The moment Victor finished speaking, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Most of these trainers were from Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town, so they had been hearing rumors about the Breeding House and Victor for a while. Some had even come to the Breeding House to buy Pokémon Eggs from him.
A small portion were trainers just passing through on their journey; getting in on the excitement is a trainer's true nature.
So, they had all stayed as well.
The rest of the people from Twinleaf Town were even more excited.
It had been a long time since Twinleaf Town had hosted a battle competition like this. Usually, they could only watch them on TV.
"Next, I will announce the rules for this 'Gengar Cup'. The competition is divided into 'King of the Hill' and 'Challenger' formats. Each trainer may use six Pokémon, and all battles will follow standard regulations. If a challenger successfully defeats the king, they will take their place. After each match, the defender may use any method to restore their Pokémon's stamina. Nurse Joy from Twinleaf Town has borrowed a healing machine from the Pokémon Center, which is located right over there."
Everyone followed Victor's hand and looked over. Nurse Joy, wearing her white cross-marked cap and pink hair, stood with her hands clasped in front of her, smiling and greeting the crowd.
The crowd cheered loudly again.
"Furthermore, please respect every trainer participating in this competition. We will ensure that all matches are fair, just, and public. Any form of cheating will be severely punished. And don't even think about causing any destruction, because Officer Jenny and her Arcanine will be watching you."
The crowd turned to look again. Officer Jenny, in her blue uniform, sat atop her Arcanine, watching everyone, with several of her colleagues beside her.
"Also, I'm sure you've all seen the many stalls set up around the arena. If you're feeling nervous, or if you happen to just miss out on a victory, why not take a walk? Experience the specialties of our Twinleaf Town, eat some delicious food, play some fun games. Even if you don't win, you'll still leave with wonderful memories."
As soon as he finished, a new buzz of conversation rose from the crowd.
"To be honest, that was my plan all along. I'm well aware of my own skill level. I'm just here for the fun."
"Same here. I won't lie, I saw a lot of things I want to eat while I was wandering around earlier."
"Really? Want to go grab a bite together later?"
"Sure! I'll wait for you, or you wait for me."
"Deal!"
Victor held up his hand, signaling for quiet, and then continued:
"Everyone! The audience here is waiting for you to deliver some thrilling, passionate battles! Are you ready?"
The trainers, thinking of the large crowd watching them show off their skills, suddenly felt the blood pumping in their veins.
Hearing the cheers from below, Victor shouted, "Then, will the first trainer who believes they have the strength to hold this hill please come to the stage!"
As his voice fell, the audience burst into thunderous applause.
A man with long hair suddenly stood up. "I'll do it!"
He walked onto the stage, looked at the crowd, and said, "I am a trainer from the Unova region. I was just passing through Twinleaf Town a few days ago and heard about this tournament, so I stayed. Now, I'm here to see if I can hold this hill, for the grand prize, and to give everyone a spectacular battle!"
After his passionate speech, he threw a Poké Ball. A deep blue Pokémon on four legs, with a giant horn on its head, appeared on the stage.
"ROAR!"
The Unova starter, Samurott?
Victor was surprised. A simple Breeding House tournament is attracting trainers of this caliber?
Victor nodded at the eager Gengar on the stage.
Gengar, with a whistle in its mouth, floated to the center of the arena and looked at the crowd.
"Gengar—"
Is there a challenger?
Perhaps intimidated by the Samurott's presence, no one spoke up for a moment.
Just then, a man with glasses pushed them up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger and spoke from the crowd.
"Then allow me to be the first challenger!"
The moment he spoke, the crowd parted, making a path for him.
He had to admit, the trainers here were quite courteous.
The man with glasses walked onto the stage, and he and the long-haired man nodded at each other. He then reached into his pocket, pressed a button, and a red-and-white ball appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he threw it.
"Come on out, my good partner!"
A flash of red light, and a beetle-like Pokémon with a single large horn made its grand entrance!
Heracross!
The very first match is Samurott vs. Heracross?
This is interesting.
Victor went and sat down next to Gary, took the drink Gothita handed him, and began to watch the battle.
"Let's give this crowd a visual feast!"
"That's just what I was thinking!"
Gengar, standing in the center of the field, saw the bursting fighting spirit in their eyes.
It took a deep breath, floated up high, stuck its bottom out, and blew.
FWEET~
The whistle sounded, and two voices shouted at the exact same time.
"Samurott, Swords Dance!"
"Heracross, Swords Dance!"
At this moment, Gary opportunistically picked up a microphone.
"Wow! Both competitors have chosen to start the battle with a Swords Dance!"
The crowd was surprised.
There's a commentator, too!
This is awesome!
"Razor Shell!"
"Meet it head-on! Horn Attack!"
The horns of the two Pokémon slammed into each other!
They were immediately pushed apart.
"Aqua Jet!"
At its trainer's command, the Heracross dodged the incoming jet of water, then charged its large horn and rammed the Samurott.
A super-powerful Megahorn hit the Samurott.
The Samurott recoiled in pain, but at its trainer's command, it steadied itself, locked onto the Heracross, and returned a Megahorn of its own.
Watching the two massive horns collide violently, the atmosphere of the crowd reached a fever pitch.
Gary provided simple commentary at appropriate times, avoiding interrupting the trainers, but also helping the spectators who didn't understand battling to appreciate the exciting parts.
Victor was staring at the stage. The Heracross, covered in wounds, charged at the Samurott with a Close Combat, but it faltered in pain.
A glint flashed in the long-haired man's eyes.
"Samurott, Aerial Ace!"
"?!" Victor's eyes widened.
That dirty?! A Samurott knows Aerial Ace?!
The yellow horn on Samurott's head was enveloped in a white light as it aimed straight for the oncoming Heracross.
Due to its injuries, the Heracross couldn't forcibly change its move, and the man with glasses clearly hadn't expected the Samurott to be hiding a move like Aerial Ace.
He froze for a second. By the time he recovered and shouted for his Heracross to dodge...
The Samurott's giant horn had already slammed into it.
Four times super-effective. The "super-effective" of "super-effective."
The Heracross's eyes swirled.
The man with glasses recalled his Heracross and sent out his next Pokémon, a Beedrill.
After the Beedrill took down the Samurott, the two trainers battled back and forth for a good while.
In the end, the long-haired man was victorious.
He walked over to the man with glasses and held out his hand. The man with glasses paused for a moment, listening to the cheers and applause from the crowd, and then smiled.
He reached out his own hand.
The two hands clasped tightly.
Thunderous applause echoed through the air.
Afterward, the long-haired man went to Nurse Joy to heal his Pokémon, then returned to the stage to await the next challenger.
Victor looked at the atmosphere in the arena.
It seems this tournament... is a great success?
...
Get 10 chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"