Chapter 475: Tower Challenge
Chapter 475: Tower Challenge
However, Yuga couldn't find any information about the leader for the Kalos region.
Over the next few days, Yuga continued to explore Castelia City with Chatot. He occasionally ventured out to gather information but didn't come across any significant findings. Nonetheless, he did manage to pick up some useful information.
Finally, on the evening before the competition began, Phoebe, the leader for the Hoenn Regions, made her appearance and summoned all the participants from her region.
Yuga got to see this Ghost-type Elite Four member in person for the first time, not just through television.
Although Phoebe appeared as a teenager, she was actually in her twenties.
Phoebe briefly advised the participants from the Hoenn Regions to give their best and not bring shame to their region. Her speech left a somewhat unreliable impression as she departed in a carefree manner.
The competition officially started the next day, with the opening ceremony taking place inside the Battle Company's Building.
Once all the participants were inside, the Mayor of Castelia City and Gym Trainer Burgh delivered speeches. Following that, each region's leader offered some words of encouragement to their respective participants. These speeches were mostly ceremonial.
Yuga finally learned the leader for the Kalos region, Siebold, who represented the Water-type Elite Four, was leading the Kalos team. He wasn't just a strong Trainer but also a renowned chef.
After the leaders had spoken, the Mayor of Castelia City announced the rules and details of the elimination rounds.
The rules for the elimination rounds were quite straightforward: it involved ascending the tower, a unique elimination format devised by the Unova Regions League due to the Battle Company's special Battle Company Building.
The tower consisted of 55 floors, each with 200 battle rooms. Contestants would attempt to ascend the tower in groups, earning points based on their performance. The top 100 contestants with the most points would advance to the official competition.
In each battle room on each floor of the tower, Trainers would face off against specially selected Pokémon from various regional League Day Care Centers. The Pokémon's strength in battle increased as contestants ascended to higher floors.
The Pokémon used for these battles were carefully chosen, ensuring that the strength of the Pokémon in each room on the same floor was relatively equal.
With over 300 participants in this competition, they would be divided into two groups for the tower challenge, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
The first floor of the Battle Company Building served as the viewing area for all the judges. The central hall on the first floor was filled with numerous large screens, each displaying the battle of a contestant in the tower.
Judges from various regions served as referees, and in addition to judges, there were dozens of recorders tasked with documenting the performance of each participant to prevent cheating.
Due to the competition's format, the elimination rounds wouldn't be broadcast live. Live broadcasting would only commence when the official competition started, this is different from previous years.
This decision by the Unova Regions League drew the ire of many citizens, but they remained steadfast in their choice. On the other hand, some citizens supported this decision, stating that the elimination rounds often resulted in chaotic incidents, and it was better to wait for the official competition.
Yuga's elimination round was scheduled for the second batch, which meant his competition wouldn't start until the afternoon.
The order of participation for the contestants was randomized, and to maintain fairness, the second batch of participants, including Yuga, wasn't allowed to watch the first batch of contestants tackle the tower. They had to remain in the waiting room until the first batch had completed their challenges.
The wait was long and tedious. Yuga, along with the other participants, spent the morning in the waiting room. Even lunch was delivered to them by the staff. Except for restroom breaks, they weren't allowed to leave the room, which gave them a sense of confinement.
Around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the first batch of participants finished their tower challenges. The staff escorted Yuga and the second batch of contestants to register for their battles. Subsequently, Yuga was led to a room entrance, signifying the start of his tower challenge.
Yuga knew his tower challenge had officially begun.
Upon entering the room, Yuga carefully observed his surroundings. It was empty, but spacious, providing an ideal setting for battles.
Suddenly, the floor at the center of the room cracked open, and a centipede-like Pokémon, Venipede, ascended slowly. Simultaneously, a voice echoed in the room, "Please use one Pokémon to defeat the one in front of you."
Yuga decided to send out his Charmeleon.
The Venipede's strength was not particularly formidable, and Charmeleon's power was more than sufficient to handle it. As the Venipede released a barrage of purple Poison Sting upon Charmeleon's face, Charmeleon responded with a flamethrower that incinerated the Poison Sting completely.
In response, the Venipede curled into a ball and attempted a rolling attack toward Charmeleon. However, it was swiftly thwarted by Charmeleon's Fire Punch, sending it flying into a wall, incapacitating it.
"Congratulations on clearing this stage. Please proceed to the next floor."
As the Venipede lost its fighting ability, the voice from earlier echoed once more. A door in front of Yuga slowly opened, revealing a staircase.
Recalling Charmeleon, Yuga ascended the stairs, progressing to the next level. The room on this level was arranged similarly to the previous one. However, this time, he encountered a Sandshrew.
Facing the Sandshrew, Yuga silently released his Breloom.
Breloom started with a move called Leech Seed, followed by launching Bullet Seeds one after another, which exploded like "pop pop pop" as they hit the Sandshrew. The Sandshrew quickly succumbed to the assault.
The Pokémon appearing on the early floors weren't particularly strong, allowing Yuga to alternate between Charmeleon, Breloom, and Ivysaur to easily overcome them.
These Pokémon came in various types, ranging from the initial Venipede and Sandshrew to later encounters like Mankey, Raticate, Staravia, Kricketune, Buizel, and others. They not only differed in type but also hailed from various regions.
Though their strength gradually increased, it wasn't particularly formidable overall.
However, when Yuga reached the eleventh floor, the Pokémon's strength suddenly escalated significantly.
The Pokémon on the eleventh floor was a unique Ground-Dark type Pokémon from the Unova Regions - Krokorok. Its strength far surpassed the previous ten Pokémon encountered.