The preliminaries

"The qualifiers will take place over three days. If you stay this tense the whole time, you'll definitely run out of steam."

"You'll put the brakes on for me, won't you?"

"That's what I'm here for."

"I'm counting on you."

Cynthia couldn't help looking forward to fighting there in perfect condition a few days later.

Of course, if her nerves kept running high, she would exhaust herself before the competition began. Kaim's role was to calm her down and keep her in peak physical condition.

That was for Cynthia's sake, and for Kaim's own sake as well.

"When I stand on that battlefield, I'm alone. But you're here. My Pokémon are here, too. That's why I'm not the only one fighting. I can fight alongside those I care about. Nothing could make me happier."

"I'm looking forward to it, Cynthia."

"I'm counting on you, Kaim."

On the empty battlefield, the two pledged to win.

The Pokémon League was something of a festival, too. Throughout the tournament, stalls remained open on Lily of the Valley Island. In contrast to its usual quiet appearance, the island bustled with activity everywhere.

"Mr. Kaim, I have a request."

Kaim was standing guard at his assigned post when a call came over the radio issued to every member of the management staff. They had been given excellent equipment: the radios supported both broadcasts across the whole network and calls on individual channels.

"Yes? What is it?"

"About security outside-we seem to have assigned too many people to crowd control because of the turnout. Having plenty of staff is good, but every year, people make too much noise at events like this. Just in case, could you oversee the scene yourself so the chain of command doesn't get confused?"

"Understood. Where?"

"The plaza in front of the stadium. Thank you."

"Roger."

Kaim switched off his radio and hurried to the designated location.

The plaza in front of the stadium was packed, partly because the opening ceremony had yet to begin. Although today was only the opening ceremony, this Pokémon League tournament was an event that would draw attention in any region. The ceremony was accordingly grand, and people crowded together, scrambling to claim seats.

Only those who had crossed Victory Road were eligible to enter the League, but ordinary people without Gym Badges could still watch the matches. That was why so many people were there.

"There are so many this year."

There was no disturbance, but the crowd was enormous. When people gathered like this, even a small incident could trigger a panic. The staff were keeping the lines orderly, however, so there seemed to be no cause for concern just yet. Still, as Shigemo had said, assigning so many people to manage the crowd could muddle the chain of command. Sumo might have been right to think close supervision was necessary.

The people on-site seemed to understand that command had been handed to Kaim. Several came to him for instructions, and while assessing the situation, he also helped reduce the number of staff assigned there.

After a while, an announcement instructed everyone to enter in order, and the crowd began moving.

Once the first phase was complete, Kaim headed down the staff passage to return to his original post.

Along the way, a boy leaned against a wall, studying a notebook. He had spiky brown hair and sharp emerald eyes. A round ball hung at his waist, and the air about him was that of someone strong.

"What is it?"

Noticing Kaim, the boy questioned him in a rather sharp tone.

"Nothing, really. What are you doing here? Are you a competitor?"

The boy's eyebrows twitched slightly at that.

"And if I am?"

"Nothing. Aren't you watching the opening ceremony?"

"I'm not interested."

"I see."

"So? How did you know I was a competitor? Are you with management?"

The boy asked as he looked at Kaim's staff armband.

"You could say I'm with management, but I didn't actually identify you. I just thought you might be."

"Is that so?"

"You were looking at that notebook so intently."

"It's a collection of information on the most prominent trainers competing in this tournament."

"Hey, can I take a look?"

"If you're with management, sure."

Kaim examined the notebook the boy handed him. It contained detailed records of the competing trainers' Pokémon, their fighting styles, their past records, their weaknesses, and their tactics. The boy looked about thirteen. Kaim couldn't help being astonished that someone so young could compile such detailed accounts of other trainers.

"...This is incredible."

"Knowing your enemy is a given. It's the starting line."

"You hold yourself to a high standard."

"You're not from the Sinnoh Region, are you? Where are you from?"

"How did you know I wasn't from Sinnoh?"

"Because there are two Badge cases."

"I see. That's right, I'm from the Kanto Region."

"Then why didn't you enter the Pokémon League at Shirong Plateau?"

"I entered last time."

"But I lost. That's why I'm entering all sorts of competitions now-to figure out what I'm lacking."

With that, the boy stood up.

"I'm leaving. I need to prepare for tomorrow's qualifying matches."

"Sorry for keeping you talking. Heh, here, let me give this back."

Kaim stood and returned the notebook to the boy.

The boy took it, tucked it into his bag, and slung the bag over his back.

"You. What's your name?"

The boy spoke as he looked Kaim in the eye.

