On the morning of August 2nd, the weather was clear. Zhou Yuan received the package he had ordered yesterday from the delivery person. After returning to his room and opening it, he took out a day's worth of supplies, then went out and called for Growlithe:
"Doggy~ Doggy~ Where are you, Doggy? We're going out!"
That's right, since Little Ka could no longer pose a threat to Growlithe in their battles, and having Big Red participate would be too cruel, plus Zhou Yuan was a quick learner and already knew a lot, Liu Yongming found he had nothing left to teach Zhou Yuan after seven days. So, he simply let Zhou Yuan take Growlithe to the battle arena in Shuangqing City. This was partly to help Zhou Yuan and Growlithe bond and train, and partly to prepare for the Warm Pig Cup competition on August 8th.
After a while, Growlithe ambled out of another room, seemingly having just finished drinking milk, swaying with every step.
Zhou Yuan returned Growlithe to its Cherish Ball, tightened the straps of his backpack, and turned to leave the ranch. Just as Zhou Yuan was about to step out of the ranch, Liu Yongming caught up from behind.
"Xiao Yuan, take this with you."
Saying this, Liu Yongming handed a Poké Ball to Zhou Yuan.
"What's this?"
"This is Big Red's Poké Ball. My place is a bit remote and far from the battle arena. If you rely solely on your two legs, it will take over two hours. I also have something to do today and can't drive you, so it's better if you just ride Big Red there. There might also be some wild Pokémon along the way. If Growlithe gets exhausted from battling at the arena, Big Red can serve as your bodyguard for the return trip."
"Then thank you, Uncle Liu."
Zhou Yuan didn't act coy. He took the Poké Ball from Liu Yongming, who waved his hand and turned back into the ranch.
Zhou Yuan walked out of the ranch gate and threw the Poké Ball.
"Come out, Big Red."
The Poké Ball opened, and in a burst of red light, Big Red appeared, standing tall with its head held high.
"Big Red, Uncle Liu should have told you what we're doing today, right?"
Big Red glanced at Zhou Yuan, nodded, and then lay down. After all, the average height of an adult Arcanine reaches 1.9 meters; if Big Red didn't lie down, Zhou Yuan wouldn't be able to climb onto its back even using both hands and feet.
Once seated, Zhou Yuan patted Big Red's neck.
"I'm ready. Let's go, Big Red."
Big Red snorted and stood up, galloping towards the battle arena.
Because Big Red was too fast, Zhou Yuan had to wrap his arms around Big Red's neck. He found the furry texture quite nice and even took the opportunity to grab two handfuls of the yellow fur on Big Red's neck. It was soft and felt good. Big Red growled twice, realized this annoying human still hadn't moved his hands, and simply ignored him, focusing on running.
Arcanine are called Arcanine precisely because of their speed. With Big Red's running, Zhou Yuan quickly saw the circular dome of the battle arena.
As they approached the battle arena, Zhou Yuan had Big Red stop. He didn't let it carry him all the way to the arena entrance, as that would be too attention-grabbing.
After dismounting, Zhou Yuan returned Big Red to its Poké Ball and walked into the battle arena on foot.
Upon entering the battle arena, Zhou Yuan noticed that to the left of the main entrance was a large open area with many battle rings. People were present both on and below the rings; those on the rings were battling, while those below were either looking for opponents or commenting on the ongoing battles.
To the right of the main entrance was a service desk. As a newcomer, Zhou Yuan decided to first inquire about the specific situation and rules.
Seeing Zhou Yuan approach, the attendant sitting at the service desk stood up. Normally, attendants faced many Trainers every day and were quite fatigued, which often led to a somewhat forced and perfunctory smile. However, when this attendant saw Zhou Yuan's face, her smile became much more genuine, as appreciating beauty is a commonality for everyone, regardless of gender.
"Hello, sir. I'm Attendant Xiao Jing. How may I help you?" The attendant's smile grew even softer and more beautiful as Zhou Yuan drew closer.
Zhou Yuan was a bit puzzled and also impressed. Are the front desk staff at battle arenas always this polite? As expected of a battle arena run by the government, it's certainly more professional than those rogue battle arenas outside.
"Hello, this is my first time at a battle arena. Could you please tell me about the procedures here?" Zhou Yuan asked his question.
"Sir, it's like this: most of the battle arena's facilities are free to use, but when battling on a ring, you need to request a referee. Referees charge a fee for officiating matches, and the specific fee depends on the match's level. When you get to the battle arena, a dedicated staff member will explain it to you."
"Sir, since this is your first time at our battle arena, you need to register. Once registered at one battle arena, it will be valid throughout the entire Yanhuang region."
