Nearly thirty people were competing for just seven spots, and the pressure of the competition suddenly intensified. Many of the students had seen their strength skyrocket recently.
Furthermore, Tetsu had learned through the grapevine that several of these competitors came from ordinary backgrounds. They had applied for their first Pokémon from Silver Academy only upon being admitted.
Three months was a very short time. Even for a genius, it was nearly impossible to catch up to those from wealthy families in such a short period of cultivation, though Eichi was an exception. These newcomers not only had good backgrounds but also possessed great talent. After months of study, they had gradually begun to close the gap.
Tetsu and Kelly found a spot to sit and wait. A few minutes later, Director Yanagi appeared, accompanied by several teachers.
He walked onto the Battle Stage and said, "Everyone, please be quiet."
Once the students settled down, Director Yanagi cleared his throat and spoke, "Ahem. You all know why we are here, so I won't say much. The rules are simple and the same as the Freshmen Tournament. There are exactly 28 students present, so after two rounds, the spots will be determined. We will use a lottery system to decide the matchups. Alright, that's all. I wish you all luck in securing a spot."
What followed was a flurry of drawing lots and battling. With his strength, Tetsu quickly defeated his opponent.
As he walked down from his Battle Stage and passed another, he suddenly heard a burst of discussion.
"Who is this guy? He's so strong!"
This piqued Tetsu's curiosity. He turned and leaned in to look. On the Battle Stage, a Steelix delivered a fierce Iron Tail, instantly taking down the opponent's Girafarig.
Tetsu's pupils shrank. That Steelix was incredibly powerful. He shifted his gaze to the Steelix's Trainer: a lean boy with green hair and a face full of arrogance.
A student next to Tetsu whispered, "He's in our class. He just arrived at Silver Academy recently, and his strength is immense. There's another one just like him."
Another student asked, "They just arrived recently? Why did they come so late?"
The student replied, "I heard it was because of family matters, so they were delayed."
By the afternoon, the selection tournament concluded, and the seven spots were assigned. Both Tetsu and Kelly had secured a place.
Tetsu was very surprised by Kelly. He had watched her matches and noted that she was improving very quickly. Tetsu wasn't even sure if he could definitely win against her now.
Among the remaining five winners, two were faces Tetsu hadn't seen before. They were likely the two who had transferred in midway. Tetsu had seen their battles; they were formidable, mostly winning with one-hit knockouts. They were just as strong as Eichi and Sato.
Looking at the two of them and their arrogant expressions, Tetsu felt that Eichi, Sato, and Konan finally had real rivals. He wondered how Eichi would react once he knew about these two powerful opponents. He truly looked forward to seeing what would happen when they encountered Eichi or Sato.
Meanwhile, those two were chatting. The green-haired boy said with disdain, "I took a look around. They're too weak. This is boring. I'd rather keep traveling. I don't know why my old man insisted I come to study at this dump of an academy."
The other boy added dismissively, "Yeah, I don't see the point in having so many people fight over these few spots. Though, I heard there are three people with decent strength—someone named Eichi and someone named Sato."
The green-haired boy sneered, "They're probably just overhyped. Their strength likely isn't that great."
The surrounding students were furious upon hearing their words. However, knowing they might not be stronger than the duo, they suppressed their anger. They all thought to themselves: You'll realize how wrong you are once you meet Eichi and Sato.
The sun was high and the sky was clear; the weather in both the Johto and Kanto regions was quite pleasant.
In a clearing within the forest, Scizor was blindfolded with a black silk ribbon. It stood in a battle stance. The next second, a subtle sound vibrated through the air.
Scizor didn't move. Instead, it used Perception to track Beedrill's position. Suddenly, a sharp pressure came from the left, making its skin tingle slightly. Scizor reacted instantly.
It raised its twin claws to block the strike. In its Perception, a cluster of mist containing a blazing miniature sun appeared before it.
Seeing the attack blocked, Beedrill didn't retreat. Instead, it continued its assault. Claws met twin needles as the two traded blows back and forth. Throughout the intense battle, Scizor remained in the state of Perception without interruption.
After a while of being evenly matched, Eichi, who was standing nearby, shouted, "Stop!"
The two Pokémon stopped and returned to Eichi's side. Eichi praised, "Very good, Scizor. You can now completely control yourself and enter the state of Perception freely without being disturbed by the outside world."
Scizor raised its claws, indicating it could still keep going.
Eichi turned to Beedrill and said, "Alright, Beedrill, you've worked hard too."
On the way back, they suddenly heard the roar of a car engine in the distance. An off-road vehicle drove out from the forest. Eichi looked closely and recognized it as Jin's vehicle.
As Jin parked the car at the entrance and got out, Eichi asked, "Senior Jin, where have you been?"
Jin smiled and replied, "I went to the small town to pick up the Young Master."
The "Young Master" Jin referred to was Shingo, Muramasa's son. In the anime, he was a master of using computers who believed all opponents could be analyzed to find weaknesses, until Ash Ketchum taught him a lesson.
A boy jumped out from the back seat of the car. He had purple hair and was wearing a black tracksuit. One look confirmed it was indeed Shingo. Currently, he was still young—about one or two years younger than Eichi. He held a computer in his arms and radiated an aura that told others to keep their distance.
Jin introduced him to Eichi, "Eichi, this is our Young Master, Shingo."
He then pointed to Eichi and said to Shingo, "Young Master, this is Eichi."
Eichi greeted Shingo, "Hello."
Shingo just gave a brief "Mm" and said nothing more. Jin looked a bit embarrassed and gave Eichi an apologetic smile. Eichi smiled back, not taking offense. Jin then led Shingo inside.
Coincidentally, Mr. Muramasa was inside. He greeted Shingo, and they went to eat together.
The dining area was in a large hall. During the meal, Shingo and Muramasa sat at one table, while Eichi sat in a corner across from Azuma.
After glancing at Shingo, Eichi suddenly asked, "Why doesn't your Young Master live at the Dojo? And why haven't I seen him around before?"