The canyon where the Three Dragon Trial was held lay in the wilderness near Blackthorn City, a vast region of rocky terrain.
Following Clair down the opposite path, the group soon arrived at a field filled with jagged boulders.
It was known as the Giant Rock Quarry.
Long ago, this place had been an open-pit mining site.
Its history afterward was simple enough.
After excessive mining exhausted its resources, the quarry was abandoned over a century ago.
Aside from the occasional novice Trainer hoping to catch Rock-type or Ground-type Pokémon, almost nobody came here anymore.
During the Rising Dragon Ceremony, however, that was especially true.
Because of the quarry's unique environment, it was frequently used as the battlefield for visiting Trainers participating in the ceremony.
No beginner Trainer would dare enter during this period.
Battles between Pokémon at the quasi-Elite level could produce shockwaves powerful enough to overwhelm even Pokémon that had only recently left infancy, let alone inexperienced Trainers.
"Alright, it's time to draw lots."
Stopping in a nearby clearing, Clair decisively produced a stack of wooden tags.
"The tags are numbered from 1 to 43. Trainer No. 1 will battle Trainer No. 43, No. 2 will battle No. 42, and so on. Whoever draws No. 22 receives a bye and advances directly to the next round."
She explained the elimination rules in a clear and concise manner.
No one objected.
Everyone present understood their position.
To begin with, opening the Rising Dragon Ceremony to outsiders was already a privilege granted by the Blackthorn Clan.
As for the rules, they only needed to be fair enough. No one could expect them to be as strict as an official League Conference.
Otherwise, the Rising Dragon Ceremony would drag on for half a month, and that was certainly not what the Blackthorn Clan wanted.
After all, because there were so many participants this year and their overall strength was unusually high, they had already added the Three Dragon Trial beforehand.
Then came the single-elimination tournament.
It was clearly designed for maximum efficiency.
Otherwise, a round-robin points system would have been far fairer than a simple lottery.
With random pairings, an unlucky Trainer specializing in Fire-types might draw a Water-type specialist.
Even if the Fire-type Trainer were slightly stronger overall, victory would still be extremely difficult.
That comparison assumed both Trainers were in the same strength tier.
Of course, if one of them had a Elite-level Pokémon, that was another matter entirely.
But Elite-level Pokémon were nowhere near that common.
Among the forty-three Trainers present, fewer than half possessed even a single Elite-level Pokémon.
And among those, fewer than ten owned two or more.
This was, after all, the Rising Dragon Ceremony, where the ultimate reward was very likely the chance to obtain a Dragon-type Pokémon.
The Trainers gathered here might not all be the strongest in their respective regions, but each was at least a well-known figure in several nearby cities.
That alone showed just how rare Elite-level Trainers truly were.
"So getting into the top ten will depend partly on luck."
Many Trainers reached the same conclusion, their expressions growing increasingly serious.
Especially those who had originally been confident of making the top ten.
With forty-three participants, two rounds of battles would be required before only ten remained.
Judging by the surroundings, there didn't seem to be a Pokémon Center nearby to heal their teams.
That meant if someone was forced into a grueling first-round battle against a powerful opponent, they could easily be picked off by their second-round opponent afterward.
At the same time, quite a few Trainers who had barely cleared the Three Dragon Trial couldn't help smiling.
For them, this format was actually good news.
Whether they ultimately captured a Dragon-type Pokémon or not, simply having a realistic chance to enter the Dragon's Den was already far beyond what they had originally hoped for.
"Let's begin. We'll draw in reverse order of who cleared the trial. Silas, you'll go last."
Clair tilted her chin slightly.
A middle-aged man dressed like a Hiker immediately hurried forward.
"Number 8."
"Number 19."
"Number 33."
One wooden tag after another was drawn.
Everyone wore a different expression.
Confidence.
Resignation.
Determination.
But one thing remained the same.
No one admitted defeat before the battle even began.
Having reached this level, every official League Trainer possessed the proper mindset.
Until the battle was over, no one could predict the victor.
That was one of a Trainer's guiding principles.
The drawing finished quickly.
Within just three or four minutes, only Masato and Silas remained.
Still wrapped in his black cloak, Masato stepped forward without hesitation and picked one of the final two wooden tags.
"Number 7."
Clair calmly announced the result.
"Damn it! What kind of luck is that?!"
A frustrated voice rang out from the corner.
Because until that very moment, the No. 22 bye tag had yet to appear.
