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he knowes pokemon more than i know _Chapter_355_en
Chapter 355
Chapter 351: Tournament Rules
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
An Indigo League sub-arena.
"Good morning to all our viewers at home! Today is the first day of the Indigo League Conference's preliminary rounds~"
At one of the entrances, a capable-looking woman with long red hair tied into a large, broom-like ponytail held a microphone and introduced the scene to the camera.
In front of her was a blue-haired man with his short hair tied into a small, artistic braid. He wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, and a camera was propped on his shoulder.
Beside them stood a very short, yellow figure dressed like a director.
These three were none other than the Team Rocket trio, who hadn't been seen for a while: Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Hmph, our plan to disguise ourselves as reporters is absolutely flawless, meow!"
Director Meowth sneered inwardly, his cat-like face dark and gloomy as he sized up the Trainers coming and going, as if they were all big fish about to be caught in a net.
"Heh heh, that's our Meowth!"
After they finished filming a segment, James sidled over to suck up to Meowth.
"That's right! There are definitely going to be a lot of famous talent scouts at this tournament. When they see a female reporter with my top-tier looks and acting skills, they'll surely help me break into the entertainment industry!"
Jessie also moved closer, striking a pose for the two of them.
James & Meowth: "?"
"You idiot, Jessie, meow! Our plan this time is to use our reporter identities to investigate powerful Trainers and their Pokémon, then find a chance to steal them all, meow!" Meowth roared in a whisper.
He wanted to give Jessie a Fury Swipes, but her face was an excellent weapon for now and couldn't be ruined. He reluctantly held back. Normally, he would have already drawn a game of tic-tac-toe on her face.
However, judging by Jessie's star-struck expression, she had probably prioritized her own debut. If she had any spare time, she might deign to help them steal a few rare Pokémon.
"Damn it!"
James suddenly noticed something. Frowning, he quickly tried to pull Jessie aside, but she brushed his hands off, declaring nonchalantly, "What are you doing!? You can't just interrupt a superstar's pose!"
Just as she spoke, Ash and his friends walked right up to Jessie, getting very close as they curiously examined her face.
Jessie: "!"
Danger!
Sweat dripped down the trio's faces as they forced awkward smiles.
"We were careless! We forgot the twerp and his friends are also participants!"
"What do we do? Should we just skip to Plan B and reveal ourselves?"
"No way, meow! There are too many strong people around! Let's just run, meow!"
The trio's expressions shifted rapidly as their eyes darted around, exchanging silent, perfectly coordinated glances.
"Are you from a TV station...?"
After a moment of confusion, Ash suddenly turned to the camera on James's shoulder. A huge smile spread across his face as he waved excitedly.
"Hey, hey, Mom, can you see me!? It's Ash!"
Although the trio had barely disguised themselves, he hadn't recognized Team Rocket at all, merely finding them a bit familiar.
Likewise, Brock and Misty didn't recognize them either; they'd always been bad with faces.
"Pika..."
Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, twitched his ears and lifted his head. The scent from the three in front of him was somewhat familiar...
It was the smell of a small fry.
"Pika!"
Pikachu immediately lowered his head again, having lost interest in them. He had one-hit KO'd far too many small fries to remember each and every one of them.
The hard drive space in a small rodent Pokémon's head was, in fact, quite small.
The trio: "?"
Soon, Ash and his friends headed toward the Pokémon Center, leaving the dumbfounded Team Rocket trio behind.
"Snap out of it, meow! We need to gather information on powerful Trainers and Pokémon, meow!"
Meowth, the most reliable of the three, was the first to recover and shouted a reminder. His words immediately got the other two to refocus, and they began looking around for a target.
Since the twerp and his friends couldn't see through their flawless disguise, it meant they could now do whatever they wanted!
"Chirp, chirp..."
"Hmph, ha-ha..."
After some searching, the trio noticed a crowd gathered in one area, filled with discussion and cheers as if a superstar had appeared. Curious, they hurried over.
Pushing through the crowd, they saw at the center a flamboyant man with a tall, slender, and almost bewitching figure. He had long, straight, cyan hair and a delicate face that held a hint of frivolity. His hands waved back and forth in front of him, occasionally making a Pidgey or a Spearow appear out of thin air, drawing cheers from the crowd.
"A comedian?"
"A magician?"
Listening closely, the trio learned that this cyan-haired man was also a participant in the tournament. He had apparently been a contestant in some kind of performance competition before and already had a decent following.
He looked like a big fish!
Jessie immediately put on a professional-looking fake smile and approached, intending to secretly gather information about the Pokémon he carried.
Unexpectedly, before they could even speak, the cyan-haired man spoke first, his gaze arrogant.
"Hey? What TV station are you from?"
"Oh, oh, we're reporters from Rocket TV~" Jessie replied smoothly, a smile on her face.
