Noah stood near the battle arena, watching the tournament bracket displayed on the screen. Only four trainers remained: himself, Jason, a boy named Marcus, and Emma—the girl with the Seedot
He glanced toward the other side of the field, where Emma stood with her arms crossed. She was slightly taller than him, with short brown hair and a focused expression. Unlike some of the other trainers, she didn't look nervous at all.
She's confident. That means she's strong.
The referee stepped forward, raising his flag. "The semifinals of the Oldale Town Rookie Tournament are about to begin! First up: Noah vs. Emma!"
The crowd cheered as Noah took his place on the battlefield.
Emma smirked. "I saw your battles. You're good, but I don't think you'll get past me."
Noah shrugged.
The referee raised both flags. "Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Emma threw her Poké Ball. "Go, Seedot!"
A flash of light revealed the small, brown acorn Pokémon, standing firmly on the battlefield. Its tiny eyes locked onto Pidgey with an unreadable expression. Noah frowned slightly. It looks slow, but I know it can take hits. She'll be relying on defense
He took a breath. "Let's do this, Pidgey!"
Pidgey chirped loudly and took flight.
The referee raised his flag. "Battle, begin!"
Noah started immediately. "Pidgey, use Tackle!"
Pidgey dived toward Seedot at full speed.
Emma didn't flinch. "Harden.
Just before Pidgey made contact, Seedot's body flashed, its surface becoming tougher. Pidgey slammed into it—and barely moved it an inch
Noah's eyes widened. That barely did anything
Emma smirked. "Now, Bide!"
Noah looked worried. He remembered how Bide worked—it took damage, stored it, then unleashed it with double the power. That meant he had to be careful about how much he attacked.
"Pidgey, back off!"
Pidgey flapped hard, retreating into the air
Emma crossed her arms. "You can't avoid it forever.
Noah thought quickly. If I don't attack, Bide won't do anything. But if I wait too long, she'll just use Harden again and reset the fight
He needed a way to wear Seedot down without taking a big hit.
Then, an idea hit him.
"Pidgey, use Sand Attack!
Pidgey swooped low and kicked up a cloud of dirt. The dust swirled around Seedot, getting into its eyes.
Emma frowned. "Trying to lower my accuracy? Smart, but not enough."
Noah stayed patient. Seedot's Bide was still building up energy. He needed to time this right
Emma's eyes narrowed. "Fine. Seedot, release it!"
Seedot's body glowed bright red before it fired off a powerful counterattack.But Noah was ready.
"dodge it" Pidgey darted to the side just in time. Seedot's attack shot forward—and hit nothing but air.
Emma gritted her teeth. "Tch.
Noah grinned. That was her best shot, and she missed. Now it's my turn.
"Pidgey, Tackle again!"
Pidgey struck Seedot once more, knocking it back slightly. The damage was small, but this time, there was no Bide to worry about.
Emma scowled. "Harden again!"
Seedot's body glowed once more, reinforcing its defenses.
Noah wasn't fazed. "Keep using Sand Attack!
Pidgey kept kicking up dirt, making it harder and harder for Seedot to see.
Emma clicked her tongue. "Stop that! Use Tackle!
Seedot lunged forward—but it missed completely, stumbling as it landed.
Noah smirked. That's what I was waiting for
"Pidgey, full-power Tackle!
Pidgey dived at top speed, slamming into Seedot's side.This time, it actually knocked the acorn Pokémon off its feet.
Seedot rolled across the ground before finally stopping. It tried to get back up… but its body wobbled and collapsed.
The referee raised a flag. "Seedot is unable to battle! Noah and Pidgey win!"
The crowd erupted into cheers
Noah exhaled, wiping sweat from his forehead. That was tough… but we did it
Emma sighed as she recalled Seedot. "Not bad. I should've predicted you'd use accuracy drops.
Noah nodded. "You almost had me with Bide. If I hadn't dodged, it would've been over."
Emma smirked. "Yeah, well… good luck in the finals.
The realization hit Noah all at once , He had made it to the final round.
One battle left. And he already knew who his opponent would be.