Masato had managed to choose the wrong tag despite having a fifty-percent chance.
Quite a few Trainers rolled their eyes.
His luck might have been bad, but theirs was excellent.
Although Silas had been the first to clear the trial, that didn't necessarily prove he was the strongest.
It did, however, mean he was unquestionably among the very best.
Combined with his growing reputation, almost no one wanted to face him—especially not in the first round.
Silas receiving the bye was good news for practically everyone else.
"Groups One through Seven, head inside first."
"The only rules are that you may use no more than six Pokémon, you must remain within the designated battle area, and you may not deliberately harm your opponent."
"Other than that there are no rules."
"Time is limited. Don't waste it."
Clair pointed toward the Giant Rock Quarry.
Fortunately, the quarry was enormous.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to accommodate so many Trainers and Pokémon simultaneously.
The paired Trainers glanced at one another before disappearing into the rocky battlefield.
"Dragonite, I'll leave the rest to you."
Clair turned toward her Dragonite.
The chubby Dragonite immediately took to the sky and assumed the role of chief overseer.
Silas couldn't help smiling.
That's right.
During this stage of the Rising Dragon Ceremony, battles were conducted under what was essentially wild battle rules.
Even if you physically subdued your opponent, the Trainer himself in a spectacular display of martial prowess and forced them to surrender, the Blackthorn Clan wouldn't interfere, provided nobody was killed.
If you were capable of that, then perhaps you could try convincing a Dragon-type Pokémon in the Dragon's Den through hand-to-hand combat.
Besides, a Trainer's own physical ability was undeniably part of their overall strength.
"I've got the feeling you're actually looking forward to this battle format."
Brock, standing nearby, couldn't help commenting.
With Ninetales' help, he had also managed to pass the Three Dragon Trial.
But this round was another story.
The restriction on the number of Pokémon he could use was his greatest weakness.
"It's not bad."
Silas didn't deny it.
"Don't you think this kind of battle is interesting?"
"Not at all."
Brock refused without hesitation.
There was a reason wild battle rules had gradually fallen out of favor.
No matter how much a human trained, their body simply couldn't compare to a Pokémon's.
Even if people possessed extraordinary resistance to elemental attacks, the gap in physical durability remained enormous.
Under wild battle rules, a single mistake could easily cost someone their life.
That was hardly beneficial to the League's efforts to promote the Trainer profession.
Danger in the wilderness was one thing.
Everyone understood that.
But if ordinary League citizens risked dying even in routine Trainer battles, it would only discourage people from becoming Trainers in the first place.
Although wild battles were undeniably more brutal and better reflected a Trainer's true abilities, they were equally unsuited for widespread use.
That was precisely why this stage of the Rising Dragon Ceremony was held outdoors.
"By the way, your opponent isn't weak."
Silas casually changed the subject, bringing up Brock's draw.
The unlucky guy had been matched against a trainer with a Elite-level Pokémon.
Fortunately, that opponent only had one Elite-level Pokémon, and it was probably weaker than Ninetales.
Even so, Brock's chances of winning were still slim.
Although he technically had four Pokémon with him, only three were truly capable of fighting.
Even if Ninetales managed to tie down one Elite-level Pokémon and Pesudo Elite-level Pokémon, Brock would still be facing a four-versus-two battle with his remaining team a gap he simply couldn't overcome.
Brock waved his hand dismissively.
"It's fine. I'll just surrender early. I wasn't expecting to earn a spot anyway."
He sounded completely unconcerned.
Silas smiled.
Looking at it that way, Brock's opponent had gotten pretty lucky too.
At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about Brock dragging him into a drawn-out battle, allowing him to conserve most of his strength for the next round.
Time passed, and from noon onward, explosions echoed endlessly throughout the Giant Rock Field.
Sandstorms, rain, harsh sunlight, hail...
Every section of the battlefield had completely different weather.
From time to time, towering pillars of white, yellow, or orange light shot into the sky.
"Mmm..."
Growing sleepy from leaning against a rock wall for so long, Silas stretched lazily.
"You seem pretty relaxed."
Clair, who had disappeared for a while, returned almost exactly on cue.
Ignoring the curious looks from the other trainers, she casually walked over and started chatting with Silas.
Silas rolled his shoulders.
"Not bad. So how are you planning to deal with the extra person?"
Including him, there would be twenty-two trainers remaining after the first round.
