Silas quickly followed the crowd to the fifteenth floor of the Goldenrod Department Store.
It seemed there were quite a few people interested in the auction.
Well… maybe not necessarily.
Judging from the excited expressions around him, Silas figured many of them were simply interested in Pokémon battles.
After all, aside from regional League Conferences, it was rare to see so many Trainers gathered together to battle.
Watching battles live felt completely different from watching them on television.
Silas casually joined a line to register.
Next came the boring waiting period.
He used the time to review the rules.
Simple:
1-on-1 battles
Winner advances
Continue until the Top 16 are decided, then the Champion and Runner-up
Not the fairest format, but perfectly reasonable.
If they had used standard 3-on-3 or 6-on-6 battles, it might not have ended until next week.
Additionally, this battlefield was not a large standard stadium, it was a relatively small arena platform.
"In that case, large Pokémon won't have much room to operate. Smaller Pokémon will actually have a big advantage."
Silas stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Although he didn't believe he and his partners would lose in this type of tournament, the philosophy of strategically despise the opponent, tactically respect the opponent still applied.
The line moved steadily.
With multiple registration counters, progress was fast.
At this rate, the preliminary procedures would be done in about half an hour.
As expected of a major corporation.
Soon it was Silas's turn.
He casually handed over his Pokédex and his Honorary Citizen Card.
The staff member froze for a moment, then the professional smile on his face turned into a genuine one.
"Trainer sir, thank you very much for supporting our event. Goldenrod Department Store welcomes you."
He quickly scanned the cards, and Silas's information was registered instantly.
"For this tournament, you may use your real name or choose a codename. Which would you prefer?"
Silas, hidden under his mask and cap, thought for a moment. A strange smile tugged at his lips.
"Codename. Red."
"Understood, Trainer Red. Here is your number card. Please keep it safe and watch for announcements. We wish you satisfactory results."
"Thanks."
Silas took his belongings and walked away without looking back.
The staff member hurriedly sent a few messages through his communicator.
Seeing praise from his superior, he grinned happily.
The Trainer behind him grew impatient.
"Hey, can you hurry up?"
He knew the previous registrant wasn't someone to mess with.
The Pokédex alone signified status, and that unknown-material card plus the staff's attitude made it even clearer how powerful "Red" was.
But that wasn't an excuse to stop registering people for several minutes.
"Sorry, sir. I'll register you right away."
The staff member instantly returned to his professional demeanor.
Two words: pure professionalism.
This was just a small incident among many registration counters.
Aside from those standing behind Silas, no one paid attention.
But not far away in another line, a young man narrowed his eyes at Silas's departing figure.
He felt like he had seen him before.
"Trainer Reggie, here is your number card. Please pay attention to battle notifications."
The staff called out to him several times.
Reggie snapped back to reality, nodded arrogantly, and pocketed his number card.
Even if he had seen him before, so what?
Probably just another defeated opponent.
He was already thinking about his finals opponent.
Meanwhile, in the waiting area, Silas stared at the dazzling spread of food and drinks and sighed silently.
The organizers were generous, but he couldn't eat.
He was still wearing a mask.
So he could only watch other participants enjoy themselves while he admired the food with his eyes.
The price of fame was truly painful.
Over the loudspeaker, numbers were called one after another.
Trainers came and went continuously.
Yet "Red" was never called.
Feeling puzzled, Silas asked a staff member.
The explanation:
Because the number of participants was odd, he received a first-round bye.
In the following rounds, his scheduled opponents forfeited.
Silas immediately understood.
He had definitely been given special treatment.
This was his first time truly enjoying the privileges of an elite class.
And honestly?
It felt pretty good.
Otherwise, battling every so often would have been troublesome.
Of course, the organizers couldn't make it too obvious.
If Silas reached the final sixteen without ever battling once, it would make others look foolish.
Not long after his inquiry, Silas finally faced his first official opponent.
When he saw the familiar figure across from him, his mouth widened beneath the mask.
"Red vs. Reggie. Battle begin. Please send out your Pokémon."
After verifying identities, the referee announced the start cleanly.
That's right.
Silas's first official match was directly against Reggie.
If he hadn't known about the backdoor arrangements, he might have thought someone was stirring trouble.
Although Reggie's personality wasn't great, his strength was absolutely outstanding.
Otherwise, back on the S.S. Anne, he wouldn't have been chosen by the Cerulean Gym as their representative battler.
Perhaps the organizers were being fair after all?
Seeing his opponent standing still, Reggie grew impatient.
"Hey, can you hurry up? I've got another match to get to."
Silas chuckled lightly.
"What's the rush? That eager to get beaten by me, Reggie?"
Hearing the voice, Reggie's cold expression flickered.
"So it's you."
He would never forget Silas.
The battle aboard the S.S. Anne was one of the few defeats in his career.
And the Trainer who beat him had been younger.
"Hmph. Acting all mysterious."
Reggie snorted at the fully disguised Silas.
He had naturally heard about yesterday's incident at Goldenrod.
The man before him was known as—
"The one chosen by Ho-Oh."
Silas had no idea he had gained such a bizarre title. If he knew, he would absolutely reject it.
It sounded ridiculous.
Yet in the Pokémon world, people seemed fascinated by flashy titles:
"Psychic Queen"
"Dragon Tamer"
"Ice Queen"
"Elegant Noble Prince"
Powerful Trainers often had widely recognized nicknames.
Just imagining crowds shouting such titles during battle gave Silas goosebumps.
"Please hurry."
The referee grew impatient.
He could tell the two knew each other.
But what did that matter to him?
Unbeknownst to him, a group of executives were watching Silas's arena via surveillance.
