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For Jacob and Nina, the third method of obtaining lottery tickets through spending money was undoubtedly the simplest, most convenient, and most straightforward approach available to them.
Given their current substantial wealth and financial resources, a price tag of one million Pokedollars was merely a drop in the ocean for them.
However, if they simply chose to spend their way to victory, they would completely lose the excitement and thrill of Pokemon battling, reducing the entire experience to nothing more than a mechanical drawing process without any real substance or enjoyment.
"How about we challenge the Frontier Brain instead?" Nina pondered the options for a moment, then turned toward Jacob with an inquisitive expression, seeking his honest opinion on the matter. "Would it be possible for us to participate in a double battle format?"
Nina's eyes held a glimmer of expectation and anticipation. She understood that sometimes double battles represented the most effective way to deepen their relationship as both trainers and companions, allowing both participants to feel actively involved in the action while preventing either one from becoming bored or disconnected from the experience.
As for the first participation method involving fully random battles, she had absolutely no interest whatsoever in that particular option. The requirement of achieving nine consecutive victories to obtain a high-level lottery ticket seemed like an excessive waste of valuable time and energy. It would be far more efficient and entertaining to challenge a Frontier Brain directly in combat.
One decisive battle to determine the ultimate winner of the encounter.
Upon hearing Nina's thoughtful suggestion, Jacob found himself completely agreeable to her proposal. "Anything sounds perfectly fine to me, I'm comfortable with whatever you prefer. They should be able to accommodate double battles here, shouldn't they?"
"Certainly, sir," the front desk staff member nodded professionally and immediately began explaining the available options to them. "However, challenging a Frontier Brain does require a registration fee of 88,888 Pokedollars per participant. For a double battle format, the total price will naturally be doubled to reflect the increased complexity."
"Very well then, I'll simply pay with my card directly," Nina responded without the slightest hesitation, demonstrating the casual confidence that only came with substantial wealth.
Observing their affluent demeanor and expensive clothing, the front desk receptionist quickly realized she was dealing with distinguished guests of considerable importance and immediately led them toward the designated preparation area with enhanced courtesy and attention.
"Today, we exclusively provide Frontier Brain battle services for what we call the 'Three Main Classifications,'" the staff member explained professionally. "As for which specific level of Frontier Brain you will face in battle, you will need to participate in a random drawing to determine your opponent."
The Three Main Classifications referred to the Lord-level, Overlord-level, and Gym Leader-level categories, commonly abbreviated as the Three Main Classifications throughout the Pokemon battling community.
Within moments, the receptionist appeared carrying a silver tray containing three identical spherical containers. Nina casually selected one ball from the collection, and upon carefully opening it, the paper slip inside clearly displayed the words "Lord-level" in bold lettering.
"You will be challenging an Lord-level Frontier Brain in combat," the staff member announced officially. "The battle rules will follow standard double battle regulations. Both participants have exactly ten minutes of preparation time before the match begins. Please note that only Pokemon of Lord-level strength or below are permitted for use in this particular battle format."
"Understood completely," Nina nodded with satisfaction. It had been quite some time since she had engaged in an Lord-level battle, and she found herself feeling genuinely nostalgic about the prospect. Combined with the fact that she would be participating in a double battle alongside Jacob, she experienced a pleasant sense of anticipation building within her. "Jacob, among my Lord-level Pokemon, I only have Cottonee and Meowscarada available for battle. Which one do you think would be the most strategic choice for me to send out?"
"Either option would work perfectly well for our purposes. Today is your special occasion, so I'll gladly follow your lead in whatever decision you make," Jacob replied supportively.
Jacob wasn't particularly invested in this specific type of exhibition battle, but to ensure that Nina thoroughly enjoyed herself, he was perfectly willing to let her take charge of their strategic decisions.
Currently, among Jacob's extensive collection of Pokemon below Lord-level classification, the most suitable candidates for competitive battle included Fraxure, as well as his second team's Indeedee and his recently evolved Cinderace, which had shown remarkable progress in recent training sessions.
His other Pokemon, such as his exceptionally rare Shiny Haunter and his precious Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon Shelgon, were far too valuable and irreplaceable to risk using in such a casual exhibition venue.
"How about I deploy Cinderace for this battle, while you utilize Meowscarada?" Nina suggested after careful consideration of their available options.
"That sounds like an excellent strategic combination," Jacob agreed readily.
As the two trainers walked confidently onto the official battle arena, Eleanor finally managed to squeeze her way through the dense crowd of spectators, her sharp gaze searching frantically in every direction, but she couldn't locate any trace of Jacob or Nina anywhere in the immediate vicinity.
"Where could they possibly have gone? Did I see incorrectly? No, that's absolutely impossible," Eleanor muttered to herself in confusion. She was still wondering about their whereabouts when she suddenly heard a public address announcement declaring that challengers were about to battle an Lord-level Frontier Brain.
