"Not a single weakling in this top sixteen…"
May clicked her tongue in that cute way of hers, staring up at the screen filled with sixteen faces.
She'd looked at it several times already, but no matter how she looked, all fifteen of the others were absolute monsters.
"The pressure is killing me."
Wallace smacked his lips. He confirmed it—he couldn't beat a single one of them.
"Well, it is the world championship's top sixteen. Calling them the sixteen strongest trainers in the world wouldn't be an exaggeration." Steven chuckled and shook his head.
His mindset was surprisingly good. Losing didn't hit him too hard; after all, he'd lost to N's Zekrom. Nothing to be ashamed of.
If N actually cared about ranking challenges, then with Zekrom's backing, he'd very likely be champion-tier by now.
"May, you're our region's only remaining hope. We're counting on you~!" Wallace encouraged her.
And that was true—Hoenn only had her left in the top sixteen.
Come to think of it, Wallace was really grateful to Norman. Strictly speaking, May wasn't originally from Hoenn—she was from Johto!
Right—Norman's whole family was from Johto, but when he came to Hoenn to serve as a Gym Leader, May moved with him to Littleroot Town.
Hoenn basically got a "monster" for free!
Wallace was truly grateful to Norman—he was an elite gym-leader-level trainer himself. Perfect.
May blinked her big eyes.
"Don't put extra pressure on her," Steven shot Wallace a glare, making Wallace shrink back pitifully.
So cruel! Steven used to be so kind to him!
"It's okay, Steven. That's not really pressure."
May lifted her fair face, eyes blazing as she stared at the big screen.
"I will win! I'll keep winning!! I'm not going to lose to anyone else!"
Her words hit like a hammer—firm, unwavering.
Yes. She didn't think she'd lose to anyone except Champion Dylan.
Other than him, May believed she wasn't weaker than anyone!
"Hahaha~ that's our May! We'll all support you!"
Wallace burst into a big smile. He believed in this cheerful, adorable girl—there was no way she was weaker than the other "monsters" out there.
"Mm. And we've already found some leads about Latios's Mega Stone. If we get it, it'll be a huge boost for you!"
Steven nodded. Hoenn's League was going all-out searching for Latios's Mega Stone.
Dylan had already confirmed it to him—Latios and Latias, the Infinity Pokémon, could Mega Evolve.
And as a legendary Pokémon, if Latios could Mega Evolve, the power spike would be massive.
"Umm… you don't need to go through that much trouble for me. My Swampert is already enough."
May scratched her head awkwardly. Having the whole Hoenn League search for a Mega Stone for her felt embarrassing.
Besides, she didn't really need Latios's Mega form.
Her Mega Swampert was already extremely strong—and it was her starter. She trusted it completely.
"It's fine. Just think of it as your senior supporting you."
Steven smiled gently.
"In any case, making the top sixteen is already amazing. We're proud of you."
"For the next matches, walk forward with your head held high. Whether you win or lose, this tournament will be meaningful—something worth remembering for the rest of your life."
"But I believe you can go even further."
He chose his words carefully—he didn't want to put psychological pressure on her.
She was only seventeen. She was fighting for herself, but Hoenn's people wouldn't see it that way.
To the entire Hoenn region, May was their final light—their last banner.
"Mm!!!" May nodded hard, eyes bright with resolve.
"Speaking of which…"
Wallace stared up at the screen, suddenly thoughtful.
"Doesn't something stand out to you guys?" He finally reacted.
"Damn! Kanto actually has six people in the top sixteen!!"
Steven and May paused—then realized he was right.
Dylan, Giovanni, Red, Blue, Selene, Yellow—six out of sixteen.
One region alone took up nearly half the bracket!
"Not surprising. Kanto's just too strong," Steven said.
Good thing Kanto and Johto were split regions. If Lance were counted as Kanto, that'd be seven. And if May hadn't moved, counting her would make eight!
And Hoenn would have literally zero besides her. Absolutely absurd.
"I've never battled Giovanni, Red, or Selene… but that Blue guy is seriously strong," May muttered, frowning at the spiky-haired, cocky-faced boy on the screen.
