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Chapter 142: The Tournament Begins
🕑 Added 2025-08-16 14:04:03 +0000 UTCChapter 142: The Tournament Begins
Saturday. The weather was perfect, the sun bright and clear.
This was the day. The annual Jiangnan Regional High School Elite Tournament had officially begun at the Centralis City Olympic Stadium.
As one of the year's grandest events, the opening ceremony was a spectacle to behold. The stadium's one hundred thousand seats were packed to the brim with roaring fans.
During the ceremony, Basalt, as the captain of Metro City, proudly carried the team's "Tempest" flag, leading his teammates with a confident stride. Metro City was a coastal metropolis, and for much of its history, the city's identity had been shaped by its struggle against the powerful storms that rolled in from the ocean. To stand against the tempest was to be a hero. It was for this reason that the city's official Gym had almost always been a Flying-type Gym.
After the teams from all the cities had taken their place on the field, the regional leaders began their speeches. First was the president of the Jiangnan Pokémon League, followed by the Regional Champion himself, the Dragon Master, Champion Drake. After that, nearly a dozen other officials took their turn at the podium. Basalt couldn't be bothered to remember all their names; they were all important figures who ran the various facets of the Jiangnan region.
Jeez, it's hot, he thought, sweat beading on his forehead under the blazing sun. The speeches were painfully long, and the delivery was agonizingly slow. The worst part was, none of the trainers or the audience cared about any of it.
By the time the last of the dignitaries had finished, more than an hour had passed.
"Hello, everyone, I'm your host for this year's Regional Tournament, Stan!"
Just as the crowd was starting to doze off, a well-dressed young man with a booming voice stepped up to the podium. "And now, for the part of the ceremony I know you've all been waiting for..." his voice rose with excitement, echoing through the stadium. "That's right! Please give your loudest round of applause for our very own Regional Champion, Drake, and the esteemed Fire Master, Blaze, as they present this year's Master-level exhibition match!"
The entire stadium erupted. The loudest applause of the day was finally unleashed. A Master-level exhibition match was the highlight of the opening ceremony. Even though it was just a demonstration, with the trainers holding back from going all-out, it was still a spectacle that drew countless fans. Many of the higher-level trainers in the audience weren't here to watch a bunch of high schoolers battle; they were here to witness masters at work, hoping to gain inspiration for their own training and battle strategies.
By now, the competitors had left the field and were gathered in the trainer's lounge. A large screen on the wall gave them a perfect view of the arena.
Champion Drake was a handsome man of about fifty, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his hair impeccably styled. His warm, gentle smile made him the very picture of a refined gentleman. Master Blaze was his exact opposite. Though of a similar age, he wore a leather jacket over a simple white t-shirt, his broad chest exposed, giving him a wild and untamed look.
"Come out, Altaria!"
"Let's go, Charizard!"
Almost simultaneously, the two masters released their Pokémon.
Altaria was a beautiful, sky-blue Pokémon with wings that looked as if they were made of cotton clouds. It was said it could soar on updrafts with those wings, singing a beautiful soprano that could enchant anyone who heard it.
In stark contrast, Charizard was a bipedal, draconic Pokémon with three sharp claws on each hand, massive wings, and a long, thick tail tipped with a blazing flame. Its fire burned hot enough to melt boulders, and its powerful wings could carry it to altitudes of over 1,400 meters.
The gentle grace of Altaria and the ferocious power of Charizard were perfect extensions of their trainers' personalities. The appearance of the two Pokémon sent the hundred-thousand-strong crowd into a frenzy.
"GROOOAR!" With a mighty roar, Charizard unleashed a massive blast of fire at Altaria while flapping its wings to close the distance, electricity crackling around its sharp claws.
"Dragon Pulse, counter it!" At Champion Drake's command, a terrifying wave of draconic energy shot from Altaria's beak, meeting the flamethrower head-on.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided in mid-air, bursting into a shower of brilliant fireworks that sparkled against the pale blue sky.
"So beautiful," some of the female trainers in the lounge murmured, their eyes wide.
Most of the male trainers, however, were focused on one thing: would Charizard's Thunder Punch land? It was already incredibly close to Altaria.
VWOOM!
Suddenly, a dazzling pink light erupted from Altaria, as blinding as the sun, forcing everyone in the stadium to look away for a moment.
