Chương 58: Chapter 56

Sam was ambushed the moment he left the lower hallways. The Machoke standing guard stepped to the side to let him out only for him to be rushed by a pair of reporters.

"Hi, Samuel! I'm Marilyn with the Johto News Network! Would you be interested in a quick interview? The public is dying for answers!" The blonde woman's eyes sparkled with hope as she held a microphone under her chin. Behind her, a heavyset man balanced a camera on one shoulder, keeping it pointed right at Sam.

"Uhh..." His mind went blank. He'd never been in an interview before. Sure, he'd had fantasies of being interviewed once he was a rich and famous Ghost Type specialist, but right now?

"We're interviewing every competitor we can catch. Don't worry! You aren't the only one going to be on T. V.!"... Be on T. V.

"Okay?" Sam said, speaking before realizing what was leaving his mouth.

"Great!" Marilyn all but dragged Sam to a corner of the arena's front lobby, where a few people were still occasionally heading in. Groups passed by to pick up confections from vendors in the upper level, and a few of them pointed at Sam from a railing that overlooked the entrance. None of them approached, but a few people did stop to watch the impending interview from the side. Marilyn fluffed her hair. The reporter adjusted her suit jacket and stood up a bit straighter while staring at the camera's lens.

"Everything ready?" she asked. The cameraman, a hanging card naming him as Monroe, gave her a thumbs up before using his hand to start counting down from five.

"Is this live?" Sam asked.

"Hm? No, this is pre-recorded. You'll be able to catch yourself on a segment tonight. And don't worry, we'll fix any blemishes in post."

"Blemishes?" A red light on the camera turned on, and Marilyn gave it a blinding smile.

"Hello! Today we're here with competitor Samuel Greyson, whose Haunter made an impressive showing in the first round of the Violet City Tournament!" She turned towards Sam.

"Your use of Hypnosis was inspiring, and Acid Spray was a genuine surprise! Everyone wants to know: where do you get your ideas from, and how did you train your Pokémon?" Sam blinked at her and shifted uncomfortably. The camera recorded every smallest movement. He was suddenly very aware that Haunter wasn't nearby. The Pokémon was actively being treated by a nurse for the damage he'd taken during the fight with Otis.

Without him in Sam's shadow, there was no comforting chill in his spine or the occasional brush of something next to his feet to remind him that he wasn't alone. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he managed to say anything out loud.

"I've done a lot of research," he said, wondering why he agreed to this in the first place.

"I've spent a lot of time looking into the Ghost Type. Morty helped me kickstart my strategy, too." A pause.

"Wait, do you mean Gym Leader Morty? Morty of Ecruteak City Gym, that Morty?"

"Oh, uhm, yes? He helped me get out of a rut I was stuck in. Helped me figure out what kind of strategy I wanted for my team, too. I wasn't able to get a sponsorship, though. I met him after the season started, which meant any offers like that had already been given out."

"But you're saying that a sponsorship was on the table," Marilyn stated incredulously. Sam nervously licked his lips, realizing he probably said too much. He kept his mouth closed as he tried to find a way to recover.

"Well," the reporter chuckled to herself, "now that's a twist! Tutored by Morty himself—""He just gave me advice."

"—To help out with his team's strategy!" she continued.

"I don't suppose he's helped you with any other tricks, or if you have any other secret plans up your sleeves?" Sam swallowed a bit of saliva. He already knew a few answers to that question. Haunter has been training another Ghost Type move. It's not battle ready, but he might be able to pull it off in a pinch. Quilava doesn't have any new attacks, but we've been chaining her moves together in new ways. And no one's going to expect a bruiser like Primeape to be on my team.

Not to mention that Brick Break and Rock Smash are basically the same attack, and with all the practice we've done with his anger and his other punching moves—"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," Sam offered. Marilyn laughed, and Sam was already looking for a way to escape. A hallway led to a publicly-accessible route, and he knew it contained a staircase that'd let him reach the upper levels and talk to Redi. Only two questions had been asked, but Sam already felt like he had butchered this interview.

First he was too revealing, then he wasn't revealing enough. He also hadn't thought to maintain his persona. Managing appearances was getting really annoying to do.

"For the rest of your team—""Sorry, but I'm actually needed somewhere else. I have to leave," Sam interrupted.

"Oh well—" Marilyn was cut off again when Sam started to walk away.

