The three days off flew by. Gary and Lorelei stayed home playing games for two of them...
Although staying up late gaming was a little hard on the eyes, it also indirectly showed that this game had the potential to become a huge hit.
Besides, stubborn as Young Master Mao was by nature, he had finally found his signature hero, though the process had been rather difficult.
That was... Venusaur...
Poison Powder, Vine Whip, and Protect left his opponents practically coughing blood with rage. They couldn't hurt him when they fought him, and if they didn't, he went to cut off their minion waves at the second tower. When they got angry enough to chase him, Poison Powder and Leech Seed harassed them until they died before even reaching him...
"What is this filthy thing?! Get away, get away, get away!" The summoners matched against Gary were already losing their minds. For a while, Venusaur was known as the beast of easy rank gains...
"Tsk, tsk. Classic tactics really are the way to go." Gary nodded smugly. Over the past two days, Venusaur had inexplicably kept getting extra meals, leaving the Pokémon thoroughly bewildered...
With their days off over, the final tournament was officially upon them.
The first round was still a best-of-three!
Anyone who made it to the top sixteen had at least some skill. Young Master Mao wasn't about to get so careless that he let Nidoking keep sweeping alone.
That made arranging his team a major priority.
The Indigo League used a preregistration system. Within the hour before a match, trainers had to submit three starting Pokémon and one substitute.
Pokémon that hadn't been registered couldn't freely enter a match.
Lorelei had already gone out. Gary sat in the yard with his Pokémon gathered in a circle.