Chapter 40: Tournament Registration! The System Returns!
"Toge-kiiisss~"
The distinctive cry echoed as the Togekiss emerged from its ball. It circled gracefully in the air before landing lightly beside Melody, tilting its small head back haughtily and giving Kenji a sideways glance.
"Togekiss, don't be rude. This is my good friend, Kenji. Say hello," Melody scolded gently, though her expression was firm.
"Toge-kiiisss~"
Hearing Melody's words, Togekiss simply looked away, turning its head stubbornly, the picture of haughty defiance.
Kenji raised an eyebrow, finding the situation amusing. Perhaps it was because its level was so high, or maybe it was a common issue with Pokémon that reached their final evolution—sometimes they developed a rebellious streak. It seemed Melody was dealing with exactly that.
He shook his head. "It's fine. So, tell me, how did you suddenly end up with a Togekiss just after I left?"
Melody began to explain, and Kenji quickly understood. Both the Togekiss and the Pidgeot had grown up alongside Melody since she was little. Before evolving with the Shiny Stone, Togekiss (as a Togetic) had been perfectly normal and had a very close bond with her.
Kenji nodded; that made sense. Evolving from Togepi to Togetic required high friendship, after all.
The change had occurred after it evolved into Togekiss. It became a little snobbish, often giving Melody the cold shoulder. When Melody received her temporary license, unlike Pidgeot who had eagerly hopped into her Poké Ball, Togekiss had made it clear through its actions: if Melody wanted to be its trainer, she had to prove she was worthy.
Finally, just that morning, Melody had managed to earn Togekiss's recognition.
Hearing the story, Kenji couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Must be nice being the Gym Leader's daughter. Just starting out as a trainer, and she already had two Pokémon nearing the Elite Class.
If Melody's situation was like this, just being the daughter of a City-level Gym Leader, what about the children from even larger, more powerful families? Kenji doubted they didn't also have Pokémon growing up alongside them. The thought that some kids started their trainer journey with Elite-Class, or even Gym Leader-Class, Pokémon... it highlighted the stark difference in their worlds.
This wasn't some utopian Pokémon paradise. The gap between the rich and the poor was just as vast here as anywhere else. An ordinary trainer might spend their entire life struggling to reach the Elite Class (levels 40-60), with owning a Gym Leader-Class Pokémon being an unattainable dream. Yet, for some, that was merely the starting line.
As Kenji brooded over this inequality, Melody, oblivious to his thoughts, suddenly interrupted him.
"Oh, right! You just got back, so you probably haven't heard! I have some good news you'll definitely be interested in," she said, winking playfully.
Kenji snapped out of his reverie, raising an eyebrow. "What news? Tell me."
Seeing his curiosity piqued, Melody grinned, dropping the teasing tone. "The biggest battle club in Edgecliff, the Windswept Pokémon Battle Club, is hosting a 'Supernova Championship' in one week! Unlike most tournaments that require certain Pokémon levels or gym badges, this one has only one requirement: proof that you're a high school graduate from this year's class with an academy acceptance letter."
Kenji's interest was definitely piqued. He had heard rumors about this club's tradition: every summer, they held a tournament specifically for recent graduates. The name was a bit cheesy, but the concept was interesting.
Melody pulled up the Windswept Club's official website on her phone and showed it to Kenji. Right on the homepage was a large, eye-catching banner for the tournament registration.
Kenji tapped the banner. Above the registration form, the prizes were listed in bold font:
Places 11-20: One bag of Mid-Grade Pokéblocks.
Places 4-10: One bag of High-Grade Pokéblocks.
3rd Place: One random Evolution Stone.
2nd Place: One random Treasure.
1st Place: One random Starter Pokémon Egg.
Seeing the first-place prize, Kenji's eyes lit up.
Melody noticed his reaction. "So? Interested in joining for fun?"
Kenji grinned, handing the phone back to her. He immediately pulled out his own phone, navigated to the club's website, and started filling out the registration form.
"Definitely. And I'm quite interested in that first prize. I'll give it a shot," he said as he typed.
Melody raised her eyebrows. "Alright then. See you on the battlefield."
"You signed up too?" Kenji asked.
"Of course," she nodded.
While they chatted, Kenji quickly finished his registration and submitted it. A few moments later, he received a confirmation message.
The instant the confirmation came through, a familiar chime echoed in his mind, followed by a long-overdue system notification.
[Ding! New Mission Triggered! Mission details have been posted! Please check your log!]
A system panel materialized before him.
Normal Mission: Supernova Championship Victory!
Requirement: Win First Place.
Reward: 1x Random Quality Hex Core!
Kenji raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. His system, which had been playing dead for weeks, had finally decided to show signs of life! It was about time.
He had asked the system before why it wasn't giving him any missions. Its response had been that missions would become more frequent once he became an official trainer. Apparently, his temporary license counted.