Pokémon Special Chronicles (Book 1)

(VOLUME 4) Adventure 01 - The Champions Challenge Begins

November (Time Skip)

In the heart of the Kanto Region's largest dome, situated on the seventh island of the Sevii islands, stood an impressive gathering of 262,144 Pokémon trainers. Each of these trainers brimmed with excitement as they prepared to embark on the Champions Challenge, though a hint of nervousness still lingered within them.

"Presenting the gatekeepers of the Kanto region, the most powerful trainers in this dome, the finest trainers around. Behold, THE CHAMPIONS!"

A wave of applause erupted from the crowd, their love and support ringing through the air. The cheers grew louder as the eleven champions stepped onto the battlefield, where thousands of trainers awaited the commencement of the challenge.

The challengers, especially those at the front, couldn't help but feel a sense of intimidation emanating from the eleven champions. Some trainers stepped back slightly, feeling the weight of their presence.

"The Champions have arrived, and boy, are they excited!" the announcer exclaimed, igniting even more cheers from the crowd. "But before we proceed with this splendid competition, let us take a moment of silence to honor the memory of Champion Franxe, one of the unfortunate civilians who lost their lives in the SS.Anne incident."

The stadium fell into a respectful silence, which persisted for nearly ten minutes.

"...and now, in Franxe's stead as champion, we have Judith. Of course, we don't expect her to match up to Franxe, for she is a champion in her own right. She is our Dark type champion, the complete opposite of Franxe, who held the title of our Normal type Champion."

The crowd erupted in cheers for Judith as she made her way to the battlefield, joining the other eleven champions.

"Now, let's delve into the exciting rules of this competition. Since we have such a vast number of trainers here with us, as always, we will divide the entire group of 262,144 into six brackets: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Each bracket will consist of approximately 8 trainers to even out the numbers."

"So, we'll have to defeat about four trainers," Blight said to Dartrix, receiving a nod in response. "We can do that."

"The two finalists from each bracket will not face each other. Instead, they will proceed to the All Out Rounds, where the remaining 64 trainers will battle without divisions based on brackets."

"Just two, then," shared Blight and Dartrix, exchanging a confident smirk.

"The battlefield lies where you stand. It may appear plain now, but as the battles progress, it will transform. I won't delve into the specifics since the champions will take over the commentary and announcements from here on."

A screen displayed individual photos of each trainer, serving as their unique cards for identification. These cards revolved in a small circle before separating into their respective brackets.

"We're in bracket D," Blight informed Dartrix, who amusingly pointed to itself, causing Blight to catch on to the joke. "Oh, D for Dartrix."

Within each bracket, the trainer cards mixed together before revealing the matchups for the battles to come.

"Who's number ten?" Green began speaking into the microphone. "Let me shed light on a few unique aspects exclusive to the Champions Challenge. These might not be familiar to those who have only challenged the Pokémon League. First, we have the field changes. However, the field won't alter randomly; rather, it will only change after the conclusion of the first round. This brings us to the second aspect, the in-battle rounds. There are only two such rounds. Once the first round ends, the battling trainers have the opportunity to rest, strategize, heal status effects, offer items, and even substitute Pokémon, though no healing for the Pokémon themselves."