"Any final words before you go?" He stopped, paused, and remembered a statement he had heard back in Goldenrod. He turned to face the camera one last time, a confident smile returning to his face.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"I'm winning this tournament, and I'm going to win the Silver Conference, too." Marilyn's expression would have fit a hungry Meowth finding a pile of fish. She turned back to the camera and continued to speak at it as Sam disappeared out to the side. Maybe that salvaged something? He was experiencing this from a first-person view. He had no clue how he'd come across on the screen.... Although, he would absolutely try to catch the news tonight. He'd also probably call his mom and tell her he was going to be on T. V.

Before heading upstairs, Sam slipped into a bathroom and changed his outfit. He took off his hooded jacket and scarf, bundling them under one arm. He had to fix his hair to make it not as flat, but when he exited, he didn't have anything on that'd identify him as a competitor. He looked like almost any other guy. No one bothered him as he moved to an upper entrance to the arena. A tunnel emerged to where the audience sat.

Cheers filled the air around him, with the announcers' voices reacting to a battle taking place below. Sam searched for Redi, having seen her hold up a sign around this area earlier. It took a few seconds, but he quickly found her. She was still seated in the very first row, the space dedicated for friends of competitors and trainers with larger Pokémon. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Redi. Redi!" Sam half-hissed, half-shouted from where he remained in the hallway tunnel. A few people passed him and gave him a strange look. One of Ursaring's rounded ears flicked back as Sam continued to hiss. The large, ursine Pokémon looked a little out of place in a seat meant for a human, but sitting down, he was about the height of an adult male. Although, he was much wider than one and significantly more furry. Turning around, Ursaring made eye contact with Sam and nudged Redi with his snout.

He pointed to Sam, and she smiled. Redi got up and jogged over to meet him. The moment she arrived next to him, Redi pumped her fists.

"That was perfect! Might not have looked as arrogant as we wanted, but you came across even better. The tired eyes. The shadows on your face. The way you had a scowl! Oh, you looked like you thought this tournament wasn't worth your time! Grumpy and annoyed that you had to be called out on the field in the first place!"

"I was trying to look serious," Sam said quietly. Redi waved her hand.

"You did. But you also looked confident. If you want to trick your opponents, it'll definitely work. Honestly, if I saw you, I'd think you would try to rely on strong attacks to end the battle early. But now that you showed off Haunter?" She grinned.

"People will expect him to have tricks, but they won't have even an inkling of what Quilava and Primeape are capable of." She wiped her mouth. Sam was pretty sure she was drooling at the thought of that Hyper Beam TM as a reward.

"Anyway," Redi continued, "where is Haunter, anyway? I wanna congratulate him on his match."

"He's getting healed. He spent a lot of time in the smoke cloud dodging Flamethrowers, and he got really close to Magmar's Flame Body, too. It was pretty hot out there, and just being around fire can be draining. You know, because of the heat?" Haunter wasn't burned, but Sam wasn't going to make any assumptions. Between each match, he wanted his Pokémon to rest as much as they could to be in tip-top shape for their next one.

"I mostly came here to bounce a strategy off of you," Sam said.

"What do you think about me only using Haunter in the next two matches?" Redi hummed, crossing her arms as she considered it.

"Didn't you mention making this mistake before? In the preliminary rounds of the Beginner's Tournament. You talked about relying on Cyndaquil too much. She got tired and fainted, right?" Sam shook his head.

"Different idea this time around. Those battles were restricted to one Pokémon at a time, which is where I messed up. I can swap him out if he's starting to slow down. I'm more thinking of really playing into his tricks. Make people less prepared for the rest of my team, kinda in line with what you just said." Haunter's moveset was perfect for wearing enemies down. He relied on utility moves the most out of any member of Sam's team.

Primeape was the opposite in that he was pure offense, and Quilava was a mix of the two. Both of them were more susceptible to damage from attacks. Keeping Haunter out more often in these early rounds could help minimize the injuries Sam's Pokémon received.

"I'd be careful about it, but it sounds like a good idea on paper. I'd probably fall for it, honestly," Redi said.

"I'd have liked to tell you to be careful about people getting used to how Haunter fights, but..." She shook her head.

"Nah," Redi said.

"You're the one better at strategy between the two of us. With what I've seen from you, I doubt anyone will be prepared for all of your tricks."

"Thanks, Redi. I—" The crowd suddenly turned uproarious. Redi's head snapped to the battlefield, and Sam went quiet, needing to cover his ears. From his position in the hallway, Sam wasn't able to see what was going on within the field so far away. However, all it took was a single look exchanged with Redi to make a silent agreement to head out and check what was going on.

