Rainbow Wing Academy, thanks to its vast scale, provided a learning and growth environment for most students in the Kanto region, attracting people from all walks of life.
In this vibrant community, students grew stronger together, improving their skills through Pokémon battles and mutual competition.
The Afro Buffalo Cup was a grand event held across the entire Rainbow Wing Academy, turning the school itself into a giant battle arena.
Participants could enter individually or as teams, battling either 1v1 or 3v3. Each victory awarded battle points, with the exact amount depending on the number of Pokémon used.
The whole campus was equipped with surveillance systems. Once a battle was observed, participants were automatically recognized, and after each match, battle points were tallied and awarded instantly.
The tournament lasted from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The top ten teams would receive EcoDome access, additional league points, and move-learning TMs.
Science truly is amazing!
Satoshi couldn't help marveling at this.
Teams with more Pokémon or trainers naturally had an advantage, as they could participate in more battles and had more time to rest between rounds.
Unfortunately, Satoshi had only three Pokémon, and their team had only six members—neither condition being ideal.
Which meant…
They were likely doomed!
Winning first place seemed practically impossible. Teams seriously aiming for victory were always full-sized, and while smaller teams received minor point boosts as compensation, it hardly balanced things out.
Considering both trainer and Pokémon stamina, they'd have to rest at least ten minutes after each battle. Lunch breaks would need to be quick runs to the cafeteria or snack stands to replenish energy.
This was Rainbow Wing Academy—the most fiercely competitive school in Kanto. Everything required careful consideration.
To avoid overtaxing trainers and Pokémon, most teams formed pairs to alternate battles and recovery periods during the Afro Buffalo Cup.
Given this was Satoshi's first time competing, he was clearly at a disadvantage.
Yet Satoshi and his cheerful female friends currently faced an even bigger crisis.
And that was…
Choosing a team name!
"Have any of you even thought about what to name our team?"
Soyo asked coldly, clearly irritated. Six people had gathered to register, yet nobody had made a decision.
She had spammed countless messages in their group chat last night—yet not a single message was marked as read.
Then what's even the point of having this chat group?!
Remembering this neglect filled Soyo's gaze with ice-cold disdain.
Entering a tournament of this scale without prior team communication—if others heard about this, they'd die laughing.
No matter what they say, I, Nagasaki Soyo, will never forgive them!
Her gaze sharpened dangerously, releasing an intimidating aura that made Chihaya Anon and Takamatsu Tomori tremble slightly.
"Sorry, Soyo! Last night I got totally absorbed in training. Will you forgive me?"
Satoshi apologized sincerely.
These past few days, he'd been too focused on training and researching powerful competitors at school, completely overlooking the team chat.
Satoshi is apologizing…to me
Soyo's cheeks turned slightly pink, heart racing as if a little deer were leaping wildly inside.
"Ah, it's totally fine if it's Satoshi-kun! You must've trained really hard yesterday!"
Instantly slipping on her gentle and affectionate mask, all her frustrations vanished.
Motherly halo activated to maximum power!
She showered him with kindness and forgiveness.
What a hypocrite…
Seeing this, Anon and Taki exchanged silent, judgmental glances.
During this time, they had roughly figured out Soyo's feelings toward Satoshi. Yet Anon had no intention of surrendering him to a two-faced girl like Soyo.
Ever since she ran away that day only to be saved by Satoshi, Anon felt something unfamiliar stirring inside her heart.
This feeling…it must be love, right?
Anon, with her pure maiden's heart, understood exactly what it was.
Given that, she absolutely couldn't let Satoshi fall into the hands of a manipulative villainess like Soyo.
Sadly, Anon couldn't express her emotions as openly as Soyo. On the other hand, there was this clown who openly showed affection yet somehow wasn't noticed by him at all—maybe she'd already evolved from a clown into a complete fool.
"How about naming our team Anon's Kanto?" she offered, attempting to ease the tension.
Everyone immediately thought: Absolutely not.
"Are you joking?!" Taki quickly shot back, clearly irritated. She was especially annoyed by Anon, who was both weak and playful, needing serious discipline.
"I'm not joking~!"
"Haaah?"
Anon and Taki immediately began bickering, while Satoshi's attention drifted as Furiko suddenly spoke up.
[Satobaby Satobaby I have a mission for you!]
[Mission: Achieve top five in the Afro Buffalo Cup. Reward: Key Stone.]
Key Stone:A stone imbued with mysterious power, allowing Pokémon holding a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve.
[Hehehe Aren't I amazing? Hurry up and praise me~]
Normally, [Mega Evolution] required both a [Key Stone] and [Mega Stone], yet Satoshi had no Pokémon capable of [Mega Evolution] at the moment.
In other words, receiving a [Key Stone] now was completely useless.
Unsure how to respond, Satoshi casually replied in his mind.
Thanks, Furiko. You're surprisingly useful.
[Uwah Satobaby LOVE? Hehehe Let's start dating with marriage as the goal~!]
Quit fooling around already!
Seeing Furiko starting her nonsense again, Satoshi shifted his attention back to his teammates.
Soyo was now impatiently filling out the registration form.
"I'll just randomly pick something. How about MYGO? It means our hopeless team is still trying to move forward," she stated flatly.
No one objected. At least it was much better than Anon's suggestion.
And thus, their team name was decided. But another crucial matter remained:
They needed to pair up, ensuring rest periods between battles and quick Pokémon recovery.
Right now, Satoshi could team up with anyone, Tomori felt the same, but both Anon and Soyo desperately wanted Satoshi as their partner, while Taki strongly preferred pairing with Tomori. As for Kaname Raana, she was off in her own world playing with her Pokémon, ignoring the entire conversation.
I must defeat Soyo-san/Anon!
Anon and Soyo's eyes clashed intensely. Neither spoke their true feelings, yet both knew the loser would end up paired with Raana.
They swiftly started typing at lightning speed on their phones.
[Soyo]:Let's settle this fairly with rock-paper-scissors.
[Anon]:Don't complain if you lose, Soyo-san~
[Soyo]:Don't worry…
[Soyo]:I will win!
After sending the messages, Soyo wore an expression of absolute confidence, her sharp gaze piercing Anon. Feeling pressured, Anon gulped nervously before lifting her hand.
Their hands flew into the air—
Without hesitation, Soyo threw Rock, but Anon confidently chose Paper.
"Huh?! I lost?!" Soyo's eyes widened, nearly bulging from her sockets.
"Then I'll be pairing up with Satoshi-kun~ You can stay here and team up with Raana-chan."
Anon leaned close to Soyo, whispering cruelly before turning triumphantly away, leaving behind Soyo's desperate wail:
"Wait, please—I'll do anything! How about best two out of three?!"
...
"Let's do this!"
Satoshi's eyes glittered with excitement, his smile as bright as the sun.
Standing before him was a confident youngster in shorts, brimming with pride.
"Asama Satoshi! I heard you even beat the battle instructor, huh? Haha! Only someone like you deserves to face me. Go, Arbok! Bring me victory!"
Throwing a Pokéball dramatically, the boy revealed an Arbok, hissing fiercely.
Seeing this, the flames in Satoshi's eyes burned brighter.
"Perfect! Raichu—I choose you!"