"Cubone!"
A flash of red light and the small figure of Cubone appeared on the battlefield.
Cubone wasn't that common in Kanto, let alone here in Sinnoh.
While its entrance didn't cause as much of a stir as Turtwig's, it still sparked a round of discussion.
"Buneary, do your best!"
Across the field, Buneary stepped onto the stage, fidgeting awkwardly; clearly not used to being watched by so many people.
Cubone, by contrast, looked much calmer. But its stiff tail betrayed how nervous it actually was.
"Cubone, focus, use Growl!"
Haruki didn't want Cubone to rush in recklessly. It had never "performed" in front of a crowd like this. It needed to get used to the setting first.
Cubone opened its mouth, almost forgetting it even knew this move.
A second later, a youthful yet intimidating growl echoed out. Buneary instinctively took two steps back.
"Don't be afraid, Buneary, use Pound!"
Across from them, Contestant #51, Nanci, shouted with energy, unaware that Buneary was already shaken by the crowd. Its movements were noticeably slower.
Still, Buneary followed the command and ran forward. Its long rabbit ears lit up with a white glow.
"Cubone, read Buneary's movements, use Bulldoze!"
Haruki's steady voice helped Cubone calm down. It quickly realized that Buneary's steps were unstable, worse than its own.
'This opponent is weak!'
With that judgment in mind, Cubone's confidence soared. The moment Buneary entered its range, it decisively launched Bulldoze.
Ground-type energy surged forward, striking under Buneary's feet and flipping it into the air.
Without needing Haruki's command, Cubone lunged forward.
Whack!
Bone Club struck Buneary square on the head. Its eyes spiraled as it collapsed on the spot.
"Buneary is unable to battle. Cubone wins. Contestant #146, Haruki, advances to the next round!"
A round of applause followed, scattered and thin.
But Cubone didn't care. It turned immediately toward Haruki, its eyes eagerly seeking approval.
"You adapted quickly to the environment and struck at just the right moment. Good job, Cubone!"
Winning in front of a crowd boosted confidence far more than a quiet victory in the wild. And of course, Haruki made sure to offer praise.
Cubone squinted, then gave a toothy grin… only to turn its head away a second later, embarrassed.
'Ahem. That wasn't very composed just now.'
The elimination matches continued. Half an hour later, Haruki and Cubone were back on stage.
Their opponent was a Bidoof, and it gave Cubone even less pressure than Buneary had.
Bulldoze + Bone Club = another clean win. That's when Cubone started to realize… maybe it was actually pretty strong.
Then Gardenia's Turtwig appeared again.
Watching Turtwig slice through a Staravia like it was nothing, Cubone's pressure spiked immediately.
Grass-type. A direct counter to Ground-type.
Less than half an hour later, Haruki and Cubone were back on stage.
By now, fewer than 30 contestants remained. Everyone had at least some impression of each other.
Their third match? Haruki's opponent looked like they were severely… constipated. At one point, they even considered forfeiting.
Shinx, a pure Electric-type Pokémon. And Electric moves… have no effect on Ground-types!
After a single Bulldoze left Shinx immobilized, the opposing lady surrendered without hesitation, cradling her Shinx with a heartbroken expression.
Shinx, however, glared furiously at Cubone, clearly frustrated.
Cubone didn't even look at Shinx. Right now, the only thing in its eyes was Turtwig.
The average strength in a small-town temporary tournament was really low; any official Trainer could sweep most of the competition.
Not to mention Gardenia, a future Gym Leader, she was basically steamrolling noobs in a starter village.
Twenty minutes later, only eleven contestants remained.
Two matches had gotten so "intense" the Trainers themselves jumped into the fray; both were disqualified immediately.
Gardenia drew a bye!
Haruki was jealous for a second, then stepped back onto the stage.
"Both sides, send out your Pokémon!"
A flash of red light, Cubone and Starly appeared at the same time.
In low-level matches, being able to fly was a huge advantage. No wonder it had survived this long.
Too bad...
"Cubone, use Smack Down."
And... that was it.
Haruki officially entered the top six!
Maybe it was the repetitiveness of the bracket, or maybe because many of the eliminated contestants had already gone shopping; either way, the crowd had thinned by half.
Haruki waited quietly on the side, but the next match announcement never came. He slowly realized the organizers were about to pull something.
Sure enough, not long after, a staff member hurried over and leaned in to whisper.
Haruki listened.
A strange look crossed his face. In the end, under the staffer's nervous gaze, he nodded.
"Fine by me."
Soon, after receiving agreement from all the remaining contestants, the MC launched into an impassioned explanation.
A six-person free-for-all!
Placements determined by elimination order!
Not the fairest format… but definitely attention-grabbing.
Even some shoppers who had already stepped into the mall came back out. The crowd swelled again.
Fifteen minutes later, under the host's booming introduction, the final six contestants stepped onto the central battlefield, each taking a corner.
Since only one Pokémon was allowed per contestant, there was nothing left to hide.
Besides Haruki's Cubone and Gardenia's Turtwig, the battlefield included Staravia, Luxio, Wormadam -Trash Cloak form-, and Roselia.
Looking at it this way, Cubone and Turtwig were the only unevolved Pokémon left, but no one dared underestimate them. Everyone had seen what they could do.
Soon, with the host's announcement, the battle began.
The six kept an eye on one another; no one made the first move.
Spectators murmured in anticipation. Everyone knew that whoever acted first might take the first hit.
But then someone snapped. Staravia, after circling high above, suddenly dove toward Turtwig!
Clearly, Turtwig's power had become the biggest threat.
At the same time, Haruki saw Roselia launch a Magical Leaf at his Cubone.
'...Did I accidentally become the second "most dangerous" target?'
Not daring to hold back, Haruki tilted his head, Cubone instantly understood and sprinted toward Wormadam.
Wormadam had been minding its own business. When it saw Cubone coming, its expression screamed: "Don't come near me!"
Wormadam's Trainer was a homemaker named Harumi. She hesitated, unsure whether to attack.
Haruki quickly shouted: "Sis, let's team up. Trade targets, I'll handle Luxio!"
In an earlier match, Luxio had used Fire Fang.
Wormadam's Trash Cloak form had a quadruple weakness to Fire. It was the only Pokémon on the field that feared Luxio the most.
Haruki had his reasons. Wormadam's level was clearly high; it had advanced purely through level suppression so far.
Plus, its resistances were insane, it quadruple resisted Grass-type attacks.
If Turtwig ended up against Wormadam, it would be even harder to win than against Staravia.
If Haruki allied with Wormadam early, they could both make it to the end and team up against Turtwig. That would seriously boost Haruki's chances.
One more thing: from intel he'd gathered earlier, Haruki knew this homemaker had a mild personality. She was generally passive, both in life and in battle.
In such a high-pressure free-for-all, she'd be unlikely to refuse him on the spot.
And if she didn't reject him... he had a shot!