Chapter 1: World Championships

Xingyuan High School, Third Year, Class 1.

“Ling You, Ling You!” He Pingfan reached out and shook the handsome young man who was napping at his desk, his voice filled with excitement.

“What happened? Did Old Liu pass away?” Ling You groggily opened his eyes, yawning and looking like he hadn't fully woken up, then glanced at He Pingfan beside him and asked.

“What are you dreaming about? I’m talking about getting our initial Pokemon tomorrow. Have you decided yet?” He Pingfan touched Ling You’s forehead to make sure he wasn’t running a fever before speaking.

“Not yet. I’ll just pick the one that suits me best.” Ling You leaned back lazily in his chair, looking out the window. A few Pidove flew across the sky; the afternoon sun shining into the classroom made it a perfect time for Sleeping, and Ling You, having been woken up, was still a bit sleepy.

Of course, it was false to say he hadn't thought about it. Last night, Ling You researched all the popular beginner Pokemon, but in the end, Ling You still felt that he had to see the right one, to have that feeling of 'it has to be her and no other'.

“You, this guy.” He Pingfan didn't quite understand Ling You's theory. “Don't you have any expectations? Even if I knew the result, I’d still be incredibly excited!”

That’s right, for He Pingfan, receiving his initial Pokemon was just a formality. His initial Pokemon, a Scorbunny with the Libero Ability, had already been reserved for him. Tomorrow, he just needed to register his name at the breeding house to pick it up. He even had a Dreepy at home that had been trained for a year.

As a Trainer, He Pingfan was already far ahead. After all, He Pingfan's father was also a former Elite Trainer, whose Ace was a Shinny Dragapult.

Ling You knew about He Pingfan's family situation, as their families were very close. He Pingfan's parents were an Elite Trainer and a Superior breeder, respectively. Ling You's parents, on the other hand, were researchers, currently in the South China Sea studying a fossil Pokemon.

Neither of their family backgrounds was bad, but in terms of the Trainer path, He Pingfan had a clear advantage. It wasn't that Ling You's parents hadn't arranged a Pokemon for Ling You, but Ling You had refused.

He still hoped to encounter his fated Pokemon.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to sleep. I stayed up too late watching the World Championship last night.” Ling You yawned, lay his head on the desk, and drifted off to sleep.

The World Championship is the world’s top event, featuring ranked battles globally. The top 128 Trainers in the rankings qualify for the Eight Masters Tournament, where the Eight Masters compete in a round-robin tournament for the honor of the World Championship Champion.

The previous World Championship Champion was China's Grass-type Heavenly King Lin Kong, and he was also a favorite to win this time. He is currently ranked 6th in the Eight Masters Tournament, and tonight is the second round of the Eight Masters Tournament.

It could be said that this competition has the highest popularity in the world; it’s a global spectacle that even people who know nothing about battles will watch.

He Pingfan was no exception. As for why he was so energetic, it was simply because the effects of the coffee and Red Bull hadn't worn off yet.

The teachers today also seemed somewhat distracted during class, and some elective class teachers even played replays of the World Championship.

Ling You walked home alone after school. He Pingfan had already gone back in his father's car. Although Uncle He had offered to drive Ling You home, one was going to the south of the city and the other to the north, so Ling You didn't want to trouble others.

Ling You liked the feeling of walking; it allowed him to find a slow pace in the fast-paced urban life.

Ling You returned home, threw his backpack into his room, went into the kitchen, boiled water, and made instant noodles, all in one smooth motion.

He sat on the sofa with his bowl and turned on the World Championship channel. It was currently a replay of the first round of the Eight Masters Tournament, featuring China's Grass-type Heavenly King Lin Kong against Japan's newly promoted Fire-type Heavenly King Shenchuan Feng.

The commentator was passionately explaining: “The current score is four to five, with Lin Kong trailing by one point. He only has one Pokemon left, while Japan’s Shenchuan Feng still has two Pokemon.”

Even having watched the replay once, Ling You was still excited. This match was an astonishing two-on-one comeback victory against the odds. Elite Four Lin Kong's Ace was a living example that inspired countless Pokemon Trainers to continuously grow.

“Please, Bulbasaur, secure the victory!” On screen, Lin Kong smiled, appearing at ease, as if he were the one with the advantage.

In contrast, his opponent was quite nervous. Shenchuan Feng's Pokemon on the field at this moment was a heavily wounded Coalossal.

“Coalossal, Fire Blast!” Shenchuan Feng said to Coalossal. In this match, his opponent had never used Water-type or Fire-type moves, or any move that countered Coalossal, to attack Coalossal, which meant its Steam Engine and Weakness Policy were still active.

The opponent's previous Pokemon was a Jumpluff, which had used Rain Dance before fainting, overriding Sunny Day. With heavy rain falling on the field, the flames of Fire Blast were significantly weaker.

“Weather Ball.” Lin Kong did not order Bulbasaur to dodge Fire Blast. Bulbasaur's large red eyes were filled with fighting spirit.

“Da na, da na!”

A white orb of light gathered on its bulb. Bulbasaur launched Weather Ball, and the orb absorbed the energy from the rain, turning into a blue orb of light that flew towards Coalossal.

The blue orb shattered Fire Blast and directly hit Coalossal. Coalossal let out a cry of pain, and its Weakness Policy activated simultaneously with its Steam Engine Ability. If Coalossal had been at full health and taken this Weather Ball, Shenchuan Feng was confident he could defeat at least three of his opponent's Pokemon with just one Coalossal. Unfortunately, Coalossal was now a flickering candle in the wind.

“Coalossal!”

Coalossal knelt on one knee, panting heavily, and surprisingly hadn't fallen yet. Shenchuan Feng's eyes lit up, ready to use this boost to defeat his opponent in one go.

However, in the next moment, Bulbasaur also showed the same boost! Its Attack and Special Attack significantly increased, and its Speed instantly reached maximum!

“How is this possible!” Shenchuan Feng looked at Lin Kong with an incredulous expression, but in the next second, he understood that he had been in Lin Kong's battle rhythm all along.

From Jumpluff's sacrifice, he had fallen into a trap; everything was designed to make Coalossal a stepping stone for Bulbasaur.

“An unexpected result! Elite Four Lin Kong's Bulbasaur actually carried Mimic Herb and directly copied Coalossal's stat boosts!”

Then, Bulbasaur defeated Coalossal with another Weather Ball. Facing the opponent's Ace, Mega Blaziken, Elite Four Lin Kong responded with Gigantamax. Utilizing the advantage of the rain, he secured the victory with just one move, Max Geyser, which was Weather Ball transformed.

“What a powerful tactical composition,” Ling You couldn't help but exclaim. He heard that besides his Ace Bulbasaur, Elite Four Lin Kong had used a newly trained team this time. But even so, he was able to defeat Japan's newly promoted Fire-type Heavenly King, which showed Lin Kong's immense strength.

(Piplup Group: 901194306, interested Trainers are welcome to visit Miaomiao House often)

Ling You's image reference.

He Pingfan's image reference.

Lin Kong's image reference.