"Hmm… could it be that Silvally hasn't even been created yet?" Peter muttered to himself as he studied the mission panel.
The timeline of the Alola region was clearly lagging behind.
After all, in the previous League Conference, there hadn't even been a representative from Alola. That alone was enough to show that the Alola League hadn't been established yet.
In the original storyline, when Ash traveled to Alola, he was sent back in time by the power of Celebi, where he met a younger Professor Kukui and helped inspire him to establish the Alola League.
In the end, Ash, with Pikachu's Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt, defeated the golden guardian form of Tapu Koko during the first Alola League Conference—fulfilling the dreams of countless Pokémon fans.
From that point on, Alola became known as Ash's second home.
At the same time, Kukui used the success of that tournament to officially establish the Alola League.
"But judging by this world's timeline… it'll probably take Ash several more years to even reach Alola…"
Peter exhaled softly.
"Looks like my travel plans are going to need some adjustments."
Canalave City was located on the far western side of Sinnoh, while they were currently on the eastern side of Mt. Coronet. Getting there would take quite a bit of time.
After calculating his schedule and adjusting his route, Peter opened the Master Draw panel.
"Ding. Master Draw activated. Remaining draws: 20. Please wait…"
"Ding. 2 million Poké Dollars consumed. Rewards obtained:
Rare Candy ×2, Type Gems ×11;
TMs: Seismic Toss, Rock Slide, Bulk Up, Zen Headbutt;
Held Items: Choice Band, Bright Powder, Black Sludge!"
…
Choice Band: Boosts Attack by 50%, but the user can only use the first move selected upon entering battle.
Bright Powder: Causes the holder to shimmer, lowering the opponent's accuracy.
Black Sludge: Restores HP over time if held by a Poison-type Pokémon, but damages non-Poison types.
…
Peter nodded in satisfaction.
"These are actually pretty solid pulls."
Especially the held items—they could be integrated into some very effective strategies.
After spending a few hundred thousand more Poké Dollars to teach compatible moves to his team, Peter exited the dream space.
-----
Afternoon — Third Round Begins
Out of the original 128 participants (64 teams), only 16 teams remained.
At this stage, aside from a rare few lucky contenders, everyone left was genuinely strong.
…
Group A
Brock and his partner, a glamorous older trainer named Yan Hua, faced off against Paul and Ash.
As if trying to prove his own philosophy was correct, Paul immediately sent out Torterra.
With Hyper Beam followed by Leaf Storm, he wiped out both opponents in just two moves.
Ash's Staravia didn't even get the chance to attack.
"That's awesome! We advanced again!" Ash cheered, hugging Pikachu and the others.
Paul scoffed. "Tch… did you even do anything?"
On the other side, Yan Hua looked devastated—she felt she had dragged Brock down.
…
Group B — Peter & Whitney's Match
Now it was Peter and Whitney's turn.
And their opponents…
Were none other than Dawn and Conway.
Before their match began, Valric and Tony—who had already advanced—stood at the sidelines watching.
"Hey, Peter! We'll be waiting for you in the next round—don't trip up here!" Valric waved, a grin on his face.
After reconciling with his father, the gloom that once surrounded him had faded significantly.
Tony added with a nod, "You're the only opponent I recognize in my path to becoming Champion. Hurry up and finish this—I'll show you my transformation tomorrow!"
Clearly, he had been following Peter closely—especially after hearing about Cynthia's challenge—which had reignited his competitive spirit.
"Alright, alright~" Peter waved back casually, smiling.
Seeing this, Conway adjusted his glasses, a confident smirk forming on his lips.
"The equation of victory has already been completed. This match… belongs to us."
Whitney tilted her head, whispering, "He sounds kinda impressive, Honey… maybe I should use Zoroark instead…?"
Peter's expression twitched.
With the help of high-grade Pokéblocks, Whitney's Zoroark had already broken through into the Elite Four tier.
If it entered the field…
There probably wouldn't be a single opponent in the entire arena who could last one move.
He gently pressed her hand down. "It's fine. Stick to the original plan."
The referee gave the signal.
Both sides threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.
Peter & Whitney: "Go—Chansey! (Clefairy!)"
Dawn & Conway: "Take the stage, Pachirisu! (Go, Aggron!)"
A small blue-and-white electric squirrel and a towering steel-armored beast appeared on the field.
[Pachirisu Lv.33 (Advanced)]
[Aggron Lv.48 (Elite - Advanced)]
[Clefairy Lv.47 (Elite - Advanced)]
The moment Chansey appeared, Conway smiled knowingly.
"As expected…"
Peter raised an eyebrow. "You predicted this?"
"Of course." Conway pushed up his glasses. "Based on my observations, you're extremely confident and enjoy training your weaker Pokémon. You also tend not to reuse the same ones frequently."
"So in this third round, Ursaring and Eevee—both already used—won't appear again."
"That leaves… Chansey or Rufflet."
His smile widened.
"No matter which one you choose… my Aggron has an absolute advantage."
Whitney blinked. "When you put it like that… it actually makes sense…"
The livestream chat exploded again.
"WOC! Peter got read like a book!"
"Steel + Rock Aggron… Toxic stall is useless, Chansey's doomed!"
"Alright, daily mission complete: Peter broken (1/1)"
"..."
On the battlefield, however—
Peter simply smiled.
"Nice prediction."
Then his expression sharpened.
"But unfortunately… today, my Chansey isn't playing poison stall."
"Chansey, use Minimize!"
Whitney followed instantly, "Clefairy, use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Lucky~!"
Chansey let out a soft cry as its body shrank down, becoming a smaller, more agile version of itself. A faint shimmer surrounded it, making it difficult to focus on.
With Minimize, its evasiveness skyrocketed.
At the same time, Clefairy glowed with a bright pink light, which quickly intensified—
before bursting outward toward both opponents.
Conway remained calm. "Aggron, charge forward!"
Dawn added, "Pachirisu, stay behind Aggron!"
"AGGRON—!"
With heavy, thunderous steps, Aggron charged ahead, shielding Pachirisu behind its massive body.
Dazzling Gleam struck it head-on—
…but the effect was minimal.
Steel resists Fairy.
The real battle…
Had just begun.