The Double Battle Tournament Begins

The next day.

A crowd of Pokémon Trainers had gathered at Hearthome Stadium, the venue for the Double Battle Tournament, waiting for the competition to officially open.

The stadium buzzed with voices, every seat already filled.

The cameras broadcasting the matches were also in position.

"Pokémon Trainers who have traveled from far and wide, welcome to Hearthome City."

"I am Enta, the mayor of Hearthome City and the host of this tournament."

"It's a pleasure to have you all here!"

As the audience waited eagerly, a short, stout middle-aged man with gray eyebrows and a gray beard appeared at the center of the specially built stage. Wearing a blue top hat and a blue formal suit, he introduced himself to the crowd.

Clap, clap!

Enthusiastic applause and cheers rose from the stands right on cue.

With more spectators in attendance, the Double Battle Tournament surpassed yesterday's Pokémon Contest in both scale and atmosphere.

"As everyone knows, Hearthome City is known as the place where hearts meet."

"Our regularly held Double Battle Tournament was created to bring hearts together—between Pokémon and people, between Pokémon, and between people."

"I hope that over the next three days, everyone will enjoy all the fun the Double Battle Tournament has to offer."

"Now, without further ado, I hereby declare the Double Battle Tournament open!"

As the applause subsided a little, Enta introduced the origins of the Double Battle Tournament.

Only after explaining its history did he declare the competition open.

Using the large screen behind him, he explained the rules to everyone present.

The thirty-two contestants would be randomly paired based on the numbered cards they had received.

The resulting two-person teams would then be assigned to eight groups.

The four teams within each group would face off in pairs.

During a match, a team