The broadcast echoed across the campus:
"The Rainbow University Exhibition Match is about to begin. Please prepare to enter the arena… Champion Logan of Kanto, please report to the battlefield."
Logan paused mid-step, his brow lifting slightly. Turning to Professor Birch beside him, he gave an apologetic smile.
"...Looks like I'll have to leave for the exhibition match, Professor."
"Go on, go on! I'll be in the stands cheering for you!" Birch waved enthusiastically.
Logan returned the wave, giving one last glance at Sylveon before striding toward the arena. Around him, the gathered crowd began to surge with excitement, all heading in the same direction.
Rainbow University's stadium was no ordinary campus facility—it was the very same battlefield as the Celadon City Gym, capable of holding seventy to eighty thousand spectators. In mere moments, the stands were brimming with people.
By the time Logan stepped onto the high platform, the two contestants for the opening exhibition were already standing at the center of the field.
"Hm? This time they're not using the command platforms?" Logan asked one of the staff members walking at his side.
Ordinarily, internal League battles separated Trainers and Pokémon—the Trainer would stand high on a command podium, giving orders from a safe distance, while their Pokémon battled below. But Rainbow University had chosen to flip tradition on its head. The Trainers would fight side by side with their Pokémon, as if it were a wild battle where life and death could hang by a thread.
The staff member hurried to explain, his voice cautious and deferential.
"This time, since it's an exhibition match, the University thought all the participants are experts like yourself, Champion. They decided it was safe enough. The intent is to let the audience experience the raw, brutal reality of real battles."
Logan's gaze narrowed slightly. The worker hesitated, then added nervously:
"...Of course, we have no concerns about your match against Alder, sir. The only issue is the victor of the preliminaries—she demanded, by name, to challenge you. Since this battle uses real combat rules, we… humbly ask you to hold back."
He bowed again and again, terrified that Logan might get carried away in the heat of battle and end up killing the challenger. After all, in this format there were no protective barriers for the Trainers.
"I'll do what I can," Logan replied calmly. "Who's challenging me?"
Rainbow University had arranged things carefully. The Champions' time was too valuable for every challenger to line up, so they held a preliminary tournament. The victor would then choose one Champion to face.
Logan doubted the winner was the same dark-skinned girl he'd seen earlier. After all, this tournament was meant only for Rainbow University's current students—outsiders weren't allowed.
But the staff member's explanation left him speechless.
"Ah… yes, about that. To our shame, though outsiders were barred, a young girl insisted on joining. She was so persistent we eventually gave in, thinking she'd be eliminated immediately. But against all odds, she stumbled her way through match after match… and won it all."
He scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "Most of our University students are researchers, not seasoned Trainers, but still… being defeated across the board by a single girl? It's humiliating. But a victory is a victory, and our credibility demands we recognize it."
Logan chuckled lightly. "The victor is a dark-skinned girl?"
"Yes, yes! That's the one. So you already know her, Champion?" The man relaxed visibly, relief flooding his face. If she was connected to a Champion—even as a disciple—that explained everything. Losing to her was nothing to be ashamed of.
"I see," Logan said, letting the matter drop. "What are the match rules?"
"The exhibition follows a ten-minute limit. If no victor is decided, it's declared a draw. The format is two-on-two relay: once either of the two Pokémon faints, that side loses."
Logan nodded thoughtfully. The time limit made sense. Every participant was a figure of prestige; letting anyone suffer defeat would bruise reputations. For Trainers of this caliber, finishing a match in ten minutes was difficult anyway—so most duels would end in draws.
But then Logan's lips curved into a sharp smile. His eyes slid across the field to Alder, who sat comfortably at the far end of the stadium.
If it was relay-style, where the loss of a single Pokémon meant defeat—then forget ten minutes. Three would be more than enough.
This time, there would be no holding back.
Alder, who was busy snacking in the audience, suddenly shivered for no reason. He glanced around, puzzled.
"Very well. I understand the rules," Logan said with a dismissive wave. The staff bowed quickly and excused themselves.
Logan turned back toward the battlefield, rubbing his forehead as he caught sight of the next contestants already standing at the center: Erika and Cynthia.
Cynthia wore her trademark Sinnoh Champion's cloak. With a fluid motion, she unclasped it, letting it billow dramatically to reveal an elegant, gown-like outfit beneath. The crowd roared, the arena vibrating with chants of her name.
Erika, meanwhile, had abandoned her traditional kimono in favor of a shrine maiden's robes. A longbow rested on her back, her posture graceful yet commanding. As they met in the middle of the field, Erika dipped her head politely, her voice soft and refined.
"Please be cautious, Champion Cynthia. A single lapse, and you might be hurt."
"Don't worry," Cynthia replied coolly. "Against you, Erika, I won't be holding back."
Two women, both gentle and graceful in demeanor. They exchanged smiles, but beneath those smiles surged a powerful battlelust.
Their gazes hardened. Erika's expression grew solemn, Cynthia's turned sharp and merciless. At the referee's signal, both retreated to their respective halves.
"Rainbow University Exhibition Match—begin!!"
The stadium erupted in cheers, confetti and streamers raining from above. Erika's hand moved in a blur, drawing an arrow from her bow. The projectile soared with flawless precision toward Cynthia's face.
But this was no ordinary arrow. Instead of a sharpened head, the tip was a Poké Ball.
Cynthia twisted aside just in time. The arrow whistled past, and the Poké Ball burst open mid-flight, releasing a dazzling Bellossom.
At such close range, most Trainers would've been finished instantly. But Cynthia was the Sinnoh Champion for a reason. Though Erika's unorthodox method caught her off guard, she reacted immediately—sending out her own partner, Garchomp.
From the very first move, neither woman held back. They had thrown their strongest into the fray.
This battle was going to be all-out war.
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