Pokémon Special Chronicles (Book 1)

Adventure 04 - The Preliminary rounds commence! Bulbasaur it's your time!

The remaining competitors from the qualifying rounds assembled once again on the battlefield, filled with tension and anticipation as the realization that their opponents could be anyone lingered in the air. Green stood up and grabbed the microphone to address the crowd.

"If you are all standing here right now, it means that you have made it into the top 64. This is truly an amazing achievement, and you should all be celebrating," Green announced.

The crowd erupted in cheers, boosting the trainers' confidence as they basked in the moment.

"Now, as you already know, the first round of the preliminaries will continue with the four-on-four format. The rules will remain the same, so you can still make substitutions. The match brackets and the matches themselves will commence tomorrow morning at 7 AM. Make sure to get plenty of rest. You are all dismissed," Green concluded.

The trainers formally exited the battle dome, each with their own thoughts and preparations in mind. Blight, after making his way out of the dome, headed towards the Pokémon Centre to retrieve his injured Pokémon from his recent battle. However, before he could enter, Bella slid in front of him, her face filled with intensity and determination. Blight knew he was about to receive a lecture.

"I'm still trying to comprehend how someone who belittles their opponents was able to defeat me...again," Bella said, clenching her fists. "I don't understand how an arrogant person like you managed to beat me."

Blight responded, "There's nothing wrong with having confidence in oneself. And what I said about my team was true. I believed they could defeat yours."

Bella sighed, clearly frustrated. "Don't deflect from the fact that you make all of us feel inferior. You wouldn't appreciate it if someone made you feel powerless!"

"You're right, I wouldn't... but ultimately, I wouldn't care. As long as I keep convincing myself and those around me that my team is superior and stronger, I have no reason to feel weak or intimidated by their comments," Blight retorted.

At that moment, Stone approached, interrupting the tense exchange. Bella scoffed and walked away, leaving Blight and Stone to continue their conversation.

Stone asked, "Did I interrupt something important?"

Blight shrugged nonchalantly. "Not really."

Blight proceeded to enter the Pokémon Centre, retrieving his Pokémon and deciding to take a leisurely walk with Stone, catching up on various topics.

"That's cool. I managed to earn all six medals with four months to spare," Blight revealed.

"It took me a whole year to accumulate enough battle points for the competition," Stone confessed.

"Well, you were the one who chose the battle route," Blight remarked, laughing.

Stone chuckled, "Yeah. Hey, do you remember our last Pokémon battle?"

Blight responded, "Uh yeah, I noticed that your Gloom evolved. It's evident that it has become much stronger, considering you defeated that trainer with two Pokémon using just Vileplume."

Stone released Vileplume from its Poké Ball. "Vileplume is great. But sometimes I feel like I prioritize its training over my other Pokémon."