"A magnificent use of Psychic from a Pokémon yet to achieve its final form! Who knows what Franklin's Pokémon might be capable of once it evolves?" The screen on the field showed two trainers with team members listed out underneath them. One trainer had three Pokémon revealed, yet the other only had one. A Vileplume and a Ledian were greyed out—fainted. A headshot of a Clefable was still in full color, but things weren't looking good for it on the field.

A lone Kadabra stood with a hand outstretched, a spoon held in one hand. Its opponent, that very Clefable, squirmed in the air, levitating due to a constricting blue glow.

"Finish it," the Kadabra's trainer, Franklin, said. The spoon in Kadabra's hand bent at a sharp angle. Clefable was slammed into the ground, and it didn't get up.

"The winner, Franklin!" Mr. Pokémon's voice shouted from the speakers within the arena.

"I can't wait to see what he'll be capable of in the next round!" The crowd resumed its cheers at an incredible volume, and Sam and Redi moved back to hide in the hallway.

"Looks like you aren't the only trainer sweeping with one Pokémon," she said, nudging Sam's arm. Sam glanced back out to the field. He couldn't see it, but new trainers were already coming out.

"Edgar's in the tournament, too," he said quietly.

"A few other strong trainers as well. I know my team has trained well enough, but if I'm going to win..." Sam had an uphill battle ahead of him. Most trainers in the tournament had five star teams. Each of them were strong enough to have decent odds at winning their fifth Gym Badge. Thankfully, Sam's team was also at that level after a week and a half throwing themselves into Redi's harsh training. It was exhausting—not something any of them would be willing to do often—but the results spoke for themselves.

However, as Sam carefully observed what matches he could, he began to notice a pattern. Yes, trainers were relying on status conditions more often, but most of the competitors lacked an overarching strategy. People had been building up their teams, but they tended to fail to build up their strategies. As far as he could tell, these trainers were only just now preparing themselves for the long run. But, take Sam. He'd been working on properly developing his team's strategy ever since after his first badge.

It was strange to suddenly stop, look around, and realize that he had somehow become ahead of the curve. He was also distinctly aware that his team had counters to the status conditions trainers were beginning to rely on. Haunter's Poison Type meant he was immune to being poisoned. Quilava's Fire Type meant she couldn't be burned. While Primeape's Fighting Type didn't grant him such an immunity, his ability Vital Spirit meant he could never be forcibly put to sleep.

That meant their only weakness was paralysis, but Sam also had ideas on how to counter that. The more he paid attention, the more he understood that he had a legitimate chance to win. It wasn't just bluster; his team was legitimately strong and well trained. He only needed to worry about their stamina over time, as he was working with three Pokémon whereas the other trainers tended to have at least four. For now, at least, the second battle was going well.

"Hypnosis," Sam said. Haunter's move failed to put his opponent's last Pokémon to sleep, but it was a reminder that the Pokémon couldn't risk opening its eyes. At the start, a Bellosom was sent into unconsciousness after Haunter floated too far up for its Stun Spore to reach. A Dugtrio was able to avoid the move for a while, but it still had to surface if it wanted to attack with something Haunter wasn't immune to thanks to his Levitate. That just left a Graveler, who might as well have not been attacking.

It dug its four arms into the ground, ripped free chunks of earth, and chucked them at Haunter with rapid-fire Rock Throws. Unfortunately for it, it was attacking blind.

"Keep it up! It can't dodge forever!" the Graveler's trainer shouted. Sam kept his mouth closed. His opponent was just exhausting himself and praying for a miracle hit. Haunter was having a great time, meanwhile, laughing and cackling and shouting his name as he easily avoided every toss. They either went too wide or moved through the air too slowly. The Graveler was too focused on keeping its eyes closed to actually adjust its aim.

Sam had to admit that Hypnosis wasn't a perfect strategy, but he was content to abuse it while opponents weren't prepared to counter the move. Hypnosis tended to come out slowly, taking a while to take full effect. After all, in training, Haunter had prioritized accuracy over speed. Here, a Pokémon more used to Hypnosis's effects could likely break out of it. Alternatively, they could simply outpace it, like how Otis's Furret had done.

