September 15th
Although it was only a municipal-level college tournament,
the organizer was the official Bureau of Education, so they certainly did not skimp on promotion.
A few days before the event, official advertisements were everywhere.
On his way back from training, Lin Yu saw posters and billboards for the municipal tournament plastered in every small shop.
The short videos that supermarkets used to play for Pokémon merchandise had been replaced with highlight reels of intense Trainer battles from previous years,
paired with explosive background music.
Moreover, placing in the municipal tournament would earn a ticket to the provincial tournament.
Placing in the provincial tournament would then grant entry to the National High School Tournament.
The rewards for every stage of the tournament were incredibly generous.
That was the rule set by the Pokémon League.
For those who thought this step-by-step progression was too slow,
they could instead challenge Gyms—either municipal or provincial—and collect enough Badges to qualify for the corresponding competitions.
The goal was to nurture new talent and prevent a gap between generations of strong Trainers.
The first thing Lin Yu did after waking up was open his system and check the daily refreshed entries.
It had practically become a habit.
[Green Entry (A river flows east for thirty years, west for thirty years) — When facing an opponent you meet for the second time, damage increases by 10%.]
Lin Yu: "…"
???
Sure enough, you couldn't just shout those iconic lines from novels for no reason.
Otherwise, the system would actually give you something like "A river flows east for thirty years, west for thirty years."
After closing the interface, Lin Yu reopened the Entry Shop.
[(Weakened Version) Bone Spirit Cold Flame — An otherworldly flame sold specifically in response to the host's strong desire. Price: 100 Entry Coins.]
Lin Yu: "!!!"
"Holy shit?!"
He cursed out loud in shock, jolting Ralts awake beside his pillow. The Pokémon opened its eyes in confusion.
"Save it, save it, I have to save this!"
Lin Yu immediately purchased the item retention service and locked in the rare flame that had just appeared.
He glanced at his Entry Coin balance.
Yep, it had just broken three digits.
"Maybe I should try making my own Energy Cubes?" Lin Yu thought to himself.
He couldn't keep relying on the cubes provided by the system forever.
Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible to save up Entry Coins.
A different flame!
It was something that could even be described as capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas!
You could say that without a different flame, there would be no Xiao Huo Huo.
And this was the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, no less.
A peculiar flame that combined extreme cold and extreme heat, said to only appear during the transition between day and night.
It was a flame that could freeze lands for a thousand miles yet still burn fiercely.
He had to buy it.
In just one glance, Lin Yu could already picture how cool a Charizard using Bone Spirit Cold Flame would look.
Even the weakened version would make Charmander invincible among peers, even capable of fighting above its level!
Thankfully it was weakened; otherwise, Lin Yu doubted he could afford it.
Besides that, the Entry Shop had also refreshed an Entry Lock Slot today.
Lin Yu bought it without hesitation.
"Looks like those classic lines from novels really do work!"
After a quick tidy-up,
Lin Yu rushed to school, where the student team was escorted to Shuimu City's largest Pokémon Arena.
Every year's high school tournament was held here.
There were eight high schools in Shuimu City with specialized Pokémon programs.
Each school sent six students, making a total of forty-eight competitors!
The tournament would run for two days.
Each school was assigned to a separate waiting area.
Excluding the finals, there would be five rounds in total: the first three were 1v1 battles, and the later rounds would be 2v2.
When the Trainers stepped onto the spotlighted stage, the atmosphere reached its peak.
The students on stage were undoubtedly the outstanding young Trainers of Shuimu City's high school generation.
In the spectator stands,
Shen Yue watched his former classmate step onto the official competition stage ahead of him and felt a pang of disappointment.
"You're amazing, Lin Yu."
Next to him, Wang Miao sighed with emotion.
They had met by chance before, and he had once had the courage to challenge Lin Yu to a battle.
But now, looking at him on stage, Wang Miao couldn't summon even a shred of that courage.
"You know Lin Yu too, bro?" Shen Yue asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I battled him once."
"What happened? I think I remember you—weren't you recruited into the school team reserves?"
"I got destroyed," Wang Miao said with a bitter smile.
…
The bracket draw results came out quickly.
In the first round, Lin Yu was matched against a suspender-wearing boy from the Fourth High School with a 3-7 parted hairstyle.
Quite the distinctive look.
His Pokémon were Pidgey and Taillow.
It was clear he aimed to become a Flying-type specialist!
There were twenty-four matches in the first round, and his was the twelfth.
The tournament kicked off in full swing.
The audience was pumped, and the competing Trainers did not dare slack off—
these matches let scope out their future opponents.
Lin Yu was no exception.
But before long, he noticed something.
These so-called second-year school team members… didn't seem as strong as he had imagined?
Few matches actually caught his eye.
It made him think the tournament might not be that big of a deal.
Still, he didn't underestimate his upcoming opponent.
He may have despised the enemy strategically, but he would take them seriously tactically.
There had been one match earlier that really impressed him.
A Bulbasaur that combined Vine Whip and Razor Leaf with perfect timing.
The leaves were fast,
the vines were firm.
Its opponent was a Chimchar. Despite the type disadvantage, Bulbasaur's combo wore Chimchar down completely.
Soon enough, it was Lin Yu's turn.
The arena commentator loudly announced the two Trainers' information.
"On the left, from Shuimu Fourth High School, Class 5, Grade 11 — Cai Kunkun! His Pokémon are Fletchling and Pidgey!
And on the right… representing Shuimu Third High School… Lin Yu, Class 3, Grade 10?!"
A first-year student?! His Pokémon are Charmander and Ralts!
Unbelievable! Third High School has sent a newly enrolled first-year to the high school tournament stage!
Let's see what confidence this Lin Yu has to stand on this battlefield!"
The commentary instantly sent the arena's atmosphere soaring.
All eyes locked onto Lin Yu.
Most of the crowd were students, and they all remembered what they were like when they first got their Pokémon as first-years.
Now they were being told
someone was competing in the second-year tournament as a freshman?
On the battlefield,
Cai Kunkun tugged at his suspenders, brimming with confidence.
"I've looked you up. You placed first in your school's freshman training exercise, and your Charmander's Ember is strong.
But my Pidgey can easily dodge it!"
"Oh, really?" Lin Yu smiled.
Flying-types did have a big advantage early on.
But… Charmander could fly too.
And who said he was planning to use Charmander anyway?