On their way back to the waiting room, Tony and Daryl walked up to them.
Tony scratched his head and laughed. "Hey Peter, you should really thank me. That's the second time your Pokémon evolved right after beating me!"
Back in Floaroma Town, his Slakoth had evolved into Vigoroth right after defeating Tony's Honchkrow.
Whitney: ?!
Her eyes widened slightly—there was way too much information packed into that sentence.
Feeling her gaze, Peter's mouth twitched. "Watch your wording… it's a battle, not… whatever that sounded like."
Before Tony could continue teasing, Daryl suddenly stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Mr. Peter, please—take me as your disciple!"
Peter blinked. "This is… sudden."
"I want to become the strongest alongside my Hippopotas. I'm willing to do anything—as long as it's legal. Please teach me how to train Pokémon and build strategies!"
"Hipo!"
The little Hippopotas stood proudly, eyes burning with determination.
Peter studied him for a moment. "You didn't receive a starter Pokémon, did you?"
Daryl lowered his head and nodded. "My brother and I grew up relying on each other… we never had the money."
Whitney gently squeezed Peter's hand.
The boy in front of them… felt eerily familiar.
Just like Peter once was.
After a brief silence, Peter nodded. "Alright. I'll give you a team blueprint. Spend three months assembling it—then come find me."
Daryl's face lit up with joy. He bowed again. "Thank you, Master!"
Peter just smiled and shook his head, not bothering to correct the title.
After all, he himself was still far from Gym level—hardly qualified to be anyone's teacher. Still… if he could help a determined kid chase his dream, that was enough.
Soon, Daryl left with a handwritten list.
On it were classic sandstorm team members: Excadrill, Skarmory, Gliscor, Lycanroc, Palossand, Gigalith, Reuniclus… and even rare pseudo-legendaries like Tyranitar and Garchomp—if luck favored him.
Tony glanced at Peter. "Do you think he'll actually pull it off?"
"He will," Peter said without hesitation.
In the distance, Daryl paused briefly—then quickened his pace.
…
The following matches brought no major upsets. Peter's strongest rivals all advanced smoothly.
However, one particular pairing in Group C caught his attention.
A boy named Payton.
His Pokémon—a massive blue beast with dual head fins and a powerful tail—stood proudly on the field.
Swampert.
Under Nessa's Pelipper's Drizzle, rain poured across the battlefield.
Then—
Golden light flashed.
Swampert Mega Evolved.
Its body grew even more streamlined, its fins sharper, its presence overwhelming. Its ability changed to Swift Swim—doubling its speed in rain.
What followed was brutal.
A single Surf flooded the field.
Then Earthquake.
Both opponents were wiped out in under thirty seconds.
The crowd erupted.
Whitney blinked in surprise. "I didn't expect to see Mega Evolution users this early…"
Peter nodded thoughtfully. "Anyone with a full Mega setup at this stage… is either rich or well-connected."
Just then, Payton and Nessa approached.
The green-haired boy smirked slightly. "Peter, I've finally met you."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Another one here to hunt me down?"
Payton shrugged casually. "Can't help it. Norman talked so much trash that my grandmaster couldn't take it anymore—so he sent me to 'test' you."
Peter froze for a second. "Wait… your grandmaster wouldn't happen to be Juan, would it?"
Whitney picked up instantly. "Which means… your teacher is Wallace?"
"Yep." Payton smiled, brushing his hair behind his ear. "You should've seen it—when you became a Professor, Norman stormed into the Sootopolis Gym and bragged right in front of Grandmaster Juan…"
Peter: "…(°ー°〃)"
Back when he earned his Professor title, Norman had gone around boasting like crazy.
But Peter never imagined the guy would go as far as barging into someone else's Gym just to flex.
Nessa glanced at her partner with newfound curiosity. A fellow Water-type specialist… and Wallace's disciple.
Her anticipation for future matches quietly grew.
After a bit more small talk, Group D's matches wrapped up as well.
Nemona and Zemu advanced easily—no real resistance.
"Everyone's so strong… I'm getting fired up!" Ash said as he walked over with his friends, grabbing a drink from a nearby stall.
Behind the counter, two vendors quickly lowered their heads—revealing blue bob-cut hair and long crimson curls.
Peter stepped forward and ordered casually. "One Moomoo Milk and a cola. Make the milk warm, please."
"Coming right up, meow~!"
The shorter vendor handed over the drinks, and Peter placed two coins in her hand.
Yes—Team Rocket.
The real protagonists.
Seeing them, Peter couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia.
After all, they had been part of his childhood for years.
"Peter! Did you see my match? I was amazing, right?!" Nemona ran over excitedly.
"Yes, yes… amazing, amazing…" Peter replied with practiced calm.
He was already immune to her energy.
Others, however… were not.
Ash stepped forward immediately. "So you're Nemona! I watched your battle—your Pawmot was as cool as Pikachu!"
"Right?! And your Pikachu splitting Surf with Iron Tail was incredible!" Nemona shot back.
"Haha! Your Thunderbolt was super precise too!"
"Of course! It's unbeatable!"
"…"
Watching the two spiral into endless hype, Dawn and Brock exchanged a helpless glance.
Who let these two meet each other…?
…
With Day 1 concluded, each group had narrowed down to eight teams.
Day 2 would be far more intense—Rounds 2 and 3 would be completed in quick succession.
That meant one thing:
You needed at least two solid core Pokémon to survive.
The entire Pokémon Center buzzed with tension. Trainers prepared nonstop, the backyard training field packed, Nurse Joy overwhelmed with work.
Meanwhile—
Peter and Whitney sat quietly in the hotel lobby, snacking on burgers and fries.
He had ordered a side of classic cold pasta salad—the dressing rich and tangy.
Whitney's lips were glistening with oil, her fair skin dotted with traces of sauce.
Peter leaned in, gently kissing it away… until his lips met hers.
"Mm… people are watching…" she murmured, cheeks flushed as she pushed him lightly.
"Let them watch," Peter said with a grin, leaning in again—
Just then—
A shout came from outside the window:
"Paul, that's enough already!!"
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T/N:
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