At five that afternoon.
The first round of the main tournament came to an end.
After three fierce rounds of Double Battles, thirty-two of the original 256 contestants advanced to the second round.
The tournament was heating up.
But to give the contestants' Pokémon a proper rest, the Contest Affairs Bureau decided to give everyone a day off.
"Two more matches..."
Baimu studied the schedule. A few years ago, the round of thirty-two had been part of the Victory Tournament. Now the Victory Tournament began with the final eight, chiefly because of the strain full six-on-six battles placed on contestants.
Not every Trainer had raised more than six Pokémon. An extended run of full battles could put too much strain on their teams.
Taking the Pokémon's recovery into account, the next two rounds would be three-on-three, with each contestant choosing three from a team of six.
But fewer Pokémon per match did not mean gentler battles. The shifting possibilities of choosing three from six made them every bit as intense as full battles.
"Baimu! Let's go out tomorrow and have some fun! We could use a break!"
Lisia came to his door, bursting with excitement.
Baimu glanced back at the roomful of lounging Pokémon and nodded. "Sure!"
Most of his Pokémon had yet to take the field, but rest mattered as much as training. Even if their bodies weren't worn out, giving them a mental break was important.
Besides, they couldn't stay cooped up in the room all day.
Delighted by his answer, Lisia left to persuade the hesitant Wally. He had developed something of a fear of her and was particularly worried she would drag him into a women's clothing store.
Wally only agreed when he heard Baimu was going too. He seemed to have forgotten who had started