Author's Note: Firstly I would request people who read and enjoy the fic to add it to their collection, I dont care much about Power stones would appreciate them but the fact that my own previous fics to which I didnt put much effort had a surge in collection weirds me out , either the pokemon genre doesnt have many readers or I am a doing something wrong or people dont put in collections after reading .
Secondly , I am trying a newer writing style for this chapter do comment if it feels better to read , it is closer to the draft but with better grammar .
Thirdly, work is hectic and might be for a month , so as regular readers might have realised no of chapters per week has reduced, but I will still take out time to write some chapters per week , to keep the fic going , post may I would try to increase chapter count a bit again.
Finally, ignore any grammar for author's note I right this part informally without any grammar check , or maybe point out grammar in the comments aint gonna change it .
That said enjoy the chapter.
Third POV
It was quite crowded. Grey stood among a large gathering of trainers, all gathered around a grand stage where several announcers were preparing to inaugurate the tournament. The atmosphere was loud yet tense, filled with anticipation. Grey observed carefully there were a lot of trainers present, easily above a hundred for this tournament. That alone spoke volumes about its scale and importance. As his eyes moved through the crowd, he began spotting a few familiar faces. Blue was there, looking as confident as ever. Not too far from him, he saw Ash along with Misty and Brock. Grey frowned slightly at that. He had no idea how they had managed to get a ticket, considering this event was supposed to be exclusive to trainers who had at least three badges. However, he had also noticed Lt. Surge present on the S.S. Anne, which gave him a possible explanation. Maybe regular tickets were available, or perhaps Surge himself had allowed them entry, especially since they were former Gym Leaders.
Grey's gaze continued scanning the crowd. He noticed someone who looked almost identical to Ash but dressed in a red cap and a red outfit. That had to be Red. The presence alone gave it away. Nearby, he also spotted Aria among the participants, standing out with her composed demeanor. Then his attention shifted again, this time landing on someone who looked like Lance, complete with the classic cape and appearance. Grey narrowed his eyes slightly before dismissing the thought. Probably just a fanboy, he concluded internally.
Just then, the announcer stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention as the noise in the crowd gradually settled.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer began, his voice echoing across the deck, "I welcome you all to the S.S. Anne Tournament! And I would like to welcome the four champions who will be judging this tournament. Let me welcome you all to the Dragon Master, the Champion of the Johto region and Elite Four of the Kanto region Lance!"
From backstage, Lance stepped forward, his cape flowing slightly as he moved. He raised a hand in acknowledgment, and a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd. For many of the trainers present especially since this tournament was limited to Kanto and Johto trainers with at least three badges seeing someone of Lance's stature was nothing short of inspiring.
"Next up, I call the heir to Devon Corp, the Champion of the Hoenn region Steven Stone!"
Steven walked out calmly, his composed expression scanning the crowd as he gave a slight nod. His presence carried a quiet authority, different from Lance's commanding aura but just as impactful.
"Next up, I call the actress galore, the beauty queen of Kalos Diantha!"
Diantha stepped onto the stage gracefully, her appearance drawing immediate admiration from the audience. Even among seasoned trainers, her elegance and fame made her stand out effortlessly.
"Next up, I call the man who advises the young Alder!"
Alder walked out with a relaxed demeanor, though there was a faint hint of disappointment on his face, as if the announcer had just indirectly called him old. A few in the crowd chuckled softly at that.
"Now, I would like Lance to explain the rules of the tournament."
Lance stepped forward again, taking the microphone. The crowd quieted almost instantly.
"Firstly, I would like to congratulate all of the trainers who made it this far," Lance began, his voice steady and authoritative. "The motto of this tournament was to encourage young trainers and gather the best of the best newbie trainers of this season. Hence, I had told Surge to toughen his Gym battles. If you all are here, you can take some pride in the fact that you made it this far. That said, let me explain the rules and the prizes for this tournament."
He paused briefly, letting his words sink in.
"Firstly, this is a knockout tournament. If you lose any match, you are out. After checking the registrations, there are 135 trainers here, which is not what we organizers initially wanted. Hence, there will be a preliminary round for a few trainers to reduce this number to 128."
A slight murmur spread through the crowd.
"The trainers selected for the prelims will be based on how they obtained their Gym badges for example, if they got them after multiple attempts, or if the Gym Leader made it easier. For trainers who feel this is unfair, they can choose to opt out. This isn't a charity event it's a serious competition. You can only blame yourself if you fall short here. But if you are courageous enough, you will face this preliminary round as well."
The murmurs died down, replaced by a heavier, more serious tension.
"The tournament will then proceed as follows: most preliminary rounds will be 1v1. The top 128 will also be 1v1, the top 64 will be 1v1, the top 32 will be 1v1. The top 16 will move to 2v2, the top 8 will also be 2v2, the top 4 will be 3v3, and the finals will be 3v3."
Grey listened carefully, committing everything to memory.
"The top four trainers," Lance continued, "will be awarded the opportunity to choose between these four Pokémon."
A large screen lit up behind the stage, displaying the rewards.
"Charmander this is the starter Pokémon offered by professors of Kanto. This particular Charmander was raised in the Charicific Valley and has great potential."
A few gasps echoed from the crowd.
"Treecko this is the starter offered in the Hoenn region. Steven personally selected this Pokémon of its species, and it too has great potential."
Steven gave a slight nod.
