April 23rd.
The day of the Main Tournament for the Azure Province High School Pokémon League.
Before the matches even began, the audience was already deep in discussion regarding the rookie power rankings released by the Aurelia Trainer Association the previous day. The debate, as always, centered on whether the rankings were fair.
In the arena, the atmosphere was relatively civil. Online, however, it was a full-scale flame war. Students from various schools acted as the vanguard, defending their respective representatives until they were red in the face behind their screens.
Clearly, these kids don't have enough homework, Owen thought.
"Boss, you're the final match."
Inside the stadium, Leo looked at the bracket on the giant screen and chuckled. "So, how is it? Feeling any pressure being the closer?"
"There's always a bit of pressure, but it's fine as long as I have it and Eevee doesn't," Owen replied honestly.
"..." The teachers and students standing near Owen were left speechless.
"Be serious..." Zoe said, massaging her forehead.
"Just a joke to lighten the mood. By the way, this grouping was likely based on last night's rankings, right? Jean is in the first match, and I'm in the last.
If the rankings hold true, we should theoretically advance all the way to meet in the finals," Owen mused. "Honestly... I'm looking forward to it."
During the main tournament, Zoe took her seat at the guest platform as the representative of the Fairview Trainer Association. Meanwhile, Fairview's Dean Wu acted as the tactical advisor, handling the contestants' logistics alongside the other staff.
"It's good that you're confident," Dean Wu said.
At this point, there wasn't much left for the school to say to Owen. He had already brought more than enough glory to Fairview No. 1. Being ranked second in the province gave him the right to be a little cocky.
"Zoe, Fairview did well this time. Producing a grassroots genius like that—I suspect Fairview might be adding another Professional Trainer to its ranks in the near future," a female Professional Trainer from the Salt River Association remarked.
"From your mouth to the heavens' ears. Your Captain from Salt River No. 1 is quite impressive as well," Zoe replied with a bright smile.
The two immediately engaged in a round of professional courtesy.
"Speaking of Owen, he really is an anomaly," Blaze of the Riverside Association muttered as he watched the two women talk. "For a grassroots trainer to reach this level... he's practically a national treasure. You don't see one of these for years."
"Everyone has their own opportunities... didn't the very first trainers start from zero as well?" a cheerful voice added. The speaker had just arrived and sat down next to Blaze.
"Master Xu Zhi."
The Professional Trainers from the various cities all rose to greet him.
Xu Zhi was the collective representative for several schools in Aurelia City and a high-ranking official in the provincial capital.
He was a One-Star Professional Trainer and held the title of Master. Ethan from the Fairview Association had once attempted the promotion from Professional to One-Star, but he had failed.
To earn that star, a trainer must reach a certain level of mastery in a specific type and accumulate merit points through Secret Realm exploration or significant contributions to the field. Ethan had finally gathered enough merit points this year thanks to the Salac Berry trees, but his raw power hadn't met the standard.
"Jean is about to take the field," Master Xu Zhi noted.
The trainers nodded and turned their gaze toward the arena, waiting for the rookie supposedly connected to the "Spirit Realm" to make her debut.
In the main arena, the officials finished their opening remarks—mostly summarizing the trial performances—thankfully keeping it brief. Then, the commentator and host took the mic to introduce the first individual match of the day.
Match 1: Jean (Aurelia University High) vs. Feng Kun (Guangling High).
Feng Kun was ranked 11th on the Association's list. His starter was an Arbok. This Arbok's venom was unusual, possessing an intense paralytic effect, likely trained through a secret recipe. However, Jean's Haunter was also a Poison-type. Whether Arbok's dreaded venom would even affect it remained to be seen.
"Good luck, Haunter."
Jean, wearing a black-and-red team uniform, released her Pokémon. Owen watched her from the player's bench. Jean was... remarkably plain.
She lacked the arrogance of most geniuses and didn't have any striking features. She looked like that stranger you pass on the street every day without ever remembering their face.
Once both sides were ready, the referee gave the signal: "Start!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Arbok spat out a flurry of Poison Stings. They were too numerous to count—dozens of needles raining down like a storm.
But...
"Sucker Punch," Jean commanded.
Haunter displayed speed that was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye. It seemed to phase through a different dimension, bypassing the needles and appearing instantly in front of Arbok's face. Arbok lunged with a panicked bite, but Haunter simply glided past it.
"He-he-he-he-he~"
Moving like a literal ghost, Haunter flickered around Arbok. Suddenly, Arbok began to look dazed. Haunter's laughter echoed in its ears, growing shriller and thinner...
As the sound took hold, Arbok felt itself sinking into a dark, distorted space filled with an irresistible drowsiness.
"Dream Eater."
As Arbok's eyes slid shut, Haunter's silhouette phased through it once more.
Thump...
Arbok hit the ground. Haunter licked its lips, looking unsatisfied.
The battle was so clinical and decisive that Jean and Haunter instantly became the center of the arena's attention.
"A total wipeout! That was complete suppression!"
"Boss, the internet was right. That Haunter's hypnosis ability is terrifying," Leo exclaimed. "And that Dream Eater had serious power... that move is a total counter for Munchlax."
"Wait, do I need to get a Pokémon that knows Dream Eater? Hmm, maybe later... But seriously, that Haunter is a master of Hypnosis and Confuse Ray.
It's tricky. Those moves share a similar logic with Eevee's Swagger, which means that Haunter's mental strength is also top-tier," Owen observed.
He scratched his head. A Ghost-type specializing in illusions was the hardest type to train, and consequently, the hardest to fight.
But with Eevee's mental strength, it should be able to resist, right? After all, Eevee was a regular at the Shanghai Ghost House, laughing and joking with Ghost Pokémon.
If it got one-shotted now, it would be an insult to all its "brothers and sisters" back at the haunted house.
"They have illusions; Eevee has Swagger. They have eerie movement; Eevee has reaction speed. On paper, it's 50/50, but I can't guarantee that was her limit. A troublesome opponent indeed," Owen pondered.
The tournament continued.
Match 2:Zuan (Salt River) vs. the Captain of Green Sea High. After a flurry of exchanges, Zuan's Vigoroth came out on top, using its raw power to hammer the opponent out of bounds.
Matches 3 through 7 proceeded normally, with most being well-matched contests. The Captains of Phoenix City and Wujin No. 1 performed exceptionally well.
Then came Match 8.
Owen (Fairview No. 1) vs. the Captain of Nanshi University High.
The audience's jaws dropped once again.
From the very start, Eevee used Quick Attack to weave through every single incoming blow. Then, it used Swagger to instantly send the opponent into a frenzy.
While the enemy was confused, Eevee landed a Shadow Ball right to the dome, followed by a crushing Iron Tail to the head.
The opposing Breloom collapsed, having offered almost zero effective resistance.
Another total suppression.
This was only the second match of the main tournament—after Jean's—to end in such a one-sided slaughter.
As Owen flashed a thumbs-up toward the Fairview cheering section, he instantly became the second focal point of the entire stadium.
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