The next morning, when Natsui and Ash's group gathered and went down to the lobby of the Athlete's Village, the match schedule for the preliminary rounds was already displayed on the large screen.
Looking up, they saw the screen divided into 16 groups, each containing three competitors, with their photos displayed next to their names.
"I see mine!" Ash spotted his photo almost immediately and pointed at the screen. "I'm in Group H. Let's see who my opponents are... huh?"
Hearing his surprised sound, Natsui and the others turned to look.
"What's wrong?"
Looking closely, they saw that Ash's Group H included himself, a little girl, and a slightly chubby older boy. And that boy was none other than Junichi, the childhood friend of Kenta and Marina from Greenleaf Town.
"It's him! This is really..." Misty patted Ash's shoulder teasingly. "I heard Marina mention before that Junichi is very strong. You're quite unlucky to be in the same group."
Ash, however, seemed eager for the challenge. "It doesn't matter. I won't lose to anyone!"
After checking Ash's group, everyone looked for Natsui's name to see his placement.
Misty squinted and was the first to find it. "I see it! Natsui's in Group C!"
Following her finger, Natsui indeed saw his photo. His group opponents were two competitors he had never seen before.
"Luck's not too bad. Didn't get grouped with Kenta or the others."
Seeing that he wasn't grouped with anyone he knew well relieved Natsui. With only one spot per group advancing, if he had been placed with friends, he would have felt bad about personally eliminating them.
Although they would inevitably face each other if they kept advancing, the later they met, the better their friends' results would be, and the less guilty he would feel about eliminating them.
Even against Gary, he didn't want him eliminated so early.
After checking the groups, they took a closer look at the rules.
According to the preliminary rules, each group would compete in a round-robin format. A win earned three points, a loss zero points, and a draw one point. The person with the highest total score would advance to the next round, the final tournament.
"But there's a small chance of a tie," Brock said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "If everyone ties, or if scores are identical, there will be tiebreaker matches until a clear winner is determined."
"Well..." Ash tried counting on his fingers but found the system a bit too confusing for his brain. He decided not to waste his limited brain cells and said firmly, "Anyway, as long as I beat everyone, I'll definitely advance to the next round, right?!"
"That's right," Natsui laughed. "Since you're competing, don't worry too much. You need that kind of unstoppable spirit!"
Having confirmed their respective match locations, Natsui and Ash parted ways. Natsui headed towards Group C with Erika.
This time, Misty, being Ash's traveling companion, couldn't just leave him, especially for such crucial matches. She and Brock went with him to the Group H venue.
...
Next to the main Silver Stadium, there were four smaller stadiums labeled A, B, C, and D. The 16 preliminary groups were divided among these four venues.
Natsui's Group C was assigned to Stadium A.
When he arrived at the field through the competitor's passage, Stadium A was already packed with spectators. Judging by the numbers, this was clearly the most popular venue.
Misa, Masa, and their gang had secured the most prominent seats in the stands early on. Seeing Natsui enter, they waved their flags wildly.
They were incredibly conspicuous. Compared to them, Erika sat quietly nearby, simply watching Natsui from afar with a gentle gaze.
Natsui looked at his opponent, who was apparently a popular local competitor from Johto. He was already standing in the red trainer's area before Natsui entered, but unlike the relaxed demeanor of others, his expression was incredibly grave.
No one else could truly understand the immense pressure of facing the Indigo Conference champion and the top favorite for this Silver Conference.
Especially after learning he was grouped with Natsui, he had specifically looked up Natsui's previous matches. What he saw could only be described as suffocating.
Whether it was Gardevoir, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, or any of Natsui's other Pokémon, their strength was formidable, clearly above championship level. That Gyarados, in particular, filled him with a sense of dread.
He honestly didn't know how he could possibly face such an opponent.
Now, watching Natsui wave casually as he walked calmly to the blue trainer's area, this competitor could only pray inwardly that Natsui wouldn't use such overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon in the preliminary stage.
Once Natsui reached his position, the referee walked to the center.
"We will now determine the first attacker!"
Slightly different from other competitions, these preliminary rounds used a spinner lottery to decide who would send out their first Pokémon. While somewhat unfair, this method reduced some uncertainty and offered a degree of protection to the weaker side.
Conversely, if the weaker side won the first move, it could also speed up the pace of the match and lead to a more decisive loss.
A small spinner appeared on a nearby screen, with red and blue sections representing Natsui and his opponent evenly distributed. As the pointer began to spin, both competitors watched intently.
Finally, seeing the pointer slow down and stop on Natsui's blue section, the opponent couldn't help but sigh in relief.
The referee looked at the result and signaled to Natsui. "Competitor Natsui, please send out your Pokémon first."
Natsui nodded slightly. He showed no disappointment at having to go first, mainly because he trusted his Pokémon, knowing they wouldn't be easily defeated even with a type disadvantage.
He took a Poké Ball from his belt pouch, one he had already decided on before the match. He threw it, and after the flash of blue light, a Pokémon with a large flower and green leaves on its back, and bluish-green limbs, appeared on the field.
It was the Venusaur that had shone so brightly for Natsui in the Kanto region but had been staying at the Sakuragi Institute and hadn't battled in a long time!
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