Rocket TV was a small, local television station under Team Rocket's control, which was convenient to use for this occasion.
"Rocket TV? A local one? Never heard of it."
The cyan-haired man waved a dismissive hand, looking at the three only from the corner of his eye, as if they were three small fries.
"I only accept interviews from national television networks. You small-timers can forget it."
After speaking, the cyan-haired man moved on with a large group of fans, finding a new spot to continue showing off his flashy magic tricks, completely ignoring the expressions on the trio's faces.
"You little—! That does it, I've had it with this guy!!"
Seeing that Jessie was about to explode and give the arrogant man a beating, James and Meowth quickly used every ounce of their strength to drag her away, constantly trying to placate her.
"Calm down, calm down, Jessie!"
"Don't let a small-timer ruin our grand plan!"
Right now, Team Rocket's focus wasn't on the Kanto Region; even Giovanni had gone to the Johto Region on a business trip. But if they could achieve great results in the Kanto Region at this critical juncture, they would surely win Giovanni's praise!
"Hmph! I hope that small fry gets eliminated in the first round!" Jessie could only curse hatefully in the end.
Pokémon Center.
Brock was explaining this year's tournament system to the group.
"Ash, you need to listen carefully. The rules for this tournament are pretty bizarre."
There were over two hundred participants in this year's Indigo League Conference. The competition is roughly divided into two stages: the Preliminary Round and the Elimination Tournament.
The first stage, the Preliminary Round, will be held in the four surrounding sub-arenas. On average, each person will have to fight four battles. After these four rounds, almost all of the participants will be filtered out, reducing the number from over two hundred to just sixteen.
Only then will the battlefield shift to the main arena, where those sixteen people will enter the second stage of the tournament—the Elimination Tournament.
"The most bizarre part is the four battles in this first stage. It's a system where you're out if you lose even once..." Brock's brow was deeply furrowed.
It's called the Preliminary Round, but it's essentially an elimination tournament from the very start.
A single loss means the end of their journey. The tournament system was highly unscientific.
In other regions, the first stage is more of a group stage with a point-based system, where eligibility for the Top 16 is determined through the outcome of multiple rounds, not by a single, decisive battle like this.
What if the runner-up faced the champion in the very first battle?
Eliminated just like that?
It could be said that with this kind of tournament system, apart from the sole champion whose title was genuinely earned, every other ranking was pure Metaphysics.
As for why they didn't change it...
For no other reason than it was an ancestral tradition, and they refused to change it.
(end of chapter)
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
An Indigo League sub-arena.
"Good morning to all our viewers at home! Today is the first day of the Indigo League Conference's preliminary rounds~"
At one of the entrances, a capable-looking woman with long red hair tied into a large, broom-like ponytail held a microphone and introduced the scene to the camera.
In front of her was a blue-haired man with his short hair tied into a small, artistic braid. He wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, and a camera was propped on his shoulder.
Beside them stood a very short, yellow figure dressed like a director.
These three were none other than the Team Rocket trio, who hadn't been seen for a while: Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Hmph, our plan to disguise ourselves as reporters is absolutely flawless, meow!"
Director Meowth sneered inwardly, his cat-like face dark and gloomy as he sized up the Trainers coming and going, as if they were all big fish about to be caught in a net.
"Heh heh, that's our Meowth!"
After they finished filming a segment, James sidled over to suck up to Meowth.
"That's right! There are definitely going to be a lot of famous talent scouts at this tournament. When they see a female reporter with my top-tier looks and acting skills, they'll surely help me break into the entertainment industry!"
Jessie also moved closer, striking a pose for the two of them.
James & Meowth: "?"
"You idiot, Jessie, meow! Our plan this time is to use our reporter identities to investigate powerful Trainers and their Pokémon, then find a chance to steal them all, meow!" Meowth roared in a whisper.
He wanted to give Jessie a Fury Swipes, but her face was an excellent weapon for now and couldn't be ruined. He reluctantly held back. Normally, he would have already drawn a game of tic-tac-toe on her face.
However, judging by Jessie's star-struck expression, she had probably prioritized her own debut. If she had any spare time, she might deign to help them steal a few rare Pokémon.
"Damn it!"
James suddenly noticed something. Frowning, he quickly tried to pull Jessie aside, but she brushed his hands off, declaring nonchalantly, "What are you doing!? You can't just interrupt a superstar's pose!"
Just as she spoke, Ash and his friends walked right up to Jessie, getting very close as they curiously examined her face.
Jessie: "!"
Danger!
Sweat dripped down the trio's faces as they forced awkward smiles.
"We were careless! We forgot the twerp and his friends are also participants!"
"What do we do? Should we just skip to Plan B and reveal ourselves?"
"No way, meow! There are too many strong people around! Let's just run, meow!"
The trio's expressions shifted rapidly as their eyes darted around, exchanging silent, perfectly coordinated glances.
