Another week of busy, fulfilling days flew by. Every day, Auron, Jace, Tim, and Serena attended class, trained their Pokémon, and made the most of every hour. Meanwhile, Grandpa Flint spent his nights in a guest room above the Love Pokémon Store, then headed to Ashen's research lab every morning. No one really knew what he and Ashen were tinkering with—they'd disappear for the whole day and only return in the evening, acting like a pair of nine-to-five workers.
According to Grandpa Flint, he was just waiting to give that "unfilial son" of his a piece of his mind when he showed up. Of course, he insisted it had nothing to do with avoiding Grandpa Ashford's endless debates.
Because the Pokémon domain hadn't opened yet, Dax Jonas (Flint's son) was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was already in Vantora, sightseeing, or maybe he was waiting until just before the domain's official opening. Either way, Grandpa Flint still didn't know where his son was.
On Friday, after classes, the four friends went together to register for the Baby Cup at the city center stadium. The real competition would start on Saturday. There was no admission fee, and no formal seating, making it feel more like a school event than a professional tournament—just a collection of small battle arenas rather than one central stage.
The opening was a round-robin elimination: one point per win, none for a loss. Ten consecutive wins guaranteed advancement, or, after a day's competition, the remaining spots would be filled by those with the highest scores, rounding up to 60 total competitors for Sunday's finals. The finals would be open to spectators, with tickets and viewing stands.
There was an extra rule this time—not only was each trainer limited to one registered Pokémon, but the use of held items was strictly forbidden. Maybe the organisers were inspired by Auron's comeback win at the academy tournament, when he'd used a hidden berry to turn the tables on a Dratini. (He couldn't help but laugh remembering that.)
After registering, the four split up for the night. When Auron got home, he let out Golbat and Munchlax, then buckled down to finish his homework. He wasn't quite done when Ashen came rushing in, grinning from ear to ear.
"Son, come see what Grandpa Flint and I have cooked up!"
Auron saw his dad standing there, hands hidden behind his back, looking like a kid with a secret. He smiled helplessly.
"What is it this time, Dad? You look way too excited."
Ashen revealed what he'd been hiding with a dramatic flourish.
"Tada! Behold—the Portable Item Band!"
He handed it over for Auron to examine.
"I heard about your big win at the academy tournament, hiding a berry for a clutch victory. That gave me the idea for this. With Grandpa Flint's help, we finally perfected it—a gadget to make carrying and using items way easier."
Auron examined the compact band, curiosity piqued.
"How does it work?"
Ashen eagerly demonstrated.
"Look, these are two retractable straps. The center ring can secure any held item—even those iridescent stones we've been experimenting with. The max length is big enough for a Wailord, no joke!"
Auron grinned, giving a thumbs-up.
"Dad, that's awesome."
Ashen waved it off modestly.
"Nah, most of the tough parts were thanks to Grandpa Flint. Honestly, I'd forgotten how many technical problems the folks back at Skyspire had solved while I've been away."
His mood sobered a little as he finished.
Auron gave his dad a reassuring pat, promising that once he got into Skyspire University, they'd be able to go back.
He still wasn't sure what had prompted the family's move from Capital City to Vantora—probably some argument between Ashen and Grandpa Ashford—but after all these years, it didn't matter much anymore.
"Oh, by the way, Dad—have you ever seen any iridescent stones with a rainbow-colored base?"
Ashen thought for a moment.
"Hmm…not that I recall. Why, did you see one somewhere?"
Auron played it cool.
"Uh… in a dream."
Ashen laughed.
"You rascal. All right, I won't press. I hear you signed up for the Baby Cup? Rest up and do your best tomorrow. If you make it to the finals, your mom and I will be there to cheer you on."
Auron pumped his fist, excitement bubbling over.
"Don't worry, Dad—I'll make it."
"Good. Now, get some rest."
Ashen closed the door behind him. Auron quickly finished his homework, fiddled with his phone for a bit, and then fell asleep cuddling with Munchlax and Golbat at his side.
He slept soundly, enjoying the rare luxury of having both Pokémon snuggled up with him.
The next morning, his parents were already at the store by the time he woke. They weren't the least bit worried about the tournament. After finishing the breakfast his mom had left, Auron headed out to the stadium to meet up with his friends.
As expected, Tim arrived first, with Jace and Serena close behind. As always, Jace was the last to show.
The four gathered at the stadium entrance, forming a tight circle and bumping fists.
"Let's do this!"
