-028- Rookie King Competition

“Tong Si, I have great faith in you. In the Newcomer King Tournament these next two days, the championship is yours for the taking!” Zhang Shanjie clapped Tong Si on the shoulder, full of confidence in him.

After spending some time together, Zhang Shanjie had come to greatly appreciate Tong Si’s strength.

Seventy-eight consecutive victories at the club!

Although other Pokémon battle clubs boasted even longer winning streaks, this club was newly opened, and Tong Si had set the record here.

“Brother Shanjie, I’ll do my best!” Tong Si replied with a slight smile. He was determined to win the Newcomer King title.

He had already defeated most of the participants, and so far, no particularly formidable rivals had emerged.

“Tong Si…”

Just then, a familiar voice called out. Tong Si turned and saw it was Jiang Tao, the chubby fellow.

Today, Jiang Tao wore a T-shirt decorated with a Poliwag pattern, and as always, he was clutching a Taiyaki from Magikarp Ace.

Clearly, Jiang Tao had a fondness for the taste of Taiyaki.

“Jiang Tao, long time no see,” Tong Si greeted him.

The last time Tong Si couldn’t find the location of the Pokémon battle club, it was Jiang Tao who had brought him there.

“How did the college entrance exam go?”

“No problem at all for Jiahua University,” Jiang Tao boasted, patting his chest with confidence.

“Oh?” Tong Si was a little skeptical; in his memory, Jiang Tao’s grades had never been impressive.

“Tong Si, are you here for the Newcomer King Tournament too?”

“Yes, don’t tell me you’re also—”

“Of course! I, Young Master Jiang, am determined to claim the title of Newcomer King!” Jiang Tao declared with unwavering resolve.

“So you’ve already received your first Pokémon?” Tong Si couldn’t help his curiosity—what would Jiang Tao’s first Pokémon be?

From what he recalled, Jiang Tao’s family was quite wealthy, and renowned in the whole of Jiahua City.

Leisurely, Jiang Tao took out a Luxury Ball, flashing a toothy grin. “This is my first Pokémon! But I won’t tell you what it is just yet. You’ll know when the match begins!”

Jiang Tao was clearly trying to be mysterious.

Tong Si simply activated his scanning device. Even if it was a Luxury Ball, he could still see what Pokémon was inside.

Slowpoke

Level: 11

Potential: Gym Leader Grade

...

“A Gym Leader grade Pokémon!” Tong Si was surprised, but given Jiang Tao’s family’s wealth, it made sense.

“What did you say?” Jiang Tao overheard Tong Si muttering and looked at him suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Tong Si shook his head. “Let me guess: is your first Pokémon a Slowpoke?”

“Huh?!” Jiang Tao’s pupils contracted as he stared at Tong Si in shock. “How did you know?”

“Just a guess,” Tong Si replied with a sly grin. “A Slowpoke’s blank look suits you quite well.”

“Get out of here!” Jiang Tao gave him a hard slap, clearly unwilling to accept the comparison.

As the two bantered, more and more people filled the club.

Tong Si soon spotted another pair of familiar faces—Yun Zishan and Shen Yuqing arrived together, hand in hand.

Tong Si couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly young people developed relationships these days.

“Tong Si!” Yun Zishan and Shen Yuqing came over to greet him.

“You’re both here for the Newcomer King Tournament too?” Tong Si asked.

“Yeah, we only just got our Pokémon, but the champion of Linhai Province once told us: ‘Practice reveals truth. Only through more real battles can you improve your Pokémon’s strength.’ I believe competitions are the best way to spur a Pokémon’s growth,” Yun Zishan said, clenching his fist, full of fighting spirit.

“Great! Good luck to both of you!” Tong Si cheered them on.

After saying their goodbyes, the two headed for the lounge to chat.

As the club grew more crowded, another old acquaintance appeared.

“Tong Si!”

“It’s you, Chu Xuanxuan,” Tong Si replied, casting her an unamused glance. He hadn’t expected her to compete as well.

“What? Why do you look like you’re not happy to see me?” Chu Xuanxuan stepped in front of him, visibly annoyed.

“Uh... you guys go ahead and chat. I’ll go grab a drink,” Jiang Tao said, tactfully making his exit.

“It’s not that,” Tong Si said, rubbing his cheek awkwardly. “I just didn’t expect you would enter the tournament.”

“Are you afraid of losing to me? My Mareep and I have been through special training. Our strength has soared!” Chu Xuanxuan whistled confidently.

“Well, good luck,” Tong Si replied, and made his escape. Of all people, this woman was best avoided—otherwise she’d pester him endlessly.

...

The Newcomer King Tournament was organized by the Pokémon battle club, so it wasn’t overly formal.

Before the matches began, the president of the event’s sponsor, Qixi Altaria Group, gave a speech.

Of course, the club where Tong Si was based broadcasted it live.

There were four Pokémon battle clubs in total; three of them participated via live broadcast.

After the speech, someone took the stage to explain the tournament rules.

The tournament was divided into two rounds.

The first was a grand melee qualifier, followed by a top sixteen elimination round.

The melee qualifier merged several battle platforms into one large battlefield, where all registered club participants would send out their Pokémon for a free-for-all.

Any Pokémon that lost the ability to fight or was knocked out of the arena would be eliminated.

The last sixteen Pokémon standing would proceed to the elimination round.

The rules were simple and clear. As soon as the new trainers heard them, they began forming teams with their best friends.

In this kind of brawl, the more teammates you had, the easier it was to advance. If you fought alone, you were likely to be targeted by groups.

Tong Si couldn’t help but smirk at the rules.

“Only the weak need to band together. The strong always stand alone.”

With that, Tong Si returned to the lounge to rest.

Jiang Tao hurried over and handed him a soda.

“Tong Si, did you see the rules? How about letting my Slowpoke protect your Eevee later?”

The last time Jiang Tao saw Tong Si, he’d been cradling an Eevee, so Jiang Tao still thought that was Tong Si’s first Pokémon. He hadn’t been to the battle club recently, so he had no idea about Tong Si’s seventy-eight-win streak with his Elekid.

“Who needs your protection? Just don’t drag me down,” Tong Si shrugged, not taking the melee seriously at all.

“Tch, always bragging. We’ll see how you beg for mercy later,” Jiang Tao retorted, finishing his soda in one gulp and settling down beside Tong Si to await the tournament’s start.

...(To be continued)