Noah watched the last semifinal match from the sidelines
Jason and his Electrike were up against Marcus, a trainer with a Taillow.
The battle was over in minutes.
Taillow barely lasted against Electrike's speed. A few quick Thunder Wave and Tackle combos shut it down almost immediately.
Jason barely even looked tired as he walked off the battlefield.
Noah clenched his fists. It's me and him. The rematch.
As the tournament bracket updated, the final matchup flashed on the screen:
Noah vs. Jason.
Jason walked past him, smirking. "Looks like we'll finally settle this."
Noah met his gaze. "Yeah."
Jason's smirk widened. "Just don't choke."
Noah exhaled slowly. This is it. One more fight.
He looked down at Pidgey, who fluffed its feathers and chirped determinedly.
Noah grinned , They were ready.
Noah stood on one side of the battlefield, facing Jason once again. The crowd was buzzing with excitement, the energy in the air electric.
This was it—the final match of the Oldale Town Rookie Tournament.
Jason smirked. "You got lucky last time, but this time, I'm not holding back."
Noah clenched his fists. "Neither am I."
The referee stepped forward, raising his flags. "This is the final battle! The winner will receive 10,000 Pokédollars and a set of Poké Balls!"
The crowd roared.
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!
Jason tossed his Poké Ball into the air. "Let's end this, Electrike!"
With a flash of light, Electrike appeared, sparks flickering from its fur as it barked in excitement.Noah inhaled sharply. He had barely won against it last time. This was going to be even harder.
He grabbed his Poké Ball. "Pidgey, let's do this!
Pidgey flapped into the air, letting out a confident chirp.
The referee raised his flag. "Battle, begin!
Jason wasted no time. "Electrike, Quick Attack!"
Electrike vanished in a blur, moving faster than Noah could track
"Pidgey, dodge!
Pidgey tried to swerve to the side, but Electrike was too fast—it crashed into Pidgey before it could react
Pidgey tumbled through the air before catching itself, flapping hard to stay airborne.
Jason smirked. "You can't dodge speed."
Noah's mind raced. If I can't dodge, I have to find another way to counter it.
He clenched his fists. "Pidgey, Sand Attack!
Pidgey swooped low and kicked up dirt toward Electrike.
Jason's smirk widened. "Electrike, Thunder Wave!"
A spark of electricity shot from Electrike and struck Pidgey before it could retreat.
Noah's eyes widened. "Pidgey!"
Pidgey flinched, its wings twitching. A faint yellow static crackled around its body.
Paralysis.
Jason crossed his arms. "Now, your Pidgey's even slower. This is over."
Noah gritted his teeth. Come on, Pidgey. We can still do this.
Jason pointed forward. "Electrike, Quick Attack—finish this!"
Electrike charged forward, closing in fast.
Noah's mind raced. Pidgey can't move in time!
"Pidgey, do something—anything!"
Pidgey's eyes widened. It flapped its wings as hard as it could—
WHOOSH!
A sudden burst of wind erupted from Pidgey's wings, slamming into Electrike mid-charge.
Jason's eyes widened. "What?!"
Noah's breath caught in his throat. Did Pidgey just—?
The referee gasped. "That's Gust!"
Pidgey hovered in place, looking just as surprised as Noah.
Then, its expression hardened. It chirped loudly, flapping its wings again.
WHOOSH! Another blast of wind surged forward, pushing Electrike back.
Noah's heart pounded. Pidgey just learned Gust—right in the middle of the battle
Jason scowled. "Tch. Doesn't matter! Electrike, another Quick Attack!"
Electrike dashed forward again.
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Pidgey, one last time give your all Gust!"
Pidgey flapped its wings with everything it had. A powerful whirlwind erupted, slamming into Electrike like a wall.
Electrike yelped as it was lifted off the ground, tumbling backward from the sheer force of the wind which continued.
Jason's eyes widened. "No way—!"
Noah's heart pounded. Now's our chance!
"Pidgey, finish it with Tackle!"Pidgey folded its wings and dove like a missile, crashing into Electrike from above.
