Elimination tournament, second day.
The list of the top 32 was announced yesterday when the elimination round ended.
Each competitor's matchup was arranged an hour after the list came out.
Everyone had enough time to gather information on their opponents, formulate and prepare their strategies, and find ways to counter their opponents' tactics and Pokémon.
Obviously.
The purpose of this setup by the organizers was not only to make the matches more exciting but also to assess the competitors' comprehensive abilities.
After all, the Alliance requires young talents not only to have combat skills but also to possess abilities in various aspects that exceed the average standard.
Due to Nanami's withdrawal, one person was missing from the top 32, leaving the spot for a very lucky person to directly advance to the final 16.
Such good fortune, of course, had nothing to do with Natsuhiko.
However, simply looking at this list of 32 competitors, Natsuhiko could only remark one word.
Lavish!
The majority of those he recognized or was familiar with were future pillars of various regions and Alliances.
Such as Lance and Kona from the Kanto Region, Yishu, Rika, and Xiaochun from the Johto Region, Flint, Furong, Mikkel from the Hoenn Region, Hilona, Da Ye, Wusong, Aliu, and Denji from the Sinnoh Region, Jade Liya, Wrist Dragon, and Yueju from Unova, and Pachira, Shimi, and Karin from the Kalos Region.
Which of these people won't be influential figures in their regions in the future?
Natsuhiko even imagined, if someone were to sweep the entire arena right now, what kind of slump the Alliance would enter over the next decade or even twenty years.
But it's just a thought.
Look at the figures overseeing this arena.
Ghost-Type Elite Agatha from the Kanto Alliance, Dragon-Type Elite Genji from the Hoenn Alliance, Sinnoh Ground Type Elite Kikuno, Elite Trainer Adick from the United Alliance, Dragon-Type Elite Drasna from the Kalos Alliance.
Worth mentioning.
Elite Trainer Adick from the United Alliance was originally the Champion, but due to the loss of one of his Pokémon, he became somewhat defeated and stepped down from managing United Alliance affairs, temporarily demoting himself to the position of Elite Four. He came to Lily Island this time because a friend persuaded him to watch young people battle.
The Champion position for the United Alliance has remained vacant until now.
So, actually, there are four Elites and one Champion overseeing. Even if Rocket Team were to march out in full force, it wouldn't be enough to shake them.
It shows that the Alliance learned its lesson from last time when it was ambushed by Magma Team during the trial.
...
In the VIP box at the top of Lily Arena, seated were the real powerhouses of the Alliance, individuals whose every move sends tremors across all regions.
Agatha leisurely lounged in a corner of the sofa, with a delicate fruit platter on the table before her. One hand held a cane while the other unabashedly popped crystalline grape-like gems into her mouth.
Having settled matters with Natsuhiko, Agatha was in a good mood these past few days.
As the current chief investigator of the Kanto Region, Agatha knew more about the world's dark side than others.
Agatha was also a person who held grudges—the recent overreach by the Hunter Guild had lingered in her mind for quite some time.
This time, teaming up with forces from the Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Johto Regions to suppress the rampant Hunter Guild, Agatha was the chief coordinator.
Genji stood at the large floor-to-ceiling window, watching the bustling arena with an expressionless face.
The Magma Team was an entrenched underground power in the Hoenn Region. The unexpected incident during the last trial made the Hoenn Alliance responsible for teaching the Magma Team a sufficient lesson afterward, and Genji rarely took the initiative to apply for this task, so most of his time was spent pondering the upcoming strategies aside from watching the matches.
Kikuno also sat on the sofa, but she was fully concentrated on handling the yarn in her hand. As the weather was slowly turning warmer, she needed to knit herself a new light scarf since the one around her neck was becoming a bit too hot.
Adick slouched in a chair with his arms hanging over the back, looking dispirited. Had it not been for a friend's persuasion, he wouldn't have bothered to come representing the United Alliance to watch the competition.
In the entire VIP box, only Drasna was cheerfully observing the arena, waiting for the second round of the elimination tournament to commence.
Her hometown was Shenhe Town in the Sinnoh Region, but she had spent most of her time after memory in the Kalos Region. Returning to the Sinnoh Region now, she felt a certain connection.
Especially toward Hilona, who also hailed from Shenhe Town.
Drasna was acquainted with Hilona; they even shared some familial ties. However, not wanting to disturb Hilona's focus on the competition, Drasna hadn't reached out to catch up.
Just as these Elite trainers waited for the tournament to begin, the VIP box door opened.
Entered a man, white-haired yet neatly styled, wearing a broad brown trench coat, holding a shiny, clearly more fashionable cane than Agatha's, with a broad smile as he walked in slowly.
His sudden appearance naturally caught the attention of the others in the box, except Adick; the others all shifted their gaze to him.
"Haha—the old, uninvited visitor, hopes not to have disturbed the esteemed colleagues at work."
Upon seeing the visitor, Agatha smirked, murmuring "shameless old man" under her breath before returning to her fruit platter.
If it weren't for Kanto Alliance's insistence, Agatha might have already resigned, like Uncle Liu who voluntarily stepped down. For the elder who walked in, much older than her yet clinging to his Elite Four position, she had no fondness.
Genji and Drasna returned a polite smile, out of courtesy.
Kikuno was somewhat surprised, "Elite Four Ryuzi, why are you here?"
The visitor was one of the Sinnoh Alliance's Elite Four, Rock-type Elite, formerly Ground-type Elite, Hoshino Ryuzi.
The very Four Elites grandfather of Hoshino Ryuzaki whom Natsuhiko dealt with in the Alternate Space.
Clearly, Hoshino Ryuzi was still very concerned about the death of Hoshino Ryuzaki and came this time to see if the person who killed his grandson was among those competing.
He didn't believe that someone able to take down his grandson would fail to make it into the elimination rounds. He was confident in the Sandstorm Team he built for his grandson, especially since he had specially provided an Elite Candidate Level Barbaracle as a trump card.
So arriving at the point of the top 32 to 16 matches was not too late.
Kikuno slowly furrowed her brows, understanding the purpose of Ryuzi's visit, in a slightly somber tone said, "Elite Four Ryuzi, as discussed at the last meeting, we are very sorry about your grandson's incident, but it was done by the Magma Team."
Having challenged Ryuzi from his original Ground-type Elite position, Kikuno still respected this true veteran Elite of the Alliance. Despite some criticized actions, his contributions to the Sinnoh Alliance couldn't be ignored.
"Naturally, naturally, the old merely wishes to observe the vigor of the youngsters." Ryuzi didn't comment directly, pulled over a chair, and sat before the large screen TV in the VIP box.
However, once seated, as his hands rested on his cane, a chilling gleam flashed inadvertently within his lowered eyes.
Magma Team?
He was sure it wasn't Magma Team.
He was confident for a reason.