She had challenged Blue to enter the champion tier. She won—but just barely.
"Kanto's Elite Four have never been weak. It's been that way since the previous generation," Steven said.
And if not for Johto's Elite Four elder Agatha being uninterested in the tournament, she'd have been a likely top-sixteen contender too.
Her true strength was a mystery, and she never slacked in raising her Pokémon. Ghost and Poison specialists were always terrifying opponents.
The first round of the world championship's main bracket had ended, but the hype hadn't dropped at all.
People across regions were feverishly discussing the upcoming matches.
"Anyone notice how many players one region sent into the top sixteen?"
"Kanto, obviously. Who else? They're insane!"
"For real. And all of them are beasts. I hope they fight each other more in round two—if six of them make top eight, who can stand it?"
"Bro, are you okay? I'm neutral, but you're killing my sense of fairness."
"Please let our Leaf pull a good matchup, I'm begging!"
"Kinda excited for the round of sixteen… which poor soul will get matched with Champion Dylan next? (side-eye)"
The discussions were endless—even match analysis threads appeared, calculating each trainer's odds of advancing.
Once posted, the thread shot straight to the top.
People loved discussing competitive strength.
Dylan found it funny—actual battles couldn't be calculated with data.
Too many variables existed.
But the crowd loved their analysis, and some of them were surprisingly well thought out—Dylan read it with interest.
A week passed in a flash. Indigo Plateau once again.
Arceus's sacred flame roared atop the torch, and the stadium was already packed.
Camera drones zipped overhead, panning across the arena.
The matches hadn't begun yet, but the atmosphere was electric.
"Wonder who'll be the unlucky one to draw Dylan today."
In the special seating, Blue lounged back with his legs crossed, smirking.
He was in good spirits—he'd made the top sixteen. Next goal: top eight.
Beat Red, reach the quarterfinals; defeat Selene for the semifinals; crush Giovanni to enter the finals; then face Dylan!
Yes—that was the glorious comeback story he envisioned.
Because he wasn't champion-tier, people online called him the youngest of Kanto's Elite Four.
Unacceptable!
He, Blue Oak, refuse to be the bottom rank!
Just watch—I'm gonna struggle!
(begin struggle.jpg)
"Who knows. But with eight matches, the odds of us drawing each other are pretty high."
Giovanni glanced at Dylan and spoke calmly.
For them, internal matchups were the worst outcome.
Especially Dylan—drawing him meant immediate elimination.
So Giovanni hoped to avoid Kanto-on-Kanto battles as long as possible.
"The chance is already huge. We have six people, and avoiding each other entirely means taking up six separate match slots. That's basically impossible," Selene said.
"True. Still, fewer internal matches would be ideal. More of us reaching top eight would be best," Dylan added with a smile.
"Yeah, especially avoiding you," Blue rolled his eyes.
Dylan shrugged innocently.
Another twenty minutes passed. The stage lift rose, and the sunglasses-wearing, slicked-back host appeared once more.
"Welcome back to the Indigo Arena, everyone!"
His voice boomed with energy.
"After a fierce first round, sixteen trainers stand here—but the battle isn't over! To become the world's strongest, they must keep winning!"
"Let's take a look! The second round is about to begin—focus on the big screen!"
Sixteen portraits split into two rows and began spinning rapidly.
The entire stadium fell silent, all eyes glued to the screen.
Soon, the first portrait stopped—the spiky-haired, cocky young man.
"Ha! The great me, huh? Not bad, an opening spotlight match."
Blue raised a brow and grinned, staring at the opposite slot.
As long as it wasn't Dylan, he didn't care who it was. He would make top eight!
"Confident much? Be careful not to get overturned," Selene teased.
"Heh—if it's not Dylan, I don't fear anyone!" Blue declared proudly.
If he wanted to advance, every single top trainer was a potential opponent anyway. There was no point being scared.
Just go for it.
"Alright, let's see which unlucky soul gets matched with the great Blue."
(End of chapter)