“Alright! We have 36 People in total! Perfect '' Duncan called after the final qualifying match.

Now that they had evaluated the mettle of the lower level Trainers, it was time to pick their final 9.

“We will have everyone pair up and battle 3 times. The only people to go undefeated will be our representatives!”

It seemed a little archaic to Lilith, but she didn’t feel like voicing her opinion due to her lack of stakes.

Everyone shuffled around as they picked their opponents. Wendell took the chance to jump in and challenge someone randomly. Lilith had told him to act quickly if he prevailed because his team would be well known after having just watched him battle. Someone could have a team that countered him and see an easy first victory.

He couldn’t allow that, and paired up with the first person he ran up to. Both looked nervous, but stood off against each other. The groups dissipated and everyone would act as their own judge. Wendell didn’t pay attention, but the young woman had glasses and was well put together.

They both sent out their first Pokemon together after a short countdown. A shocked expression crossed her face as Roselia appeared. The young woman had sent out her Dewott expecting an easy win from Pignite, but instead found herself in a disadvantaged position.

Wendell was doing well so far, and easily countered his first real battle.

“Lilith is that you?!”

She turned to the shocked voice.

“Oh, hey Sam. Aren’t you supposed to be battling?” She asked nonchalantly.

Darumaka and the young boy ran up to her now that the crowd had scattered.

“I already beat my first opponent!” He said in an excited tone.

Sam stuck his chest out with pride.

“Are you okay?” He asked concerned, eyeing her arm in a sling.

“I trained too hard. Bed rest for the next couple days, Nurse's orders.” She said.

The only disappointment came from the easy battle experience she was missing out on. Winning in the school rivalry meant nothing to her.

“Aww man! What happened?” He asked.

“Tropius.” Lilith replied simply.

“Aww man, that's too bad. Oh! Looks like someone else just wrapped up, I'm going to go challenge them! See Ya!”He shouted, running away while waving to her.

Sam acted in his usual childish way, always distracted by something. He couldn’t seem to sit still for anything.

Absol let out a chuff in amusement at his usual antics. The encounter had been short, but by the time she turned back to Wendell’s fight, she found he had already won his first battle, already starting the second.

A short, nerdy looking boy sent out a Pignite of his own against Wendell, being one of the few who had evolved their species. Right from the get go, all the spectators knew it would be an interesting battle.

“Come on!” He shouted encouragingly.

Both Pokemon used Defense Curl as their opening move in the mirror match. The battle would be their ultimate test of skill, so when the opponent charged while Pignite hung back and used Leer to drop his opponent's defense, it surprised her. It seemed he truly was growing in his own right. Pignite took a minimal amount of damage from the Flame Charge, tanking the damage with the added defense.

The surrounding classmates cheered as Pignite used Tackle. Fire-based attacks would be ineffective, so instead Wendell dropped the idea of using stab damage. The opposing Pignite took much more damage from the move, solidifying his advantage.

Whenever the opposing Pignite tried to use Leer or Defense curl, he would counteract with the reversing effect. Each blow was traded with Wendell’s partner in the lead. Pignite proved to be a natural fighter, finishing off his opponent.

The boy recalled his downed Partner and sent out a Lillipup in his place. The small pup was in the lower level of the first star and much weaker than his opponent. His one advantage was how worn out he had become. Baby-Doll-Eyes lowered his attack while Pignite tried his hardest to finish the match fast. He Tackled his opponent, but was unable to finish him in one hit.

Lillipup got the chance to launch an attack of his own, finishing off the incredibly weakened opponent. Wendell recalled his partner, still pleased with his performance.

Roselia was called out as a formality. With her newfound increase in strength, she now toppled over her opponent. Their rigorous training allowed her to push through to the middle stages.

She controlled the match, even Pignite's final chip damage not mattering. Stun Spore left him vulnerable and Mega Drain cleaned up. Wendell pumped his fist up and down, realizing that one more win and he would represent his school in the yearly battle that had inspired him to become a Trainer.

“18 People left! One more battle each!” Duncan called out.

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The school kids all cheered, they had an especially strong showing and were looking forward to facing their rivals.

The final 18 contenders all eyed each other. Lilith had pointed out Levy and Sam hours before, knowing he would stand no chance against their teams. It was guaranteed that they had grown even stronger since their last encounter.

A confident young woman approached Wendell, ready to take her place.

He shook his Pokeball and stroked the metallic surface, trying to calm his nerves. He waited until the battle was called, sending out Roselia to start off his final fight for the day.

‘Oh, no…’ Lilith thought.

Across from Wendell sat the main weakness to his team. A small Baltoy floated off the ground. If he didn’t get rid of the Pokemon fast, then he would be done for, as Psychic was super effective against both Pokemon on his team.

“Finish it fast!” He shouted, also realizing his detriment.

Both Pokemon were middle one star Pokemon, starting out on a level playing field One thing they had practiced the day before was to time attacks for when Roselia was just about to be hit.

