Sam began searching online for information related to the Masters Qualifying Tournament.
Sure enough, Miki's name appeared on the participant list.
Miki
From Ecruteak City, Johto Region. A powerful Trainer.
Her Pokémon were Jolteon, Flareon, and Umbreon.
[Pokémon]Umbreon
[Attribute] Dark
[Category] Moonlight Pokémon
[Ability] Synchronize
[Hidden Ability] Psychic Power
[Strength] Champion Beginner Level
[Pokémon]Jolteon
[Attribute] Electric
[Category] Lightning Pokémon
[Ability] Power Storage
[Hidden Ability] Swift Lightning
[Strength] Champion Beginner Level
[Pokémon]Flareon
[Attribute] Fire
[Category] Flame Pokémon
[Ability] Flash Fire
[Hidden Ability] Perseverance
[Strength] Champion Beginner Level
All of Miki's Pokémon were evolved forms of Eevee. One had to remember that Eevee was no weaker than Pikachu.
Being able to possess three different Eeveelutions as her main battle force was proof of this Trainer's strength.
Sam's headache only grew worse.
Next was another contestant who had obtained five medals: Naoko.
Naoko
From Ecruteak City, Johto Region. Geisha.
Another geisha?
Sam was dumbfounded.
Why was she a geisha too?
He looked through the information on Naoko and Miki again and suddenly discovered that both of them came from Ecruteak City.
After checking further details, he found that Naoko and Miki actually came from the same dance hall and were sisters.
"Damn."
Sam was a little stunned.
It turned out that a pair of sisters had come to participate in the Pokémon qualifying tournament.
He continued reading.
Naoko's Pokémon were Flareon, Espeon, and Umbreon.
[Pokémon]Flareon
[Attribute] Fire
[Category] Flame Pokémon
[Ability] Flash Fire
[Hidden Ability] Perseverance
[Strength] Champion Beginner Level
[Pokémon]Espeon
[Attribute] Psychic
[Category] Sun Pokémon
[Ability] Synchronize
[Hidden Ability] Magic Bounce
[Strength] Champion Mid-Level
[Pokémon]Umbreon
[Attribute] Dark
[Category] Moonlight Pokémon
[Ability] Synchronize
[Hidden Ability] Psychic Power
[Strength] Champion Beginner Level
What caught Sam's attention most was the fact that Naoko possessed both Espeon and Umbreon.
Not only were these Pokémon rare, but their temperaments and personalities were completely different.
Being able to train both of them simultaneously proved that Naoko's Pokémon training ability was extremely impressive.
Furthermore, compared to Karen and Miki, Naoko's Espeon had already reached the mid-level Champion rank.
As expected, any Trainer capable of obtaining five medals under the Masters qualification rules would have Pokémon that had already surpassed the ordinary Champion level.
Sam felt a bit of pressure.
Now it was time to think about how to fight.
If he faced Karen, her Pokémon would be Umbreon, Gengar, and Murkrow, most of them Dark-type Pokémon.
To fight against opponents like that, he needed to use his highest-level Pokémon whenever possible.
His Charizard had already reached the Champion Beginner Level, while Bangira had reached the peak of the Champion level.
As for the third slot, Sam decided on Gengar.
Since Karen also had a Gengar, then they could see whose Gengar was stronger.
After all, Sam's Gengar possessed the Flash Attribute and certainly wouldn't be inferior to Karen's Gengar.
The main issue was that Dark-type Pokémon offered very few opportunities for Attribute advantages.
In situations like this, raw strength and level mattered more than anything else.
His other Pokémon simply had not yet reached the Champion standard.
Next were Miki and Naoko.
Miki's Pokémon were Umbreon, Flareon, and Jolteon.
To counter an Electric-type Pokémon, Bangira was undoubtedly the best choice.
Against Flareon, Lapras should theoretically be the ideal counter.
However, Lapras was only at the Elite Mid-Level.
A gap of three levels was simply too large for Attribute advantage alone to overcome.
As for Umbreon, there wasn't any particularly effective solution.
The only option was to rely on superior levels and strength.
In the end, Sam settled on the lineup of Charizard, Bangira, and Gengar.
Then came Naoko.
After further analysis, he realized that facing Naoko, whose overall strength was even higher, still required suppressing her through raw power.
As a result, the final lineup remained exactly the same:
Gengar, Charizard, and Bangira.
Sam stared at the results of all his hard work with lifeless eyes.
Three identical answers.
Were these really the only three Pokémon he could rely on?
He sighed.
Forget it.
Bangira and Charizard, both fused with Tailed Beast power, might be able to create some excellent synergy together.
Still, thinking about it this way, he really needed to train his other Pokémon more seriously.
Maybe next time, he should focus on raising Lapras's level first.