Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect-Chapter 610: Tournament Brackets

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The battlefield was subjected to relentless, insane bombardment by pitch-black energy.

Within moments, billowing black smoke engulfed everything.

No one could see the current battle situation through the obscuring clouds.

However, as the combatants themselves, both trainers had already determined the outcome.

Lance's face had gone deathly pale. John remained calm and composed, completely relaxed.

Only when the smoke and flames finally dispersed did the shattered battlefield reveal its secrets. The purple, rotund Gengar grinned widely, casually juggling a Shadow Ball in one hand. Bisharp lay sprawled across the ground, its metallic frame on full display, eyes rolled back showing only spiral patterns.

"I knew it! I knew John would absolutely destroy Lance!"

"Did that even need saying? That was a complete crushing!"

"Finally got to watch Lance get his ass handed to him. He had this coming!"

The stadium erupted into celebration.

When a universally beloved trainer defeats someone everyone loves to hate, naturally it creates a scene of universal joy.

Lance stood frozen at his trainer's platform, relieved this had only been an exhibition match, already dreading the possibility of facing John again in the actual tournament.

Carefully replaying the final moments in his mind, that overwhelming pressure from the mass of Shadow Balls had been suffocating. Under normal circumstances, Bisharp might have managed to cut through them all. But in the end, Bisharp had still been completely overwhelmed...

John waved casually to the crowd in acknowledgment, then turned and departed. The purple, chubby Gengar bounced lightly through the air a few times before diving directly into its master's shadow.

Upon entering the contestant corridor, Gardevoir automatically teleported John to the rest area.

"Water?"Emeraldi glanced at John's sudden appearance and offered him a thermos.

She felt not the slightest surprise at her boss's victory, she considered it the most natural outcome imaginable.

"Thanks." John accepted the cup and sat down to rest. "The opening ceremony should be finished now, right? Can we head back?"

"Not yet. The ceremony's done, but there's still the tournament bracket draw happening in the main conference hall."

John leaned back on the sofa to rest.

Shortly after, the audience gradually dispersed from the arena.

World Pokemon League staff came to notify John that the Masters Eight tournament draw was ready. They requested John proceed to the conference room.

John's arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.

Camera flashes began popping like fireworks.

Chadri stepped forward and placed eight numbered balls into the lottery bo, —from Ball One through Ball Four, with two balls bearing each number.

After Chadri finished loading the balls, he invited the eight Masters to come forward and draw in turn.

John went last, which correlated with his initial world ranking. He ended up drawing Ball Four.

Ah, so in the Masters Eight first round, he'd be fighting the fourth match.

"Not bad. I can rest for three days before my match," John muttered to himself.

The second match would be: Gerrard versus Nanaki.

All four matchups promised to be extremely competitive.

The first match would pit Magnus against Lance.

Everyone was already speculating, the current champion John had just thoroughly thrashed Lance. So could the previous champion of Draconia also crush Lance as easily as current champion John had?

People worldwide would undoubtedly compare these two matches in terms of process and speed.

After all, rumor had it that Magnus still harbored ambitions of defeating John and reclaiming the Draconia's championship throne.

Magnus: "I'm not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

The second match was Gerrard versus Nanaki.

Both hailed from the Cannon Nation and were powerful contenders for their national championship. However, because the World Pokemon League Tournament was approaching, they'd postponed their domestic finals. Now they could settle matters directly on the Masters Eight stage.

The third match would be Lilith versus Eve.

The only two female trainers among the Masters Eight. Questions about who was prettier and who was stronger had long been endlessly debated topics among the world's population.

This first-round Masters Eight clash would finally settle that subject and provide a definitive answer.

The victor would be undoubtedly powerful. The loser would inevitably struggle and naturally wouldn't look as impressive.

The fourth match: John versus Chadri.

But for true trainer enthusiasts, if they had to predict which matchup would produce the tournament's ultimate champion, only two possibilities existed.

John, who had previously defeated Magnus, and the man known as the 'Steel Emperor', Chadri, who'd competed in Masters Eight tournaments for many years.

Quite a few observers, seeing John matched against Chadri, believed the Masters Eight had effectively placed the final championship match in the very first round.

The implications were staggering. Whoever won this opening battle might very well cruise through the remainder of the bracket to claim the title.

John studied the bracket projection with calculating eyes. Chadri, the Steel Emperor. A veteran of multiple Masters Eight tournaments with years of experience at the highest competitive level.

This wouldn't be like the exhibition match against Lance, a warm-up against an upstart who'd barely scraped into the Masters Eight during the final qualification scramble.

Chadri was a proven champion-caliber trainer. A legitimate threat.

"Interesting," John murmured, the faintest smile touching his lips.

Emerald, standing beside him, recognized that particular expression. Her boss only smiled like that when he encountered something challenging, something worth his full attention and effort.

For the first time since the tournament began, John felt a spark of anticipation.

The exhibition matches were over. The real battles were about to begin.