Megan's POV

"I'll admit," I said as I sat with Jason and Adam at the table we'd chosen for breakfast, "It does feel pretty exciting, doesn't it? Today being the first day that you'll be fighting in the main tournament?"

It was the first day after the week in which the top 256 were set in stone. And with this being the first day of the tournament's second round - or technically the "true first round" - I couldn't help but feel excited as to what this new stage of the tournament would bring to the table.

"It certainly does." Jason admitted. "And I will admit, considering just how big of a number needs to get whittled down, compared to the Kanto and Johto Leagues, it will certainly be interesting to see how things unfold. Especially considering what Adam told us about how the Hoenn League will be treating what Kanto and Johto would have treated as three separate rounds as essentially a single super-round."

"That's right. If the Hoenn League were doing things the way that the Kanto and Johto Leagues handle things, we'd have to first do a round that whittles us down to the top 128, then another round that whittles us further down to the top 62, and then yet another round that whittles us even further down to the top 32. But instead, the Hoenn League splits the difference by having the top 256 whittled straight all the way down to the top 32." Adam explained.

"I remember discussing that." I said, remembering Adam telling us about this during the days we'd spent waiting for the remainder of the top 256 to be determined. "And in order to reach the top 32, the trainers now have to win three battles in a row."

"Yep. In other words, essentially fighting the battles that would have been used to determine positioning in the top 128, 64, and 32 all in one single combined round." said Jason.

"Just remember, one loss is all that it will take to be eliminated." Adam warned.

"But winning three battles in a row, and all in essentially one round? That certainly sounds tough." I admitted.

It was clear that this would be the boys' toughest challenge yet. But they'd believed in me throughout my contests on our journey, so I knew that I had to show them that same level of support now.


Adam's POV

Fortunately, Jason, Megan, and I were very quick to finish our breakfast and get ready in time to avoid being late. Two hours after the battles for the day began, it was time for me to compete in the first of the three battles that I'd need to win in this round.

My opponent was a yellowish-tanned skin boy with dark forest green hair and amber yellow eyes. He looked like he had every intention of giving me a tough fight.

"At this time, we shall witness the battle between Adam Ketchum of Pallet Town and Lee of Veilstone City. Both trainers shall use two Pokemon each in a double battle with no substitutions allowed. The first trainer to have both of their Pokemon faint loses and is instantly disqualified. Begin!"

"Rhydon, Swampert! I choose you!"

"Magmar, Floatzel! Go!"

All four of our Pokemon materialized into view and stared each other down. On paper, it looked as if Magmar would be easily taken down by either of my Pokemon on their own, with Floatzel likely being a big problem for Rhydon and only slightly difficult for Swampert to fight. Of course, my Rhydon's unusually high resilience to Water attacks would likely be a sweet surprise for me to have up my sleeve!

Regardless, knew not to get cocky. After all, even with Rhydon's high resilience against Water attacks in mind, it was entirely possible that Floatzel could still prove a tough opponent in other ways, not to mention that Magmar potentially had a trick or two of its own that could be just as unpleasant.

"Magmar, use Sunny Day!" Lee shouted, starting off the battle. Magmar lifted its head skyward and clapping its now-glowing-white hands together. The sunlight became noticeably brighter after the subsequent explosion of white light that resulted from Magmar's clap.

I gritted my teeth. I was well aware of how the now-increased strength of today's sunny weather would double the strength of Magmar's Fire attacks and cause Swampert's Water attacks to only deal half as much damage as usual. Luckily, Water attacks weren't the only moves that Swampert had!

"Swampert, use Mud Shot!" I shouted. Magmar roared in surprise and disgust as it was sent sliding backwards by the direct hit from the stream of mud that Swampert spewed from his mouth.

"Rhydon!" I yelled while pointing at Floatzel, who was directing a questioning look towards Lee, as if uncertain of what to do, "Hit Floatzel with Horn Attack while it's still distracted!"

Unfortunately, as I'd soon learn the hard way, this was just the warning that Lee needed to snap out of his earlier displeasure and resume focus on the battle.

"Floatzel, parry with Aqua Jet!" Rhydon roared in rage while sliding right back to where he'd started, after Floatzel slammed into him with Aqua Jet. Floatzel then jumped back to its starting position after Rhydon had come to a stop.

