Finals Arena

"Welcome, everyone, to the finals of our Pokémon Contest Rookie Cup! I'm your host, Mary!"

After two days of fierce competition, we've selected the final sixteen contestants!

Today, they'll battle it out here to determine the winner!

Who will come out on top? Let's wait and see!!!!"

Today, Mary wore a sizzling red miniskirt that paired with her long, straight legs, making every man in the audience drool.

"Mary! Mary~~~!!!"

Seeing that even her father Norman had been drawn in by the beautiful host on the flying machine, May decided she'd tell her mother Mitsuko all about it when they got home!

Poor Norman still had no idea what awaited him at home, but at this moment, holding his glow stick, he was happy.

Contestants' Waiting Room

"Roy!"

Erika had also come to the contestants' waiting room to cheer Roy on.

She'd actually been eliminated yesterday, placing fifty-second in points, but for her first time entering a Pokémon Contest with a level sixteen Chikorita, that was already a very good result.

She'd come today specifically to cheer Roy on.

And she hadn't come empty-handed. As for what she'd brought, Erika said it was a secret for now. Roy would see it once the battle began.

What puzzled Roy wasn't what Erika had brought, but wasn't this the contestants' waiting room?

Roy remembered that eliminated contestants weren't allowed back into the waiting room, partly to protect the contestants and prevent the losers from seeking revenge.

Yet Erika had walked in as if no one was there. And yesterday, while scrolling through IQ, he'd come across a violent incident that had happened in Rustboro City a few days ago.

Several spectators who had left the Pokémon Contest venue had been beaten up in the street. Apparently, their combined bones couldn't even make up one complete skeleton.

Roy couldn't be sure, but he felt those people were the same ones who'd sneered from the stands before.

Erika's mysterious identity left Roy unable to figure her out, but she treated him very well. After adding him on IQ yesterday, she'd even said she wanted to start a Litwick fan page and specifically asked for several photos of Litwick.

Roy hadn't refused that request, letting Erika create whatever fan page she wanted. Though if Litwick evolved someday, whether little Erika would change the page's name would be another matter.

As the sound system began its audio test,

Roy turned his attention back to the screen in the waiting room.

Agatha had returned to the judges' table today. Whether it was Roy's imagination or something else, Agatha on the screen seemed to have lost some of her aloof coldness today. Her whole demeanor was much gentler.

At the judges' table

"Agatha, are you sure you want to teach at Rustboro Academy for a while?"

"I've made up my mind. Since there's no talking you out of it anyway, I might as well train another disciple myself to inherit my legacy."

Professor Oak could only sigh helplessly at Agatha, who had already made up her mind.

Yesterday, he'd tried to persuade Agatha that she could wait until after the competition before going to Mt. Pyre, but when Agatha set her mind on something, he simply couldn't stop her.

"But what about the Indigo League..."

"What about the Indigo League? At worst, I'll just quit!"

Well, the Indigo League really couldn't do anything to Agatha. With her carefree personality, whenever she thought of something, she'd go and do it.

Professor Oak didn't try to persuade her any further.

Actually, this was fine too. Everyone had their own ambitions.

Agatha could teach at Rustboro Academy, while he could peacefully focus on his research at the laboratory without having to deal with Agatha showing up every now and then to challenge him to a Pokémon battle.

Next came the pre-match drawing of lots.

Erika also left the waiting room and returned to the audience.

The time had come to decide the fate of the sixteen contestants.

Roy was the first to go onstage and draw lots. He kept shaking the wooden lottery barrel in his hands, muttering, "Give me a good draw! Give me a good draw!"

Now that it was the finals, the remaining trainers' Pokémon were basically all above level twenty-six. Roy only prayed he wouldn't run into any of those three troublesome opponents.

But luck wasn't on Roy's side. The more he didn't want something, the more it came true. With a casual draw, Roy picked number ninety-six for the first match—the trainer with the Mightyena he'd analyzed yesterday.

When the Mightyena trainer saw that his opponent was Roy rather than Wallace or Umbreon's trainer, he let out a sigh of relief.

Since he'd been drawn by someone else, he didn't need to draw lots himself. But he seemed to think of something and released his Mightyena.

"Mightyena, in a moment we..."

"Roy."

Hearing someone call his name, Roy stopped arguing with Wallace over who was more handsome.

There was no way Roy was conceding that point to Wallace.

Turning around, he saw that it was the Mightyena trainer. Before Roy could react, the trainer spoke with an arrogant expression.

"In the next match, are you still planning to rely on that Litwick of yours that hasn't even evolved yet?

I suggest you just surrender as soon as you step onstage. Wouldn't that save everyone some time?"

Both of them looked puzzled at the Mightyena trainer who had suddenly come to provoke them.

Especially since he seemed utterly certain he had Roy beaten today.

Wallace took the initiative to stand in front of Roy. Though he said nothing, his position made his stance clear.

Even though Roy thought Wallace wasn't as handsome as him, after two days together, they might not have become brothers, but they were at least good friends who could trade barbs.

Wallace could tease Roy, but no one else could.

Especially when the guy acted as if having a fully evolved Mightyena meant he could look down on Roy. It really pissed Wallace off.