"That referee, where did he come from? Replace him later."
A bald middle-aged man frowned.
"They're chatting, let them chat. Why interrupt?"
"Exactly."
Several others echoed him.
A woman spoke calmly.
"That is the only Senior Referee sent by the Pokémon Battle Referee Association. We assigned him specifically to officiate Trainer Red's match as a sign of respect."
"Ahem. Then clearly our staff failed to properly inform the referee of the circumstances. Highly irresponsible. Replace them."
The bald man immediately changed his stance.
Ordinary referees were one thing, but senior officials from the Referee Association were different.
They were strong Trainers themselves and backed by an official organization.
He couldn't simply fire them.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In short, the fault lay with subordinates.
On the battlefield, Silas gave the referee an apologetic smile, then realized the mask hid it.
Without hesitation, he drew a Luxury Ball from his waist.
Reggie mirrored the motion.
"Blaziken, bring me victory!"
"Drapion, tear them apart!"
The two Pokémon instantly occupied opposite halves of the arena.
Drapion, the evolved form of Skorupi, is a Poison/Dark-type Pokémon known as the Ogre Scorp Pokémon. It has a vicious temperament.
Its entire body is covered in sturdy armor, giving it tremendous durability. The claws on its arms possess enough power to tear a car into scrap metal, and the tips can release venom. It is an exceptionally powerful Pokémon.
Looking at the dark-and-light purple Drapion, relevant data flashed through Silas's mind.
What was Skorupi's Ability before evolving again?
He couldn't quite remember.
Back on the S.S. Anne, he had defeated Skorupi too quickly to pay attention.
Whatever.
It was either Battle Armor or Sniper.
Battle Armor would make Drapion slightly more durable, while Sniper would enhance the damage of its critical hits. The difference wasn't enormous.
From a typing perspective alone, Blaziken held a slight advantage, it resists Dark-type moves.
Silas made the first move.
"Blaziken, use Fire Punch!"
Only his eyes were visible beneath the mask, flashing sharply.
In arena-style battles, Fighting-type Pokémon were unquestionably kings.
Blaziken's right claw hovered near its waist as it strode forward in quick, sharp steps.
The intense heat radiating from its body could be felt even by the audience nearby.
Quite a few spectators turned to watch.
"Drapion, use Scary Face."
Reggie's cold command rang out.
Known as the "Desert Devil," Drapion opened its massive jaws wide, looking terrifying.
Under everyone's gaze, Blaziken's stride faltered only slightly before it closed the distance instantly.
"Boom!"
Its flaming right fist struck.
Drapion staggered back several steps, scorch marks appearing across its armor.
"Use Bite!"
Seeing that Scary Face hadn't been effective, Reggie's tone didn't change in the slightest.
Ignoring Drapion's current condition, he issued the next command immediately.
Drapion's long neck snapped forward with a motion that seemed to defy physics.
Its enormous exposed fangs gleamed coldly.
"Follow up with Brick Break."
Silas's response was straightforward and forceful.
For the first time, disbelief flashed across Reggie's eyes.
Was he serious?
He knew Silas's Blaziken was strong and highly talented.
But Blaziken was known for its speed. Trying to meet Drapion,renowned for its raw power head-on was excessive.
And Drapion was using Bite.
"You've improved a lot. Unfortunately, not as fast as I have."
Silas's smiling eyes radiated confidence.
Drapion's Pesudo–Elite level strength proved how hard Reggie had trained over the past year.
But Blaziken had done no less.
Already at the peak of Pesudo–Elite level and preparing to challenge Elite tier, with Champion-level potential and relentless training—
At the Pesudo–Elite stage, Blaziken was invincible.
At least, Silas firmly believed so.
His trust in Blaziken mirrored Blaziken's trust in him.
"Blazi—!"
As Drapion lunged, fierce flames erupted from Blaziken's wrists.
It let out an excited cry.
Before the stunned eyes of the audience, Blaziken met the attack head-on with both arms.
Silas said to Reggie,
"If you'd used Poison Fang, I might've had Blaziken dodge."
The moment he finished speaking, Drapion's forward momentum halted.
Its hind legs scraped wildly against the ground.
Blaziken's arm muscles bulged violently. Deep gouges in the arena floor showed it wasn't effortless.
For about three seconds, they remained locked.
Blaziken took a deep breath—
"Bang!"
To Silas's confusion, Blaziken was suddenly blasted backward.
"Huh?"
He blinked in surprise.
Reggie exhaled in relief, then sneered.
"Looks like you're too confident."
Silas ignored him.
"What's wrong, Blaziken?"
Something wasn't right.
Blaziken climbed back up, its face slightly pale.
"Blazi…"
It pointed at Drapion's mouth.
It reeked. Like it hadn't been brushed in at least two years.
Silas burst into helpless laughter.
It was a Poison-type Pokémon, what did you expect? Of course it smelled foul.
Sometimes, in Pokémon battles, raw strength wasn't everything.
A Pokémon's physical traits could become decisive factors.
"That was my oversight," Silas muttered, rubbing his head. "Then let's end this quickly."
He lowered his hands.
"Drapion, use Cross Poison!"
Seeing Silas's relaxed posture only irritated Reggie further.
He slashed his hand downward, seizing the moment while Blaziken was regaining composure.
Drapion's claws became coated in a layer of purple energy.
This time, Reggie learned from his mistake. Instead of using a Dark-type move, he chose a Poison-type attack.
The previous exchange proved that even if Blaziken's strength wasn't superior, it wasn't far behind either.
Instead of contesting power directly, poison was the better option.
After all, that was Drapion's specialty.
As Drapion charged forward, Blaziken rushed in as well under Silas's command.
..
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