Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

Once Slowpoke’s psychic senses confirmed Misdreavus could no longer fight, it finally started panting hard. It had taken Misdreavus down.

Then its body suddenly seized up. Its eyes rolled back, and it fainted on the spot.

”Perish Song has activated! Slowpoke defeated Misdreavus before the song took effect, but it has gone down too! What an incredible exchange. Contestant Tania and Contestant Reiji have each lost three Pokémon. We’ll now have a five-minute intermission before the second half of the match begins!”

The moment the intermission was announced, both Reiji and Tania relaxed a little on their platforms. The crowd did the same. That last exchange had been tense from start to finish.

Everyone had been watching the timer, wondering which would happen first: Slowpoke knocking out Misdreavus, or Perish Song taking Slowpoke down. In the end, both Pokémon were out.

Tania had two Pokémon with Perish Song, yet Reiji had still fought her to a draw so far. The crowd was even more excited for the second half. Tania had crushed most of her earlier opponents, so a match this close was far more fun to watch.

Reiji — Tania

Scyther [out] — Gengar [out]

Butterfree [forced out by Roar] — Venusaur [recalled]

Staryu [out] — Arcanine [out]

Slowpoke [out] — Misdreavus [out]

Looking at the big screen, calling the match even was fair. Both sides had lost three Pokémon. Reiji still had Butterfree, while Tania still had Venusaur, so he had a slight edge.

In terms of value, Reiji was actually ahead. Aside from Scyther, the three Pokémon he had used were mostly support Pokémon. Trading support Pokémon for Arcanine and Misdreavus was already a good deal.

Arcanine was definitely one of Tania’s main Pokémon. Reiji had the information, so there was no doubt about that.

Misdreavus was even more obvious. It was weaker, but it had clearly been one of Tania’s hidden cards. If Slowpoke had not taken it down, Mean Look could have trapped one of Reiji’s main Pokémon, and Perish Song would have forced a trade.

Venusaur was no longer a major threat. It clearly could not beat Butterfree. Tania’s next choices should be Ludicolo or Jynx. Those were the only two main Pokémon she had left.

From here, he only needed to let Gyarados smash through, with Rhydon ready as backup. That should lock down the win.

Reiji took a sip of his cold drink, his expression much more relaxed. When the camera cut to him, he looked perfectly calm. The advantage was his now.

Across the field, Tania sat under the other shade canopy, thinking through the second half. Her situation was exactly what Reiji had guessed.

Reiji had her team information, and she had his. The problem was that Reiji had too many Pokémon. He still had at least six main Pokémon he had not used. The second half did not look good for her.

She had planned to use Gengar to build an early lead. Even trading it for two of Reiji’s main Pokémon would have been enough. Instead, Gengar had gone down with Scyther. That had been a serious mistake.

By now, she had figured out what happened. That Scyther probably could not hear anything at all. That was why Reiji never gave commands. It had fought purely on its own skill and still traded with Gengar.

She had to admit it. Reiji’s main Pokémon were all monsters. He didn’t really have one ace. Each one of his main Pokémon could be called an ace.

If it came down to it, she would have Jynx use a few dirty tricks and trade for two of his main Pokémon. That would give her a real chance.

Most Trainers had one or two ace Pokémon at best. Reiji had six: Poliwhirl, Kingler, Rhydon, Gyarados, Forretress, and Scyther.

As for Accelgor, that information had not leaked. Many contestants did not even know Reiji had one.

Pelipper was the same. Most contestants treated it as a ride Pokémon, a way to travel. They had no idea it was stronger than Farfetch’d and Butterfree. It was also the strongest Flying-type Pokémon Reiji had.

Well, Scyther and that dumb fish?

Scyther didn’t count. Once it evolved, it would no longer be a Flying-type.

As for Gyarados, it only had two Flying-type moves. Calling it his strongest Flying-type would be a joke. Pelipper had beaten it before.

In the Elite Four lounge, Lorelei looked at Agatha and said, ”Agatha, your granddaughter’s in trouble.”

Lorelei had Reiji’s Pokémon information, and naturally, she had Tania’s too. A little thought was enough to tell her that the second half was going to be rough for Tania.

