Not daring to leave behind any threats, the young Pokémon Trainer threw down his identification tag and slunk away with his Pokémon.
Makomo blinked, only then realizing she had won.
She let out a long breath, then grew happy again.
So beating someone was this easy!
She didn't need to do anything. Just telling Gardevoir to defeat the opponent was enough to win!
This also greatly boosted her confidence, leaving her looking forward to the battles ahead even more.
Picking up the identification tag from the ground, Makomo thanked Gardevoir with a smile, then recalled it.
"Let's go find the next one."
As she walked out of the alley, sunlight fell on her again, pleasantly warm.
The occasional Pokémon cry and sounds of clashing moves drifted from the distant streets, but they were noticeably less frequent than at the start.
Although only a little over ten minutes had passed since the event began, a round of battles had already halved the number of participants. On top of that, the contestants were scattered throughout the city, some hiding in the shadows waiting for prey, others taking the initiative and weaving through the streets and alleys. Running into one wasn't so easy.
Recalling Gardevoir to its Poké Ball had also been a little strategy of Makomo's.
Though she didn't understand battling, she still knew common sense.
If she kept Gardevoir out, opponents who challenged her would adjust their choices based on their own lineups, putting her at an even greater disadvantage.
Keeping Gardevoir in its ball, however, would save her a lot of trouble and let her catch her opponents off guard.
Sure enough, just as she had expected, she encountered almost no meaningful resistance in her next two battles.
She met two more contestants, whose Pokémon both looked quite strong