On the high platform.
"When I first met you, I knew what you were trying to do was far from ordinary. Now it seems I was right."
Newgate stood in front of Dak, holding the torch.
"Is something like this really impressive?"
Dak pursed his lips into a smile, thinking for a moment, "This is just the beginning."
When he had first crossed over, he never imagined he could get to where he was now.
"How did you get to this point?"
Newgate asked.
"How did you get in front of me?"
Dak asked in return.
"I have family."
"I have partners."
"I see."
Newgate nodded, satisfied with Dak's answer. In his view, it was indeed a perfect answer.
"How do I do this?"
"Just throw the torch into the Holy Grail."
Dak pointed to the long, golden cup behind him.
It was a vessel crafted by the Pokémon Alliance in the Pokémon world, designed specifically to hold the flames of Moltres.
That wasn't the main point.
The key was the firewood inside the Holy Grail. It was the same material as the torch—a branch from Mew's nest.
With this material as the fuel, supplemented by Ho-oh's Sacred Fire, it could burn continuously until the end of the Pokémon Battle Tournament in a month.
Newgate nodded, stepped forward, and threw the torch into it as instructed by Dak.
Then Newgate turned around and went down from the high platform, returning to his family.
He preferred spending time with his beloved sons rather than being in the spotlight on the high platform.
Within seconds, the Holy Grail burst into brilliant flames, and the massive rainbow-colored fire attracted countless gazes.
Dak nodded, signaling the end of the torch relay.
He took a couple of steps, estimating that the [Pokémon Global Terminal] would automatically find a focal point, then casually looked at the onlookers below the high platform.
"Everyone, the first Pokémon Battle Tournament has officially begun."
"Please enjoy the charm of Pokémon battles."
...
At four o'clock in the afternoon that day.
Above the gate of the Alliance Base, countless large screens had been set up, and a large crowd of people and Pokémon had gathered here.
Each screen displayed the groups of the participating contestants.
In fact, there was no need to come and check in person, as the Alliance would have Morgans' delivery company send paper notifications to each contestant's home.
The tournament format of the Pokémon Battle Tournament consisted of three stages.
First Stage: Preliminary Round
More than six hundred contestants were divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D, with an average of about 170 participants per group. Battles would take place in the central field and three subfields of the arena.
The battle format was a 2v2 doubles match.
Yes, right from the start, it was a test to see if trainers could multitask during battle, commanding multiple Pokémon to execute skill combinations and deliver impressive performances.
However, the preliminary round's field was just a plain area, not a natural field, so the difficulty wasn't too high.
The schedule lasted about a week, and each trainer had to compete in ten matches.
Winning a match earned one point; losing earned no points.
At the end, the top eighty contestants based on points would advance.
If there were ties for the final positions, there would be additional matches with the same rules.
Second Stage: Group Round
It was still divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D, each with eighty participants.
However, these eighty would not necessarily be the same opponents from the previous group. Trainers would be reshuffled and grouped anew upon advancing.
The group round format was a 3v3 singles match, still with a points-based system.
Each trainer had to compete in five matches, with the schedule lasting a week.
The difference from the preliminary round was that...
In the group round, the field would change to natural terrain, and trainers had to give intelligent commands to their Pokémon according to the environment, increasing the demand for command skills.
Natural Fields: Rocky Terrain, Forest, Lake, Grassland
There were no bizarre terrains like volcanoes, deep seas, or ice fields—just four basic terrains that were common in nature and could accommodate various types of Pokémon.
The first match of each trainer would have its field randomly selected by the Alliance.
For the second match, the trainer who lost the first match could select the field.
If both won or both lost, the field would be randomly selected again.
The same rule applied for the third match.
The top sixteen contestants from each group in the group round would advance.
If there were ties at the bottom, additional matches with the same rules would be held.
Third Stage: Elimination Round
The sixty-four contestants were divided into two groups for 6v6 singles matches, with a single match determining the winner and the loser being eliminated.
This continued until the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.
The schedule lasted a total of two weeks, with 63 matches in total, all held in the central arena.
The 64-to-32 matches—32 in total—would be completed in four days, with eight matches per day, four in the morning and four in the afternoon.
The 32-to-16 matches—16 in total—would be completed in two days, also with eight matches per day.
The 16-to-8 matches—8 in total—would be completed in two days, with four matches per day.
The 8-to-4 matches—4 in total—would be completed in four days, with one match per day.
The semifinals—2 matches—would be completed in two days, with one match per day.