"Not bad." Lee stated. "You caught me off-guard there. But I can assure you, I won't let that happen a second time!"

I rolled my eyes and directed a quick glance at Rhydon, who was still able to stand and clearly hadn't been damaged too badly by the Aqua Jet. Judging by the look on my opponent's face, either he hadn't noticed Rhydon seemingly not being all that affected by the Aqua Jet, or just assumed that it was a result of the Sunny Day reducing Aqua Jet's effectiveness, just as much as it would have affected one of Swampert's Water attacks.

"Floatzel, follow up with Liquidation! The sooner that we can put full focus on Swampert, the better!"

I narrowed my eyes at this. Clearly, he viewed Rhydon as the lesser threat. And while I could understand why, due to Swampert being the only one that Magmar and Floatzel would reasonably expect to have difficulty against, it still felt more than a little irksome that Lee was so relatively quick to underestimate Rhydon, despite him being a Pokemon that Lee ought to have known was just as big of a threat against Magmar as Swampert was.

"Swampert, delay that with Ice Beam!" I yelled.

Lee's eyes widened and he yelled, "Dodge that!"

Fortunately, by sheer luck, Swampert managed to strike Floatzel with Ice Beam, and it was sent crashing right into the wall behind Lee. Admittedly, it would have been a lot more convenient for me if Floatzel had been frozen...but naturally, that would've been impossible while the effects of Sunny Day were still active. And at any rate, I'd conceivably still have just enough time for another attack before Floatzel got back up.

"Rhydon, use Rock Blast on Magmar! Now!" I yelled. Roaring, Rhydon caused his horn to glow with solid white light as five large brown rocks rose up from the ground around him. And with a swing of his arms in Magmar's direction, the rocks went flying at Magmar, one at a time.

"Ouch!" yelled the announcer as Magmar was first sent staggering backwards, then knocked on its back entirely. "That's gotta hurt!"

Lee snarled, now visibly annoyed at how good of a job I was doing against him.

"That's it!" he growled. "Time to really take the gloves off! Magmar, teach Rhydon a lesson with Low Kick! Floatzel, keep Swampert occupied with Aqua Jet mixed with Agility!"

"Dodge those!" I yelled, well aware I'd have no chance to get my Pokemon to counter in time.

But it was too late, and the air was soon split with the sound of Swampert hissing as Floatzel slammed against the side of his head with the Agility-enhanced Aqua Jet, and Rhydon roaring in pain as he was sent slamming down hard on his back from getting hit by Magmar's Low Kick.

"And just like that, the tide has turned!" the announcer yelled.

"Try to beat me now, Ketchum!" Lee yelled, clearly feeling very confident.

It wasn't hard to see just how badly damaged Rhydon had been by the Fighting attack in combination with his heavy weight, as he struggled back up onto his feet. Fortunately, it was at that exact moment that Sunny Day finally wore off. And I already knew exactly how I was gonna handle things from there!

"Magmar, hit Rhydon while he's down with Flamethrower!"

"No you don't!" I yelled. "Swampert, use Hydro Pump! Now!"

Magmar roared in surprise and pain as he ended up getting blasted back by the direct hit from Swampert's Hydro Pump.

Lee gritted his teeth, clearly aware of how disadvantageous a position he was now at risk of being in.

"We can still salvage this. Floatzel, use Liquidation on Rhydon!" Floatzel snarled, its hands and feet becoming encased in water before lunging at Rhydon with the intent of kicking and punching.

"Rhydon, counter with Fury Attack!" Rhydon roared while positioning his head in preparation. Floatzel was ultimately brought to a halt with a pained squeal before it could strike with its water-encased hands and feet, with Rhydon's horn slamming into its stomach, then an additional two thrusts caused it to be sent flying back to its starting position. I then let a small smirk come onto my face as I thought of a potentially clever ploy that I could use.

"Alright, let's press our momentum! Rhydon, go after Floatzel with Horn Attack!"

"Magmar, jump over and block Rhydon with Flamethrower!"

Magmar jumped into position in time to breathe fire at Rhydon with Flamethrower.

"That's right where I want you." I said smugly. "Let Magmar have it with Water Pulse and Rock Blast!"

