That's right—Cain's opponent was none other than Lance's cousin, Clair, a key member of the Drako family from Blackthorn City, a lineage renowned for their expertise in Dragon-type Pokémon.
That's why, when Steven and the others found out who Cain's opponent would be, their expressions turned a little strange.
This definitely seemed suspicious!
That was their first reaction.
How could everything fit together so perfectly?
Right after the announcement of the Fairy type's existence, Cain's first opponent just happened to be a trainer specializing in Dragon-type Pokémon like Clair.
In reality, no matter how much they discussed the matter with Cain, he had nothing to do with organizing the matchups. All the battles had been decided by the Sinnoh League. Whether it was intentional or not was something he had no idea about.
The only clear thing was that, so far, there had been no battles between the top seeds of different regions, nor between the favorites of the same region. If there was some kind of manipulation behind the scenes, everyone had their own opinion about it.
Clair, a Dragon-type specialist, was one of the two remaining trainers in this category. The other was Drasna from the Kalos region.
Both were a cause for concern for most of the participants, due to the prestige that comes with Dragon-type Pokémon.
There's a saying that sums it up well: "There are no weak Dragon-type trainers."
For that reason, many people cling to the title of Dragon-type specialist, as just hearing the name brings respect and admiration.
The reputation of the type is great, but the strength of those who train them is even greater.
Now that everyone knew Cain had discovered the existence of the Fairy type, the battle between him and Clair sparked great curiosity among the other competitors. They wanted to see how Fairy-type Pokémon would perform in a real battle.
Most put aside what they were doing to watch the match—whether through the windows of their boxes or on TV screens.
In addition to the participants, the battle between Cain and Clair also caught the attention of many important figures.
Cain and Clair emerged from their respective tunnels toward the center of the stadium.
As they appeared, a thunderous roar of applause and cheers filled the arena.
The public wasn't aware of the news about the Fairy type, but Clair, as a Dragon-type trainer, had a great reputation. Many people had almost blind faith in this type of Pokémon and deep admiration for them.
Even before the battle began, many already assumed Clair would be the winner.
Cain maintained a confident smile, but Clair didn't seem as comfortable.
Just yesterday she had received the news about the Fairy type, and today she was facing Cain. The situation seemed simply ridiculous to her.
However, she didn't think there was anything suspicious going on.
Because, without exaggerating, who would dare to set a trap for the Drako family?
It was simply bad luck.
Even so, Clair didn't believe she would lose. She had thoroughly researched information about Cain.
Even if he had Fairy-type Pokémon, he probably had only one or two. Once she managed to weaken them, what else could Cain do?
The two Pokémon Cain often used—Swampert and Poliwhirl—although impressive in the public's eyes, didn't seem that formidable to someone like her.
With this reasoning, Clair gradually calmed down.
She was a very confident person, convinced she was not inferior to Lance. The only reason he was stronger was because he was older and had had more time to train.
Clair firmly believed she was destined to become the strongest Dragon-type trainer. She just needed time to catch up to Lance.
When Lance returned to Johto as Champion, Clair had made it clear she wouldn't bother challenging the Elite Four members. To her, there was only one goal: defeating Lance. Even though she always lost, Lance acknowledged her skill.
However, her confidence and pride sometimes bordered on arrogance.
This was largely due to her upbringing within the Drako family.
"Now, the match between Cain from Leafy Town in the Hoenn region and Clair from Blackthorn City in the Johto region—begins!"
Upon hearing the referee's announcement, both of them threw their Poké Balls almost simultaneously.
Clair sent out a Gyarados.
Cain, on the other hand, chose Swampert as his first combatant.
Upon seeing Clair's Gyarados, Cain frowned slightly.
A Gyarados, a Water and Flying type, was immune to Ground-type moves and had double resistance to Water-type attacks.
Once again, a Dragon-type trainer including Gyarados on their team just because it looks like a dragon.
Cain couldn't help but criticize mentally while activating the system to analyze Gyarados's data.
Pokémon: Gyarados (Light Blue)
Gender: Female
Level: 49
Types: Water + Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Bite, Thrash, Leer, Twister, Ice Fang, Aqua Tail, Scary Face, Dragon Rage, Crunch, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance, Hurricane
Learned Moves: Water Pulse, Icy Wind, Dragon Pulse, Iron Tail
TM Moves: Protect, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam, Thunderbolt, Earthquake, Flamethrower, Dragon Tail, Waterfall
An advanced-level Gyarados, with solid training.
It was clear that Clair had anticipated Swampert would be Cain's lead, so she chose Gyarados as her opener.
In Cain's previous battles, it was evident that Swampert heavily relied on its Ground-type moves, while its Water-type moves were less prominent.
Additionally, with a level 45 Swampert facing a level 49 Gyarados, the disadvantage was considerable.
"Gyarados, Dragon Dance!" Gyarados began moving in a peculiar rhythm, increasing its Attack and Speed.
"Swampert, stay calm and use Rock Slide," Cain ordered.
Swampert, unfazed, tore a huge chunk of rock from the terrain and hurled it at Gyarados with all its might.
The battle had just begun, but the tension in the stadium was already palpable.
(End of Chapter)