Pokemon: Rising From The Dark Chapter 499 - 750 - The end of the second round

Ti passes quickly during training.

The second round of the Sinnoh League Tournant has begun.

The match list was released a day earlier. Compared to the first round, where all battles were concentrated in a single ti period, this ti Aoki and the others' matches were spread out more evenly. At first glance, it seed the scheduling was randomized, but upon closer inspection, it beca clear that none of the seeded competitors from any region had been pitted against each other.

Instead, they were matched against regular participants from various regions.

While so of these regular participants were strong, Aoki and the others had managed to avoid the most dangerous opponents.

After all, if a seeded trainer were eliminated in the second round, both the region and the trainer would beco a laughingstock. Spectators wouldn't care who the opponent was—they would only rember the early loss.

As a result, Aoki and Steven's matches were scheduled on different days.

Aoki had better luck, securing a spot on the first day of the second round, while Steven and the others would compete in the following days.

Aoki arrived at the arena alone.

Even with the tournant's large-scale format, the stands weren't particularly crowded.

Since multiple venues were hosting battles simultaneously, spectators could freely choose which matches to watch. Many stayed in the arena all day, only leaving for als, restroom breaks, or sleep.

Aoki couldn't help but wonder—Don't these people have jobs?

Aoki was directed to one of the designated battlefields.

Many spectators recognized him imdiately, and since he was the only seeded competitor battling at that ti, the arena's large screen focused solely on his match.

This ti, his opponent hailed from the Johto region. To Aoki's surprise, their overall skill level was weaker than his first-round adversary.

Advancing in the tournant often ca down to luck—if a trainer consistently faced weaker opponents, they might make it into the Top 128. Breaking into the Top 64, however, was far more difficult, as that stage was dominated by regional seeds and elite independent trainers.

Given his opponent's lack of strength, Aoki had no trouble securing a swift victory, even with Poliwhirl leading the charge.

Poliwhirl's fighting style differed greatly from Swampert's. After setting up Rain Dance, Poliwhirl used its speed advantage to outmaneuver its opponent, securing two consecutive knockouts.

Though the battle wasn't as intense as his first-round match, the audience still cheered enthusiastically.

By now, Aoki had gained moderate fa, particularly within trainer circles.

After the battle, he imdiately returned to the manor.

His current routine was simple: compete when scheduled, then return to train and refine his team's condition.

This steady approach ensured his Pokémon's strength grew consistently, minimizing mistakes.

The second round halved the number of participants, leaving just over 2,000 competitors. To allow adequate rest, a one-week break was scheduled after each round.

This policy would likely change in later stages—once the tournant reached the Top 128, all remaining matches could be completed in a single day, with at most three days of rest between rounds.

After all, dragging things out would only inconvenience everyone involved.

During downti, if training grew too monotonous, Steven and the others engaged in small-scale sparring matches. Though this revealed so of their strategies, none of them were concerned—each was confident in their own abilities.

Did it matter if opponents knew their tactics?

Aoki's match was on the first day of the second round, followed by Steven and Phoebe on the second day, and Wallace on the third.

After three days of battles, everyone returned to focused training.

Now, however, Aoki faced a dilemma.

Should he let Poliwhirl evolve now?

After rigorous training, Poliwhirl had finally t Aoki's standards for evolution. But whether to proceed imdiately was a difficult decision.

On one hand, evolving into Politoed would significantly boost Poliwhirl's strength, making it a core mber of Aoki's rain-based team strategy.

But therein lay the problem.

Upon evolution, Politoed's Ability would change to Drizzle, aning Aoki would lose access to Swift Swim—a crucial part of his team's synergy.

Right now, Aoki lacked another Pokémon with Swift Swim to fill that role. Finding and training a suitable replacent in such a short ti was unrealistic.

Without Swift Swim, his team would be at a disadvantage against opponents fielding full teams of six.

But if Poliwhirl didn't evolve, it would require extra effort to manually set up rain during battles, limiting its potential.

Aoki was torn.

Should he prioritize evolution, even if it disrupted his team composition?

If no solution presented itself, Aoki was willing to sacrifice his ranking in the Sinnoh League to ensure Poliwhirl's evolution.

This tournant was just one challenge—Poliwhirl's growth was far more important for Aoki's long-term goals.

Seeking clarity, Aoki decided to take his Pokémon out for a walk, hoping to find inspiration.

His destination was Lake Valor, one of Sinnoh's three great lakes and the resting place of the legendary Pokémon sprit, the Being of Emotion.

It was also a known target of Team Galactic's operations.

But Aoki's purpose was relaxation and training—he had no intention of interfering with Team Galactic.

Hadn't he already encountered two of their grunts at the Celestic Town radio tower? He hadn't bothered confronting them then—why start now?

His focus was better spent preparing for future conflicts with Team Aqua and Team Magma.

Aoki set off without resistance from Steven and the others.

With so ti before their next matches, improving their strength was the priority.

Aoki's Pokémon still had room to grow.