"NO!" Lee howled with a horrified look on his face.

But it was too late, and Magmar could only howl in agony as the large orb of water from Swampert's Water Pulse and the five boulders from Rhydon's Rock Blast slammed into it and sent it flying. When it finally came to a very rough landing right next to Lee, it was clear that it was now over.

"Magmar is unable to battle!" said the referee.

"Floatzel, it's time to go for broke! Use Whirlpool on Rhydon!" Floatzel raised its head and arms and summoned the whirlpool into existence before hurling it straight at Rhydon, who snorted in minor discomfort as the massive swirling vortex of water landed a direct hit.

"Now we're even." Lee stated smugly.

I smirked and replied, "Are we really, though?"

Lee raised his eyebrow in confusion, only to then widen his eyes in surprise when the sound of Rhydon's mildly annoyed groaning split the air. He looked back in Rhydon's direction just in time for the whirlpool to dissipate out of existence to reveal Rhydon, visibly drenched, but very much still standing.

"It would appear that this particular Rhydon is made of much sturdier stuff than others of its kind!" the announcer yelled in surprise.

"What the?!" Lee exclaimed, clear incomprehension in his voice. "How?!"

"Like the announcer just said." I stated. "My Rhydon's made of much sturdier stuff than most other Rhydons."

Not wasting any more time, I decided to finish this.

"Rhydon, end this Take Down!" Rhydon roared as he lunged right at Floatzel and slammed into the still-stunned Pokemon with Takedown, knocking it out.

"Floatzel is unable to battle!" the referee yelled. "The winner is Adam Ketchum!"


Jason's POV

I nodded my head as I found myself in the arena standing before my opponent. I just so happened to be one of the competitors in the very first battle to unfold after the lunch break. And with that in mind, plus how Adam had already won the first of the three battles that he needed to win to qualify for the top 32, I now had extra pressure on me to win mine.

"At this time, we shall witness the battle between Jason Oak of Pallet Town and Crowley of Ecruteak City. Both trainers shall use two Pokemon each in a double battle with no substitutions allowed. The first trainer to have both of their Pokemon faint loses and is instantly disqualified. Begin!"

"Lairon, Gengar! Go!"

Crowley - a fair-skinned boy with ruby red hair and steely grey eyes - nodded and threw his own Pokeballs, shouting, "Hitmontop, Skuntank! Show them what you've got!"

I winced as Crowley's Pokemon materialized into view. Considering the type advantages that Hitmontop and Skuntank would have against Lairon and Gengar, I'd need to really be careful in order to win this battle.

"Skuntank, use Dark Pulse on Gengar!"

"Lairon, defend Gengar with Metal Claw!"

Roaring, Lairon lunged into position just in time to block the Dark Pulse fired from Skuntank's jaws with his Metal Claw.

"Not bad." Crowley said. "But you're gonna have to work a lot harder than that to win against me! Hitmontop, show this Lairon who's boss with Rapid Spin mixed with Agility!" Hitmontop did exactly as ordered, and Lairon howled in surprise and pain as he was knocked aside.

I winced at the sight of this. Things were definitely not off to a good start for me. But I couldn't give up! If I lost this battle, then I was at least gonna go down fighting!

"Good job, Hitmontop." said Crowley as Hitmontop spun to a stop, back at its starting position. "Skuntank, press the momentum further on Lairon with Flamethrower!"

"Lairon, shield yourself with Protect!"

Lairon summoned the protective energy shield just in time. I sighed in relief at this, then struck back!

"Gengar, follow up with a Hypnosis to put Skuntank out of commission!"

"Skuntank, don't look!"

But it was too late. Skuntank collapsed to the arena floor, snoring away. I was relieved that I'd have a temporary respite from Skuntank, and focus on Hitmontop, who had an extreme type advantage against Lairon.

"Lairon, throw him off of his game with Metal Sound! Gengar, follow up with Shadow Ball!" I ordered. Lairon roared, rearing up on his hind legs while causing the "rings" on his front legs to glow with white light and vibrate before then clashing his front legs together to cause light blue soundwaves to be unleashed, causing Hitmontop to squeal and place its hands over its ears in discomfort...just in time to be hit at full force by Gengar's Shadow Ball!