"Froakie this is the starter Pokémon of the Kalos region. It is a great Pokémon with fast attacks. This one is quite strong for its line, and any trainer would have to work to earn its obedience, but it would serve well for any team."
Diantha smiled faintly.
"Lastly, Pawniard. It is not a starter, but it is a rare Pokémon even in Unova. It is the child of an alpha leader in Unova and has the potential to become a very powerful Pokémon for any team. This one was specifically bred, with its other parent being a Bisharp belonging to an Elite Four member of Unova."
The crowd erupted.
The reaction was immediate and intense. Trainers stared at the screen with visible greed and burning desire. Starters were rare unless you were sponsored by a professor, you almost never got one. And even beyond that, the Pawniard was something entirely different. Every trainer present had their eyes locked on at least one of the four rewards.
Grey looked at the screen, his mind already moving ahead.
Froakie and Treecko are out for me, he thought calmly. I already have a Water type and a Grass type. That leaves Charmander and Pawniard. Both cover types I don't have, and both have great potential. Charizard would further augment Exeggcute, and they can synergize well to use the sun. On the other hand, the Pawniard line would give me a strong physical attacker who can tank hits. And if I can evolve it into Kingambit… I'd have a crazy late-game sweeper.
Around him, other trainers were also deep in thought, mentally calculating their chances and deciding which Pokémon they would aim for.
Lance raised the mic once more.
"The order to pick these Pokémon will be determined by the final placements. The winner gets to pick first, the runner-up second, and the other semi-finalists can have a match to determine third and fourth picking positions."
He paused briefly, letting the weight of that sink in.
"That said… let the battles begin."
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Grey's POV
The matches began in a flash, starting with the preliminary rounds. Around 50 candidates were in this round to be eliminated until the number reduced to the top 128. As I had expected, I wasn't selected for the prelims and qualified directly for the top 128. Ash, surprisingly, was in the preliminary rounds. I guess him having to retry to beat Surge might have counted as a detriment.
Most of the trainers who had qualified for the top 128 didn't even bother checking the prelim matches, as in their minds these trainers were probably inferior. Good thing I decided to watch. I was able to scout the arena and observe other things. It was mostly a plain battlefield for all the arenas, unlike in the Indigo League, so no single type had an inherent advantage here. The referees were impartial in most of their judgments, and the champions were also watching from a VIP box provided to them, probably discussing the matches among themselves, if such matches even interested them.
The other reason I felt it was a good decision to watch these matches was Ash. I guess the staff made a mistake by putting him in the prelim bracket, as he was able to finish his two matches within a minute, using some form of combo moves with both his Charmander and Bulbasaur.
For his first match, it was his Charmander versus an opponent's Raticate. He skillfully used Fire Spin to trap the rat and then told Charmander to launch itself at the opponent by using Flamethrower in the opposite direction. Somehow, that worked, and Charmander went flying straight at the Raticate to land a Metal Claw. The opponent tried to call for a Super Fang, but Ash told Charmander to end it with Flamethrower.
For his second match, his Bulbasaur was able to jump using Vine Whip and showed surprising agility for its species. His skillful use of Stun Spore, Razor Leaf, and Vine Whip allowed the frog Pokémon to defeat a Hitmontop of all things quite easily. I am assuming that trainer was from Johto. That was another surprising detail, as Johto trainers under three badges were also allowed to participate in this tournament. Their third badge requirement was Whitney. Thank God I wasn't there. If I had to face that dreaded Miltank, I would rage quit very quickly.
But looking at and analyzing his matches, I, and I assume Red and Blue, who were also watching the match from another side as I noticed, might have realized that Ash would have a real shot at doing well in this tournament. He has a very fast-paced fighting style, overwhelming opponents by launching attack after attack, and a lot of his Pokémon like Pikachu and Pidgeotto likely prefer quick and decisive attacks.
None of the other players interested me that much. Yes, there were a few trainers with evolved Pokémon, which had surprised me, but just having an evolved Pokémon doesn't guarantee victory. Knowing how to use it effectively is what actually leads to wins.
I did spot Misty and Brock and went to speak to them. They spotted me as well.
I asked, "How did you guys get a ticket? Did Surge have visitor tickets as well for the S.S. Anne?"
Brock answered, "Yes, Surge had such tickets. A lot of people, either influential or with some Gym Leader experience, are here. Misty and I knew Surge from before, and since Ash was coming to the S.S. Anne and we are traveling with him, he gave us visitor tickets for this."
I told them, "I guess the staff made a mistake by putting Ash in the prelims. He is ploughing through the competition there quite easily."
Brock replied, "The loss to Surge did make Ash reflect on things, and your words in the past also helped a bit. He has trained quite a lot to beat Surge and to win the tournament. I guess you better watch out, as Misty and I also trained him for this."
I replied, "Yeah, I have also been training, and I'm not going to give any win that easily. That said, wish him the best of luck for me when he comes back." Then I left, internally thinking, Great, just what I needed. As if the competition wasn't enough, now I have a motivated Ash whose plot armor I might have triggered.
Eventually, after quite a few matches, in a somewhat weird fashion, the top 128 had been decided after the prelims.
I received a ping on my watch, given by the staff, informing me who my first opponent would be, and that I had to report to Arena 3 in 15 minutes for my first match.
Author's Note: Just a personal question and I think I should ask such questions in the notes just to create engagement : If Grey were to have any connections with any legendary pokemon what do you think it would be .
This has no relation to the fic yet , but it might change way into the future.