"That's Dazzling Gleam!" someone in the lounge shouted.
But the light didn't last long. It was quickly overwhelmed by an even brighter, more intense orange glow. Enveloped in an armor of fire, Charizard flapped its wings furiously and charged at Altaria like an unstoppable meteor.
Seeing that its attack hadn't repelled its opponent, Altaria's gentle demeanor vanished. It shrouded itself in draconic energy, its aura turning sharp and menacing, and met Charizard's charge without flinching.
Flare Blitz versus Dragon Rush!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two titans clashed in the sky, their powerful moves creating a symphony of explosions and shockwaves. The beautiful song of Altaria and the furious roar of Charizard filled the air. It was a perfect fusion of violence and beauty, and the audience was completely captivated. The competing trainers watched, their hearts pounding with excitement.
"One day, I'll be battling you," Basalt whispered, clenching his fists. He was not the only one with that thought.
After the exhibition match, it was time to get down to business. The pairings for the individual tournament were first. The fifty-four main competitors from all the cities were divided into sixteen groups of three or four. The number of competitors from each city varied. Based on the previous year's results, the top four cities were awarded additional main competitor slots. Centralis City, last year's champion, had eight main competitors. Nexus City had seven, Ochre City had six, and Jade City had five.
The seeding was also skewed. Centralis City had three seeded competitors, while the next three cities had two each. The remaining cities, including Metro City, had one each, for a total of sixteen seeded players, one for each group. The system wasn't entirely fair, but the talent pool in the bigger cities was just that deep. If the fifty-four slots were allocated purely based on skill, Centralis City would likely take more than ten of them.
After the seeded players were placed, the remaining competitors were randomly assigned to the groups.
"Stop!" the host yelled, and the final pairings appeared on the screen.
Basalt was in Group Eight, a four-person group with three boys and one girl. And as it happened, he knew the girl. It was Jenna from Kyanite City.
"Well, looks like I've already got one foot out of the group stage," he thought with a smirk. He had already crushed her Torkoal once; he wasn't worried. As for the other two trainers, he had no information on them, but he assumed they weren't much of a threat. Truly strong trainers couldn't stay hidden for long.
In contrast to Basalt and Waylon's calm demeanor, Yao and Skye did not look happy. Yao, in particular, had been placed in the same group as the Centralis City captain, Kaden. Even with Onix's type advantage, everyone, including Yao himself, knew he was walking into a slaughter.
"All competitors, please proceed to your designated arenas. The matches will begin shortly," a voice announced over the lounge's intercom.
Basalt changed into his J&L outfit and whistled a tune as he leisurely made his way to Arena 8. The other trainers in his group were already there, and they all shot him hostile, wary looks.
"Hey, we meet again! What a coincidence," Basalt said, giving Jenna a friendly wave.
"H-hello," she stammered, a bitter smile on her face. What use is this cursed coincidence to me? Against any other seeded player, she might have had a fighting chance. But against Basalt, her fighting spirit was already gone. Their last match had been a complete and utter beatdown.
"First pair of competitors, please enter the arena."
A photographer nearby perked up. Unlike the city qualifiers, even the preliminary matches of the Regional Tournament were broadcast live.
"Here we go," Basalt nodded and stepped onto the field. His opponent was a cleancut boy in a cartoon-print hoodie and shorts. He looked nervous, but his eyes were filled with determination.
"Both trainers, please select your Pokémon and take your positions."
At the referee's signal, both Basalt and the boy threw their Poké Balls.
"Chaa!" Drilbur appeared, its claws held high, radiating an aura of power that demanded respect.
Its opponent was a small, yellow electric mouse with long ears, black eyes, and two red circles on its cheeks. Its tail was shaped like a lightning bolt.
"A Pikachu? Are you serious?" Basalt was stunned. Hearing that iconic "Pika-Pika" cry brought a wave of nostalgia, but he was baffled. He was one of the twelve "trainers to watch," and his starter was a Ground-type Drilbur. That was public knowledge. To choose an Electric-type against him seemed insane.
Does he only have one Pokémon? Basalt wondered.
But as the referee signaled the start of the match, a wave of water suddenly appeared at Pikachu's feet, and Basalt finally understood.
It was a surfing Pikachu. Interesting.