"Are you from a TV station...?"
After a moment of confusion, Ash suddenly turned to the camera on James's shoulder. A huge smile spread across his face as he waved excitedly.
"Hey, hey, Mom, can you see me!? It's Ash!"
Although the trio had barely disguised themselves, he hadn't recognized Team Rocket at all, merely finding them a bit familiar.
Likewise, Brock and Misty didn't recognize them either; they'd always been bad with faces.
"Pika..."
Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, twitched his ears and lifted his head. The scent from the three in front of him was somewhat familiar...
It was the smell of a small fry.
"Pika!"
Pikachu immediately lowered his head again, having lost interest in them. He had one-hit KO'd far too many small fries to remember each and every one of them.
The hard drive space in a small rodent Pokémon's head was, in fact, quite small.
The trio: "?"
Soon, Ash and his friends headed toward the Pokémon Center, leaving the dumbfounded Team Rocket trio behind.
"Snap out of it, meow! We need to gather information on powerful Trainers and Pokémon, meow!"
Meowth, the most reliable of the three, was the first to recover and shouted a reminder. His words immediately got the other two to refocus, and they began looking around for a target.
Since the twerp and his friends couldn't see through their flawless disguise, it meant they could now do whatever they wanted!
"Chirp, chirp..."
"Hmph, ha-ha..."
After some searching, the trio noticed a crowd gathered in one area, filled with discussion and cheers as if a superstar had appeared. Curious, they hurried over.
Pushing through the crowd, they saw at the center a flamboyant man with a tall, slender, and almost bewitching figure. He had long, straight, cyan hair and a delicate face that held a hint of frivolity. His hands waved back and forth in front of him, occasionally making a Pidgey or a Spearow appear out of thin air, drawing cheers from the crowd.
"A comedian?"
"A magician?"
Listening closely, the trio learned that this cyan-haired man was also a participant in the tournament. He had apparently been a contestant in some kind of performance competition before and already had a decent following.
He looked like a big fish!
Jessie immediately put on a professional-looking fake smile and approached, intending to secretly gather information about the Pokémon he carried.
Unexpectedly, before they could even speak, the cyan-haired man spoke first, his gaze arrogant.
"Hey? What TV station are you from?"
"Oh, oh, we're reporters from Rocket TV~" Jessie replied smoothly, a smile on her face.
Rocket TV was a small, local television station under Team Rocket's control, which was convenient to use for this occasion.
"Rocket TV? A local one? Never heard of it."
The cyan-haired man waved a dismissive hand, looking at the three only from the corner of his eye, as if they were three small fries.
"I only accept interviews from national television networks. You small-timers can forget it."
After speaking, the cyan-haired man moved on with a large group of fans, finding a new spot to continue showing off his flashy magic tricks, completely ignoring the expressions on the trio's faces.
"You little—! That does it, I've had it with this guy!!"
Seeing that Jessie was about to explode and give the arrogant man a beating, James and Meowth quickly used every ounce of their strength to drag her away, constantly trying to placate her.
"Calm down, calm down, Jessie!"
"Don't let a small-timer ruin our grand plan!"
Right now, Team Rocket's focus wasn't on the Kanto Region; even Giovanni had gone to the Johto Region on a business trip. But if they could achieve great results in the Kanto Region at this critical juncture, they would surely win Giovanni's praise!
"Hmph! I hope that small fry gets eliminated in the first round!" Jessie could only curse hatefully in the end.
Pokémon Center.
Brock was explaining this year's tournament system to the group.
"Ash, you need to listen carefully. The rules for this tournament are pretty bizarre."
There were over two hundred participants in this year's Indigo League Conference. The competition is roughly divided into two stages: the Preliminary Round and the Elimination Tournament.
The first stage, the Preliminary Round, will be held in the four surrounding sub-arenas. On average, each person will have to fight four battles. After these four rounds, almost all of the participants will be filtered out, reducing the number from over two hundred to just sixteen.
Only then will the battlefield shift to the main arena, where those sixteen people will enter the second stage of the tournament—the Elimination Tournament.
"The most bizarre part is the four battles in this first stage. It's a system where you're out if you lose even once..." Brock's brow was deeply furrowed.
It's called the Preliminary Round, but it's essentially an elimination tournament from the very start.
A single loss means the end of their journey. The tournament system was highly unscientific.
In other regions, the first stage is more of a group stage with a point-based system, where eligibility for the Top 16 is determined through the outcome of multiple rounds, not by a single, decisive battle like this.
What if the runner-up faced the champion in the very first battle?
Eliminated just like that?
It could be said that with this kind of tournament system, apart from the sole champion whose title was genuinely earned, every other ranking was pure Metaphysics.
As for why they didn't change it...
For no other reason than it was an ancestral tradition, and they refused to change it.
(end of chapter)