"Kaim."

"Saiki, you look strong, too. But you won't beat me."

"No doubt about it. I couldn't beat you."

"Help me warm up next time. I'll be your punching bag."

"I'm working as staff right now, so all I can say is that I will if I have time."

"Then make time."

"Don't be unreasonable. All right, I'll give you my contact information, just in case."

Kaim took a business card from the pass holder hanging around the boy's neck and handed it to him. It bore his staff identification.

"A gymnastics coach? You?"

"What do you think?"

"You seem to be at an elite trainer's level."

"I appreciate you saying that, but I still have a long way to go."

"That's fine. See you later."

"Yeah. Good luck in the tournament, Green."

The boy abruptly turned around.

Kaim, however, had already entered the staff passage.

Wait, I never introduced myself. Green hadn't wanted to give his name to someone who wasn't competing, but he had thought he would tell him if he agreed to spend time with him.

Yet Kaim knew Green's name, something he shouldn't have known. In other words, Kaim had recognized Green and approached him.

Green himself had been capable of reaching the finals at Shirong Plateau. It wasn't strange for Kaim, who was in Sinnoh, to know his name, since he had defeated Lance, the Dragon master hailed as the strongest of the Elite Four.

"That guy knew who I was and still came over to talk to me."

The boy-Green-muttered to himself while looking at the business card he had been given.

The next day.

With the opening ceremony over, the preliminaries began.

There were no major surprises in the preliminaries themselves, and everyone progressed as expected. Of course, Dawn, who was still relatively unknown, and Green, who had performed well in Kanto but was less well-known in Sinnoh, would likely be seen as dark horses by the general public because they were competing in a different region. Above all, they were both young-not even adults yet. If those two won and advanced, people would certainly talk.

"This League is going to be interesting."

Cynthia came over while Kaim was watching a match during his security patrol. She wore a black sleeveless shirt instead of her usual black coat. As expected, the coat was too hot for this season, so she rarely wore it at this time of year.

"There are plenty of famous trainers competing this time."

"Dawn won, of course."

"Well, Dawn will win if it's only the qualifiers. Her raw strength isn't at the Elite Four's level yet, but when she's in a tight spot, her flashes of inspiration and explosive power might even reach your level, never mind theirs."

"Oh, you think very highly of her."

"If you'd seen what happened with Giratina, your opinion of her would rise, too. Even so, I have no doubt you'll win."

"Hehe, of course. I have no intention of losing."

Since yesterday, Kaim had been working with Cynthia's Pokémon and checking their vital signs. All of them were in good condition. Even if they suddenly had to battle right now, he was confident they could perform as usual.

That "usual" level was only their normal condition, however-at most, around eighty percent in terms of their parameters. Drawing out a full hundred percent on the day of the event was the job of Cynthia, their trainer, and Kaim, her support.

"How are the preparations going?"

"They feel good. Everyone's calm, but they're all ready to fight."

"That's good. Also, I've compiled data on the competing trainers with the best records and the most attention. I'll give you my tablet, so take a look when you have time."

"You're as thorough as ever. I couldn't do all that on my own."

Cynthia analyzed her opponents, too. However, organizing the data as neatly as Kaim did took a fair amount of time. Cynthia was too lazy even to tidy her room, so collecting and organizing information wasn't her strength. With Kaim making up for that, she could devote her time to getting her Pokémon ready.

"Every member of the Elite Four is naturally at a high level. This certainly won't be easy."

"Well, even in the last League tournament, they were all formidable fighters who made the top four, aside from you."

"Dawn's team isn't geared toward any one type."

"She's an all-rounder, just like you. I don't know whether it's her personality, but she doesn't use particularly sharp tactics. Rather than weakening her enemies, she focuses on strengthening herself."

"Her ace is Empoleon. That's a bad matchup for my Garchomp."

"That Empoleon has Ice Beam. You'll need to be careful with Garchomp, since it's so weak to Ice-type attacks."

"I'm looking forward to seeing her in the main tournament."

"Also, watch out for the Gym Leader, Byron."

"Byron. I've battled him before, and he's very talented. I wonder how his experience as a Gym Leader has changed him."

"He often leads with Jolteon. It lacks endurance, but excels at quick evasions. He frequently uses Charge Beam to raise its Special Attack, then finishes with lightning or Thunderbolt. Even against Ground-type opponents, he can disrupt them with Volt Switch and Sand Fling before switching to Rentler, using Ice Fang, its high attack power, and moves like Crunch. His ace, Rentler, has high defense, so depending on the situation, it may be able to withstand at least one Earthquake from Garchomp."

