On the first day of Alliance City's opening to contestants, over four hundred trainers had already arrived.
Four hundred might not sound like a lot, but according to Alliance statistics, less than seven hundred trainers in the One Piece world had earned the eight gym badges needed to qualify for the tournament.
Much of this could be attributed to the efforts of Kizaru (Borsalino) and Dragon.
Kizaru played his part in the early stages. Once trainers formed strong bonds with their Pokémon and genuinely wanted to fulfill their Pokémon's wishes, passing Kizaru's test wasn't as hard.
Dragon came into play later. His gym was guarded by two powerful Pokémon: Salamence and Garchomp, which became nightmares for countless trainers.
Many trainers who earned the Dragon-type gym badge early on initially dismissed the warnings from other trainers they met at the Pokémon Center, thinking, "If it's tough, just train more."
But when these trainers, with their confidence, faced off against the Dragon-type gym, they often suffered crushing defeats.
In fact, many trainers began using the Dragon-type gym as a form of pre-tournament training, but they continued to fail repeatedly.
With Kizaru at the front, Dragon at the end, and the diligent and stubborn Magellan in the middle, it was no surprise that the number of trainers who qualified for the tournament wasn't higher.
However, Dak viewed this as a good thing. Over six hundred participating trainers were already quite a lot.
Compared to the Pokémon World's tournaments, this was a hundred or two more participants.
When watching the original series, it might have seemed, from Ash's perspective, that earning eight gym badges to enter the tournament wasn't too difficult.
But one must consider how long Ash traveled and how much experience he accumulated, and what his results in the tournaments were.
In his first journey, Ash practically stumbled his way to eight gym badges, with the Cerulean Gym badge being gifted because he helped the Sensational Sisters clean their pool.
In his second journey, challenging the Orange League, Ash won the championship, showcasing his strength and talent.
In subsequent leagues, Ash consistently approached the champion's title, eventually becoming one of the Masters Eight.
His battles, such as Sceptile vs. Darkrai in the Sinnoh League and Greninja vs. Mega Charizard X in the Kalos League, were highlights.
Thus, the difficulty of earning eight badges shouldn't be judged solely from Ash's perspective—he was an exceptional rookie, not an average person.
With a month remaining before the tournament, arriving early in Alliance City meant trainers could scout their competition and even train specifically to counter stronger opponents.
But where could the contestants gather this information?
When building the central district of Alliance City, Dak established a Pokémon Club under the Alliance's official name.
The Pokémon Club sounded like a recreational organization, but in reality, in the Unova region, the Pokémon Club served as a semi-official battle platform.
Within the club, a machine would randomly match trainers against opponents, and they would engage in mock battles under the official tournament rules.
Trainers could choose between a 3v3 preliminary format or a 6v6 elimination format, depending on their preferences.
When Dak set up the club on the entertainment street, he essentially copied the model from the Unova region, but he added a ranking point system.
From 'Bronze' to 'Champion' tiers, different ranks allowed trainers to unlock rare or hard-to-get items from the breeding houses and specialty shops in the club.
For example, rare evolution stones not always available in the specialty shops could be found in the club at a lower price.
This had become one of the daily entertainment activities for Pokémon Island residents.
Pokémon clubs weren't just in Alliance City; Fishman City, Angel City, and even the soon-to-be-established Yggdrasil would have Pokémon Clubs.
And now, the Pokémon Club had become the perfect place for contestants to engage in pre-tournament training.
At this moment, Alliance City's only club had gathered around two hundred trainers.
Among them were tournament contestants and Alliance City residents who had come to join in the excitement.
They gathered to compete in ranked matches or to watch, spying on the real strength of the contestants.
Currently, on the battle stage, a tournament contestant was facing off against a student from Pokémon Academy.
[Bug Catcher (Bronze)] vs. [Comet Girl (Diamond)]
That's right, the Pokémon Club allowed trainers to use aliases in battles, and it was perfectly fine not to use real names.
Trainers could even dress up in bizarre outfits and compete without revealing their true identities.
"Wow, Bug Catcher is doomed to lose."
"Yeah, going up against that nasty player, he's bound to lose badly."
"Hahaha, she's already laughing."
The regulars at the Pokémon Club, seeing 'Comet Girl' on the screen, could already predict the outcome.