Mega Drain stole some of their shields, so if it wasn’t the deciding clash, then she could slow down her pace and take advantage of her skillset. There were obvious flaws, but Lilith couldn’t see any of the kids around her taking advantage of it.

Psychic energy latched onto the air as it moved forward and damaged Roselia. It was enough to be incredibly threatening, but not strong enough for a one hit knockout. It was close, but with Roselia’s Mega Drain also connecting, the super effective damage combined with her naturally high special attack was enough for the defensive Pokemon to fall over in defeat.

Baltoy’s ground nature served as a detriment. She was so strong on the offensive coupled with her opponents lack, that led to her come from behind victory.

Wendell started sweating bullets as Roselia healed considerably from the previous attack. He wasn’t ready when Baltoy was recalled and replaced by another Pokemon who floated in the air. His fear came true, having a Psychic type trainer as his final opponent.

“SPORE!” He shouted.

Wendell cut his losses, knowing how threatening the Pokemon was. As a final act he had Roselia use Stun Spore to set a Paralysis. Hopefully it would be enough for Pignite’s battle uphill.

A second Confusion landed on her body, finally proving to be enough damage. Roselia had to be returned as she was knocked unconscious. Wendell spun Pignite’s ball in his hand nervously.

He was down to his final Pokemon.

Pignite took to the field with vengeance, instantly recognizing the Pokemon as a threat and Charged. His fiery body smashed into the small ball of gel, his natural speed was enough for him to attack first.

“Come on! Just two more like that and you’ve won!” Wendell cried out desperately.

He knew that if there was a third Pokemon, he would be in trouble.

Confusion rippled out once more, sending massive shock out towards Pignite. He knew that if one more attack like that connected, he would be finished. With that in mind, he charged up his second attack. Pignite jumped in the air and came crashing down onto Solosis. Fire spread all around and one more hit would leave his foe eating dirt.

Pignite grew desperate as he tried activating his last move. He watched with glee and yellow sparks jumped all over the small gel-like Pokemon. Pignite eyeballed the distance that had been created. The space was too large to cross in time, having to fall back to a special move. Their previous training came in handy, allowing a swift execution.

Ember shot out as Wendell prayed it would be enough damage. The spectators all held their breath and watched as the small flame landed true. A feeling of trepidation wiggled through the air as the small Pokemon floated down to the ground, unable to move.

“Yes!” Wendell shouted as he ran towards his Partner.

Pignite fell back exhausted. He had won the fight.

The two rolled around in celebration, barely believing their luck. It was rare to have someone grow so fast after losing the first badge. The other battles settled down, having left winners and losers.

“Alright everyone! That’s it for today! I hope to see everyone out on Floccesy’s main Ranch North-East of town tomorrow morning!” Duncan shouted out.

He had been the de facto leader of the group because of his strong and charismatic presence. He discreetly grabbed the attention of the other 8 participants before sending everyone on their way.

Lilith watched the interaction with interest. She peeked around, noticing that Sam and Levy had made the cut.

She slinked away into the shadows, content with the overall outcome. Despite being optimistic, she hadn’t expected Wendell to have such a strong performance. The crowd thinned as everyone made their way back to the Pokemon center.

***

Floccesy Ranch - Next Day

Lilith’s Holo Caster blared to life the next morning. Mornings were always hard on them and Absol always tried going back to sleep. If they didn’t have the alarm, then they would have slept right through the day, creating a necessary evil.

The duo took their time getting ready, having plenty of time before the start. They continued to loaf around before a second alarm got them moving.

‘I know myself too well.’ She thought.

By the time she left the Canter, practically everyone she saw was heading in the same direction.

It wasn’t hard to find the location considering it was right outside of town. A large wooden arch was constructed at the entrance with a fence containing the entire property.

She and many others had walked through the greenery together while taking in the ambiance. It truly was a ranch. Mareep huddled together in their pens as large, conspicuous looking fences kept them in place. The fluffy sheep Pokemon was rather cute from a distance.

‘If they have a petting zoo, I am so in.’ Lilith thought.

Her focus shifted to the large barn that stood at the center of the property. She scrutinized the large building before noticing it was more a mansion-barn than just a large barn, as someone obviously lived in the wooden construct. There was a large covered porch spanning the front length of the house complete with rocking chairs.

The crowd was split up into three groups. Participants stood closest to the ranch, while spectators were on the far side of the area. The field that was drawn in the dirt formed the shape similar to a football field. Each side was cut in half like the arena’s at Aspertia’s Gym while a small divot was placed at either end for the Trainer to stand. Duncan and his group gathered together on the left with the opposition to the right.

‘Wow they are cheapskates.’ Lilith thought, examining the stage.

The field wasn’t at all what she was expecting. There should have been stands and a real arena with terrain mimicking real combat. Instead, it was just a flat strip of dirt that seemed to be thrown together at the last minute.

’Well, here we go!’