The Million Pokédolr Voucher Tour had been advertised for aire week, drawing in many trainers from Violet City and surrounding towns. Trainers like Sato, who just happened upon the event, were actually quite rare.

  Had he stayed at the Pokémoer ht, he would have noticed that it was already packed with trainers, a testament to the power of money's allure.

  Of course, Sato's real goal was to train his Pokémon, but A million Pokédolrs as a prize iive didn't sound bad at all.

  Holding his entry badge, number 311, Sato stood silently among the other trainers, waiting for his turn as the staff called numbers.

  In front of him, three temporary battle arenas had bee up, each hosting inteches.

  Due to the rge number of partits, the preliminary rounds followed a simple yet brutal format:

  Ten trainers were randomly selected per match. Each trainer sent out one Pokémon. The st Pokémon standing would advao the round.

  As a result, the battles became chaotic free-for-alls, where raw power ofteermihe oute.

  For Sato, the ck of strategy and finesse made the battles less iing.

  However… Looking at the cheering crowd, Sato realized that most spectators were ordinary citizens.To them, Pokémon were both familiar and distant—something they saw in daily life, yet rarely experienced in battle.

  For these spectators, just watg Pokémon fight up close was thrilling enough. Battle tactics? That wasn't what they cared about.

  For them, watg Pokémon trade blows recklessly was far more eaining than any carefully executed strategy.

  Perhaps influenced by the crowd's r excitement, everainers on stage began abandoning defensive maneuvers in favor of head-on cshes.

  This gave a huge advao bulky, high-defense Pokémon.

  The first round ended quickly. The three victorious trainers all relied e, tanky Pokémon: Rhydon, Nidoking and Machamp

  The sed round followed the same pattern, with ahirty trainers entering the arena. This time, everyone had learned from the first round.

  Once again, almost every partit sent e Pokémon—the arenas became packed with colossal giants colliding violently.

  The thunderous impact of their attacks sent shockwaves through the crowd, making them cheer even louder. Every trainer seemed to be fueled by adrenaline, fighting with wild abandon.

  Among them, only two trainers attempted to avoid reckless cshes and instead relied on strategy.

  However, their Pokémon weren't strong enough—in the end, they failed to make a signifit impact.

  Suddenly, the third areed in an explosive otion, drawing everyone's attention.

  Sato narrowed his eyes and looked toward the source of the excitement.

  Otlefield, only orainer remaianding—a high-css rich kid, standing arrogantly o a fierce-looking Feraligatr.

  Feraligatr!

  Sato observed the ferocious water-type Pokémon closely.

  Even though this was just a promotional tour anized by a shopping mall, there were still strong trainers in the mix.

  Feraligatr's performaood out, dominating the battle with overwhelming strength.

  The third round began, with thirty more trainers stepping up.

  By now, more than half of them had already learhe winning formu—once again, they sent e Pokémon.

  Sato casually rolled Haunter's Poké Ball in his hand. Would using stealth tactics get him booed by the audience? Just as he was debating the idea, arainer made the first move.

  A petite, delicate-looking female trainer sent out a small, nimble Bellossom.

  While giant Pokémon cshed fiercely, her Bellossom danced between them effortlessly, aking a si.

  By the time the battle narrowed down to two Pokémon, a trainer with a Tauros suddenly realized— Bellossom was terrifyingly strong.

  Sato took mental note of both Bellossom and its seemingly fragile trainer.

  A hidden powerhouse.

  Bellossom's victory ged the eone of the battles that followed. Now, brute force alone was no longer enough.

  Stealth, deception, and strategic ambushes started repg direbat. Even the spectators, who had previously enjoyed reckless brawls, were notivated by the evolving strategies.

  The tour was being far more iing than Sato had initially expected.

  "Round 4, Arena 1—Partits No. 78, No. 9, No. 311…"

  Hearing his number, Sato stepped out of the crowd without hesitation and walked toward the farthest battle stage, Arena 3.

  Sihere were so many partits, the anizers o finish the preliminary rounds on the first day. As soon as Sato stepped onto the battlefield, the match immediately began.

  "Kehehehehe~"

  Haunter let out a low, sinister chuckle, barely audible to anyone except Sato.The arena referee quickly approached to firm whether Sato had sent out his Pokémon.

  Sato poio ay spot in the air, just as Haunter let out anhostly snicker.

  The experienced referee immediately uood what was happening—it was a Ghost-type Pokémon using its natural invisibility.

  Without further questioning, the referee stepped back.

  This entire exge happened in seds. Sato had deliberately positioned himself he referee so that Haunter's presence would go unnoticed by the other trainers.

  After all, everyone's attention was already focused on the rgest Pokémon otlefield—a Golem.

  As soon as the battle began, Golem immediately became the primary target.

  Without overwhelming strength, size could be a disadvantage. Sure enough, under a barrage of Water Guns, Razor Leafs, and Ice Beams, Golem was the first to fall.

  Throughout all this, Sato did nothing—he simply watched the chaos unfold like a spectator. He was so rexed that he almost felt like sitting down and having a cup of tea.

  Only when four Pokémon remaianding did the other trainers and spectators finally turn their attention to him.

  "Hey, kid! Where's your Pokémon?"

  A muscur, shirtless man with a booming voice called out. His Machoke was still standing strong, fighting strategically to stay ich. With extra time on his hands, he decided to question Sato.

  "It's in the arena"

  "Where?"

  "Right there"

  Sato poio a spot above the battlefield, and at that moment, a deep purple shadow suddenly materialized in midair.

  A massive Shadow Ball formed beh Haunter, its energy twisting and crag ominously.

  "BOOM!"

  The arena shook violently from the Shadow Ball's explosion. Even those standing nearby could feel the tremor beh their feet. When the dust settled, Haunter floated there, grinning maliciously.

  Beh him, the four remaining Pokémon had all colpsed, uo move.For a moment, the entire crowd fell dead silent.

  The spectators watg Arena 3 were pletely stunned. Sato casually recalled Haunter, unfazed by the eerie silence.

  "Hmph!"

  The muscur man clicked his tongue in frustration, withdrawing his defeated Machoke.

  "A real man fights head-on! That sneak attack was cheap!"

  Down below, some spectators booed, expressing their disapproval. However, when they remembered the sheer power of that Shadow Ball, ma uneasy. Cheap or not, it was undeniable—oack had wiped out four Pokémon at once.

  That kind of strength was terrifying.

  Sato walked toward the waiting area for the advang trainers, now the ter of everyone's attention. Even with his stroal fortitude, he couldn't help but feel a little self-scious.

  But then he reminded himself—he won with strength. And there was nothing to feel guilty about.

  As the day's battles came to an end, only six trainers remained from Arena 3's final match.

  After a full day of petition, the tour had narrowed down to 32 testants, perfectly structured for the phase: a five-round 2v2 elimination tour

  Tomorrow, the real petition would begin.