The morning sun had barely risen when David awoke.
Today marked the continuation of the Novice Cup elimination rounds. Yesterday's matches had narrowed the field from the Top 64 down to the Top 32. Once the tournament reached the Top 8, all remaining battles would be held in the main arena, and contestants would receive a two-day rest period before continuing.
This meant only three more matches stood between him and that break.
After finishing breakfast, David glanced at his phone—7:20 AM. He took his time heading to the arena with Zorua and Riolu, knowing there was still plenty of time before the matches began.
The two young Pokémon weren't particularly fond of staying inside their Poké Balls. Given their age, David didn't mind letting them remain outside. It was amusing how Zorua, despite being the older of the two, would always cling to him whenever they went out—either demanding to be carried or perching on his shoulder.
Fortunately, David had awakened his Aura abilities, which had significantly improved his physical condition. While he couldn't compare himself to legendary Super Rookies from the stories, he could at least serve as a comfortable perch for his Zorua without issue. His old, out-of-shape college student body would have struggled with the task.
Riolu, on the other hand, acted quite differently despite being younger. The Fighting-type Pokémon had something of an independent streak, behaving like a miniature adult. It had started walking on its own shortly after hatching and rarely asked to be carried.
Inside the arena, the battlefield layout had changed from yesterday. The multiple small arenas that had been divided across the venue were now consolidated. With fewer contestants remaining at this stage, not as many battle zones were necessary.
Perhaps because he had finished his match so quickly yesterday, David's battle was scheduled first in Zone D today.
By the time he arrived, the stands were already filling with spectators eager to watch the matches. Clearly, compared to yesterday's chaotic atmosphere with thousands of participants competing simultaneously, the Top 32 matches drew significantly more attention and interest.
He checked his phone again—just past eight o'clock, still nearly half an hour before the official start time. The matchups hadn't even been announced yet. David found an empty spot and settled down with his two Pokémon to wait quietly for the battles to begin.
Another twenty-odd minutes crawled by. David was growing bored, his eyelids beginning to droop, when his phone finally vibrated with an alert.
"Hello, esteemed contestant D136. Your match will begin in 10 minutes. You have been matched with contestant D073. Please arrive at your designated arena within the specified time."
"Hmm, finally," David muttered, stretching as he stood up. "I hope today's opponent can give us a real challenge!"
"Zorua~" his partner chirped in agreement.
David recalled Riolu into its Poké Ball and made his way toward the arena with Zorua perched on his shoulder.
However, after a relatively short while, David's figure returned to the stands. Judging by his disappointed expression, the previous match clearly hadn't lived up to his expectations.
The opponents David faced in both the Top 32 and Top 16 rounds turned out to be rather ordinary. How could he describe it? From David's perspective, while these trainers' Pokémon possessed decent raw power and energy levels, their actual battle experience was severely lacking.
The opposing trainers' command abilities during battle and their synchronization with their Pokémon were even worse than Jackson's—the opponent he'd faced in his very first match yesterday.
Just as David resigned himself to concluding today's matches in the same boring fashion and advancing to the Top 8, the competition's matchmaking system immediately threw him a curveball.
The third and final match of the day arrived as scheduled.
David's opponent this time was a girl with striking white hair accented with colorful highlights, looking like she'd stepped straight out of an anime. When David first spotted her across the arena, he did a double-take.
Is this really a battle arena? Did I accidentally wander into some anime convention?
It wasn't until the referee's authoritative voice rang out across the battlefield that David, who had been lost in thought, snapped his attention back to the present.
"Imperial City Novice Cup Eliminations: Top 16 to Top 8 round."
"Contestants: D136 David versus D069 Layla."
"Both contestants ready? Battle... begin!"
"Let's go, Zorua," David called out, his tone steady and focused.
"Bring me victory, Darling!" his opponent sang out with an exaggerated wink.
"Zorua~"
"Snea~sel."
The moment David laid eyes on his opponent's Pokémon, he realized he'd misjudged the situation entirely.
A Shiny Sneasel materialized on the battlefield before him, its unusual coloration catching the light.
David's system kicked in automatically, revealing the Pokémon's information:
Name: Sneasel (Shiny Form)
Type: Dark/Ice
Energy Level: 20 (Veteran)
Gender: Female
Ability: Keen Eye
Potential: Deep Purple
Held Item: Never-Melt Ice
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Taunt, Quick Attack, Metal Claw, Icy Wind, Counter, Ice Shard, Facade, Double Hit, Icicle Crash, Aerial Ace, Avalanche, Snowscape, Ice Punch, Dig...
Level 20—his opponent also commanded a Veteran-level Pokémon, and a Shiny Sneasel at that. David raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. It seemed that Arceus had actually heard his earlier wish. The Pokémon world had truly sent him a worthy opponent this time.
"Looks like I'll need to take this seriously," he murmured to himself.
The chilling Aura emanating from the opponent's Sneasel after it entered the field was unmistakable in David's enhanced perception. This opponent was clearly not to be underestimated.
"Hey, you're that woman's younger brother, aren't you?" Layla suddenly called out from across the battlefield.
"Huh?" David blinked in confusion.
"Today, I'm going to avenge Sister Leah and show you the true power of Ice-type Pokémon!"
The white-haired girl fixed David with an intense stare, then clenched her fists and spoke through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with determination.
"Wait... what are you even talking about—"
David, who had just been pleased about finally encountering a strong opponent, was completely bewildered by his opponent's unexpected declaration. Just as he opened his mouth to ask for clarification, it became clear that Layla had no intention of continuing their conversation. She immediately issued her first command.
"Sneasel, use Snowscape! Follow up with Icicle Crash!"
Upon receiving the order, the Sneasel on the field swiftly gathered brilliant blue energy between its clawed hands. With a powerful thrust skyward, a glowing blue orb shot rapidly toward the ceiling of the arena.
The orb exploded in midair, and countless shimmering blue particles spread across the entire sky above the battlefield, covering it like a blanket.
Almost instantly, the temperature on the field plummeted. Delicate snowflakes began to drift down from above, swirling gently through the air.
Sneasel had successfully executed Snowscape—one of the newest weather moves introduced in the ninth generation of Pokémon battles.
A ripple of excitement spread through the surrounding spectator stands. The audience clearly hadn't expected to witness a weather-controlling move in a Novice Cup match, which was typically reserved for pure beginners and their starter Pokémon.
While weather-related moves weren't extraordinarily rare, they were notoriously difficult to learn unless a Pokémon possessed a natural ability that generated weather. For ordinary Pokémon without such abilities, mastering weather moves was troublesome and time-consuming. Actually using them effectively in competitive battle was something most beginner-level Pokémon couldn't achieve at all.
Therefore, proficient use of weather manipulation in Pokémon battles typically only appeared among Advanced or even Professional-level Trainers. Witnessing such advanced technique in a Novice Cup match clearly exceeded the audience's expectations.
Enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from the spectator stands, the crowd energized by the unexpected display of skill.
After successfully setting up Snowscape, Sneasel didn't hesitate. It immediately pressed its advantage, condensing powerful Ice-type energy in its raised claws. In the newly created frigid weather, with snowflakes swirling all around, the formation speed of Ice-type moves seemed to accelerate noticeably.
Within moments, massive icicles materialized in the air above the battlefield. They plummeted downward like frozen spears, crashing toward Zorua's position with frightening force.
David's jaw tightened. First, he'd been inexplicably accused of something he knew nothing about. Then his opponent had muttered to herself before launching into an aggressive attack without any proper explanation. He was clearly irritated now and had no interest in exchanging further words. All he wanted was to respond to his opponent's challenge with everything he had.