Chapter 196: I Want to go First
The arena consisted of five sub-stadiums and one main stadium. Each sub-stadium could accommodate 150,000 on-site spectators.
At Sub-Stadium 1, every seat was filled, with even the aisles packed with people. The total attendance reached an estimated 170,000.
A large security team, equipped with Pokémon, maintained order on-site. All the security personnel were Advanced-level Trainers, while the security captain was a Trainer at Pseudo-Elite level.
Advanced Trainers earned salaries calculated on a monthly basis, depending on their work type, intensity, and risk level, with a minimum monthly pay of 2 million.
For Pseudo-Elite Trainers, the salary wasn't monthly—it was weekly, starting at a minimum of 5 million per week.
Although being a Trainer required significant spending, those who achieved success found countless ways to earn a high income.
Today, Sub-Stadium 1 was livelier than the other four stadiums because the match featured Imperial University vs. Modu Academy.
A battle between two of the Top Five colleges.
Regardless of the outcome, the losing team would lose its place among the Top Five universities this year. Reclaiming that title would only be possible by participating next year.
(T/N: For anyone who got confused for a moment-me, as to how fighting among themselves would they lose the rank, it's because there are five groups A to E and the winners from each group will be the new Top Five)
Previously, Imperial University had faced weaker teams, making the matches uneventful and tension-free.
Now, going up against Modu Academy, they weren't overly nervous but approached the match with the respect a strong opponent deserved.
Coach Wade had already started planning the lineup order.
Although Modu's students primarily specialized in Dragon-types, they likely had Pokémon of other types as well.
If Imperial University sent out an Ice-type, and their opponent predicted this, they might counter with a Trainer using a Fire-type Pokémon.
Thus, the order of participants could significantly influence the outcome of the match.
"Ding!"
"Daily Task Released"
"Dragon Slayer: Defeat at least four Dragon-Type Pokémon."
"Task Rewards: Number of Dragons defeated;
- Four : 4,000 points
- Five : 5,000 points
- Six : 6,000 points
- Eight: 8,000 points"
---
At precisely 8:00 a.m., the daily task appeared as usual.
Seeing this task, Julian was momentarily stunned. While the daily tasks often offered small yet practical rewards, like high-grade Energy Cubes, the point rewards were typically minimal, around a few hundred.
But this time was different—starting at 4,000 points, although there were no additional rewards but these thousands of points were good enough.
'Alright, I'm fired up!'
"Coach!"
Wade was about to discuss the lineup order when Julian suddenly raised his hand.
His voice was inexplicably a little excited.
If Frank was here, he would surely remember the time when the Shu University exchange team visited Imperial University, and Julian had requested to be the first to battle with the same enthusiasm in his voice.
"What is it?"
"I want to be the first to battle," Julian said.
The task points depended on the number of Dragon-types defeated. If his turn came later in the lineup, he might lose the chance to earn points.
The task required defeating at least four Dragon-types; anything less, like three, would yield no rewards.
"Sure"
Wade agreed immediately. He had already planned for Julian to take the lead and Max, the captain, to go last.
Julian hadn't expected such a quick agreement. This saved him the trouble of coming up with excuses.
Wade then went over the lineup order before handing it to the referee.
At 8:10, the match officially began.
Livestream chat;
"King Julian's up first!"
"Metagross: I wonder if these baby dragons can handle me."
"Hah fools, the Dragons will crush him. You underestimate them!"
"Oh, we've got a Dragon fan here!"
"Don't forget, Metagross is also a pseudo-legendary. It's no less powerful than a Dragon-type!"
--
After the coin toss, Imperial University was assigned the red side, while Modu Academy took the blue side.
As the red side, Imperial University had to send out their Pokémon first, giving the blue side the advantage of selecting Pokémon better suited to counter them.
This starting disadvantage was especially concerning for the first battler.
Julian couldn't help but suspect that the coin toss result was rigged against him. Would it have been the blue side if someone else had gone first?
A comment floated across the live stream:
CharizardFan (Will): "Haha, classic unlucky Julian moment."
--
Standing at his position, Julian sent out Metagross.
In a scenario where he had to face 1v8, only Metagross gave Julian the confidence to complete the mission.
His second-strongest Pokémon, Melmetal, seemed less reliable in these type of situations.
Julian trusted and even relied on Metagross, and the bond was mutual.
"Metagross"
Thinking of the minimum 4,000 points and a maximum of 8,000 points, Julian said in a low but enthusiastic voice: "Today, we are taking down every single one of them."
"Meta!!~"
Floating three meters above the ground, Metagross responded with an intense roar, feeling its Trainer's unusually strong belief (or rather, the power of the points).
On the Modu Academy side, the first battler stepped forward—it was Owen, Ian's older brother.
"Salamence!"
Owen sent out his Salamence. Whether through insights from his younger brother Ian, his uncle Wade, or the internet, he was well aware that Julian and his Metagross were not opponents to take lightly.
Salamence, though a Dragon and Flying type, but was well known for its mastery of numerous Fire-type moves.
The Intimidate ability triggered upon its release, yet it had no effect on Metagross.
This told Owen a lot about Metagross's level—it was at least on par with Salamence, likely at the peak of pseudo-Elite class.
"Metagross, Teleport!"
Owen: 'Ridiculous, Everyone knows Metagross can't learn Teleport. You're just trying to fake me out while actually using Agility, aren't you?'
Feigning one move while actually using another was a common strategy, though rarely seen in serious matches unless it had the potential to turn the tide.
But just as he was starting to look down on Julian a little, Metagross really vanished from the spot.
Disappearing with the distinctive "blink" characteristic of Teleport.
"Salamence, Protect!!"
His reaction speed was very fast, as he immediately shouted
Since he didn't know where Metagross might reappear, he opted for the safest route, commanding Salamence to use the move Protect.
As the protective barrier formed around Salamence, Metagross materialized directly behind it. Its Meteor Mash, shimmering with a colorful glow, collided fiercely with the protective shield.
"Phew"
Owen exhaled deeply, relieved that the Protect worked. But before he could ponder how Metagross had managed to use Teleport, a chilling sound reached his ears.
"Crack.. Crack.."
Owen: "??!" (°□°）
*****
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