Kaim had checked the names of the preliminary entrants and watched battle footage of the stronger trainers. He had thoroughly grasped their styles, strengths, and weaknesses, then compiled summaries.

That, too, was meant to minimize the time Cynthia spent analyzing her enemies, giving her more time to prepare herself and her Pokémon. Only Cynthia herself could grasp her opponents' traits and decide how to build her strategy from there. At the very least, Kaim intended to do what he could to help her.

"This youngster in green is from Kanto, if I remember correctly."

"He was Red's opponent in the last tournament. Red is now the champion of Shirong Plateau, and Green was the runner-up in the main tournament of the Shirong Plateau Pokémon League. Like Red, he's from Pallet Town, and he's Professor Odo's grandson."

"This boy is an all-rounder, too. Most of his Pokémon come from Kanto, but unlike when he was at Shirong Plateau, he has a Staraptor instead of a Pidgeotto."

"And his Rhydon has evolved into Rhyperior. If you want to take down Rhyperior, which excels at both offense and defense, Milotic is the best type matchup. Unless it has stacked its boosts about once, though, you can't call it a lethal threat."

"His ace is Blastoise. It's highly trained and versatile. Watch out for Arcanine, too-it's just as strong as Blastoise."

"He just took second place at Shirong Plateau. Not only are all his Pokémon at a fairly high level, but each has its own role. Most importantly, they can do more than just fulfill those roles. He even defeated Lance of the Elite Four." Kaim was certain Green would stand out in this tournament as well.

To be honest, Green's ability to defeat Lance put him on the same level as the Elite Four or a champion. He was strong enough to become the champion of another region. In terms of talent, Dawn was his equal, but Green had more experience. Moreover, Green wasn't merely talented; he could also analyze his opponents in depth. At present, he was probably stronger than Dawn.

"Green, then?"

"I met him yesterday. He seems to have a difficult side, too."

"Perhaps. I hope this tournament will make you realize that."

"All right."

The very Green they were discussing had just defeated an opposing Pokémon and won on a battlefield Cynthia and the others had not been watching.

"A three-Pokémon sweep with Arcanine alone. That's terrifying."

"Hehe, how interesting."

Green didn't realize they were watching, but everyone's eyes were on him as he displayed his strength.

Meanwhile, Dawn also advanced to her next battle at another venue, drawing attention there as well.

"Kaim, do you have time tonight?"

"Yes. The local staff handle nighttime security."

"Could you help me fine-tune things?"

"Sure."

That night, Cynthia's Pokémon battled Kaim's Pokémon as they checked both sides' movesets and styles, then reviewed each opponent's team composition.

The preliminaries also proceeded smoothly, and the trainers who would enter the main tournament were decided.

Green from Pallet Town.

Dawn from Twinleaf Town.

Jun from Twinleaf Town.

Byron, the Gym Leader of Sunyshore City.

Furo, the Gym Leader of Fukiyose Town.

Roxanne, the Gym Leader of Kanazumi City.

Erika, the Gym Leader of Celadon City.

Brawly, the Gym Leader of Muro City.

Fuyou, the Ghost-type user.

Karin, the beast tamer.

Gima, the gambler.

Ryo of the Elite Four.

Bertha of the Elite Four.

Surpassing the Elite Four

Gaoyou of the Elite Four

And Champion Cynthia

A total of fifteen famous Trainers had gathered, and the Sinnoh Region's grandest battle festival was about to begin.

The evening after the ranking matches

Cynthia and Kaim stood facing each other in an open area at the hotel where they were staying.

"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"

"Lucario, Meteor Mash!"

Garchomp's claws collided with Lucario's hard fist, knocking Lucario back. Unfortunately, Kaim's Lucario was still developing, even though his typing halved the damage. He was simply no match for Cynthia's Garchomp, who had already been trained to the highest level.

Lucario tried to stand, but his injuries were too severe, and he dropped to his knees.

"Right, that's enough."

"Phew... still not enough, huh?"

"My body is ready. All that's left is to gain experience and develop the flexibility to handle any situation. Then I'll be able to take it to the next level."

"That's the biggest challenge."

Kaim recalled Lucario to his ball, then turned his head.

"If you can serve as a sparring partner for my Pokémon, perhaps the day you become a Gym Leader isn't far off."

"I won't be happy if you tell me you're just tuning up a Pokémon that was left out."

"Oh, I think this will be a good experience."

"It's not a mode, and this is a good time, too. That's all the tuning up for the Pokémon already registered, right? Get a good night's sleep today and make the final adjustments tomorrow. Then they'll be in peak condition on the day."

"Yes. I'm truly grateful."