For now, it meant an easy victory again in his second battle, which Sam was moments away from winning. The sound of Haunter's laughter seemed to come from everywhere but him, and his movement in the air was perfectly silent. Graveler didn't have a way to know where he was. Eventually, the Rock Type was forced to peek open an eye to try to see where Haunter was, but the moment it did, Haunter was ready.

Confuse Ray came out faster than Hypnosis, and the illusions panicked Graveler and caused it to keep its eyes open. A Magnitude did no damage to the floating Haunter, and its use of the attack gave Haunter plenty of time to zip over, make eye contact, and cause Graveler to slump to the ground. Moves like Dream Eater or Nightmare would pair better with sleep, but those were moves to be learned later. Night Shade worked well enough for now, and, not moving, Graveler was an easy target for Haunter's continued assault.

Just like the two Pokémon before it, Graveler fainted without putting up a decent fight.

"Samuel is victorious!" the head referee shouted. As the crowd cheered, Sam smiled and raised a single hand to wave at the audience. He tried to maintain a nonchalant look, but Haunter rushed him. The Ghost Type affectionately pushed against his face.

"Hold on, wait Haunter! My persona!" Sam hissed in a whisper. People laughed. One of the commenters said something. As Haunter continued his half-feigned show of affection, he sent Sam a pointed look. Though this had only been the second match, Hypnosis was an intensive move. Using it so frequently was taking a lot out of him. He needed time to rest. Relying on this strategy again in the next round would likely take him out of the tournament.

"Got it. Thanks," Sam whispered. He nodded slightly, hiding the motion in his hood as he returned his Pokémon. He put the Pokéball back into his pocket before shaking his opponent's hand and leaving the field. Back in the waiting room, Sam went over alternate strategies in his mind as he observed the remaining battles. Thirty-one had been turned to sixteen, and now that sixteen was turning to eight.

The room was significantly emptier this time around, and it didn't take long for the next few matches to take place and conclude.

"What an exciting tournament!" Mr. Pokémon said, speaking while the Pokéball graphic transitioned the screen to a shot of the three announcers in their box.

"I have to say, there have been quite a number of surprises and upsets. So many different strategies!" Next to him, Nurse Joy sighed.

"I was rooting for Travis. It's a shame he was eliminated. His opponent definitely deserved that win, however."

"Abe's my favorite," Falkner added, but he didn't go into any details. Mr. Pokémon laughed again and picked up a stack of papers sitting on the desk in front of him. He smiled, but his bushy mustache half-hid the curve of his lips.

"Well then! With that final match concluded, we're onto the third round of the Violet City Tournament. Thirty-one trainers entered the arena today, and now only eight of them are left. With the numbers cut to a fourth, it's time to change things up. We're now in phase two of how these battles are organized. I hope you're looking forward to this as much as I am!" Another scene transition took place. An unlabeled bracket replaced the announcers on the screen.

"No matter who fights, all competitors have tough battles ahead of them. Whether it's Abe and his devastating Fearow, Melody and her hard-to-pin Jumpluff, or Samuel and his sleep-inducing Haunter, they're going to have to play well if they want to make it to the finals!" The cheers were greater for Abe and Melody, as those two were locals and Violet City was definitely biased for trainers who lived nearby. Sam still puffed up his chest when his name was mentioned, however.

It was a point of pride that his team was significant enough to be singled out.

"For the rest of these rounds, matches will be determined by the Pokémon League's latest pairing algorithms, now in use for major tournaments such as the Conference itself! Computers will automatically pair trainers against one another to make the most exciting tournament possible. The results will be up shortly, as soon as the calculations are done!"

"Technology sure is incredible," Nurse Joy said. A fanfare played as a series of names randomly flashed through each of the eight boxes on the screen, letters and portraits changing too fast to let anyone see. A drumroll then preceded a series of beeps, and one by one, boxes were filled with the identifies of trainers and their opponents.

"You should be seeing the bracket on the screen now," Falkner said.

"Where is— There we go." Franklin versus Melody. Abe versus Roland. Edgar versus— Sam was placed in the fourth match of the third round. He stayed quiet as he took in the portrait of his opponent. A smug grin. A dark leather jacket. The smallest of goatees growing on his chin. He'd seen the man before. They'd fought once in Olivine. Sam was pretty sure he had witnessed his loss against Morty in his Gym.

"Hm. Franklin and his Kadabra will likely be celebrating this outcome," Mr. Pokémon said.

"Looks like his two most difficult opponents facing each other! For the last battle of round three, it'll be Samuel versus Victor in a Ghost versus Dark Type match for the ages!"