After a round of pep talks, they headed in to register their Pokémon for the event. Every match would be officially recorded. Their shared goal: win ten straight battles and move on to the finals—so after checking in, they each scattered to hunt for their first opponents.
Auron's first challenger was a little girl in a skirt with a cherubic, doll-like face.
"Send out your Pokémon!"
Auron released Munchlax, while the girl sent out a Ribombee—adorably cute, and of the Bug/Fairy type.
Unlike last time, Auron was using Munchlax; Serena had brought Shellder, and Jace had chosen Growlithe—nobody was repeating their previous academy tournament teams, except Tim, whose Swablu had only just hatched and couldn't battle yet, so he was using Dratini again.
Pokémon: Ribombee
Gender: Female
Type: Bug, Fairy
Ability: Shield Dust (protected from additional effects of moves)
Potential: Blue
Basic Moves: Absorb, Fairy Wind, Stun Spore, Sweet Scent
Egg Moves: Moonblast, Sticky Web
Munchlax had spent the week learning Metronome from Ashen's Kommo-o, as a counter for Jace's Torkoal's Earthquake.
The match began.
"Munchlax, close the gap—Fire Punch!"
"Ribombee, Sticky Web! Keep your distance!"
Ribombee sprayed sticky threads, slowing Munchlax—already not the fastest—and hovered just out of reach. Auron quickly realized Munchlax didn't know any ranged moves, and with official rules banning held items, he couldn't even use Belch (which required eating a berry).
He had no choice but to rely on luck with Metronome.
"Munchlax, Metronome!"
"Ribombee, Moonblast!"
Munchlax wiggled its fingers, then suddenly glowed white. Luck was on his side—Metronome triggered Amnesia, boosting his already impressive special defense. Ribombee's Moonblast hit his belly and… nothing. Munchlax barely felt it.
Again:
"Munchlax, Metronome!"
"Ribombee, Moonblast!"
The girl looked helpless. All Ribombee's moves were special attacks, but with Munchlax's boosted special defense, they might as well have been tickles. Still, she kept trying—maybe she'd get lucky.
This time, a ring of fire erupted around Munchlax—Metronome had called up Flamethrower, a perfect match-up! Ribombee had nowhere to dodge and took a direct hit.
Barely able to keep flying, Ribombee struggled to stay in the fight, but the girl's resolve was gone. Any more attacks and her Pokémon would faint, while she couldn't do any real damage to Munchlax.
"The opponent surrenders. Munchlax wins."
The referee declared the result, both trainers nodded politely, and Auron moved on to search for his next challenger. Only after five consecutive wins would officials step in to assign opponents—before that, you had to find your own. This rule existed partly to keep the field moving and partly to prevent strong competitors from advancing too quickly by racking up easy wins.
"Just get five straight wins," Auron reminded himself, "and the rest will take care of itself."
He barely had time to look before another challenger approached, eager to test their strength against him.
"Send out your Pokémon!"
This time, his opponent chose a Slugma.
Pokémon: Slugma
Gender: Male
Type: Fire
Ability: Magma Armor (cannot be frozen)
Potential: Green
Basic Moves: Yawn, Smog, Ember, Harden, Rock Throw
Egg Moves: Swallow, Rollout
Auron noticed the Slugma's only Egg Move was Swallow. Without Stockpile as a prerequisite, Swallow was basically useless. He couldn't help but grin.
His opponent misread the smile, thinking Auron was mocking him, and glared fiercely—determined to put him in his place.
The battle started:
"Slugma, Rollout!"
"Munchlax, Earthquake!"
The plan was obvious—Rollout's stacking damage could be dangerous, even for Munchlax. But the kid didn't realize Munchlax now knew Earthquake.
The ground shook violently, knocking Slugma flat and sending it spinning, eyes swirling in defeat.
"Slugma is unable to battle. Munchlax wins."
With a polite nod, Auron moved on to the next match.
It didn't take long for Munchlax to rack up five wins in a row. At this point, he was practically the tyrant of the Baby Cup—most ranged attackers relied on special moves, which barely scratched Munchlax's defenses. All he had to do was wait for an opening and use Metronome for random moves, or, up close, unleash a barrage of punches and Earthquakes.
There was just no way around it: if your only hope was special attacks, you were doomed; if you got in close, you'd get flattened by Munchlax's "triple punch" combo, Heavy Slam, or Earthquake. No wonder his opponents just couldn't find a way to win.
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