its opponent after activating Rain Dance, easily securing a favorable outcome.
Although it wasn't as spectacular as his first victory, the crowd still gave Cain a considerable ovation.
By now, Cain had become quite well-known, especially among trainers.
After the battle, Cain quickly returned to the mansion.
This competition pace was perfect for him: during the matches, he could focus entirely on battling, and on the days without matches, he could return to the mansion to fine-tune his condition.
This allowed him to train his Pokémon without extreme pressure. Though improvements weren't immediate, stability was what truly mattered, ensuring that no major mistakes were made.
As the second round progressed, the number of participants was cut in half, leaving just over two thousand competitors. However, since each round was scheduled with a week-long break in between, competitors had plenty of time to rest and recover.
Yet, as the tournament advanced toward the later rounds, rest time would be reduced. By the time it reached the Top 128, rounds could be completed in a single day, with rest periods shortened to a maximum of three days.
During these breaks, if trainers felt that training was becoming monotonous, they could organize small practice battles among themselves. Although this could reveal some of their abilities, all the competitors were exceptionally strong trainers and had no fear of showing their level.
After all, even if others discovered something, it wasn't a big deal.
On the first day of the second round, it was Cain's turn to battle. The second day was for Steven and Phoebe, and the third day was for Wallace.
Once those three days had passed, everyone could focus on training their Pokémon again.
...
However, now Cain faced a crucial question in his mind.
Should he allow Poliwhirl to evolve at this moment?
It was true that after several training sessions, Poliwhirl had reached the level Cain required. But the decision to evolve it or not was an important matter.
Undoubtedly, if Poliwhirl evolved into Politoed, its individual power would increase significantly. Moreover, in long-term battles, its ability Drizzle would be a great asset, making it an essential core for Cain's rain team.
However, the problem lay in this: if Poliwhirl evolved, its ability would change to Drizzle, meaning his team would lack a Pokémon with the Swift Swim ability.
Although Gengar could use the move Skill Swap, there was no other Pokémon on the team with that ability, and it wasn't practical to look for one in such a short time.
Without a Pokémon with Swift Swim, the team would lose a key component. Finding one on such short notice was unrealistic, and even if he found one, there wouldn't be enough time to train it, making synchronization with the rest of the team difficult.
If Poliwhirl didn't evolve, Cain would only need to focus on controlling the weather during battles. While he wouldn't be able to unleash Poliwhirl's full potential, at least he would still have a Pokémon with Swift Swim on his team.
Cain found himself undecided. Should he let Poliwhirl evolve now?
Feeling a bit frustrated, he decided to take a walk with his Pokémon to see if he could find a solution to his dilemma, hoping to balance both options.
If he couldn't find a solution, Cain was willing to give up the chance to win the Sinnoh Tournament and allow Poliwhirl to evolve, as that evolution would directly affect Cain's long-term development. He knew what was more important.
To clear his mind, Cain decided to head to Lake Verity, not far from Hearthome City. As one of the three great lakes of the region, it was home to the legendary Pokémon known as Azelf, the god of willpower.
However, Cain had no intention of getting involved in Team Galactic's affairs. After what happened at Jubilife TV, he had no interest in participating in their plans.
With his mind clear, Cain departed without anyone stopping him. Meanwhile, his friends understood that this time away could also serve to improve his abilities.
Even though his Pokémon weren't at the highest level yet, Cain was determined to grow stronger.
(End of Chapter)