Chapter 272: Fifth Round Drawing
The Next Day
After resolving the Team Rocket interference incident yesterday, Red's group assisted panicked contestants in recovering their Poké Balls while advising everyone to remain vigilant against similar deceptions in the future.
The League subsequently issued formal warnings to prevent anyone from falling victim to Team Rocket's brazen operations in the future. Fundamentally, it was because Team Rocket's audacity knew no bounds—they'd dared to cause direct trouble on the League's official territory, a transgression that demanded institutional response.
After finishing breakfast, Red's group proceeded together to the fifth-round drawing venue to determine their next opponents.
"Hey, isn't that Red!" A gentle voice called from behind. Upon hearing someone greet him, Red instinctively turned and discovered Sundae approaching in her student uniform.
The beautifully composed Miss Sundae naturally captured the attention of most male students. Some even glanced shyly at her figure, discreetly observing her physical development with obvious interest.
Perhaps due to superior nutritional supplementation, Sundae's development appeared noticeably more advanced than her peers. Her entire bearing radiated unexpected maturity, effortlessly attracting numerous young men to her sophisticated presence.
"Miss Sundae, in no more than eight years—actually, within just four years—you'll definitely become an absolutely stunning beauty!" Brock said admiringly, his eyes transforming into hearts as he became thoroughly infatuated with her charm. Just as he was about to request her contact information, Misty's angry kick sent him sprawling.
"Control yourself!" Misty snapped.
Sundae ignored the peculiar stares surrounding her, instead running up excitedly to embrace Red's shoulders. Leaf immediately stepped forward, blocking the gesture with practiced efficiency.
"Hey, can't you read the situation?!" Leaf warned sharply, signaling Sundae to observe proper boundaries.
"Yo, didn't expect you'd also advance to the fifth round?" Sundae teased, acknowledging Leaf as a fellow competitor.
"Really? Didn't expect our top academy lady to show up here. I'm genuinely surprised!" Leaf mocked back, her confidence visibly strengthened by recent victories.
Now Leaf believed she could easily defeat Sundae. She just had to see if fate would arrange them as opponents in the same round.
"Really quite lively," Gary teased, openly curious about the developing dynamics between Leaf and Sundae.
"Let's go draw first," Red said calmly, defusing the escalating tension.
Neither Leaf nor Sundae wanted to embarrass themselves before Red, so they simultaneously released each other and departed huffily in opposite directions.
The fifth-round drawing employed an unusual method: fishing rods baited to catch Magikarp from a designated pool. Each Magikarp bore a match number marking that determined participants' next opponents.
As for why this unconventional system—naturally, subsequent rounds no longer required drawings. The tournament had transitioned to a direct elimination bracket system.
"I see. The fifth round will eliminate eight contestants, with eight winners advancing to the sixth round. Then four victors will proceed to the semifinals," Brock murmured, explaining the new competition structure to Ash beside him.
Receiving a fishing rod from staff, Red easily caught a Magikarp from the pool, anticipating which match assignment he'd receive.
Everyone anxiously observed the mark on the fish, discovering Red had drawn A-3.
"A-3... Lord Red's next opponent is..." The staff input Red's competition data into the central computer before gesturing toward the display screen behind the drawing stage. Red's image appeared on the left half while his opponent's photo materialized on the right.
"What?!" Everyone stared at the match display in shocked recognition. Red's fifth-round opponent was actually Sundae.
"I'm absolutely doomed," Sundae said despairingly.
Sundae hadn't expected the tournament draw would pair her against Red. She'd harbored hopes of advancing to the sixth round.
But thinking about it, I'm probably the only representative from Pokémon Technical Academy who advanced this far, Sundae thought, her heart finding slight consolation in this realization. After all, losing to Red carried no shame whatsoever.
In the spectators' collective understanding, losing to Red was fundamentally inevitable. No one would criticize Sundae's capabilities unless they'd watched less than three minutes of tournament coverage.
"Compared to contestants eliminated in the first round, your draw luck is already quite favorable," Leaf teased, secretly regretting she couldn't become Sundae's opponent instead. Given the opportunity, she'd definitely deliver a lesson worth remembering.
"Then it's my turn next!" Gary declared enthusiastically, using the fishing rod to catch his own Magikarp. Upon checking the mark, his excitement intensified visibly. "A-4! Absolutely what I wanted!"
"A-3 and A-4? If you both successfully advance, the sixth round will pair Red versus Gary!" Brock observed this after carefully studying the elimination bracket structure.
"Looks like I drew the perfect matchup!" Gary said expectantly, his excited gaze locking directly on Red. He'd long planned to compete against his rival—now the tournament had arranged exactly that opportunity.
"Hey, I'm still standing here!" Sundae complained loudly.
Even if I'll definitely lose, don't completely ignore me like this! her indignant expression conveyed.
Afterward, Ash and Leaf each used fishing rods to catch their Magikarp, drawing B-3 and B-4, respectively.
"If you both successfully advance, that'll be genuine Pallet Town internal competition!" Misty complained powerlessly, not anticipating that all four hometown trainers would become opponents facing each other.
"For B-3, contestant Ash's next opponent is..." Staff input Ash's data, then the display screen revealed his fifth-round opponent's identity.
Under Ash's anticipatory gaze, Richie's photo appeared on the screen—meaning Ash and Richie would become each other's fifth-round opponents.
"Didn't expect we'd become opponents so quickly after just meeting," Leaf sighed, not anticipating that fate would arrange things so suddenly.
If Ash successfully wins, that means I'll also have to battle him afterward, Leaf thought, her expression becoming noticeably more serious. She studied Ash carefully multiple times, mentally cataloging tactics against his Pokémon lineup.
In Leaf's strategic assessment, only Ash's Pikachu and Charizard presented genuine threatening potential. She'd need to arrange targeted countermeasures for these two specifically. Otherwise, Ash's natural fighting spirit could easily reverse the situation—a scenario Leaf definitely wanted to prevent.
"Red, you absolutely must go easy on me! Don't be as intense as in previous matches," Sundae said shyly, her affectionate gaze fixed on Red as she moved toward him. Just as she prepared to embrace him, Red gracefully sidestepped the advance.
Fortunately, Sundae reacted quickly enough, avoiding an embarrassing collision with the hard ground.