Terrance walked back to the lobby, drawing a lot of attention along the way.
Some wanted to get to know Terrance, some asked about Regirock, and some…
When Terrance finally had a moment of peace, the primary judging was already over. He glanced at the eight Coordinators who passed; they all seemed to be new faces.
Out of a hundred Coordinators, only eight passed. It was very cruel but also simple—as long as you understand Pokémon Contests, everything is easy.
However, this time it was a bit different. Terrance, in the lobby, heard some discussions.
"Kyosuke... isn't he the runner-up of this year's Ever Grande Conference?"
"I saw that too…Kyosuke of the Desert. He was highly favored to be the winner, but midway through, a powerful Trainer from Kalos came out of nowhere and snatched our Hoenn's Ever Grande Championship."
"He's a Trainer, right? Why is he participating in a Pokémon Contest?"
As Terrance walked past the water cooler, he inadvertently overheard these conversations and looked at the young man on the big screen.
Kyosuke of the Desert, huh…
Any Trainer given an epithet is not an ordinary person.
Winner contender of the Ever Grande Conference?
Terrance took note. Although the Ever Grande Conference might seem like a "preliminary competition" to some, in the vast Hoenn, only one Champion emerges each year, and it's clearly not that easy.
Being the runner-up… is a very awkward position.
A regional League Conference's champion gets the opportunity to participate in the "Champion League," which is the highest standard of tournament for Trainers. It is a tournament which determines the Elite Four and the Elite Four Champion.
So, for some influential people, only winners of tournaments like the Ever Grande Conference are worth nurturing and recruiting because they have the qualification to become a "Master." The runner-up does not have this qualification; they must start over next year, passing through the Ever Grande Conference again to qualify for the Champion League.
Of course, there are other ways to challenge the Elite Fours besides the League Conference. For example, Gym Leaders have the qualification to directly participate in the Champion League!
"First opponent—"
"Little Qi."
After the grouping, Terrance found his match. The second round, his opponent was a Coordinator named Little Qi.
******
"Alright, everyone's highly anticipated secondary judging, Contest Battle, is about to begin!"
"The first two contestants to take the stage are Kyosuke and Hiraki."
Vivian continued the commentary, introducing the next contestants to the audience.
Apart from Terrance, Kyosuke had the highest popularity. This person was also somewhat special; being a Trainer, his Pokémon did not quite "fit" the Pokémon Contest.
"Roar—"
A giant creature over two meters tall appeared. Its fierce expression and roar made the opposing contestant step back in fright.
Tyranitar.
Alongside Kanto's Dragonite, Hoenn's Metagross and Salamence, and Sinnoh's Garchomp, it is a rare and powerful "Pseudo-legendary" Pokémon.
Kyosuke's opponent, Hiraki, swallowed hard, feeling immense pressure. After sending out his Linoone, he seemed a bit at a loss.
As expected, this Contest Battle ended with Trainer Kyosuke's overwhelming victory. In the face of such powerful strength, Linoone was unable to capitalize on its own strengths and find an opportunity to defeat its opponent through "appeal points." Therefore, it lost quickly.
"Too weak." Kyosuke shook his head. He only came to Mauville City after hearing news about Regirock. As for the Pokémon Contest, he was merely curious.
However, he didn't expect his opponent to be so easily defeated.
Even the Pokémon sent out was the fragile-type.
Absent-mindedly shaking hands with his opponent, Kyosuke walked off the stage. Most people noticed his attitude and couldn't help but feel quite annoyed.
But that's just how it is. Most Trainers, like Kyosuke, think Pokémon Contests aren't very interesting.
"Tyranitar, huh?" Terrance watched the match with great interest. If he won, his next opponent would be Kyosuke.
Castform against Tyranitar. To Kyosuke, it probably seemed like another boring match.
Terrance didn't mind. He just smiled and prepared for his upcoming battle.
His opponent was named Little Qi. As they both stepped onto the stage, Terrance noticed Little Qi kept staring at him, making him a bit puzzled.
"Second match of the Contest Battle—"
"Now, begin!"
"Come out, Roselia."
"Castform."
Castform's opponent was a petite Grass-type Pokémon with three thorns on its head, green leaves covering its body like a dress, and long eyelashes framing its closed eyes.
Additionally, this Pokémon had a blue rose on its left hand and a red rose on its right. It danced gracefully as it entered the stage, looking elegant. In comparison, Castform's entrance was a bit lackluster.
"Your Castform can turn into Water Type and Fire Type, right?" Little Qi asked.
"If it turns into Fire Type, it will have the type advantage."
Terrance paused, then smiled, "Are you influenced by that Trainer just now? This is the Coordinator's stage."
"Castform, Rain Dance."
Without much thought, Terrance gave the order. If he used Sunny Day, although it would give a type advantage, the preparation time was too long. This wasn't a performance match but a battle…and in terms of Castform's Fire Type mastery, it could be said to be the type it was weakest in.
In contrast, even though Water Type was a type disadvantage, Castform could still gain a significant edge!
Moreover, Castform had more than just Fire and Water Type moves up its sleeve.
"Rain Dance—" Little Qi's pupils shrank, surprised that Terrance gave up the type advantage and still ordered Rain Dance.
In that instant, Little Qi hesitated. Instinct told her to interrupt Castform's transformation, but common sense made her wait quietly. Once Castform's Rain Dance succeeded, it would turn into Water Type due to the weather, putting Roselia at a greater advantage.
The order at her lips went unsaid, and in that moment of distraction, Castform completed its transformation.
This was the speed of Rainy Form's transformation. If it were Sunny Form, with its relatively slower speed and Little Qi's definite intention to stop it, Terrance couldn't guarantee Castform could successfully transform.
Seeing Castform in its Rainy Form, Little Qi took a deep breath, recognizing an opportunity!
"Roselia, Magical Leaf!"
With a simple command, a perfectly executed Magical Leaf was launched. The leaves flew at tricky angles and high speed, clearly one of Roselia's signature moves. With a "whoosh," the leaves flew straight at Castform.
"Woo~" Suddenly, before the leaves arrived, a violent gust of wind whipped up under the dark clouds. The power of the wind was so strong that every spectator could hear the intense rush of wind pressure.
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