After the first round of battles,
the second round followed shortly, with only a five-minute break in between.
But for Snivy, who had only used two moves, the energy spent was almost negligible.
The second round felt uneventful.
The opponent was the trainer with the Spearow. The mont he saw he was up against Hayashi Kaede, his face dropped.
Even though the type matchup was in his favor, he had no confidence that his Spearow could dodge Snivy’s Vine Whip.
In fact, it wasn’t just him—every other contestant in Group 9 looked dejected.
They had already witnessed Hayashi Kaede’s strength in the first round.
None of them held much hope of making it out of the group stage.
Just as Hayashi Kaede expected,
Spearow tried to dodge from the start, but it couldn’t evade Snivy’s Vine Whip and was soon struck down.
If this were a wild battle, Snivy probably wouldn’t be able to catch up with a flying Spearow.
But in an enclosed indoor arena like this, there was nowhere to run.
Then ca the third round.
The opponent’s Pokémon was a Pikachu...
Well, even though Pikachu left a strong impression on Hayashi Kaede, not every Pikachu could go up against type disadvantages.
Snivy quickly bound it with vines and flung it out of the arena.
And just like that...
All the morning’s group matches were finished.
Nine trainers erged from the group stage.
At midday, the Baby Cup organizers provided als and a two-hour break.
As soon as the match ended, Takagi gumi ran over in excitent to share the good news—she had advanced out of her group too.
Hayashi Kaede nodded, unsurprised.
He had observed all the groups closely.
Takagi gumi had been fortunate.
In her group, the stronger Pokémon were weak against Squirtle’s type, and the weaker ones simply couldn’t dodge her sharp Water Gun. Her success showed both her and Squirtle had perford well.
But in her eyes, it was sothing more.
That first victory gave Takagi gumi a huge boost in confidence.
She had already begun dreaming of becoming a top-tier trainer, standing proudly on the biggest stage—the Pokémon Championship—and battling with the Master Eight!
And, of course, winning.
Hayashi Kaede simply smiled.
Takagi gumi’s dream had always been to beco a Pokémon Master—basking in the spotlight, with the crowd cheering for her and her Pokémon.
There’s nothing wrong with having aspirations.
When we’re young, everyone dreams of being a hero.
Regardless of whether those dreams co true, they remain precious mories.
...
Two hours passed in a flash.
Compared to the tight morning schedule, the afternoon felt more relaxed.
Only nine trainers remained, needing just four matches to decide the semifinals.
To save ti, all four matches would be held simultaneously.
As for the ninth trainer, one would be selected by drawing lots to advance directly to the top five.
Now—
Ten minutes before the matches were to begin,
In contestant seat No. 7, Ikeoka Sho—the owner of HappyMart and mastermind behind the tournant—looked over the remaining nine contestants.
Or rather, eight.
He didn’t count his own son.
These eight all seed decent and disciplined.
Logically, it was an ideal setup.
But one trainer and his Pokémon continued to baffle him:
Hayashi Kaede and his Snivy from Group 9.
Over four matches,
Snivy had used Vine Whip and Leaf Blade in the first round...
But in the others, it won using Vine Whip alone.
Even as a businessman unfamiliar with the intricacies of Pokémon battling,
Ikeoka Sho sensed that this newcor, Hayashi Kaede, was hiding his true strength—probably waiting to win the prize money or attract attention.
With that thought, he called over Kondo Saroshi .
"What is it, boss?" Kondo Saroshi flew over, puzzled.
Ikeoka Sho said plainly, "I want to see the battle schedule."
"Huh?"
Kondo Saroshi pulled it out and blinked. "The schedule’s already arranged the way you wanted it. There are still ten minutes till the matches start..."
"There’s one contestant I’m worried about." Ikeoka Sho frowned, eyes scanning the list. "Where is Hayashi Kaede on this?"
Kondo Satoshi replied, "Oh, him? Looks like he drew a bye this round. Didn’t you say we could just assign random pairings for the early rounds, then have Lapras finish the last one in a single blow?"
Ikeoka Sho shook his head. "No, this Snivy hasn’t revealed its full strength. I’m not sure yet. Swap it. Pair him against Arai Haruki."
Takahashi looked stunned. "The one with the torchic?"
"Exactly. Fire counters Grass. Let’s see if we can force out Snivy’s full power."
"Ugh... alright..."
Kondo Saroshi’s thoughts were filled with helplessness.
So much for hiding Hayashi Kaede till the finals.
He was about to fly up to adjust the matchups,
But Ikeoka Sho stopped him again and smiled slyly. "Brother Kondo Saroshi, you and I are the only ones who know about this arrangent. If we pull this off, I’ll double your pay."
Kondo Saroshi blinked, a little stunned, but chuckled, "How generous!"
"Of course."
Ikeoka Sho smiled and nodded.
As he watched Kondo Saroshi fly off to the control center, his grin faded.
He didn’t know much about Pokémon battling...
But he knew how to handle business.
Only interest-based relationships were truly solid.
Unfortunately, this era belonged to Pokémon trainers.
So, he had no choice but to pave the way for his children...
...
Five minutes before the next match.
All nine remaining trainers gathered to draw lots.
Arai Haruki, carrying his torchic, glanced at his slip, then looked up at Hayashi Kaede. "Looks like we’re matched up."
He had spent the morning in Arena No. 1 and hadn’t seen Hayashi Kaede’s battles.
So he hadn’t expected—
Hayashi Kaede, who hadn’t even chosen his starter during the entrance exams,
now had a Pokémon strong enough to make it out of the Baby Cup group stage.
"Looks that way."
Hayashi Kaede shrugged, not thinking too much of it.
Arai Haruki sighed and walked over. "Man, your luck sucks. But don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you..."
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