"Alex, what Pokémon do you have with you right now?" asked Ethan Black.
Both of them were in Ethan Black's dorm room, discussing strategies for the Autumn Festival Sun and Moon New Challengers Tournament, which would be held in three days.
"Right now I only have Charmeleon with me. The rest of my Pokémon are kept at my family's ranch," replied Alex Baxter. "Do you want me to bring them?"
"No need," said Ethan Black, shaking his head. "Since you decided to stick with Charmeleon, you have to trust him. Our team for the tournament will be Sandshrew and Charmeleon."
However, the truth was that a Fire-type Pokémon like Charmeleon didn't pair very well with Sandshrew, who was a Ground type. If instead they had a Ground, Rock, or Steel partner, the combo with the move Sandstorm would be ideal.
With Sandshrew using Sandstorm, the battlefield would become completely favorable for them... but with Charmeleon on the team, that same storm could harm their own ally.
So their only option was to rely on brute strength.
"And what moves does your Charmeleon know right now?" asked Ethan Black.
Alex Baxter thought for a moment and replied: "Scratch, Growl, Smokescreen, Ember, and Flamethrower."
"Just those five?" Ethan Black noted them down in his notebook.
Then he wrote Sandshrew's moves: Scratch, Defense Curl, Rollout, Sand Attack, Rapid Spin, Gyro Ball, and Sandstorm. Looking at the list, he fell into thought.
Charmeleon was clearly a ranged attacker with powerful Fire moves, something he had already shown in his first battle.
On the other hand, Sandshrew was strong in close combat. That difference could be taken advantage of on the battlefield.
"Relax, man. With our level, we're going to crush it!" said Alex Baxter, confidently munching on some fries.
Ethan Black looked at him disapprovingly: "We'd better not underestimate anyone. The Pokémon University of Ironvale City is recognized throughout the country. I'm sure there are tons of rich kids here."
"And even if they say they're novice trainers, who knows how many years they've had their Pokémon..."
Alex Baxter nodded. In fact, he himself wasn't exactly a beginner: when he entered the university at 16, his father used connections to secretly get him a Charmander, the same one that was now Charmeleon.
Besides, he was convinced that there were many students far richer than him, even families that explored Secret Kingdoms, so getting a Pokémon before turning 18 was nothing unusual.
"No, no. If you want to win, you have to know your enemy," said Alex Baxter firmly. "You keep studying strategies. I'll go out and investigate a bit, see if I can find out what Pokémon our potential rivals will use. That'll give us an advantage."
With that, Alex Baxter left, motivated to do his espionage work, while Ethan Black kept writing and analyzing strategies in his notebook.
...
Time flew, and the Autumn Festival arrived as scheduled.
During the holidays, the campus was quieter than usual. However, the academy's sports field was bursting with excitement.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Fireworks exploded in the sky. It was the official signal that the Sun and Moon New Challengers Tournament was starting.
In the stands, the announcer took the microphone and enthusiastically declared the opening and progress of the event. His voice, amplified by loudspeakers, echoed across the campus.
The participants began to enter the stadium and gathered in front of the main stage, waiting for the tournament to begin.
After all the trainers had entered, the university directors made their appearance and gave their respective speeches. Finally, half an hour later, the announcer took the microphone again: "I officially declare the tournament open!"
More than 200 people were participating, which meant around 100 pairs.
The system was single elimination: the duo that won moved on to the next round, while the one that lost was out.
Since the tournament would last only three days, the schedule was tight: each duo would have two battles per day, and on the third day the champion would be decided.
All the teams went to draw their participation number.
Alex Baxter was the one to draw for their team, and he pulled number 77.
"A lucky number!" they said excitedly. Maybe it was a positive sign.
They quickly looked for their battle field and found field number 7. At that moment, teams 70 and 71 were fighting.
Since their number was 77, they would have to battle against team number 76.
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon and prepare for battle! Double battle, 2 versus 2. Each trainer will use one Pokémon. When a team has both Pokémon incapacitated, the match will end."
At the referee's command, the four trainers threw their Poké Balls. Four flashes of white light lit up the field, and the following Pokémon appeared: Geodude, Onix, Pidgey, and Spearow.
Team 70 chose Geodude and Pidgey.
Team 71 chose Onix and Spearow.
Both teams used a similar strategy: one Ground Pokémon and one Flying Pokémon, to have an advantage both on land and in the air.
However, Geodude and Pidgey were too passive. Onix and Spearow defeated them without much trouble.
"As expected, many of these participants are only here to fill the numbers," commented Ethan Black, relaxed.
Clearly, the truly wealthy trainers were few. Most participants were actual beginners, just starting their journey, so their battle skills were still very basic.
Several more matches took place on field 7, and the situation was similar: no particularly strong opponents. It looked like they would have a fairly easy first round.
Finally, it was Ethan Black and Alex Baxter's turn. Their opponents were two girls, and upon seeing them, Alex Baxter made a face like "I don't want to hurt them."
"Don't get sentimental," said Ethan Black. "Let's finish this quickly."
"Relax, I won't hold back. I'll show them true power, and they'll fall head over heels before my iron fist!" said Alex Baxter with a mischievous smile. "Let me fight first, you support me from behind."
"Alright, as you wish," replied Ethan Black with a thoughtful smile.
So that's the way to flirt now, huh...?
(End of chapter)