In the afternoon.
A young female reporter hurried back and forth through the competitive arena.
Selina, a formal reporter for Aurora Live, felt that her luck had been exceptionally good lately. After graduating, she hadn't just entered one of the hottest streaming platforms as an intern;
she had managed to catch two major trending stories back-to-back, easily securing her a permanent contract.
The competition for signed reporters at AuroraLive was fierce. However, during her internship, Selina had interviewed a contestant named Owen during the Young Ho-Oh Cup—a player known for his "flashy operations"—which earned her a great reputation.
When Owen eventually took the championship, her career stats and prestige reached a new peak.
Driven by her professional instincts, Selina had quickly sniffed out another hot topic: the research paper on Pokémon Abilities that Owen had submitted.
She had wanted to contact Owen immediately for an exclusive, believing that a headline like "SHOCKING! A Rookie Trainer Discovered a New Ability!" would draw massive engagement. Unfortunately, Fairview No. 1 High School beat her to the punch, taking control of the narrative early.
Still, having been the first to interview him, Selina managed to ride the wave of hype and land her formal contract. A total win.
"Life is beautiful," she hummed.
As a newly minted staff reporter, Selina was lucky enough to be part of the Aurora News team covering the Province High School League. Since the opening ceremony, the spark in her eyes hadn't faded. She wanted to break another big story!
And now, she had found her chance. She had spotted her "lucky charm," Owen.
"Owen is the Captain of the Fairview team." After seeing him during the athlete's march, Selina made a firm decision: she would follow Owen's matches throughout the entire tournament.
If he achieved another stellar result, her own career would soar alongside him.
Competitive Arena, Sector B, Field 3.
Selina arrived early at the press area. Before long, she spotted Owen walking calmly toward the field.
"As expected of the rookie who defeated a Dojo Apprentice. Big sis has high hopes for you!" She whispered to herself, excitement bubbling as she watched his composed expression.
Owen, unaware of the various eyes tracking him, followed the staff's directions and reached the field just before the start time.
Each field in the Selection Trial is staffed by three referees...
Seeing the large officiating team reminded Owen of the National College Entrance Exams. The province's investment in this tournament was clearly on par with the most serious academic milestones.
While the Main Tournament would be the highlight, the preliminary stages involved multiple matches occurring simultaneously across various fields.
The high-ranking dignitaries wouldn't be making frequent appearances here; the focus was purely on the grit of the battle.
Aside from the referees, the crowd was substantial. Beyond teachers from rival schools scouting for intel, each school's supporters followed their players. Wherever a Fairview student was battling, a sea of their peers followed to cheer.
"This is the match for your senior, Owen, who is also our school Captain. Remember to cheer your hearts out!" A junior grade teacher from Fairview instructed the freshmen and sophomores in the stands.
"Senior Owen... he'll win, right?" The younger students looked on with wide eyes. A Captain was the face of the entire school's prestige.
"Wait..." The teacher leading the cheers looked around, puzzled. It seemed that among the main coaching staff for Fairview, only one teacher had come to watch Owen's match.
Are they really that confident in the Captain's strength?
"This is looking bad for Liam. His opponent is the Fairview Captain."
Simultaneously, the teachers from Green Sea High wore grim expressions. Even though Owen's Pokémon was an Eevee, they didn't dare underestimate him.
The Fairview coaches and the Professionals from the Association weren't fools; if Owen didn't have overwhelming strength, he wouldn't be leading the team.
The odds of winning were slim. They could only pray that Liam's performance was impressive enough to win over the three referees, perhaps keeping his hope for advancement alive through style points.
"Owen from Fairview No. 1, and Liam from Green Sea High..."
Finally, the match was set to begin. Owen checked the time and stepped onto the field under the gaze of the three officials.
Owen's opponent was a sturdy-looking boy with glasses. At the referee's signal, both released their partners.
On one side: Graveler, a boulder-like Pokémon twice the size of a Geodude. On the other side: A handsome Eevee with eyes full of spirit.
Gulp. Even though Eevee looked harmless, Liam nervously swallowed. The moment his teachers told him he was facing a rival Captain, his composure had crumbled.
As the referee shouted "Battle begin!", a panicked Liam barked his first order: "Graveler, use Rock Tomb to trap Eevee!"
Owen simply stood there with a calm smile. He didn't issue a single command.
For Eevee, the referee's voice was the command. Everything after was a pre-rehearsed tactical maneuver!
Before Liam could even finish his sentence, Eevee had already fired off two Shadow Balls in rapid succession. By the time Liam processed what was happening, the spiraling orbs had already accelerated across the field and detonated against the wide-eyed Graveler!
BOOM!!
"Graveler is unable to battle!" the lead referee announced.
The spectators were stunned. It's over already??
Indeed, it was.
"Vee~" Eevee yawned, looking thoroughly bored as its opponent collapsed.
It hadn't practiced its "Spiral Shadow Ball" for nothing. After training with its Substitute to master the rotation and control, its mastery over the move was terrifying.
Only Leo's Munchlax could reliably tank a hit like that within Fairview's team; most others were destined for a one-shot knockout.
"This Owen..."
While the referees conferred, the Green Sea teachers felt their hearts sink. This Fairview Captain was a deep well of mystery—his strength was clearly far beyond the data they had gathered.
The scouts from other schools quickly scribbled notes, marking Owen as a high-priority threat. This match would be a mandatory case study for anyone hoping to win the tournament.
"So cool!!" Selina, the reporter, was practically vibrating with excitement.
The "trash-talking" rookie has evolved into a silent, elite "Super Rookie"?! People really do change!
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/Master_Studios677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.