Agatha tapped her cane against the floor and said nothing. This match was meant to train Tania anyway. Once Tania lost, she would have no excuse not to go back with her and train properly.

”That kid is strong,” Bruno said, rubbing his chin. ”He might actually win the whole thing.”

Because of Reiji’s connection to Shun, Bruno had been paying close attention to him.

If Shun had someone like Reiji supporting him in the future, it would make him much stronger. That would also help the League’s plans for the Orange Archipelago.

”He received a Dratini from the Joy family today,” Lance said.

At first, Lance had only seen Reiji as a talented Trainer. But once Reiji received a Dratini, he could no longer be treated like an ordinary contestant.

”A Dratini?” Lorelei looked at Lance. She wanted to know what had happened. After all, she was the one who had nominated Reiji. Anyone paying attention might assume Reiji belonged to her side.

”I don’t know the details. The Joy family didn’t explain. Anyone who tried asking behind the scenes was warned off,” Lance said with a sigh.

That Dratini came from the Dragon Clan’s Dragon’s Den.

The Joy family had been given a quota for Dragon-type young, and they had the right to decide where those young Pokémon went. Still, handing a Dratini to an outsider like this meant the Dragon Clan had the right to at least know why.

But the Joy family’s attitude had been unusually firm. Making things ugly over one Dratini was not worth it, so the Dragon Clan had stopped asking.

”A Dratini,” Chairman Goodshow said softly, stroking his white beard. ”Lorelei nominated him, didn’t she? Then I’ll add my nomination too. Agatha, what do you think?”

”That depends on what he can do,” Agatha said, tapping her cane. She neither supported nor opposed it. If Reiji truly had the strength, she would not mind helping him a little. Blaine had taken a liking to him, after all.

”So that means you don’t object.” Chairman Goodshow turned to Bruno. ”Bruno?”

”Will this affect Shun’s slot?” Bruno was worried his own student would be pushed aside. Whether he supported Reiji depended on that.

”It won’t. Your student still has to show enough strength to convince people, though. Otherwise, it will be hard to silence objections.” Chairman Goodshow was one of the people behind the Orange Archipelago plan. There was no way he would replace one of their own with an outsider.

”I understand. If it doesn’t affect Shun’s slot, then I support it.” Bruno had been worried Shun’s place would be taken. But if Reiji could help Shun later, that was a good thing too.

”Good. Lance?” Chairman Goodshow looked at Lance last.

This would not have needed so much discussion before, but because of that Dratini, Goodshow wanted to raise the weight of Reiji’s nomination. The last Trainer with a Dragonite had already become the Orange Archipelago’s Chief Trainer.

If Reiji won through the competition, then Shun could take one Elite Four seat, Reiji could take one, and Drake could take another. The final seat could be selected from the remaining Gyms. With all four Elite Four seats held by League Trainers, the League’s plan would be fulfilled immediately.

The major families that failed to compete could not blame the League. Aside from Shun’s reserved slot, the other three Elite Four seats would all have to be fought for. Even Drake was no exception.

Of course, no one was worried about Drake. He had a Dragonite. Bullying those younger Trainers would be easy for him.

As for the old men hiding behind the scenes, they were out of the question. These chances were for the younger generation. If anyone dared break the League’s rules, the League would cut off that hand.

Playing inside the League’s framework was already giving those people face. If anyone still tried to cheat, then the League would wipe the board clean and wash through the Orange Archipelago all over again.

”I have no objections,” Lance said.

He and Lorelei exchanged a glance. Lance had been the one who originally wanted to nominate Reiji.

Lorelei had thought it would be better if Lance stayed out of it. His upcoming promotion to Champion had already angered plenty of people. If he nominated a newcomer too, it would give his opponents something to attack. That was why Lorelei had stepped in and nominated Reiji instead.

”Good. Since no one objects, put him on the priority watch list,” Chairman Goodshow said. ”The Orange Archipelago still has its own tournament coming up. Think of it as a selection tournament for Elite Four candidates. We’ll see how far he can go.”

