The Champion has appeared, and the individual tournament ends in an upset! The 2016–2017 Rookie King of Azure Province is born!
An unknown rookie trainer from a high school ranked outside the top ten in the province had steamrolled his way through the brackets, eventually defeating the tournament favorite and captain of Aurelia University High.
Even now, many spectators couldn't quite process what had happened.
"Does anyone know what was up with that final Shadow Ball?"
"The battle analysis is out! They say it's related to the move Substitute!"
"Who knew an Eevee could be this strong? Imagine what it'll be like after it evolves!"
"I'm becoming a rookie trainer in two months. I'm buying an Eevee immediately!"
"To the guy above: don't be a trend-chaser, you'll regret it."
Aside from the match against Jean, which required some actual effort, no other rookie trainer had managed to last more than a minute against Owen and Eevee. The title of Su Province Rookie King was officially his.
The rookie power rankings released by the Aurelia Trainer Association were rewritten immediately after the match, with Owen displacing Jean at the top spot.
It seemed Azure Province intended to make this high school league a tradition, and as the first-ever champion, Owen's name was destined to be discussed by future generations of students for years to come.
"Wait, hold on!"
Back in the lounge, Owen extended his hands to block his classmates who were trying to swarm him with hugs.
Especially you, Leo—can you keep your distance? Can't you be a bit more reserved, like the girls? Actually... why are the girls being so reserved? Owen wondered, his mind spinning with questions as he turned to look at Zoe, Dean Wu, and Ms. Bel.
"Good fight." "You definitely had my style back in the day." "All's fair in war; winning is what matters."
The three teachers offered their congratulations. Owen beamed, though what he really wanted to hear about was the prize money and whether there were any extra scholarships! After all, he and Eevee had shed sweat and glory for the sake of Fairview No. 1.
To analyze Jean's habits, they had watched her battle videos dozens of times and designed six different "scripts" to land the Spiral Shadow Ball.
The amount of energy invested was something most people couldn't comprehend! Fortunately, he and Eevee didn't need much rehearsal; once they got into character, their acting was natural enough to win an Oscar.
After making a phone call, Owen found his parents in the crowd.
When he was a child, Owen had always shouted about wanting to be a trainer and wanting a Pokémon. His parents felt that if other kids had them, their son should too, so they saved every penny to scrape together the fees required for him to start.
But life is unpredictable. Their son had truly gone further on this path than they ever imagined. When Owen won the Young Ho-oh Cup, they were happy.
When Owen and Eevee were hospitalized due to training, they were worried. Now, seeing him crowned champion in such a grand competition, they were overwhelmed with emotion.
They didn't know if letting him become a trainer was right or wrong. Even though he was successful now—even winning over a million in prize money—they mostly just wanted Owen and Eevee to be safe, happy, and doing what they loved.
April 26, 2017. The Su Province High School Pokémon Battle League officially concluded.
Team Champions: Aurelia University High
Individual Champion: Owen (Fairview No. 1)
The prize for the Individual Champion was 1 million yuan.
After the awards ceremony and closing events, Owen stayed in the athletes' village, busy calculating his savings. The individual prize was 1 million, and the team prize for Fairview No. 1 was 4 million.
How much of that 4 million will I get as a cut?
"After one tournament, my net worth has hit seven figures. Combined with my previous savings... I probably have around 2 million?"
Excellent. That was enough to buy a very decent apartment in Fairview. If used for training, he'd have more than enough to support a larger team. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about resources for a while after starting university.
"Vee-eee~~"
Nearby, Eevee was also holding a phone with the calculator app open, giggling as it calculated how many "QQ Coins" it had won from betting on the matches.
Eevee wasn't worried about the prize money. It knew Owen—back when they were broke, he'd scrimp on his own food and drink just to pour every cent into Eevee's growth. Now that they were rich, Eevee was certain it would be the one enjoying the spoils.
"Cha~~"
Eevee let out a bored yawn. This competition had been easier than it expected. Aside from the team battle, where it couldn't carry everyone, the other matches hadn't been very stressful.
"Eevee, you're getting cocky again." "Vee??" Eevee stood up, eyes wide. We took first place! Can't I be a little cocky?
Owen pulled out a pen and a piece of paper, sketching as he explained: "China has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 special administrative regions. We are only the number one rookies in one province—Azure Province."
"..." Eevee.
"And there are over two hundred countries and regions in the world... See this tiny dot? That's us. We still have a long way to go. Are you ready for the next round of special training?"
"Vee!" Eevee pushed the pen away. "Vee, vee, vee!"
It argued that Owen should focus his energy on training Magnemite now. He couldn't make Eevee shoulder everything! To prove its point, it "generously" offered to give part of its resources to Magnemite so Owen could train the little gear-bot harder. If all your Pokémon are strong, then you're truly a great trainer.
"You... have a point," Owen mused. "Then let's let Magnemite work hard enough for your share too."
"Vee." Eevee breathed a sigh of relief, but a second later, it felt like something was off. Wait, why did that sound like a 'retirement' speech?
"Owen, the provincial capital has new arrangements. After the team returns to Fairview, you're staying behind."
"Not just you—the top 22 rookie trainers on the list are staying in Aurelia. You'll be going somewhere accompanied by Professional Trainers."
Zoe passed the news to Owen as soon as she received it from the Association. The top 22 included the sixteen from the main tournament plus six others.
"Staying in Aurelia? To do what?" Owen asked.
"To give you early exposure to a Secret Realm," Zoe replied. She glanced at him. "Though, in your case, it'll be the second time."
On the surface, the League was a response to the national call for "cultivating excellent trainers," but every Professional Trainer knew the truth: in the next few years, a special, large-scale Secret Realm was expected to descend upon Su Province.
Scouts had already entered and found it to be exceptionally rich in resources, including unknown new materials. However, what made it "special" was the discovery of three terrifying legendary creatures.
A normal Professional Trainer facing one alone would have no hope of resisting.
Beyond those three, there were numerous powerful Dominant Pokémon. Opportunity and crisis coexisted.
Owen has secured the provincial crown, but a much more dangerous world is opening up. With the "Spirit Realm" masters nearby and a legendary-tier Secret Realm on the horizon, how will Owen and his "Oscars-worthy" Eevee adapt to an environment where "dirty tactics" might be a matter of survival rather than just winning a trophy?
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