A certain Magnemite's "Railgun" practice continued...
However, a single night of training wasn't going to produce miracle results. On the training field, as arcs of electricity crackled around Magnemite with a sharp bzzzt-bzzzt, Owen watched the display as if he were playing a shooting gallery game.
"Don't get distracted while using it."
"Remember the formula for Ampere's Force..."
"It's okay if you're not familiar with the math yet. When we get back, I'll give you my workbooks to finish."
Magnemite let out a troubled cry. It suddenly felt a surge of envy toward Eevee, who spent its free time playing on a smartphone. Did Eevee really have to study like this too?
Dean Wu's expression was grim after the drawing ceremony. The ranking phase of the Team Tournament required the advancing schools to engage in a new round-robin against the top teams from other groups.
Currently, the schools Fairview No. 1 had yet to face were Aurelia University High, Wujin No. 1, Phoenix City High, and Riverside No. 1. At this stage, clashing with these powerhouse schools was inevitable.
However, Dean Wu hadn't expected his luck to be this bad—drawing the tournament favorites, Aurelia University High, right out of the gate.
In the athlete's lounge, Dean Wu started by trying to motivate the team, though the morale in the room was... less than soaring. He then pulled Owen aside for a private word.
"Your individual match is first. Your opponent is hart from Liang City High. Stay focused and handle him carefully. We'll discuss the team battle strategy afterward."
"No problem," Owen said, radiating confidence. "I'm quite sure of the individual match."
Owen remembered that his opponent's Solrock specialized in Psychic, Fire, and Rock moves. It was trained to be a stationary turret and wasn't known for its speed. Against such a Pokémon, Eevee wouldn't be under much pressure.
"I'll try to save as much stamina as possible for the match against Aurelia University High," Owen added.
Meanwhile, at the Aurelia University High Lounge.
"Jean, you need to pay extra attention to Owen from Fairview. For this team battle, we'll be using the T-1 Strategy. Make sure you stay in communication with Manwen."
"Got it." Facing the lead teacher's instructions, Jean sighed with a hint of regret. "It's a pity. Only that Eevee, the Growlithe, and the Munchlax can really be considered 'opponents'..."
The teacher was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "I know you want a match between equals, but it can't be helped. Not every school can have the same foundation as ours. Don't overthink it—just focus on your preparation."
"Mhm. I'm heading out for my individual match now."
Jean nodded silently and glanced at the clock.
April 24th, 8:00 AM.
The Individual Tournament's "Top 8" matches began on time. There were four matches in total to determine the Top 4.
Jean was the first to take the field. Her opponent was Zuan from Salt River Middle School. Zuan's Vigoroth possessed immense physical power—the kind of strength that usually creates miracles through sheer brute force.
But this time... Zuan and Vigoroth were completely helpless.
They were up against a Haunter whose movements were eerie and unpredictable. Throughout the entire match, they couldn't even touch Haunter's shadow. They were toyed with from start to finish. If Eevee didn't have its insane reaction speed, it would likely face the same fate.
Match 2: The Captain of Wujin No. 1 vs. Brandon from Riverside No. 1. Watching from the stands, Owen shook his head. "Oh, Classmate Brandon... looks like you won't be getting your revenge on me."Brandon's Magmar had definitely improved—its signature Fire Spin was more concentrated than ever, likely due to specific training after Eevee blew a hole through it. However, the opponent's Golduck was its natural nemesis.
Match 3: The Captain of Phoenix City High vs. the Captain of Salt River High. Phoenix City won.
Match 4:Owen (Fairview No. 1) vs. Hart (Liang City High).
Finally, it was Owen and Eevee's turn. Their opponent was the aforementioned Solrock. Solrock is a spherical, orange Pokémon resembling a star with eight yellow rocky spikes.
These Pokémon can not only float but can also read the hearts of living beings and release intense heat and light by spinning. They excel at using a wide variety of moves.
However, because of that versatility, training a Solrock is incredibly complex and time-consuming. Hart's Solrock clearly hadn't tapped into many of its latent abilities yet, though it was still strong enough to get him this far.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The battle began, and Eevee charged out instantly. It used Anticipation to weave through attacks while lobbing Shadow Balls.
Since Solrock was slow to move and react, and its firepower couldn't match Eevee's output, it quickly fell behind. It was first disoriented by Eevee's Swagger and then taken out by a Shadow Ball to the head.
Amidst the swirling smoke, Solrock crashed to the ground. Hart fell silent.
"Let's battle again when we have the chance," Hart said, clearly unwilling to accept the loss. He couldn't wrap his head around an Eevee having mental strength superior to a Psychic-type. He blamed the defeat on the fact that his Solrock's training was still "incomplete."
"I'll be waiting," Owen smiled and led Eevee back to the lounge.
While the commentator offered their analysis, Owen walked back, his mind racing with ideas on how to take down Aurelia University High. He had to admit, the difficulty was high. This was a team battle.
Based on Jean's performance, Eevee would have to be extremely careful just facing her Haunter, let alone dealing with the pressure from four other Pokémon. And as for his teammates...
Maybe Lynnea and Leo could manage to stall one person each, but the other two—whether it was Marcus or Sarah—would struggle to hold their own.
"So, who do you think they'll send out?" Leo asked anxiously as Owen returned from his easy victory.
All ten members of the Aurelia University High team were monsters according to the data. Even their substitutes could likely crush Marcus or Sarah. The overall quality of the Fairview team was simply outclassed.
"Jean will definitely be playing," Leo fretted. "She barely used any energy in her individual match... Dream Eater is such a cheat."
"And they have two Fire-types with the Flash Fire ability," Lynnea added worriedly. "My Growlithe is going to have a hard time."
Sarah looked just as dejected. "Do... do I even need to go out there?" Her Pokémon was an Ivysaur. In a team match, she'd be a walking target.
Everyone looked toward Dean Wu and Zoe, waiting for the teachers' decision. Roster arrangements always came down to the teachers' tactical insight.
Once Owen sat down, Dean Wu began: "Owen, Leo, Elias, Marcus..." He named the first four, then looked at Lynnea and Sarah.
"The opponent has a very high chance of sending out those two Flash Fire Pokémon—Houndoom and Flareon. They can buff each other's fire moves, and Haunter's Will-O-Wisp can buff them even further."
"Both Growlithe and Ivysaur would be severely countered..."
The room went silent. Aurelia University High—ranked first in the province and top three nationally—had a depth of talent that Fairview simply couldn't match.
This lineup alone was almost impossible for them to resist, and it was just one of many options the opponent had.
"You guys decide," Owen said casually.
"I'll go," Lynnea offered, seeing the hesitation in the room. "If they send out Houndoom and Flareon, I'll try my best not to have Growlithe use Fire moves. Plus, Growlithe can use Odor Sleuth to track Haunter's position..."
"Let's go with that then," Dean Wu decided. It was the best they could do.
"Just do your best," Zoe added. "There's no shame in losing to them."
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