Goodshow was already thinking about the opening ceremony for the Orange Archipelago tournament.

The Indigo Plateau Conference in Kanto, the Silver Conference in Johto, the Ever Grande Conference in Hoenn, and the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh had all opened under his direction. Naturally, the Citrus Conference in the Orange Archipelago would be no different.

”If he stands out in the Orange Archipelago tournament and ranks near the top, tell him then. Give him time to prepare for the Elite Four selection.”

”Chairman Goodshow, has the League decided who will become the Orange Archipelago Champion?” Lorelei often vacationed in the Orange Archipelago, and with Lance about to become Champion, it was only natural that she had thoughts of her own.

”Not yet. Most likely, the Champion position will stay vacant for now, or be chosen later from the Elite Four. The Orange Archipelago needs time to adjust to the Elite Four system before the League decides on a Champion. We can’t rush this. If we push too hard and touch the wrong nerve, those people may do something desperate.”

Goodshow shook his head. Even the Elite Four seats were enough to make every side fight over them. The Champion position was even bigger. It would put someone on equal footing with the Champions of Kanto and Johto.

How far can you go?

The word ”Champion” stirred something in Lance too. Soon, the League would announce that he was taking over as Kanto Champion, and that Agatha would take over as Johto Champion. The news would shake the whole League.

After that would come the announcements for the new Elite Four members. Things were going to be lively for a while.

And he would be right in the middle of it.

In the stands, Ash was still making noise after watching Reiji’s match.

”Tania is so strong! She’s actually even with Rai-nii. Who do you think will win? I can’t wait!”

”Rai will win,” Gary said. He had both of their team information, so he knew what Pokémon they had left. Based on the remaining teams, Tania was going to lose. At least, that was how he saw it.

”What if Tania wins? You wanna bet?” Ash saw Gary looking so confident and immediately got competitive again.

”Sure. What are we betting?” Gary glanced at him calmly. Ash could not even analyze the second half of the match properly. How had he made it into the knockouts?

”All right, we’ll bet—”

”Bet your head. Sit down and watch the match.” Delia hit Ash on the head, stopping him before he could get any louder.

In the competitors’ lounge, Reggie was watching the match with his younger brother, Paul. It was cooler there, and there was fruit to eat. There was no need to sit outside under the sun.

”Brother, even that guy lost. What do you think of this match?” Paul was talking about Shun, the one who had knocked him out. Shun’s Poliwrath was not something Paul could handle yet.

”He’s going to win. Poliwhirl and Rhydon haven’t even come out yet. This is nothing.” Reggie had gathered information on Reiji’s Pokémon, especially his six main ones. He had not missed a single one of Reiji’s matches.

Reggie had come to the Indigo Plateau Conference for Reiji. Of course he had prepared thoroughly.

That said, Reiji should only have five main Pokémon left now. Scyther was badly injured and would not be able to fight again. By the time they faced each other, who knew how many main Pokémon Reiji would still have available?

Five minutes passed, and the bell rang.

The intermission was over. The match continued.

”Welcome back, everyone. The intermission is over. Contestants Reiji and Tania, please return to the field and continue the knockout match. We’re about to find out who will advance from the top eight to the top four!”

The crowd erupted as both contestants returned to the stage. The announcer had built the atmosphere back up, and everyone was eager to see how the match would end.

”The second half of the knockout match begins now. Contestants, send out your Pokémon!”

”Go, Jynx!”

”Go, Butterfree!”

Damn. I guessed wrong. I thought it would be Ludicolo.

Reiji clicked his tongue. Butterfree did not have a good matchup against Jynx, so he recalled it.

”Come back, Butterfree. Go, Gyarados!”

”Gyara!” Gyarados appeared and unleashed Intimidate, startling Jynx and cutting its Attack, Speed, and Defense.

Not good. Intimidate.

Tania saw Jynx get hit by Intimidate and recalled it too, then sent Venusaur back out.

If Reiji was switching, she would switch too. Each contestant had six switching chances. There was no reason not to use them.

Last time, during the Gym battle, Venusaur had handled Gyarados.

Now they were facing each other again.

This was in the bag.

[End of chapter]

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