Ambush?

The Million Voucher Competition had been promoted continuously for a week. Most of the trainers participating were ordinary trainers who had rushed over from Violet City and nearby areas. People like Sato, who had happened to be in the right place at the right time, were actually very rare.

If Sato had stayed overnight at the Pokemon Center last night, he would have found it already packed with trainers. It was clear just how alluring money could be.

Still, Sato had definitely come to participate with the intention of training his Pokemon. Of course, having one million as the prize wasn't bad either.

Holding contestant number 311, Sato stood behind the many participating trainers and quietly waited for the staff member to call his number. Ahead of him, fierce matches were underway on three temporary battle arenas.

Because there were too many participants, the Preliminary Round was simple and brutal. Ten trainers were randomly called up each time, each sending out one Pokemon. Whoever lasted until the end advanced.

As a result, every arena was incredibly chaotic. In Sato's view, that made the matches far less entertaining.

But...

Looking at the noisy, bustling crowd below, Sato felt that most people who had come to watch the matches were ordinary civilians. To them, Pokemon were both familiar and distant.

Precisely because of that, being able to witness the wonders of Pokemon up close was already enough. As for tactics, they were far less satisfying than one brutal clash after another.

The shouting from below the stage seemed to affect the trainers and Pokemon as well. One Pokemon after another began trading blows without dodging, and Pokemon like Rhyhorn gained an enormous advantage.

The first round ended quickly. The three winning trainers all had large, highly defensive Pokemon: Rhyhorn, Nidoking, and Machamp!

In the second round, another thirty trainers went on stage. This time, everyone had learned their lesson, and large Pokemon nearly filled every arena.

The collisions of flesh against flesh brought even greater cheers and excitement. Every trainer seemed pumped full of adrenaline as they launched frenzied attacks.

Two trainers among them were clearly still level-headed and wanted to avoid such mad confrontations, but because they were weaker, they ultimately failed to make much of a splash.

Boom!

Suddenly, powerful exclamations erupted from arena number three, the farthest one away. Sato narrowed his eyes and looked over, only to see a haughty young master standing alone on the arena.

"Feraligatr!"

Looking at the wild Johto Starter Pokemon Feraligatr beside the wealthy young master, Sato realized that although this was an ordinary competition held by the mall to attract customers, there was no shortage of skilled trainers.

The second round ended, and the winners were still three large Pokemon. Among them, Feraligatr's performance had been the most eye-catching.

In the third round, another thirty trainers took the stage one after another. After all thirty Pokemon had been released, more than half of them were still large Pokemon.

Sato rolled Haunter's Poke Ball in his hand, wondering whether winning through an ambush would bring a wave of boos. Just as he was considering whether or not to become the Early Bird, a female trainer had already done exactly that.

A small Bellossom darted among the large Pokemon without suffering the slightest injury. By the time only two Pokemon remained on the field, Tauros's trainer discovered bitterly that Bellossom was terrifyingly strong! Sato remembered that outstanding Bellossom, as well as the female trainer who looked delicate and frail.

Playing the pig to eat the tiger!

Bellossom's victory finally made the following battles less violent and straightforward. Ambushes, borrowing momentum, and diverting disaster eastward emerged one after another.

Having watched enough straightforward battles, the audience's appreciation had also risen considerably in a short time, so they continued watching with great interest.

Sato looked meaningfully at the smiling mall owner in the guest section, feeling as though something was being invisibly controlled.

"Fourth Round, arena number one, contestants number 78, number 9, number 311..."

Hearing his contestant number, Sato stepped out of the crowd without hesitation and headed to the farthest arena, number three. Because there were too many contestants, the Preliminary Round had to end on the first day of the event, so the battle began as soon as Sato stepped onto the stage.

"Jiejie jiejie~"

Haunter let out a quiet cry that only Sato could hear. The referee immediately walked over to confirm whether Sato had released his Pokemon.

After Sato pointed at a spot in the air and heard Haunter's cry again, the experienced referee immediately determined what Pokemon it was and said nothing more.

This scene happened extremely fast. From the beginning, Sato had chosen the referee's position in order to conceal Haunter's presence.

After all, everyone's attention was focused on the largest Golem. Sure enough, as soon as the battle began, it became the target of everyone's attacks.

Without sufficient strength, a large body instead became a burden. Under a barrage of Hydro Pump, Razor Leaf, Ice Beam, and other moves, Golem was the first to fall.

At this point, Sato was completely playing the role of a bystander. He watched the fierce struggle in the arena with utter calm, even feeling like sitting down for a cup of tea.

It was only when only four Pokemon were left below the stage that the people both on and below the stage finally noticed Sato, this "idle man."

"Kid, where's your Pokemon?" a bare-chested, muscular man asked in a booming voice. His Machoke fought steadily and was not easily defeated, so he still had time to ask.

"It's in the arena."

"Where?"

"There, see?" Sato calmly raised his hand and pointed. At that moment, a dark purple ghostly figure abruptly appeared above the Four Pokemon, accompanied by an enormous Shadow Ball.

Boom!

The arena had been temporarily built to begin with, and the Shadow Ball had been gathering power for a long time. Its might was naturally incomparable. Even those standing nearby could feel the arena shake, not to mention the trainers currently on the stage.

As the smoke cleared, Haunter grinned eerily. The four Pokemon beneath it had all fallen to the ground, completely unresponsive. The crowd below the stage fell silent for no apparent reason, and for a moment, absolute silence reigned beneath arena number three.

Sato recalled Haunter and calmly accepted the silence.

"Hmph!"

The bare-chested man recalled Machoke with great dissatisfaction. A real man should fight head-on—what kind of ability was ambushing?

The crowd below the stage was stirred awake as well, and quite a few boos rang out. But when they thought of that terrifying Shadow Ball, they could not help but feel uneasy. Whether it had been an ambush or not aside, taking out Four Pokemon in one move was more than strong enough.

When Sato walked to the advancement area, everyone stared at him. Even with his strong mental fortitude, he could not help feeling a little nervous.

Still, once he thought about how he had advanced by relying on strength, Sato simply let everyone watch.

The day's battles ended quickly. In the final round, there had only been six people at arena number three. There were thirty-two qualifiers in total, just enough for five rounds of paired 2V2 matches.

Tomorrow, the competition would continue!

Thank you to reader From White to Black and Then From Black to White for the 100 Book Coin tip! Thank you all for your support!