Lacey took her elimination fairly well. After a moment's thought, she said, "Red... he's a traveling trainer too, right? Apparently, Professor Oak asked him to compete for the trophy on behalf of his alma mater, Celadon University?"
"He and Blue only arrived the day before the tournament started, so we didn't see them at the Resort before that."
"Back when Professor Oak was still a student, Celadon University pretty much dominated this tournament. But it's been ages since anyone from Kanto won."
"Maybe they felt embarrassed and went to Professor Oak for help. That's probably why."
Lacey asked curiously, "Do you know him, Xia Chi?"
The corner of Xia Chi's mouth twitched. He shook his head. "Not well."
Beside him, Nemona offered a serious assessment. "I think he's the same kind of trainer as Xia Chi!"
Lacey nodded in understanding. "Right. When I battled him, I kept thinking, 'Huh? You can do that?' That's a lot like Xia Chi."
Xia Chi: "..."
Has it occurred to you that I learned this battle style from Red when I read the Pokémon Adventures manga as a kid?
Isn't saying he fights like me getting things a little backward?
In any case...
Blue. Red.
This World Pokémon Academy Tournament was getting more and more interesting.
Three days should theoretically have been enough for Floragato to recover completely.
Still, perhaps out of a parent's excessive worry for his child, Xia Chi decided to put Floragato after Misdreavus and Pupitar in his lineup for the second round.
Floragato was naturally a little unhappy.
But the little kitty just needed some petting and coaxing.
Pupitar, by contrast, was incredibly excited.
This would be the first battle of its life as a Pokémon.
Before this, its severe congenital illness had kept the little one from even