The Preliminary Rounds Begin

Since the other party intends to take the people in the city hostage, they obviously won't consider breaking ties with the alliance until they achieve their goal.

Pokémon hunters are terrorists, not idiots.

The sun rose as usual the next day. From 8 a.m. until the end of lunch, Wei Xin observed that after a night of fermentation, the number of people carrying metal rings had doubled, and now one in four people was wearing a metal ring.

"Hey, why are you all wearing metal rings?" a fashion-conscious student asked.

"Ah, this is just a small trinket, nothing special."

The other side's missionary activities seem to have stopped. Is it because their strength is limited and they are not able to continue to expand their numbers, or has the purpose of this stage been achieved and the event is about to enter the next stage?

Wei Xin looked up. Above the gloomy sky, layers of dark clouds, carrying the dim sunlight, were relentlessly advancing towards Shanghai. The dampness in the air made Wei Xin's nose very uncomfortable.

It is going to rain.

Although the Pokémon hunters were hiding behind the stage curtains, Wei Xin wasn't worried. He and Marie both carried metal rings with them, so if anything went wrong in the city, they could easily blend in and protect themselves.

It feels like a pseudo-human game, a strange tale with rules set by dream-inducing tapirs.

As an ordinary student, Wei Xin had no intention of getting involved. He believed that if the sky fell, the taller people would hold it up, and he didn't have that kind of strength yet.

As long as the authorities resolve the issue, this vibrant city will continue to thrive, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

In the dormitory, Wei Xin took out a set of clothes from the closet, dressed himself, and considered whether he should prepare an extra set of clothes for himself and Ralts to use in the main competition.

Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse; at least you can gain the upper hand in terms of presence.

"Are you going to participate in the preliminary rounds? Isn't it a bit early to go now?" Mary asked, seeing Wei Xin all ready to go.

"Okay, let's go early and show Ralts around the arena." Wei Xin nodded.

Because they have to attend classes during the week, the preliminary rounds are held on weekends, much like a boss who is rarely seen during the week but starts clamoring for meetings as soon as he gets off work or on holidays.

It's a bit annoying.

"Do you need me to cheer you on?" Mary sensed that Wei Xin was a little nervous. As a trainer who had been in the industry for a long time, she could see that Wei Xin and Ralts were exceptionally strong. Logically speaking, this level of competition should be a piece of cake for them.

"Let's talk about it during the finals," Wei Xin said. As seeded players and campus celebrities, the presence of Wei Xin and Ralts would put considerable psychological pressure on their opponents.

If you bring along a little idol, Mary, who just recently defeated the Steel-type Gym Leader in the school gymnasium, the opponent's mentality will probably be completely shattered before they even get to the field.

If after the match, Marie gives her another bottle of water and holds Ralts in her arms, that scene...

Why not become a devil instead?

According to the brief message, Wei Xin arrived at the school's open-air gymnasium, the same gymnasium where the freshmen exams were held. The notice board at the entrance listed his battleground, his opponent's name, and the name of the Pokémon he was using.

Number 444, Wanli, Elf, Charmander.

Upon entering the stadium, after repeatedly confirming that he hadn't stood in the wrong spot, Wei Xin squatted down in front of Ralts and began to help Ralts with its preparations. It was actually just a simple relaxation massage to ensure that Ralts could perform normally on the field.

"Don't be nervous, just perform normally," Wei Xin said, squeezing Ralts's hand to comfort her.

"Ralts~" Through telepathy, Ralts sensed that her trainer seemed a little nervous, but not because of the upcoming battle. She and her trainer had accumulated enough battle experience, but rather because something else was weighing on their minds.

Moreover, the trainer hasn't smiled since yesterday evening.

Ralts suddenly realized that, up until now, she didn't seem to have done anything truly meaningful for the trainers.

So, Ralts pulled her hand away from Wei Xin's. Under Wei Xin's puzzled gaze, Ralts walked up to Wei Xin, stood on tiptoe, tugged at Wei Xin's hair, signaling him to lower his head, and then ran her hand through Wei Xin's hair, gently patting the trainer's head.

The concern translated into concrete actions, and the resulting power, through the inseparable connection between the two, flowed into Wei Xin's body.

[Ralts gains skill assistance, reward: 1600 Action Points]

Ralts learned the Help skill? Was it because it sensed I was nervous?

Staring at Ralts's puzzled face and her tiptoes straining to stand up, Wei Xin finally let out a sigh of relief.

Pokémon hunters are lurking in the city, a quarter of the population has been hypnotized, the police station has fallen, and the League has yet to take any significant action. Is it because they haven't noticed yet, or are they hesitant to act rashly due to fear of harm? Wanlong, one of the Elite Four, is also missing.

As one of the few people in the city who knows the whole story, even though I keep comforting myself, I can't help but feel immense pressure.

A ray of sunlight pierced the sky above the open-air stadium, reaching the city just before the downpour began.

"It's my fault." Wei Xin forced a smile; hesitation is a major taboo for trainers.

Wei Xin decided that, while ensuring his own and Ralts' safety, he should do something. After the match, he would go to the research center to find his senior sisters. If that didn't work, he could borrow a few Pokémon from the research center.

I wonder if the Mimikyu Research Center is still unknown?

A Mimikyu with maxed Swords Dance shouldn't have much trouble dealing with Salamence, provided it doesn't Mega Evolve. But just in case, it's best to take it down with a sneak attack.

As for the Dream Eater, you'll need to find a few Pokémon with the Insomnia ability.

But before that, we have to finish the preliminary rounds.

Before the opponent and referee arrived, Wei Xin checked Ralts's stats. All its attributes had been upgraded to Good, its ability development level had been upgraded to Intermediate, and its special strength had even reached Excellent.

It's only been a little over a week, kids develop so fast.

There are also action points. I've been buying efficiency boost cards for Ralts lately, and with all that going in and out, my action points are accumulating rather slowly. Even if I include the action points from the next battle, I won't be able to collect enough for a ten-pull until tomorrow morning.

Shortly after, Wei Xin's opponents and the referee arrived.

Wei Xin's opponent was a tall, thin boy wearing glasses. When he saw Wei Xin standing on the court, he sighed helplessly.

[Of all people, I had to run into Guangkuo Ge in the preliminary rounds. What a terrible matchmaking system.]

[If it were any other player, Little Dragon and I would have easily won.]

Well, let's do our best and leave the rest to fate.

Wei Xin snapped his fingers, joking to himself.

Sorry, classmate, I am destiny!

"The battle rules are 1v1, standard match rules. Now send out your Pokémon," the referee said.

"Give it your all, Charmander!"

"Fire Dragon!" An orange lizard with a round head and two sharp teeth jumped out of its Poké Ball and landed on the field. It opened its mouth and breathed out a small string of flames into the sky. Its long tail swayed excitedly, and the flames on its tail burned fiercely.

"Consider this dessert before the main course, Ralts."

"Ralts!" Ralts appeared in the battlefield, beckoning to Charmander in a provocative manner.

The referee waved his flag.

"I hereby announce that the first round of the freshman preliminary competition will begin with Wanli's Little Fire Dragon versus Weixin's Ralts."