Chapter 16: Don't Cry When I Beat You Easily!

The afternoon session began promptly. Thanks to professional medical treatment, all Pokémon injured during the morning's preliminaries had been fully restored to peak condition.

The four Trainers who had fought their way out of the brackets were to be divided into two groups via lottery. The winners of these semi-final matches would advance to the grand finals to officially compete for the championship.

"Block A..."

"I'm in Block B."

Hilda and Rosa drew their lots first, yielding different results. This meant they wouldn't cross paths until the finals at the earliest, but it also guaranteed that one of them was destined to face N, who had yet to draw.

N would inevitably be matched against one of the two girls, a prospect that made Hilda's heart hammer against her ribs. She swallowed hard. Though she had previously bragged about knocking N's head off, facing him in an official arena was a different story entirely.

No one knew the extent of N's talent better than Hilda. He was a prodigy who had earned the unreserved praise of both the venerable Professor Oak and the stern, stoic Professor Rowan.

N noticed the two girls stealing "nonchalant" glances in his direction. As he reached into the lottery box, their eyes were glued to his right hand. He couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and irony.

Slowly unfolding the slip of paper, N read the result aloud.

"Block A."

Hilda let out a sharp intake of breath. Her face paled with nerves, and she pressed a hand against her chest, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths.

It was settled. She was matched with him. She had never imagined their first serious clash as Trainers would take place on a stage like this.

Originally, Hilda had envisioned both of them reaching the finals together, taking first and second place respectively, before sharing the good news with N's grandfather, Professor Oak. Surely then, the old man would finally acknowledge her growth!

But with this draw, one of them was fated for elimination right now.

"Will the two participants for Block A please enter the field."

The referee's voice left Hilda no time for further mental preparation. Still in the staging area, she exhaled a long, heavy breath and cracked her knuckles. Forcing a competitive, confident smirk onto her face, she strode through the player tunnel and onto the battlefield.

"Don't be nervous."

"Huh?! Who's... who's nervous?! You're the one who should be shaking! Don't come crying to me when I beat you easily!"

Caught off guard by N's accurate assessment, Hilda snapped back with defensive bluster. Even though her shoulders were stiff and her walk was awkward, she refused to concede an inch of ground verbally.

"Next up is the first of today's semi-finals! First, in the Red Corner, the biggest dark horse of this exchange tournament! Participant N from the Kanto region! Despite the unusual name, he is a top contender for the trophy!"

"And in the Green Corner, we have Hilda, a top-ranking ace student from Hakurei High! Her Tepig has shown incredible form throughout the preliminaries and is certainly not to be underestimated!"

"Now, let's see what kind of spectacular battle these two have in store for us!"

The announcer introduced them with soaring enthusiasm. As the semi-finals began, almost every spectator in the stadium converged on the central battlefield.

As a favorite to win, N naturally enjoyed massive support from the crowd. This was particularly true among the female spectators; from underclassmen to seniors from the visiting academies, the moment N emerged from the tunnel, the stands erupted in high-pitched cheers.

Hilda's eye twitched at the sight. For some reason, her nervousness was suddenly replaced by a very different, burning emotion. Her hand tightened around her Poké Ball, the plastic creaking under the pressure, as she glared straight ahead with renewed resolve.

"Go, Tepig!!"

The Poké Ball burst open in mid-air. A small, pig-like Pokémon with a primary orange-red coat and black markings landed gracefully on the field. Upon entry, it snorted small embers from its bright red snout, looking every bit as eager for battle as its Trainer.

This was Tepig, one of the Unova region's starter Pokémon. Judging by the sheen of its coat and its physical development, its potential was clearly exceptional.

N immediately activated his Viridian Power. Within his emerald eyes, he saw the radiant glow of the Pokémon's innate talent.

[Tepig]

Strength: Low Elite

Potential: Special Grade

As expected of a starter specially prepared by the old man, N thought. Oak always made sure to hand-pick the ones with the highest natural aptitude.

"Your turn, Timburr."

N calmly released his own Pokémon. Timburr landed with its signature wooden beam in hand. It balanced the log effortlessly on one shoulder, casually beckoning the opponent's Tepig with a "come-at-me" flick of its finger.

"Tep-ip!"

A vein throbbed on Tepig's forehead. It found the opponent's casual attitude incredibly grating. It began to scrape its front left hoof against the dirt, ready to charge at a moment's notice.

N didn't rush to attack. He carefully observed the Tepig, noting that its physical development suggested it was much stronger than it appeared. Although its current level wasn't astronomical, as a Special Grade Pokémon, its natural gifts were superb. Even at Low Elite, it could likely output power on par with a Mid Elite Pokémon.

Coupled with Hilda's competency as a Trainer, having used raw skill to overcome level gaps in the preliminaries, this was an opponent he could not afford to take lightly.

"If he won't move, we'll take the lead!! Tepig, use Smokescreen!"

Tepig let out a massive cloud of thick, black soot, completely blanketing the battlefield. In an instant, visibility dropped to zero. From N's position, it was impossible to see what was happening inside the cloud.

This was Hilda's strategy. N's Timburr was notoriously strong, possessed staggering physical power, and had access to Rock-type moves that countered Fire-types. In a direct head-on collision, Tepig would be overwhelmed.

Her plan was to obscure his vision and use hit-and-run tactics to wear Timburr down piece by piece.

"Stay calm."

N's voice, steady and unfazed as if he had anticipated this, cut through the fog. Inside the dark smoke, Timburr felt its momentary panic vanish. It stood its ground, rooted like a pillar of steel in the center of the arena, ears pricked for the slightest sound.

"Tepig, use Rollout!"

Clack-clack-clack...

Tepig curled its body into a tight ball, spinning like a high-speed bowling ball. it began to circle Timburr within the smoke, closing in while waiting for the perfect moment to strike.