Chapter Twenty-Four: The Selection Tournament Begins

The school bus quickly arrived at its destination, a large battle arena. Such arenas are numerous in cities of all sizes, serving as excellent venues for trainers to pass their time, whether for battling or spectating. The rental fees for the arenas are covered by the municipal government to ensure the fairness of the competitions. Except for staff and participating students, not even parents are allowed inside to watch; they can only wait anxiously outside the designated perimeter.

Tang Yi's parents initially planned to accompany him to the exam, but he refused, explaining that having too many people would make his Ralts nervous and affect its performance. At the site, trainers dispatched by the municipal education bureau were responsible for supervision and inspection, while police, accompanied by the spirited Houndour girls and Manectric girls, patrolled the area to maintain order. Each battle area was equipped with doctors and nurses in white coats, alongside their Chansey girls. The entire atmosphere resembled that of a university entrance examination.

No, it should be said that the entrance examination of this world officially began from the day of the selection round. In Tang Yi's class, over twenty students signed up for this selection event, but only a handful possessed the strength to potentially advance to the municipal or even provincial selection rounds. Most participants were merely hoping to experience the thrill of battle, or perhaps, if luck was on their side, achieve something remarkable.

Today marked a unified provincial selection, with many matches taking place simultaneously across various venues. According to the rules, no items were allowed during the battles. After passing through meticulous security checks, Tang Yi received the identification number 145 and followed the staff's directions to a nearby large screen, where numbers began rapidly rotating, as each match was randomly assigned by computer.

"Please don't let it be Qin Donghai! Please don't let it be Qin Donghai! Please don't let it be Qin Donghai!" Jiang Chen clasped her hands together, fervently praying. Tang Yi and Ralts, who had entered with her, overheard her muttering from a short distance away. He couldn't help but chuckle, "There's a saying that what you fear will come to pass; saying that might actually make you draw the class monitor." Ralts shot him a glare: bad luck charm!

Ding! With a crisp sound, the numbers on the big screen began to slow down until they completely stopped. "Oh yeah! I get a bye in the first match!" Jiang Chen exclaimed excitedly, hugging her Spritzee. "Great, we’ve won a match and advanced to the second round. Mission accomplished! I have no regrets now." The Spritzee, a bit plump but adorably so, sighed in relief, grateful not to have to battle in that long dress.

Tang Yi watched in astonishment. Is that really considered winning a match? Due to the number of participants not always matching perfectly, there are always lucky individuals who get byes and advance directly to the next round—it's all up to chance. Maybe fools really do have their good fortune. "What number did you draw?" Jiang Chen, free from worries, began to inquire about her classmate, despite their usual lack of interaction.

"My opponent is number 15, in the eighth match area," Tang Yi replied, raising his identification card. "Who is number fifteen? Let me find out for you," Jiang Chen offered enthusiastically, especially since she had nothing to do after getting a bye in the first match. "It's fine; I'll find out when we get to the venue."

Tang Yi politely declined, just in time to hear a familiar voice nearby: "Well, what a coincidence! I didn't expect us to meet in the first round." "Class monitor?" Jiang Chen exclaimed in disbelief. Qin Donghai approached, accompanied by a Squirtle girl, waving his identification card. "I'm number fifteen. I happened to overhear your conversation; let's head to the eighth match area together."

Jiang Chen looked at Tang Yi sympathetically. "Your luck is really bad; it seems you won't even achieve your basic goal of winning a match. But don't worry, I'll take on your goal and strive for the championship." Competing for the championship? Qin Donghai's mouth twitched as he suppressed a laugh, replying courteously, "That's one way to look at it, but we all just adopted our Pokémon not long ago, so the outcome is hard to predict."

Tang Yi glanced at Qin Donghai, whose smile was barely contained, shaking his head inwardly. This guy, even when being polite, could at least show a little more humility. His expression clearly conveyed, "I’m going to win for sure." "Let’s go; class monitor, please go easy on me." "No problem, let’s go!" The other classmates, upon hearing the draw results, either felt excited or dejected, but seeing Tang Yi and Qin Donghai's backs made them feel more accepting of their own draws.

Qin Donghai was well-known for both his academic and battling prowess. Over the years, everyone in the class was aware of this. His Squirtle had been brought to school multiple times, showcasing qualities that highlighted the difference in skill levels.

No one wanted to face him in the first round. In contrast, although it was the first time seeing Tang Yi's Ralts today, the overwhelmingly shy and soft Pokémon gave little hope of winning against the Squirtle. As they made their way to the eighth match area, Qin Donghai continued chatting amiably with Tang Yi. "I heard from Gu Qingyue that your Ralts hasn’t attended any training classes so far?"

"That's right." "Training classes can be hit or miss; with so many Pokémon in one place, the effectiveness might not be great. Hiring a private trainer could be better." "It's too expensive; my family can't afford a private trainer." "So Ralts just stays home reading novels and drawing every day?" "Yes, as long as Ralts is happy."

"Ha ha." Throughout the journey, Qin Donghai attempted to extract some information from Tang Yi, but found nothing different from what he already knew, allowing him to relax. Meanwhile, the Squirtle girl beside him, carrying her shell, couldn't help but glance at Ralts several times while listening to their conversation. Such a leisurely life made her envious. But could there really be such a good trainer? It seemed impossible.

Finally, they arrived at the eighth match area. The two sides shook hands, each standing with their Pokémon on opposite ends of the arena. The referee, standing at the side, checked their identification numbers to ensure they were correct, then loudly announced the competition rules, such as the criteria for victory and defeat, the maximum time for the match, and the prohibition of personal attacks. These rules had been communicated to all students in advance, and after patiently listening, Qin Donghai and Tang Yi nodded to indicate their acceptance.

Then the referee took a deep breath and blew the whistle in hand: "Provincial entrance examination selection, eighth match area, first match, number 145 versus number 15, the match officially begins now!"