[--Under editing--]
The world is vast.
Meet Oliver and Jacob, two Pokémon living in a universe where humans no longer exist. When Jacob, an excitable Pikachu, eagerly sets a goal to explore their home region, Oliver, an intelligent yet slightly inse...
The first round of the tournament stage of the Ion Cup came and went, setting the stage for the remaining sixteen Pokémon still in the running. Though, at the moment, only fourteen of the remaining sixteen were standing in the stadium. There was a noticeable lack of a Pikachu and Oshawott at the stadium, and the announcers had noticed that as well, deciding to send a pager to the Pokémon Center, telling the Espeon at the front desk to let the participants still in the Pokémon Center to hurry down to the Ionic Stadium to learn who they were going to be battling next.
Oliver's lungs puffed up and contracted as he ran alongside his best friend down the hall of the stadium, almost over to the place they needed to be. He let out an exasperated groan as his tired eyes drifted over to the Pikachu running on his right.
"I told you we didn't have enough time to explain everything to him!" He shouted, the words he was speaking filled with exhaustion, the effort to yell while sprinting depleting a decent amount of the breath that was still in his lungs.
Jacob only looked away, pondering the words he was about to speak, "It was worth it either way!" He panted through his teeth as he flashed the Oshawott a cheerful grin.
A few desperate steps later, and Oliver was once again blinded by the light of the clear sky above following their exit from the dark hallway.
"There they are!" Finn announced, the speakers around the stadium amplifying his voice, "Our final stragglers have finally returned from the Pokémon Center, ready for their next battle!"
The duo came to a stop in front of Miles and Sophie, who had been breathlessly awaiting their return, as they weren't sure how long the announcers would be waiting on stragglers before beginning to disqualify those who didn't make it back in a timely manner. Sophie then turned to look up, high above the rest of the spectators. Connected to one of the sides of the stadium was a small building, the one that Finn and Quinn were watching the fights from.
"With there being only sixteen of us left, it's getting around the time where we'll be facing more Pokémon we know." The Snivy thought, her breathing speeding up for just a moment. She turned to eye an Emboar, who was impatiently tapping his foot as he waited to see who he'd fight next.
Quinn looked down at a small piece of paper, "Alright! Now that all sixteen competitors are present, we're pleased to unveil the official bracket moving forward!"
As if on cue, a Froslass and Sunflora, two of the referees from the previous round, began to approach the center of the stadium and in front of the sixteen remaining competitors. With them was a large chalkboard covered by a large sheet, one that many assumed was going to be removed shortly.
"Prepare yourselves and get ready for these fights!" Finn exclaimed, "This will be your deciding bracket! Remove the sheet!"
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