July 1st
Inside the capital's largest stadium — a Bird's Nest-style arena spanning a massive area, capable of holding hundreds of thousands of spectators at once.
Even so, every seat was filled, and cheers surged like a tidal wave.
It was far more thrilling than any concert from his past life.
After a brilliant fireworks display, the grand National High School Pokémon Tournament officially opened.
The event began with opening remarks and introductions of the referees —
eight Elite Four Trainers,
each representing a type: Psychic, Water, Fire, Ice, Ghost, Dragon, Fighting, and Ground.
Their ages varied widely.
As the youngest Elite Four member, Ye Rong was naturally chosen to deliver the opening speech.
He rode Dragonite high into the sky, raised a hand, and the entire arena fell silent.
"Greetings, young Trainers! I know all of you have put in immense effort to reach this stage — I was once just like you…"
He then explained the rules.
The tournament would feature five battlefields:
Grass, Rock, Water, Sky, and Forest.
Before each round, both Trainers would draw their battlefield at random.
Up until the semi-finals, each Trainer could only field two Pokémon per match.
The format relied on both luck and a diverse team.
Even Gym Leaders famous for specializing in a single type almost never raised only one type of Pokémon —
the limitations were far too great.
They simply excelled at training that one particular type.
On stage stood 128 contestants, each with a Pokémon by their side,
bathed in the glow of flashing spotlights.
The entire event was broadcast live. Flying Rotom drones swept across the stadium, capturing clear footage of every gifted Trainer on the stage.
They had traveled from every corner of the country to gather under this spotlight.
On the other side of the broadcast, their families were likely watching with tears in their eyes.
While Ye Rong announced the rules,
the Elite Four on the referee's platform struck up a conversation.
"Who do you think will make the top ten?"
The Ghost-type Elite Four was a kindly-looking grandmother with a fashionable sense of style, wearing a wide-brimmed sunhat.
No one knew her real name; everyone simply called her Granny.
"Hard to say," replied the Fighting-type Elite Four — a burly, muscular man.
"There are quite a few Advanced Professional Trainers this year, about ten of them."
Advanced Professional Trainer —
in an ordinary prefecture-level city, that rank would qualify someone to be a Gym Leader!
Yet these were still high school students.
"I like the Trainer from Xizang. His Lycanroc is Lord-tier, and so is his Chesnaught."
"Nah, I think the kid from Guangdong is better. Arcanine and Sceptile, both Lord-tier. Shame his fighting style is pretty brutal."
"The Hunan Provincial Champion is impressive too. Look at the size of that Charizard — and its white flame tail!"
"That Ninetales is stunning!"
"But for the championship… it'll probably be the Ye family girl. Her Dragon Force boost is terrifying."
By then, Ye Rong had flown back to the referee platform.
"Ye Rong, your sister and Shui Rou are the youngest Elite Four members among us. Who do you two think will win this year?"
"Ah, the champion…" Ye Rong's gaze swept over the contestants below.
He lingered on Lin Yu for a moment, then on Ye Qingxue.
He wondered: if the two faced each other, would his little sister throw the match?
Lin Yu was ridiculously strong.
Last he heard, the kid had held his own against Athena for half an hour!
Insane.
Granny chuckled. "The Hunan Provincial Champion? His Pokémon are truly unusual — Charizard and Greninja are both excellent."
Shui Rou stared at Lin Yu, who was scratching his nose on stage.
"I also have high hopes for Lin Yu. His Charizard surprised me greatly."
More importantly, he had a Latias!
This thought crossed both Shui Rou's and Ye Rong's minds at the same time,
but neither said a word.
On stage, the rousing speech continued.
Just like the provincial tournament, the first round would take place over three days.
"Lin Yu!"
As Lin Yu looked around, wondering why Ash hadn't shown up,
a low voice called out to him.
He glanced to his right — it was Qing Fei, standing beside Sceptile.
"Yes?"
"I will defeat you and your Charizard this time!"
Qing Fei stared daggers at Lin Yu, each word gritted through his teeth.
Beating Lin Yu had become an obsession.
Or rather, beating that Charizard.
[Pokémon: Sceptile]
Ability: Overgrow
Gender: Male
Potential: Elite Four-tier
Level: 41
Moves: Bullet Seed, Leaf Blade, Pound, Slam, Agility, Fury Cutter, Quick Attack, Leaf Storm, Leech Seed…
Description: A Sceptile that has touched a mysterious broken stone slab, greatly raising its potential.
Lord-tier too?
Lin Yu thought to himself in surprise.
How had this guy turned a Gym-potential Grovyle into an Elite Four-potential Sceptile?
A mysterious stone slab…?
Lin Yu's expression tightened.
A single treasure slab had raised its potential from Gym to Elite Four?
He was genuinely curious.
"Defeated before, and you still dare to talk big?"
If that was all Sceptile had, Lin Yu wasn't worried.
Not even mentioning Mega Evolution —
his Charizard was already Level 41, and beating Sceptile would be easy.
Still, he would underestimate strategically but take it seriously in battle.
He wouldn't look down on Sceptile just because it was weaker than Charizard for now.
"You!"
Qing Fei flew into a rage at Lin Yu's dismissive attitude.
"The opening ceremony is now over! Next up: the Trainer draw! All gifted Trainers may move about freely."
The rigid Trainers on stage finally relaxed
and began carefully sizing up their opponents.
Lin Yu glanced at the packed stands and admired the capital's scale.
He also mused that spectators in the back must need binoculars to see the battles clearly.
A slender figure suddenly walked toward him.
"Long time no see, junior."
When Xue Nai, with her short ponytail and Ninetales beside her, stepped in front of Lin Yu,
he froze.
He barely recognized his senior sister after such a drastic change.
"Long time no see, senior."