"When going up to a battle ring, you also need to register using your Trainer's certificate. Everyone usually calls this 'swiping your card.' Sir, do you have your Trainer's certificate with you?"
"Yes, it's here."
Zhou Yuan nodded and pulled out a card from his bag, which the school had given them just before the summer vacation of his second year of high school. His Homeroom Teacher had told him it was his Trainer's certificate and to keep it safe.
"Alright, Mr. Zhou, I'll register you now..." Attendant Xiao Jing took Zhou Yuan's Trainer's certificate, placed it on a card reader, operated the computer for a moment, and then handed the Trainer's certificate back to Zhou Yuan.
"Mr. Zhou, your registration is complete. From now on, you only need to swipe your card at the battle arena and the facilities you wish to use. However, please be careful to protect the equipment when using it; if you cause any damage, you will be required to pay compensation."
"Okay, thank you." Saying this, Zhou Yuan gave the attendant a polite smile.
The attendant's eyes were fixed on him, and she continued diligently introducing things to Zhou Yuan while staring:
"You're welcome, Mr. Zhou. Since you are a new Trainer, we recommend you go to the left side of the battle arena. Most of the Trainers there are new like you, and you can get more effective battles there."
"Okay, thank you again." Zhou Yuan smiled at the attendant once more, then turned and left without looking back, which for a moment left the attendant feeling a little lost.
Zhou Yuan arrived at the battle arena. Following the attendant's instructions, he walked towards the left side of the field. Along the way, he indeed saw many new Trainers, each with their starter Pokémon, wandering around the field or battling on the rings.
As Zhou Yuan walked, he scanned the Pokémon along the way, finding that most were novice-level Pokémon. He had walked half the field and still hadn't seen any ordinary-level Pokémon.
Until he noticed some commotion ahead and walked closer to hear someone saying:
"That guy on the ring is too strong! He's already won five consecutive matches, and almost every match is a one-hit knockout."
Zhou Yuan looked at the ring upon hearing this. Standing on the ring was a youthful boy, quite handsome, though not as handsome as himself.
Beside the boy was a Gurdurr, a humanoid Fighting-type Pokémon primarily found in the Unova region. It had excellent abilities and base stats, with almost no weaknesses except for its slow speed and somewhat ugly final evolution.
According to Zhou Yuan's memory, Timburr only naturally evolves into Gurdurr after reaching the ordinary level, and not immediately upon reaching it. If categorized by the standards of fantasy novels, it would at least have the strength of an ordinary-level late stage. With this strength, it was naturally able to dominate among the new Trainers whose Pokémon were mostly novice-level.
"System, scan Gurdurr."
【Gurdurr】
【Level: Ordinary-level late stage】
【Ability: Guts】
【Skills: Pound, Glare, Gathering Power, Endure, Low Kick, Rock Throw, Wake-Up Slap, Chip Away, Mach Punch, Endure, Sonic Punch, Reversal, Force Palm, Clear Smog, Foresight, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch】
"So there really is a classification like 'ordinary-level late stage'..."
Zhou Yuan murmured, then shifted his gaze to Gurdurr's Skill list.
"This Gurdurr has a lot of inherited Skills, and it even learned Elemental Punch. It seems to have a very strong elder. It would be a miracle if these baby Pokémon around here could beat it."
"But precisely because he is strong enough to put pressure on Doggy, who is currently around ordinary-level mid-stage, I might as well fight him. Whether we win or lose, there will be a gain."
Just as Zhou Yuan was thinking about how to get a match with him, there was an uproar around him.
"Wow, he's got six consecutive wins now, this guy is so strong."
"Tell me about it. This opponent was clearly much stronger than the previous few, and he still couldn't beat him."
Zhou Yuan also had the system scan Gurdurr's opponent for this match and found it was a Nidorino at the ordinary-level early stage. There was a difference of two small stages, which translates to a level difference of five to ten levels. Moreover, Gurdurr's Skill set was good, and the Trainer's command was flawless, so winning this battle was not surprising at all.
At this moment, Gurdurr's Trainer was also loudly asking on the stage:
"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me? Anyone else?"
But due to his brutal record of six consecutive wins, no one around the stage responded for a while. Seeing this, he couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Is this what it feels like to overpower everyone? While thinking this, he continued to ask:
"No one? Is there no one left who dares to challenge me? Who else?!"
Zhou Yuan couldn't stand it anymore. This kid on stage was too arrogant. So, he pushed his way to the front of the crowd and shouted towards the ring:
"I'll do it!"