Crowley gritted his teeth as Hitmontop came to a landing afterward.

"Clever." he stated, a grudging respect in his tone. "First you lowered Hitmontop's special defense, then nailed him with a special attack. But don't get too comfortable just yet! Hitmontop, retaliate with Close Combat!"

My eyes widened in horror and I screamed, "Dodge that!"

But it was too late, and Lairon roared in agony as Hitmontop zoomed right at him and began rapidly kicking its feet against him while spinning around. And worse, not only would this move do incredibly high damage against Lairon, since it was a Fighting attack against a Rock and Steel Pokemon, but it would also likely reduce Lairon's defense against both forms of attack!

"Lairon, power through and knock him away with Iron Head!" I yelled. Lairon did so, sending the still-spinning Hitmontop flying back from the impact against its chest. And by sheer luck, it was still fairly off-balance after landing, which was something that I knew would be wise to take advantage of while I still could!

"Lairon, use Metal Claw on Hitmontop! Gengar, use another Shadow Ball on Hitmontop at the same time!" I shouted. Hitmontop squealed in pain and rage as both attacks struck at the same time.

But at that moment, Skuntank finally woke up. Crowley was quick to get him back into the fight, too.

"Skuntank, use Sucker Punch on Gengar!" Skuntank very unexpectedly jumped up into a handstand on its front paws while extending its tail fully towards the sky, causing a purple orb of light to form at the tip. Skuntank then suddenly darted out of position as if teleporting...and subsequently RAMMED into Gengar, with the purple light orb on its tail exploding into a noxious-looking burst of hideous purple fog.

I struggled not to vomit from just how horrible the fog smelled.

Of course. I thought to myself. This Skuntank has the Stench ability.

"Skuntank, follow up with a Night Slash on Gengar!"

"No you don't! Lairon, stop that with Iron Head!"

Lairon lunged at Skuntank in time to ram his steely head against its face.

"Skuntank, strike with Poison Jab!" Skuntank acted on instinct without thinking, drawing its tail back with the tip glowing purple before jabbing it right against Lairon's head...to absolutely no effect!

"You do realize that Lairon's partly a Steel Pokemon, right?" I asked.

Crowley clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in visible humiliation as he belatedly remembered how Steel Pokemon, even partial ones, were automatically immune to damage from Poison attacks.

"I can still salvage this! Skuntank, use Flamethrower! Now!" Snarling in rage, Skuntank spewed out the jet of flames from its jaws, right into Lairon's face. Lairon howled in pain as he backed off.

"Now, Hitmontop!" Crowley yelled. "Strike at Lairon with Rapid Spin mixed with Agility!"

"Not that again!" I yelled. "Gengar, defend Lairon with Shadow Punch!"

"Strike that order!" Crowley yelled. "Quick Guard! Now!"

Hitmontop summoned a barrier of red energy to keep itself and Skuntank shielded just in time for Gengar's Shadow Punch to uselessly strike the barrier.

"Not bad. Lairon, use another Metal Sound on Hitmontop! Gengar, put Hitmontop to sleep with Hypnosis!" Hitmontop was successfully put to sleep and subjected to further reduction in its special defense.

"Skuntank, use Night Slash on Gengar!" Skuntank lunged out from behind the Quick Guard, its claws at the ready for Night Slash...but I was quicker!

"Lairon, strike at Skuntank with Metal Claw!" I shouted. Skuntank hissed in pain as Lairon successfully lunged and slashed at it with Metal Claw while it was unable to dodge or defend, being in mid-lunge...then landed with a thud on the arena floor, completely out cold.

"Skuntank is unable to battle!" the referee declared.

"Gengar, hit that sleeping Hitmontop with Dark Pulse! Lairon, follow up with Iron Head! Finish this battle!"

And that was all that it took for me to win.

"Hitmontop is unable to battle! The winner is Jason Oak!"

I was very relieved at how, despite having the odds against me on paper at the start of this battle, I'd been able to pull off a win. Now all that Adam and I needed to do was win another two battles each. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too hard.

Author's Note: Adam and Jason win their first of three battles of this round of the Hoenn League. But can they really win three in a row and advance to the next round?

Find out as the Pokemon League continues in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!