Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

Despite feeling unlucky, Keita Nakada quickly adjusted his mindset. As an experienced trainer, he wasn't one to dwell on negativity for long.

"Let's start with a small goal—take him down with just one Pokémon."

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the Poké Balls on the table, snapping each onto his belt before heading to the battlefield.

---

The Indigo Conference followed a preliminary + elimination format.

After three rounds of preliminaries, 32 trainers would be selected from the massive pool of participants.

Due to the sheer number of contestants and the need to complete the preliminaries quickly, these matches were held in smaller side arenas.

Because of the varying skill levels among the participants, the preliminaries weren't broadcast on television, and even the live audiences at these arenas were sparse.

However, Luo Yuan felt his luck wasn't too bad. Perhaps because it was the first match of the day, or due to the novelty factor, his arena was more than half full.

Of course, it was also possible that the president of Silph Co. had mobilized employees to watch the match.

From Luo Yuan's observations, quite a few spectators looked like people he had seen in the Silph Co. building back in Saffron City.

"The contestants for this match are Luo Yuan from Saffron City, Kanto, and Keita Nakada from Mauville City, Hoenn!"

"Now, let's welcome both trainers to the battlefield!"

The announcer's voice boomed through the loudspeakers, sparking a flurry of discussion in the crowd.

In the Pokémon world, trainers who, like Ash, traveled far and wide to compete in tournaments were still relatively rare.

Thus, seeing a trainer from Hoenn in the preliminaries of the Indigo Conference was a surprise to many.

Keita paid no mind to the chatter.

Confident in his qualifications for the Elite Four selection, he had nerves of steel. External factors hardly fazed him.

What did catch his attention, however, were a few familiar faces in the audience—trainers he considered rivals. Their blatant presence for reconnaissance gave his expression a momentary grimness.

"I need to finish this Luo Yuan guy quickly!"

He glanced at his opponent, spotting Luo Yuan smiling at him as though oblivious to the situation.

Keita allowed himself to relax slightly.

"The preliminaries follow a 3v3 format. Trainers may switch Pokémon during the match. Victory is achieved when all three of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle."

"If there are no objections, please confirm your readiness."

Keita placed his hand on his belt and nodded to the referee.

The referee turned to Luo Yuan, who also nodded. Raising his flag, the referee announced, "Since both trainers are ready... Let the match begin!"

At the referee's signal, two Poké Balls flew into the arena—one from each trainer.

Luo Yuan's Poké Ball hit the ground first.

"That was fast..." Keita's eyes flashed with surprise.

It wasn't an overreaction.

Even something as simple as throwing a Poké Ball required a level of skill.

In battles like this, the trainer who released their Pokémon first often gained a tactical advantage.

Keita had once suffered a loss due to a slow throw. His Pokémon had barely entered the field when his opponent's was already poised for an attack.

That single misstep had snowballed into a loss, despite his Pokémon being stronger overall.

Since then, he had trained specifically to improve his throw speed.

Yet Luo Yuan's throw was still a fraction faster.

"Was it a coincidence, or..." Keita couldn't help but speculate.

Perhaps this guy wasn't just an ordinary rich kid.

But there was no time to dwell on it. His focus shifted to Luo Yuan's Pokémon.

To conceal his strength, Keita had opted not to use his ace, Swampert, instead sending out Aggron—one of his less critical Pokémon.

Aggron wasn't quite at Elite Four level, but Keita deemed it sufficient to handle Luo Yuan.

The goal was to minimize the exposure of his tactics and strategies.

However, as Luo Yuan's Pokémon materialized, Keita instantly regretted his decision.

"Rooooar!"

A massive Dragonite appeared, its sheer size taking up nearly half the arena.

Boom!

As Dragonite landed, the ice beneath its feet cracked into a web of fractures.

"What... is that thing?"

Keita's face twisted in disbelief as he stared at the six-to-seven-meter-tall Dragonite.

The audience, initially silent, erupted into cheers.

If one were to rank Pokémon by popularity in Kanto, Dragonite would undoubtedly sit at the top.

Its colossal size didn't intimidate the crowd—it only heightened their excitement.

Even the announcer froze for a moment before quickly recovering.

"Luo Yuan has sent out a massive Dragonite!"

"Judging by Keita's expression, he clearly wasn't expecting this!"

"So, how will Keita respond?"

"Respond, my ass!"

Were it not for the match rules, Keita might have shouted his frustration.

If he could turn back time, he would slap himself and tell himself not to make snap judgments.

An ordinary rich kid, my foot!

The mere presence of this overwhelming Dragonite was enough to crush any illusions of an easy win.

Looking at his Aggron—usually intimidating but now dwarfed like a little brother—Keita couldn't help but wonder:

Would it be too late to recall Aggron and send out Pelipper instead?

The answer, of course, was no.

Luo Yuan had already launched his first attack.

"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!"

"Rooooar!"

A deafening roar reverberated through the side arena as Dragonite inhaled sharply, its chest swelling. A swirling purple Dragon Pulse began to form in its mouth, crackling with power.

The terrifying energy emanating from the attack sent a chill down Keita's spine.

I can't let Aggron take that hit head-on!

Realizing the danger, Keita hastily shouted, "Aggron, dodge—"

But before he could finish his command, Dragonite released the fully charged Dragon Pulse.

The purple blast tore through the air, slamming into Aggron before it had time to react.

Boom!

Despite its steel armor and Heavy Metal ability, which made it twice the weight of a normal Aggron, Keita's Pokémon was utterly overpowered. The sheer force of Dragonite's attack sent it flying across the battlefield.