But, of course, not everyone saw it this way.
"Looks like the opponent isn't a tournament contestant."
"Isn't that just bullying?"
"Of course. We're 'professional trainers' after all. How could those amateurs compare to us?"
"Bug Catcher is sure to win. No need to keep watching."
In the eyes of the contestants, Bug Catcher, as a tournament participant who had earned eight badges, had to be stronger than someone who hadn't even entered the tournament, right? They didn't even bother paying attention to the 'Diamond' rank next to Comet Girl's name.
The match was a 3v3 format.
The battle started quickly.
"Go, Beedrill! Show them the power of our bond!"
Bug Catcher roared, as if trying to unleash his inner cosmos.
"What an idiot…"
On the other side, Comet Girl, wearing a peacock mask, smirked. "Just finish it quickly, Dodrio."
To her, battling such a fool was an insult.
Her real name was Kujaku.
She was the granddaughter of Vice Admiral Tsuru of the Marines, the class president of Pokémon Academy's first batch, Class 1, and the one who constantly clashed with Thatch and Sabo.
Hearing that the trainers who had earned eight badges had arrived in Alliance City, Kujaku sneaked out to test their strength.
So far, Kujaku hadn't encountered any satisfying opponents.
These trainers weren't bad. They'd probably score above average in practical courses at the Pokémon Academy.
But if that was all, then there wasn't much to look forward to in this Pokémon Battle Tournament.
It was rumored that Sabo, the Class 2 president, had taken the time to challenge all eight gyms and was planning to participate in this tournament.
Kujaku thought this would be a prestigious competition worth her time since her worthy rival was so invested. But now, it seemed unimpressive.
Bug Catcher was swiftly defeated by Kujaku's one-Pokémon sweep.
After a quick match, Bug Catcher was utterly demoralized and ran out of the club crying.
"So strong?!"
"No way, she's not a professional trainer, right?"
"Idiot, didn't you hear? She's a top student at Pokémon Academy! Really skilled."
"My goodness, are all the students in Alliance City this strong?"
"I suddenly feel a lot of pressure."
After Kujaku's impressive performance, the other contestants were instantly filled with anxiety.
Many trainers began feeling uneasy because their skills were roughly on par with Bug Catcher's.
However, there were still plenty of trainers who were not convinced, believing Bug Catcher was just too weak.
"Hmph, if this is the level you guys are at, you should go home early and skip the tournament. This is going to be broadcast to other worlds; don't embarrass us in the One Piece world."
Kujaku stood on stage, arms crossed, looking down at everyone below with disdain.
The remark infuriated many contestants!
Yet, there were also many non-participants who nodded in agreement.
The scene was becoming increasingly heated, on the verge of a confrontation.
"In that case, let me test your skills. I'd like to see what gives you the courage to spout such nonsense."
A boy with tired-looking eyes stepped out from the crowd.
"Whoa, it's the Surgeon of Death."
"It really is him. I heard he's been honing his skills by hunting criminals at sea."
"This guy's combination of the Op-Op Fruit and his Pokémon in combat is insane."
"I heard he's strong in these challenge matches too. He should have no problem taking down that girl."
Law was quite well-known among the trainers in the One Piece world.
Especially in the realm of wild battles, Law was considered to be in the top tier among trainers.
However, the Pokémon Battle Tournament followed standard rules, and wild battle tactics were prohibited.
"You? Heh, state your name."
Kujaku scrutinized Law, sensing he might have some strength.
"You can call me 'Rosinante.'"
Law only took two seconds to come up with the name he would use in the club from now on.
"Rosinante? Hmph, what a strange name. Whatever, I'll beat you down. Let's go, 3v3."
Not wasting any time, Kujaku registered herself on the self-service machine and prepared to release her Pokémon on the stage.
Since her Dodrio had been exhausted from the last match, Kujaku had to use a different Pokémon.
It was an Altaria.
Altaria was one of the Alliance's starter Pokémon, a Dragon and Flying-type. After Mega Evolution, it became a Dragon and Fairy-type, known as the 'Dragon Slayer' Pokémon.
Kujaku's decision to release her Pokémon first was a blatant display of contempt.
"Magnezone, teach her a lesson."
(End of Chapter)
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