บท 273: Final Candidates
At first, Hogan didn't think Terrance was anything special, but as time went on, he began to see more potential in him.
The turning point was when Altaria and Swampert fought to a draw. That was when Hogan's evaluation of Terrance started to rise.
"He has a unique approach to breeding. Each of his Pokémon is one of a kind, with distinct characteristics that defy conventional thinking. Besides that, his practical learning abilities are quite good. I get the feeling that he's a research-type talent who got sidetracked by the Trainer profession…"
"Additionally, over the past few days, Terrance's Arcanine has been the standout performer. It must have recently evolved from Growlithe." Hogan broke into a cold sweat and said, "My initial concern with Terrance was that he had too few Pokémon who were strong enough, with only Altaria capable of consistently performing well.…"
"Although it seems Arcanine can't endure prolonged battles, it can provide some valuable support to his lineup."
"So, he's actually a pretty good Trainer and could be a trump card against the Castelia Club."
Hogan and Scott talked for a long time, and in the end, they decided to do some extra screening in the limited time left, narrowing down the Trainers to five.
The battle rules agreed upon with the Castelia Club were for a team battle. Each side would send out five people, one at a time. The loser would step down, and the winner would stay in the arena to face the next opponent.
Each Trainer could use three Pokémon, so with five Trainers per side, that would be fifteen Pokémon in total. The battle would end when one side's Pokémon were all unable to fight.
One day later.
Terrance left his room as Scott and Hogan gathered the eleven Trainers. Scott said, "The Castelia Club is very strong, having been established even before the Frontier Club. They're sending five Trainers, so we'll also pick five. And who gets picked will naturally depend on their strength."
The eleven Trainers nodded. They had anticipated that not everyone would get a chance to participate.
Through Hogan's explanation, they also understood the advantage of this approach. The Castelia Club knew nothing about them, but they had some knowledge and research on the Castelia Club. Although they were brought together at the last moment, this unexpectedly became an advantage. Even if the Castelia Club tried to gather information now, the uncertainty of the lineup will greatly confuse them.
Among the eleven, there were ten men and one woman.
With the numbers set, Hogan solemnly reminded them again, "No matter who ends up representing the Frontier Club, remember that although the other side doesn't know you, they'll definitely do thorough research on the Pokémon from our mainland areas…"
Hogan didn't say one last thing: if their opponents were indeed Trainers trained by a club over time, knowing the characteristics of Pokémon from various regions is just a basic skill.
In the end, Hogan was still a bit worried that these temporarily chosen Trainers have poor foundation. With only three months of training, he wasn't sure if they could pose a threat to the Castelia Club.
There weren't many people here, but each one was an outstanding Trainer for their age group. So, they couldn't help but wonder who would be chosen to battle against the Castelia Club.
Terrance wasn't sure who would be picked but had some guesses in his mind.
Especially regarding himself, Terrance had a certain level of confidence.
"I wonder who Mr. Scott will choose to participate. Terrance, Shiro, and Troy all are quite strong; they should be among the selected," the only female Trainer thought to herself, eyeing the three she had in mind.
"But no matter who gets chosen, the others won't be convinced. In the end, strength is what matters most."
A youngster in shorts thought to himself.
Facing the expectant gazes of the eleven Trainers, Hogan took a deep breath and said, "After observing everyone over the past few days, we have decided on the following people—Terrance, Shiro, Ethan, Troy, Yami!"
Wow!
As soon as the names were announced, many people showed surprised expressions, and various emotions started brewing in their hearts. However, these feelings were quickly suppressed by Mr. Scott's next words: "Of course, there is still some time to decide the final candidates."
"These five were chosen based on our observations over the past period. If anyone wants to replace them, you can. Starting today, as long as you file a request to Hogan, you can challenge any one of them. The winner will take their spot. The time limit... is half a month."
"Half a month, huh..." Terrance sighed slightly.
To be honest, he thought this buffer period was a bit long. After the gains from the High-level Area declined, he could only aim for regular training for his Pokémon and couldn't earn some "extra income," which made things a bit dull for him.
He was still lacking half the coins for Macho Brace that he wants for Arcanine, which it seems he won't be able to collect in time.
However, if Terrance remembered correctly, Scott had mentioned that those who performed well in the final battle against the Castelia Club would receive certain rewards.
Thinking of this, Terrance felt less anxious. He was already one of the five selected, so all he needed to do now was to maintain his position and then perform at his best in the battle against the Castelia Club. If he could do that, there shouldn't be any problems.
The five chosen by Hogan had mixed reactions of surprise and happiness, while the others had varying emotions. Some had already begun to look for a target, aiming to take their spot.
"One last reminder: I believe many of you have earned quite a few coins over the past period..." Scott said with a smile.
"This isn't over yet. I bet those coins aren't enough to exchange for the items you desire."
At these words, nearly everyone nodded.
"So, after the time limit ends, the final five selected will receive another sum of coins!"
All the previous words combined didn't excite the Trainers as much as this one. When it comes to resource items, who wouldn't want more?
If a Trainer wanted to improve their strength, they had to focus on this area. Unless someone was exceptionally talented, this was the fastest way to grow stronger.
After the meeting, everyone went back to recall the Pokémon and information of the five selected Trainers, preparing to challenge one of them for a spot.
Some filed a request to Hogan for a challenge that very day, while others decided to wait, assess the situation, and give their Pokémon some targeted training before challenging.
During this half-month period, Terrance planned to continue letting Arcanine get familiar with Outrage, adapt to Extreme Speed, and try to learn Wild Charge.
While Mismagius would continue to refine the "Flash" and "Darkness" illusions and further comprehend the "Lucky Chant" move that was on the brink of mastery.
As for Altaria, it would remain the main force for challenging the High-level Area. Even a mosquito's meat was meat. To avoid wasting time, Terrance planned to continue challenging the High-level Area, as perfecting the Erase Technique was crucial. A single successful use of Erase could be the key to strengthen Altaria with Dragon Dance.
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