BOOM!
Electrike slammed into the wal
It struggled… tried to get up , Then collapsed.
The crowd went silent.
The referee raised his flag."Electrike is unable to battle! Noah and Pidgey win the match!"
The stadium erupted into cheers. Noah stared in shock. We won. He looked at Pidgey, who chirped tiredly but proudly.
Jason gritted his teeth, staring at his fallen Electrike. Then, he sighed and returned it to its Poké Ball.
"…Not bad" He looked at Noah and smirked. "Guess I was wrong about you."
Noah smiled. "Thanks."
The referee stepped forward. "And with that, the winner of the Oldale Town Rookie Tournament is Noah from Oldale Town!"
Noah exhaled. They had done it.
And Pidgey… had gotten stronger than ever.
The stadium was still buzzing with excitement as Noah stood in the center of the battlefield, taking in the reality of his victory. The Oldale Town Rookie Tournament Champion. The words still felt surreal.
Pidgey perched on his shoulder, tired but proud, its feathers ruffled from the battle.
The referee approached, holding a small case and an envelope. "Noah, as the tournament champion, you are awarded 10,000 Pokédollars and a set of Poké Balls! Congratulations!
The crowd erupted into cheers as the referee handed him the rewards.
Noah stared at the Poké Balls in his hands. This was it—his first real step toward building a team.
He glanced at Pidgey, smiling. "We did it, buddy."Pidgey chirped happily, nudging his cheek.
Jason walked up, hands in his pockets. "You got lucky."
Noah smirked. "Or maybe we just worked harder."
Jason huffed, but then his expression softened. "Tch. Either way, you were stronger today. I'll give you that."
Noah nodded. "That was a great battle. Electrike's amazing.
Jason crossed his arms. "Hmph. We'll be stronger next time. You better not fall behind."
Noah grinned. "Looking forward to it."
As Jason walked off, Noah heard a familiar voice calling his name.
"Noah!" He turned to see his mother, making her way through the crowd.
Mrs. Carter had tears in her eyes as she rushed over, throwing her arms around him.
"You did it!" she said, hugging him tightly. "I knew you could do it, honey!"
Noah chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed but also happy. "Thanks, Mom."
She pulled back, looking at Pidgey. "And you, little one—you were incredible" Pidgey chirped proudly
Mrs. Carter wiped her eyes. "I've never seen you battle like that before, Noah. I'm so proud of you."
Noah smiled. "Pidgey worked really hard.
She nodded. "And now it's time for you both to rest."
Noah blinked. "Huh?
She put her hands on her hips. "Don't even think about running off on your journey tonight. You need a good meal and some sleep. No son of mine is leaving home exhausted."
Noah hesitated. He had been so focused on winning that he hadn't thought about what came next.
Now that she mentioned it… he was exhausted.
Pidgey, still on his shoulder, let out a small yawn.
Mrs. Carter chuckled. "See? Even Pidgey agrees with me.
Noah sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Alright, alright. We'll rest first.
She smiled warmly. "Good. Now, come on. Let's go home."
As they walked through Oldale Town, Noah noticed people waving and congratulating him.
"You were amazing, Noah!"
"Your Pidgey's got some real power!"
"I knew you'd win!"
It felt strange being the center of attention, but at the same time… it felt good.
By the time they reached home, Noah could barely keep his eyes open.
His mother had already prepared a warm meal—his favorite stew
They sat at the table, eating in comfortable silence
Pidgey was given a small dish of food as well, which it eagerly pecked at.
Mrs. Carter smiled. "So, what's next?"
Noah swallowed a bite of food, thinking. "Tomorrow… I start my journey for real."
She nodded. "Then you'll need all the rest you can get."
After finishing dinner, Noah barely made it to his room before collapsing onto his bed
Pidgey fluttered onto the windowsill, gazing at the night sky.
Noah smiled sleepily. "We really did it, huh?"
Pidgey chirped softly.
Noah closed his eyes, exhaustion washing over him.Tomorrow, a new adventure would begin.
But for now… both partners slept.