"Happy, you did great."As the match ended, Ritchie quickly ran over and scooped his injured Butterfree into his arms. After whispering words of comfort, he finally returned it to its Poké Ball.
When Ritchie stood up again, he saw that Yozora had already recalled his Pidgeotto and was waiting for him in the center of the field.
Ritchie walked over at once and said with admiration, "Yozora, your strength really is incredible. Once again, I've lost completely."
"No, you're strong too. Your Happy pushed my Pidgeotto to the brink more than once." Yozora smiled warmly.
The two shook hands and stepped down from the field.
With the conclusion of Yozora's match against Ritchie, the fifth round of preliminaries finally drew to a close.
The last few battles finished quickly. When the dust settled, half of the 32 contestants had been eliminated, leaving only the final sixteen.
The next round—the sixth—was the crucial turning point.
Because those who advanced would reach the quarterfinals. At that stage, it wasn't just about prizes anymore—honor itself was on the line.
The S.S. Anne was a gathering place for the upper class. To make it into the top eight here and show off in front of this crowd—that sort of recognition was far more intoxicating than any trophy.
Most of the elite trainers present were either wealthy or noble. The rewards themselves didn't matter. What mattered was prestige.
Of course, for commoner trainers like Yozora and Ritchie, this so-called "high society" wasn't something they were particularly comfortable with.
Ritchie had already been defeated.
As for Yozora, his main goal was to face Miss Sherry and her Pelipper—testing his strength against her, sharpening himself, and perhaps even winning the whole tournament along the way…
The giant screen stopped scrolling.
The matchups for the sixth round were finalized.
Yozora's battle was scheduled as the fourth match—his opponent: none other than Miss Sherry.
Although the lineup was confirmed, there was still an hour before the sixth round began.
The contestants used the time to rest and recover.
Yozora stepped onto the deck to catch the sea breeze. Ritchie followed along; compared to sipping afternoon tea with nobles and gentlemen, he much preferred Yozora's company.
There were no stiff rules here, no suffocating etiquette.
On the deck sat a small pool, apparently designed for fishing enthusiasts.
For them, the joy lay in the process. It wasn't about capturing Pokémon. Most anglers simply placed their catches in the pool for a while, admired them, then released them.
At this time of day, no one was fishing. The pool was completely empty.
Ritchie spotted it and released his Tentacool, letting it swim freely.
Tentacool was purely aquatic and couldn't remain on land for long. Whenever Ritchie found a water source, he always let it out to play.
Yozora wasn't surprised.
As a dependable trainer, Ritchie surely had six Pokémon already. It was just that Sparky, Zippo, and Happy were his core partners, so they received more attention.
Watching Ritchie's Tentacool, Yozora chuckled and released his Psyduck as well.
But instead of entering the water, Psyduck flopped lazily onto the deck, enjoying the damp sea breeze.
Being amphibious, Psyduck didn't seem to feel much need for water.
"Haha, Yozora, your Psyduck really has a personality." Ritchie laughed at the sight.
"Yeah…" Yozora nodded. Psyduck truly did have character.
Aside from Beedrill, Yozora was especially fond of both his Charmander and Psyduck. He had already decided to train them into future aces.
Charmander was hardworking and battle-hungry—its future held no worries.
Psyduck, on the other hand, was carefree and lazy… perhaps because its innate potential was simply too high, it had grown accustomed to such a temperament.
Truth be told, Yozora actually meshed well with Psyduck's personality.
Fight seriously when it's time to fight, relax properly when it's time to relax. A balance between tension and ease—there was nothing wrong with that. It might even make one more efficient.
Ritchie casually took out a fishing rod, casting the line as he joked, "Yozora, your next opponent is Miss Sherry. How about it? You must feel confident, right?"
Yozora just smiled without replying.
Ritchie blinked, then quickly added, "But Pelipper is four times weak to Electric-types! As long as you use one, you should win easily."
Four-times weakness was no joke—the damage was devastating.
No wonder Ritchie sounded excited. If it were him, sending Sparky into the match—even at a lower level—would probably be enough to crush Pelipper.
So if even Ritchie was confident, shouldn't Yozora, who was much stronger, be even more certain?
"You're right," Yozora said with a hint of regret, "but unfortunately, I haven't caught any Electric-types yet."
It wasn't that he disliked them—he simply hadn't encountered one.
"Uh…" Ritchie was stunned.
He had assumed that someone as strong as Yozora would already have a wide range of Pokémon, including the most basic elemental types. But surprisingly, Yozora lacked even one of Water, Fire, Grass, or Electric.
Indeed—those four were considered the fundamentals.
Yet Yozora not only lacked an Electric-type, but also a Grass-type…
"Don't worry. Even without an Electric-type, I'm confident I can defeat Miss Sherry."
With that, Yozora also pulled out a rod and joined Ritchie in fishing.
In an hour, Yozora reeled in three Magikarp. Their potential turned out to be: Intermediate, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Shaking his head, he released them all.
Ritchie, meanwhile, only caught one—but it was a Poliwhirl with gym-level potential.
After a quick battle, Ritchie happily captured it.
For him, a new Water-type ace had arrived—one that surpassed Tentacool.
Poliwhirl was amphibious, while Tentacool could only survive in water. The difference was obvious.
Of course, in a pure water-field match, Tentacool could still shine.
But in the Indigo League Conference, water fields appeared often. In such cases, one Water-type might not be enough. Having two—or even three—was the safer bet.
"It's time, Ritchie." Hearing the broadcast call, Yozora rose and beckoned to him. Together, they headed back to the arena.
Just as they arrived, Yozora caught sight of Captain Edson's battle.
Edson commanded a formidable Poliwrath. Its strength was overwhelming, sweeping through two opponents in a row with ease.
"Senior Peak level… As expected of the S.S. Anne's captain. He's no pushover." Yozora narrowed his eyes, taking silent note.
(End of Chapter)