After a one-day break, the final match would be held on the following day.
Thus, the entire Pokémon Battle Tournament would last a total of 30 days, finishing right before the new school term at Pokémon Academy began on March 15th.
In reality, those who reached the top sixty-four would all gain some fame, as well as cash prizes from the Pokémon Alliance.
Even the sixty-fourth place would receive at least five million berries, equivalent to 500 gold.
Additionally, these contestants would also have the opportunity to work in the Pokémon Alliance.
Of course, if they chose to continue challenging in the next tournament, no one would stop them.
The Top 32 Contestants could receive 500 gold, a job opportunity, and permission to live permanently on Pokémon Island, although only outside Alliance City.
The Top 16 Contestants would receive an additional 500 gold and a house in the new city of "Yggdrasil," on top of the rewards given to the top 32.
The Top 8 Contestants could also request one "valuable item" from the Alliance in addition to the aforementioned rewards.
Here, [Valuable Items] did not refer to things like [Lunar Wing] or [Revival Herb].
Those were classified as [Rare Items].
[Valuable Items] were still within the realm of "conventional."
They referred to items that the Pokémon Alliance possessed but were either very difficult or nearly impossible to find at sea. These items would generally only appear in auctions organized by the Alliance.
These included items like Ice Stones, King's Rocks, Everstones, Full Restores, and so on.
If someone wanted something else, like a fine blade, a Devil Fruit, or certain information, that was also possible, provided the Alliance had it.
Next were some special rewards.
Because this was the first-ever Pokémon Battle Tournament, the semifinalists would receive a very fortunate opportunity.
That was the position of Elite Four.
Yes.
The four contestants who made it to the semifinals would receive, in addition to the aforementioned rewards, the title and status of the Four Emperors of the maritime world.
Though they were considered lower-ranking Elite Four, it was still a title within a world, and far surpassed the status of the old Four Emperors.
Previously, besides the Four Emperors, there were also the Three Admirals, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Five Commanders of the Revolutionary Army, the World Government, the Dark King, and various other chaotic factions.
These factions were all on the same level on the surface, so in the eyes of uninformed civilians, there wasn't much difference in status.
But now, in this era, Champions, the Elite Four, and the Eight Gym Leaders were seen as having far higher status. This also included the Navy and the Revolutionary Army, which were all under the Pokémon Alliance.
This was a superior-subordinate relationship.
Thus, in the eyes of civilians, the Elite Four would be seen as extremely prestigious.
However, becoming an Elite Four meant working for the Alliance, though it wasn't too busy—just attending to tasks when needed.
If someone refused to work for the Alliance, naturally, they wouldn't receive the title of "Elite Four."
Just like in the Pokémon world, there were plenty of people with strength comparable to an Elite Four of a region, but they had no fame because they didn't want to join the regional alliance.
Runner-up
On top of the previous rewards, the runner-up could receive a [Pokémon Egg].
Any Pokémon recorded in the Pokédex could be chosen, with guaranteed stats at least in the purple range.
The condition, however, was that the trainer's other Pokémon companions had no objections, so the choice of a new member was something decided together by the entire team.
Champion
Instead of a Pokémon Egg, the champion could request any [Rare Item] from the Alliance.
Of course, if they didn't want a rare item and desired something else, that was also possible, as long as the Alliance could provide it.
All tournament rules and rewards were compiled into a booklet distributed to every contestant.
After reading the content, some contestants were happy, while others were worried.
The joy came from realizing that the rewards were far more generous than they had imagined.
Especially the permission to live permanently on Pokémon Island—it was simply too enviable.
Many trainers who originally planned to stop at the top sixty-four couldn't help but decide to push harder and advance to the top thirty-two.
In the eyes of many in the maritime world, living on Pokémon Island and living at sea were two entirely different concepts.
The seas were indeed much more peaceful now, but nowhere was as reassuring as Pokémon Island.
Moreover, those who lived on Pokémon Island were considered "nobles" in the eyes of the maritime people, as if they belonged to an esteemed family living under the emperor's watch.
Moving to Pokémon Island seemed to elevate one's status from being an ordinary person to being someone superior.
As for the worries—it was because of the [Doubles] format, which they had never encountered before.
For a trainer like Law, who enjoyed battling in the wild, whether it was doubles, triples, or six-on-six battles, he wasn't afraid, as he already had experience.
But for most trainers, this format was still unfamiliar, causing them concern.
(End of Chapter)
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