The Selection Trial proceeded in an orderly fashion. Each school tracked the status of their contestants, the moods of teachers and students fluctuating between joy and worry.
However, losing in this stage didn't guarantee immediate elimination; everything was subject to the final evaluation of the referees.
"Are the Team Battle groups out yet?"
With individual and team matches running concurrently, it was inevitable that some trainers or Pokémon would suffer significant fatigue, making them unfit for the team format.
These unstable factors were the primary source of anxiety for the lead coaches. Compared to individual results, the coaches were far more nervous about the onset of the team phase.
"They're out! The Team Battle groupings are live!"
"For our first match, our opponent is..."
By this time, Owen had already returned to the Fairview No. 1 player lounge to rest. Having finished his match early, he was the first one back.
Some matches lasted two or three minutes; others, like Owen's, ended the moment the referee said "go."
You couldn't really blame the opponent for being too weak... it was more that the Captain-level rookies from these top schools were all unnervingly strong, as if they were playing with cheat codes.
Owen wasn't the only one; one-sided slaughters were happening in other sectors as well.
"Ah... Danning High School??" When Owen heard the grouping for their first team match, his expression became incredibly strange.
Talk about a coincidence. Yesterday, he had used Magnemite to sweep through two of their substitutes and two starters. Today, he was facing them again in the team format?
Fate truly works in mysterious ways.
"Who? Who is it??" Leo asked as he stumbled back into the room, looking incredulous. "Danning High... pfft!"
"What are you laughing at?! Are you even fit to take the field?" Dean Wu frowned, looking at the laughing Leo.
Leo immediately withered. In the first round of the Selection Trial, Fairview had a record of three wins and seven losses.
Leo was one of those losses. His Munchlax had been thoroughly "disciplined" by an opponent's Machoke and had already been sent for treatment.
"The opponent was the Vice-Captain of Riverside No. 1. He was terrifying... I couldn't beat him," Leo said with a long face.
"When does the team battle start? I don't know if I can make it. We fought really hard; even if Munchlax recovers, he won't be in top form."
Leo was reflecting: Why did I lose? It must be because I haven't spent enough money on upgrades.
Dean Wu sighed. Three wins in the first round wasn't the worst result. He glanced over at Owen, who was already back to playing games on his phone with Eevee, and rubbed his temples. Are all geniuses this eccentric?
"Owen, you're needed for the upcoming team battle. For the rest of the roster, I'll decide after analyzing Danning High's ten players and their individual performances. You and Eevee make sure to rest."
"Got it," Owen nodded, his head still down as he and Eevee continued their game of Contra.
Don't mistake this for a lack of respect for the competition. On the contrary, Owen was a trainer who understood the flow of momentum.
It was precisely because the next match was important that he was making time to play games with Eevee. If Eevee stayed in a great mood over the next few days, the power of her Return move would be significantly boosted.
"Vee, vee!!" Eevee's eyes were filled with fire. Playing games even during a tournament—Owen was the best. It was ready to fight to the death!
Think of it like a teacher letting you watch anime in class right before finals to relieve stress; most students would be thrilled. Eevee was just the kind of freak who could literally convert that happiness into combat power.
There were four groups in the team tournament. Fairview No. 1 was in Group 3, and their first match was against Danning High.
In terms of raw strength, if Fairview didn't have Owen, the two schools would be evenly matched. But there were no "ifs" today.
Leo ultimately couldn't take the field. His desperate performance in the first round had actually earned him some newfound respect from his teammates and teachers—it wasn't every day you saw that kind of grit from him.
The final roster for Fairview's first team match was decided: Owen, Lynnea, Caleb, Sarah, and Marcus.
Even though Leo wasn't playing, he sat on the benches with a look of pure schadenfreude. As the Danning High team approached, one of their players looked anything but happy.
"You bastard..." he muttered, staring at Owen. It was the trainer Owen had defeated yesterday—the one with the Snover.
Over at the Danning bench, three others were glaring at Owen with equal frustration. To be dominated for half a day only to find out the opponent wasn't even using his main Pokémon was a bitter pill to swallow.
The team battles utilized special terrain. For this match, the draw resulted in a Rock Field. As the two teams entered, the center of the stadium split open.
Rumble...
A decagonal rock arena slowly rose. The uneven, jagged terrain would restrict movement for many Pokémon, serving as a test of their coordination and reflexes. Facing the rocky landscape, Owen remained unphased as he stepped into his position.
"I'm late, I'm late!"
In the press area, Selina rushed in. Seeing Owen taking the field for the Fairview team, she beamed. She noticed that Owen and Eevee were positioned at the very center of the formation.
This meant Eevee was the tactical core of the strategy. Selina was curious: what kind of teamwork would Owen showcase?
Once both sides were ready, the referee nodded and gave the signal. The battle began!
The moment it started, both the players and teachers from Danning High were caught off guard. Eevee immediately charged out alone, drawing all the attention and placing itself in the prime position to be focused down.
What is he doing?
Danning High was faced with a choice: should they focus fire to eliminate the overextended Eevee immediately? As Eevee ran into the center of the field, its gait was... provocative.
It moved with a "don't-care-about-the-world" strut, as if mocking the incompetence of its opponents.
The Danning Captain's thoughts were a storm of confusion, but he quickly ordered his Ariados to attack. However...
A second after the Danning trainers issued their commands, they realized something was wrong. Their Pokémon were barely reacting to their orders.
"Vee-pui~" Eevee blew a raspberry and made a dismissive gesture.
The next moment, the Danning Pokémon charged at Eevee in a blind rage, looking like they wanted to tear it apart.
"Heh. With that Eevee's level of mental strength, I doubt more than a handful of Pokémon in this entire tournament can resist its Swagger," Zoe, the Professional Trainer from Fairview, noted from the stands with a smile.
The strategy was simple: Eevee provokes the entire enemy team into a rage. Then, while the enemies lose their minds, Fairview unleashes a coordinated barrage: Eevee's Shadow Ball, Sarah's Flamethrower, Marcus's Spike Cannon, Caleb's Dark Pulse, and so on.
The enraged Danning Pokémon gained a boost in physical power from the anger, but they lost all ability to follow tactics or defend themselves.
By utilizing the distance of the field and the fact that the opponents could no longer process their trainers' commands, Fairview transformed the match into a target practice session.
In short: The Provoke-and-Bombardment Strategy.
"Crap!" In an instant, even the Danning trainers lost their composure, left completely helpless as their team was systematically dismantled!
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