The main bracket of the Young Ho-Oh Cup divided the 128 contestants into 16 groups.
Groups were designated by the first 16 letters of the alphabet, with 8 players per group. The format was a three-round single-elimination bracket: win and advance, lose and go home.
Each group contained one "Seed Player"—rookie trainers who had shown overwhelming strength during the qualifiers.
To prevent them from knocking each other out too early, the organizers had intentionally separated them.
Owen was Group D, Number 3. According to the schedule, he would be the 14th match of the day. His opponent was Group D, Number 4, another female rookie trainer.
Walking through the Oriental Pearl Arena, Owen looked around, searching for someone.
"I'm here. Where are you?"
"I see you. Walk forward a bit more," a voice came through his phone.
Owen took a few more steps and spotted Lynnea waving at him.
"Morning."
"Morning."
"I wanted to ask yesterday... did you spend the whole summer doing special training with Uncle Loren?" Owen asked.
"As if! He just dumped Growlithe and me into a police dog training camp and left us to rot," Lynnea said huffily. "Hardly any break time, and the instructors were always stone-faced. Can't you see I've tanned a whole shade darker?"
"Darker? I don't see it," Owen said, blinking.
"At least you know how to talk," Lynnea smiled.
Actually, I just never paid much attention to you before... Owen thought. He decided it was best not to voice that particular truth; it was a one-way ticket to being hated.
"By the way, what's with the outfit? It looks pretty good. But isn't it hot wearing a hat in the middle of summer?" Lynnea pointed at the "Red" style outfit Owen had donned today.
"It's fine..." Owen adjusted the brim of his hat. "I'm worried about being nervous. Wearing the hat helps me relax."
"If you say so... Should we head to the waiting room?" Lynnea checked the time. "The main event starts soon."
As the main tournament was about to commence, spectators were filling the stands. On the guest platform, representatives from the Metropolis Trainer Association and the primary sponsor, Aurora Group, took their seats.
Among the dozen guests sat an exceptionally young man. Everyone who approached him spoke with a tone of deep respect.
"Student Lu, I didn't expect you to attend as well."
"Well, a junior sister from our dojo is competing. I came to check on her."
"Oh? I heard the Heaven's Heart Dojo took in a new apprentice with Psychic talent. So the rumors are true."
"I'll have to trouble you to introduce us later."
"Certainly," the young man replied.
The Heaven's Heart Dojo was one of the major hubs for Psychic users in the country. It was clear that this year's Young Ho-Oh Cup featured at least one "Superhuman" participant.
Meanwhile, Owen and Lynnea reached the waiting room. It wasn't crowded; most players were out on the observation decks.
Those staying inside were either naturally quiet or focused purely on their own upcoming matches.
Owen fell into neither category. He was there because he had promised Lynnea she could hold Eevee. Owen released Eevee from her Poké Ball. Eevee looked around dazed for a moment before being scooped up by an ecstatic Lynnea.
"She really is so cute..." Lynnea rubbed her face against Eevee's fur. "She doesn't look like she has any combat power at all. How did you two make it to the main tournament?"
"Vee..." Caught in Lynnea's embrace and having her strength questioned, Eevee shot Owen a look that asked, What is going on here?
"Pure skill," Owen laughed, gesturing for Eevee to stay calm. "Why don't you release Growlithe? I'd like to see him too."
"That..." Lynnea hesitated awkwardly. "My Growlithe is a bit special. He doesn't like strangers. For the sake of your physical safety, let's wait until later. Even when my dad tries to touch him, he nearly gets tackled. Growlithe only trusts me right now."
"That's quite the personality..." Owen scratched his cheek. "Actually, that's not a bad thing. If he were like Eevee, someone might lure him away with food one day."
"Vee..." Eevee put on a "playing dumb" expression, but she couldn't refute it. Back in Fairview, she had nearly wandered off more than once because of the smell from street food stalls.
"The main tournament is about to begin. Group A contestants, please stand by."
The broadcast echoed through the room.
"Let's go watch," Owen said. "The seed for Group A is the trainer with the Scyther. I want to see his style and prepare..."
Lynnea stared at him with wide eyes. "He's in Group A, and you're in Group D. Even if you meet, it wouldn't be until the Quarterfinals..."
Owen nodded seriously. He wasn't planning on losing before then.
The Young Ho-Oh Cup officially began at 8:00 AM! The first match featured Group A, Player 1 vs. Player 2.
Both were standard rookies, roughly at the same level as Leo and his Munchlax. Owen estimated that if Eevee went all out, she could end the match in thirty seconds.
The match ended in under two minutes.
At this stage, Pokémon don't have high stamina. That's a huge advantage for Eevee and me, Owen noted.
The second match caught Owen's full attention. As a student named Miles entered the field, the commentator began the introduction:
"Contestant Miles of Group A, Number 4, had an incredible run in the qualifiers. In all four matches, his Pokémon finished the opponent in just one or two moves. Let's see how he performs in the main bracket!"
Facing a Seed Player, Miles opponent didn't dare be careless. He and his Electrike were incredibly cautious.
However, Miles didn't find the win as easy as he did in the qualifiers.
"That Scyther is so fast..." Lynnea remarked. "Even after being hit by Electrike's Thunder Wave, it's still maintaining that much speed. I wonder how they trained it."
"It's fast, and those scythes look dangerous," Owen said, aiming his phone at the field to record the match.
The speed of that Quick Attack was already faster than Eevee's. It seemed innate racial advantages weren't easily overcome. However, in terms of reaction speed and agility, Owen was confident Eevee still held the upper hand.
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