Curiosity piqued, she made her way toward the Lord-level battle arena and immediately recognized Nina, who was wearing a fashionable mask and designer sunglasses as a disguise. As for the tall man standing beside Nina, he was also wearing a mask, and although his impressive height and broad build were clearly visible, his face remained hidden. Despite being unable to see his facial features, Eleanor had a nagging feeling that he looked somehow familiar to her.
Judging purely from their physical appearance and the way they carried themselves, the two made an absolutely perfect matched pair.
"Ladies and gentlemen, two mysterious trainers are about to challenge our Lord-level Frontier Brain," the enthusiastic announcer's voice boomed throughout the facility. "Let's give them a tremendous round of applause and show our support."
Accompanied by the host's energetic introduction, Jacob and Nina, both wearing their concealing masks, entered the arena with confident strides, while their designated opponent, the Lord-level Frontier Brain, took his position on the opposite side of the battlefield.
"This battle will follow 2-versus-2 single elimination format rules," the official referee announced clearly. "Both sides, please release your chosen Pokemon for combat."
"Go forth, Cinderace!" Jacob called out with authority.
"Go, Meowscarada!" Nina commanded simultaneously.
Jacob and Nina naturally released Cinderace and Meowscarada respectively, exactly as they had planned and discussed during their brief preparation period.
From a competitive team positioning perspective, Cinderace and Meowscarada shared remarkably similar tactical roles and capabilities.
Both Pokemon functioned as standard high-speed physical attackers, and their Hidden Abilities possessed virtually identical effects that made them formidable opponents.
Cinderace's signature ability was Libero, which dynamically changed its typing to match whatever move it was about to execute.
Meowscarada possessed the ability known as Protean. Although the ability bore a different name from Libero, the practical effect was exactly the same in terms of type-changing mechanics.
Because of these incredibly powerful and versatile abilities, both Pokemon performed exceptionally well in competitive battles across various formats.
The dramatic appearance of Cinderace and Meowscarada still managed to cause quite a stir among the assembled crowd of spectators. Neither of these particular Pokemon species originated from China, so owning these two rare creatures at minimum demonstrated that Jacob and Nina possessed either substantial wealth or noble social connections.
"Meowscarada and Cinderace, interesting choices," commented the Lord-level Frontier Brain who would be battling Jacob and Nina. His name was Benson, and he had earned his position through years of dedicated training.
Upon carefully observing the two opposing Pokemon, he adopted a more serious and thoughtful demeanor, secretly contemplating the situation to himself. It appeared he had encountered some wealthy young trainers today. He realized he couldn't achieve victory too quickly or easily. Perhaps he should put on an entertaining show for the audience. If he managed to impress the affluent young man and earned a generous tip for his performance, he would be financially set for quite some time.
"Go forth, Murkrow! Go, Darmanitan Galarian Form!" Benson commanded with practiced authority.
Benson's two chosen Pokemon represented a classic and highly effective Tailwind-based team composition.
Jacob immediately noticed the Eviolite item being carried by the opposing Murkrow, recognizing the strategic implications.
This represented Murkrow's standard competitive equipment setup. Its Prankster ability virtually guaranteed successful Tailwind setup, while the Eviolite it carried provided significant defensive boosts to unevolved Pokemon, substantially increasing their overall bulk and survivability.
Moves such as Tailwind, Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room were also quite annoying to face, as Murkrow served primarily in a support role for the team.
The second Pokemon, Darmanitan in its Galarian regional form, functioned as the primary damage dealer and offensive core of the team composition.
Galarian Darmanitan could rightfully be called a battle monster, proving even more terrifying in combat than many Legendary Pokemon when properly utilized.
This fearsome reputation was entirely due to Galarian Darmanitan's exclusive signature ability, Gorilla Tactics. The ability's effect restricted the Pokemon to using only one move after entering battle, but in exchange, its Attack stat received a massive boost.
Galarian Darmanitan's base Attack stat was already extremely high, ranking among the top tier of all known Pokemon species. With the additional boost provided by the Gorilla Tactics ability, its Attack reached absolutely terrifying levels that surpassed virtually all other Pokemon.
However, its primary weakness remained its somewhat disappointing Speed stat, which was noticeably below average.
But it was crucial to remember that this was a double battle format, and Galarian Darmanitan had the invaluable support of Murkrow fighting alongside it.
Once Tailwind was successfully activated, the Speed disadvantage became completely irrelevant.
Galarian Darmanitan's Speed weakness would be fully compensated, allowing it to unleash its complete destructive potential without restraint.
Most importantly, Benson had also equipped his Galarian Darmanitan with a Choice Band held item.
The Choice Band's effect functioned exactly the same as the Gorilla Tactics ability: the Pokemon could only use the same move repeatedly after entering battle, but its Attack stat would receive a significant increase.
The combined boost from both the Choice Band and the Gorilla Tactics ability completely transformed Galarian Darmanitan into a true physical attacking deity; the resulting damage output was absolutely no laughing matter.
This was also one of Jacob's personal favorite Pokemon species—simple in concept, brutally effective in execution, and capable of complete rampage upon entering any battle. But why did their opponent have to possess such an incredibly annoying Pokemon to face?