After Ursaring and Elekid mastered their newly learned moves, Paul left Eterna Forest the following day.
Entering the bustling streets of Jubilife City, Paul walked with his hands in his pockets, heading toward the Pokémon Center he remembered.
"Miss Nurse Joy, I'll leave it to you."
At the counter, Paul handed two Poké Balls to Nurse Joy and spoke politely.
"Of course. Please wait a moment." Nurse Joy replied warmly, taking the Poké Balls.
Reality wasn't like the games—Pokémon Centers couldn't instantly heal Pokémon with a quick "ding-dong." Seriously injured Pokémon might even require surgery or extended hospitalization.
While waiting for treatment, Paul walked out of the Pokémon Center, hands still in his pockets, and headed to the department store to purchase supplies for his journey.
For Paul, the most important items were Pokémon food and medicine, followed by portable, and ready-to-eat meals.
It wasn't that Paul disliked good food—he simply preferred convenience. When in the wild, he couldn't be bothered to spend time cooking.
Paul, already familiar with selecting supplies, quickly gathered everything he needed, paid at the counter, and packed it all into his storage backpack.
Just as he stepped out of the department store, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Hey, Paul! You're still here?"
Turning around, Paul saw Lucas emerging from the department store, adjusting his backpack while holding a Pokémon Egg in his arms.
"You left Sandgem Town before us, and we didn't see you at the tournament here a few days ago. I thought you'd already left Jubilife City. So, why are you just arriving now?"
Lucas finished organizing his bag and walked up to Paul with the egg still in his arms.
"I was training in the wild. What tournament are you talking about?" Paul asked calmly, glancing at the Pokémon Egg.
Unfortunately, most Pokémon Eggs apart from a rare few, looked very similar, making it impossible to discern what species was inside.
"A few days ago, Jubilife City hosted a tournament called the Jubilife Novice Cup. I made it to the finals against Barry, and the prize was this Pokémon Egg. Sadly… I don't know what's inside either." Lucas said, suddenly remembering something and hurriedly placing the egg into an incubator inside his backpack.
"Paul, want to have a battle? I'd love to see how much you've improved!"
"Sorry, my Pokémon are currently receiving treatment. It's not convenient." Paul replied without hesitation.
Paul never accepted battles when his Pokémon were resting, recovering, or being treated.
"What a pity. Let's battle another time, then. I'll be on my way…" Lucas said, slightly disappointed. As he was about to leave, he added, "Oh, by the way, I heard the Battle Plaza on the city outskirts is hosting a Pokémon battle tournament over the next couple of days. You should check it out."
"A tournament? Might be worth a look." Paul thought.
With his Pokémon under treatment and no other pressing matters, he decided to visit the Battle Plaza. If it seemed interesting, he could always join later.
Following his memory, Paul soon arrived at the venue.
The Battle Plaza was located on the city outskirts, easily visible to passing travelers.
In addition to basic battle arenas, there was a larger stadium with seating for spectators.
Currently, there were no battles happening in the smaller arenas—everyone had gathered around the main stadium to watch a match.
A makeshift stage nearby displayed banners for the event alongside advertisements.
"Interesting… very interesting. It's been a while since I've seen a tournament like this." Paul muttered with a smirk after reading the event rules.
The tournament called the Jubilife Victory Cup had unique rules: participants could use one Pokémon at a time in one-on-one battles. Winners stayed on as the defender and could switch Pokémon before the next match.
Defenders could use a maximum of two Pokémon per match, and any Pokémon used could not be reused later.
The trainer with the most consecutive wins over the three-day event would be crowned champion. If multiple trainers had the same win streak, a final one-on-one battle would determine the winner.
Paul found the rules intriguing. Such formats were rare, making the tournament worth his attention.
"Are you here to sign up, Trainer? You can enjoy the thrill of battle, train your Pokémon, and have a chance to win a mysterious grand prize. The rewards for this tournament are on par with the Novice Cup!" a staff member at the registration desk invited.
"Grand prize?" Paul's attention shifted to the prize details.
Besides cash and a trophy, the champion would receive a Pokémon Egg. Trainers achieving a ten-win streak could also select one item from a pool of rare held items.
After thoroughly reviewing the rules, Paul quietly left the registration desk and found a secluded spot in the audience to observe the matches.
The Victory Cup had fewer restrictions than the Novice Cup, attracting trainers of varying skill levels. Some were newcomers with just their starter Pokémon, while others were seasoned travelers. Even people from different professions joined after work for fun.
This diversity led to fierce competition on the first day. The current record was a five-win streak.
In the arena, a trainer with a five-win streak commanded their Luxray, now visibly exhausted, awaiting their sixth challenger.
Due to their first Pokémon depleting too much energy in the third match, the trainer had to switch to Luxray for subsequent battles.
Their fourth opponent was a Jolteon with Volt Absorb, their fifth was a Dugtrio, and now, the sixth—a Hippowdon.
Seeing yet another Pokémon immune to electric attacks, the trainer's face turned grim.
Fortunately, Luxray's sheer power secured a victory against Hippowdon, earning a sixth win. But it was clear that Luxray couldn't continue.
After the referee announced the end of the match, the trainer recalled Luxray, visibly disheartened.
"This is worth noting." Paul thought.
This tournament was tough. To maximize win streaks, a trainer's first Pokémon needed to endure as long as possible.
However, the challenge lay in the opponents who could choose Pokémon specifically to counter the defender.
If unlucky, defenders might face multiple counter-picks, like the trainer whose Luxray struggled against opponents immune to electric moves.
Paul continued watching several more matches, noting the challengers' strategic Pokémon choices to avoid being countered by the defender.
As Paul pondered how he might fare in such a tournament, he concluded that achieving a ten-win streak would be incredibly difficult. Luck would play a significant role in avoiding hard counters.
After watching for a while, Paul checked the time and sent a message to Reggie before leaving the Battle Plaza.
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