After another round of battles, there would be eleven winners.
That left things awkwardly stuck at one person over the top ten.
"We eliminate the weakest one. If they're not satisfied, they can challenge anyone among the remaining ten."
Clair's answer was concise.
Allowing an extra person into the Dragon Den?
Absolutely not.
It wouldn't really matter in practice, but rules were rules.
And once you broke a rule once, it became a precedent.
The nearby trainers who overheard the conversation all felt their hearts skip a beat.
"How do you determine who's the weakest?"
One trainer interrupted.
Clair pointed toward the sky.
"Dragonite has been watching the entire time. It'll decide."
"If you can't even earn Dragonite's approval, then entering the Dragon Den wouldn't make any difference anyway."
"..."
The fourteen trainers who had already won looked at each other but couldn't argue.
She wasn't wrong.
The entire reason they had entered the Rising Dragon Ceremony was to enter the Dragon Den and earn the recognition of a Dragon-type Pokémon before capturing one of its young.
If Dragonite didn't even approve of them, then things probably wouldn't go well inside the Dragon Den either.
Clair quickly stopped paying attention to the unfamiliar trainers and enthusiastically continued chatting with Silas.
She was extremely interested in his Ice-type Vulpix.
Partly because of her instincts as a Dragon-type trainer, and partly because cute Pokémon were simply irresistible to girls.
"Kyuu~"
The snow-white Alolan Vulpix nimbly scampered around Clair's shoulders.
This big sister had given it lots of delicious treats.
She was a good person.
Clair smiled happily, occasionally taking premium Pokémon snacks from her waist pouch to feed the little fox.
Each bite probably cost over a thousand Poké Dollars.
An ordinary person could never afford to spoil a Pokémon like this.
After growing used to Silas's cooking, Alolan Vulpix had become quite picky about food.
"They're coming out."
While crouching down and letting Piplup spray him in the face with water, Silas suddenly spoke.
Moments later, the last victorious trainer emerged from the stone forest, covered in dust from head to toe.
"Congratulations to all the trainers who advanced. We'll proceed the same way as before."
Clair gave Alolan Vulpix one last affectionate pat before taking out twenty-two numbered wooden tags.
The rules were unchanged.
This time, however, Silas obviously wouldn't receive a bye.
"My luck isn't that great."
He glanced at his number and muttered.
The defeated trainers had already left through another exit, so Brock wasn't around to crack jokes with him anymore.
A bit of a shame.
Name: Aoki Chishiro
Main Team: Arbok, Crobat, Swampert, Rhyperior, Muk, and Staraptor.
Among them, Staraptor possessed Elite-level strength.
"A Sinnoh regional bird and a Kanto regional bird, huh."
Silas smiled.
His opponent was fairly strong one of the better trainers remaining.
Poison-type specialists were notoriously troublesome to deal with.
Unfortunately he had run into Silas.
"Trainers numbered one through five, enter first. Six through eleven, get ready."
At Clair's announcement, Silas and a cold-faced young man stepped into the Giant Rock Field together.
"This terrain is really something."
As they headed toward their battle zone, Silas looked around in amazement.
Deep ravines covered the ground, with rocks of every imaginable size scattered everywhere.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say someone could disappear simply by turning a corner.
As his opponent, Aoki Chishiro quietly observed Silas while countless thoughts raced through his mind.
So this is the League trainer the boss has been paying attention to lately.
He really is a genius.
Though he seems a little carefree.
Looks like this operation is probably going to fail.
Whatever. I'll do my best. With the Pokémon I have, it's not like I have no chance.
Seriously, my luck sucks. Weren't people supposed to be backing me up? Where did everyone disappear to?
Speaking of disappearing could that Masato guy be our contact?
Despite the cold expression on his face, his inner thoughts were as nonstop as a chatterbox.
People doing this kind of work had to entertain themselves somehow, or they'd eventually lose their minds.
Whoosh!
Almost simultaneously, the two trainers darted behind separate massive stone pillars.
They had officially entered the battle zone.
"Let's do this! Pidgeot! Blaziken! Gigalith! Serperior! Togekiss! Ampharos!"
"And you too, everyone!"
Twelve Pokémon of varying sizes appeared across the battlefield.
"Rhyperior, Hyper Beam!"
"Serperior! Gigalith! Solar Beam!"
The two trainers thought almost exactly alike.
The very first move they made was to greet each other with devastating ultimate attacks.
...
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