There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [31]
At the same time, the groupings for the U20 tournament were officially announced. According to complete statistics, this year's competition saw a total of 604 participants. Excluding the 28 seeded spots from various schools, the remaining 576 competitors would face off in 1v1 elimination matches to fight for a place in the top 100. After three rounds, 72 contestants would be chosen, and along with those selected from popularity polls, revival matches, and the 28 seeded players, the tournament would reach its top 128.
This tournament's level of attention and popularity had reached an all-time high in recent years for any Jiangcheng event. Major newspapers and television stations had already begun extensive coverage, while businesses had quickly seized the commercial opportunities and started preparing in full swing.
"Detailed tournament rules, only 10 yuan per copy!" A street vendor was shouting in the crowd, rushing over to block passersby, saying, "Hey kids, I see you're also contestants. You've got to take a good look at the rules!"
Hearing this, A Le was about to take out his phone to scan the QR code, but Lu Cheng stopped him, exasperated: "Are you stupid? All of this is available on the official website for free. This stuff is just a scam to rip you off!"
Upon hearing Lu Cheng's words, the vendor's face turned green as he waved them away: "Get lost! Don't interfere with my business!"
"Hey, uncle, looks like you're not just selling this stuff," Lu Cheng said with a grin, eyeing the vendor's stall and picking up a booklet titled Exclusive! U20 Trainer Rankings. He asked, "How much is this?"
"20! No haggling!" the vendor grumbled.
"So expensive," Lu Cheng muttered as he flipped through the booklet.
What surprised Lu Cheng was that the booklet actually had a serious-looking ranking of contestants. Ranked number one was a 16-year-old boy named Gao Chi, with an exaggerated introduction beside his name. "Number one at Lingjun High School, heir to a fighting Pokémon family, city youth tournament champion, and a genius trainer determined to win the U20 tournament!"
The chubby A Le peeked over and exclaimed, "That title sure sounds impressive!"
The vendor, a bit frustrated, said, "If you're not buying, don't just stand there!" But seeing A Le's Wingull eyeing him warily from his shoulder, the vendor softened his tone: "Just don't block other customers, okay?"
"Look at this," Lu Cheng pointed at a part of the text, reading aloud: "Starter Pokémon: Machop. Signature move: Karate Chop. Has multiple records of one-hit KOs in tournaments."
"When did Karate Chop become a signature move?" Lu Cheng wondered aloud.
A Le chimed in, "Don't knock it! I've actually heard rumors about this guy."
A Le thought for a moment and said, "That so-called 'fighting family' must be the one that got replaced by the Jitian Gym. They used to teach karate but had their gym license revoked by the Pokémon Association for not being strong enough."
"That bad?" Lu Cheng was surprised.
"Yeah," A Le nodded, "but still, as a gym leader's son, he's bound to be pretty strong."
Lu Cheng kept flipping through the booklet and was surprised to recognize a few familiar names. Among them was the foreigner A Le had mentioned earlier—his name was Kevin. Bold red letters beside his name read, "Noble son from the U.S.! Starter Pokémon: Ralts!" The picture showed Kevin standing with his arms crossed, showing off his cufflinks and watch, smiling confidently like a model on a magazine cover.
"Next page!" A Le urged.
The next page featured their old classmate Hu Sheng, striking a flashy pose with one hand on his hip, in stark contrast to Kevin's polished appearance.
Lu Cheng noticed that most of the booklet featured high-profile contestants with a lot of buzz, along with the schools' publicly announced seeded spots, forming this so-called ranking. However, other seeded contestants, including Su Xiangrou and Lu Cheng himself, weren't listed. Clearly, this ranking focused more on popularity than anything else.
With 600 contestants, even the preliminary matches were bound to be filled with hidden talents. If anyone got complacent just because they were seeded into the top 128, they'd be setting themselves up for an early exit! Lu Cheng smiled as he returned the roster to the vendor's stall and continued walking with A Le toward one of the tournament's sub-venues. Today, Lu Cheng was mainly accompanying A Le to familiarize himself with the competition grounds ahead of time.
With just a month to complete such a large tournament, the schedule was tight. Three days after the groupings were announced, the first round of elimination matches would begin. A Le was assigned to Venue 17, located on the southeast side of the "West Lake Egg." Since this was a rookie competition, the battlefields would be kept simple, with no additional terrain effects.
After returning from the venue, the chubby A Le wore a distressed expression. "Lu Cheng, I'm so nervous!"
"Nervous about what?" Lu Cheng chuckled. "You should be using these three days to train your Wingull, rather than fretting."
"But my Wingull has never been in a real battle," A Le groaned. "Even in the few sparring matches with my crush, she wasn't even trying, and I still got crushed!"
"Well, her parents are professional trainers," Lu Cheng said awkwardly, trying to offer some comfort.
"No, this won't do, Lu Cheng!" A Le suddenly grabbed Lu Cheng, shouting, "You've got to help me!"
"Huh?"
"For the next three days, let's train together!"
Ding—New Task: 'Youth is Sweat and Passion!'
Task Objective: Train Pokémon with A Le for a total of three days (at least three hours of training per day).
Reward: 5,000 yuan, potential points (based on training results), and a Competitor's Vest.
A Le's small eyes were filled with big hope. With the rewards at stake, Lu Cheng had no reason to refuse. Plus, it was a good way to motivate himself to train as well. Nodding, Lu Cheng agreed.
---
"The first lesson of special training is a Pokémon battle!" Early the next morning, Lu Cheng dragged A Le to the familiar construction site.
"Uh, alright..." A Le had a long red band tied around his head, with the words "Passion" on the front and "Determination" on the back. But clearly, he wasn't fully awake yet, yawning constantly and looking dazed.
"I'll say this upfront, I won't go easy on you." Lu Cheng, also dressed in a tracksuit, said seriously, "I'll treat you as a real opponent, and you need to take this battle seriously too!"
I can't beat you even if I try! A Le grumbled silently in his heart but still threw out his Poké Ball. "Go, Wingull!"
"Treecko, I'm counting on you!" A Le was surprised to see the rare Treecko, especially in Zhejiang province, and asked, "Is this your new Pokémon?"
Lu Cheng nodded. "Pay attention, I'm going on the offensive!"
This was also Treecko's first battle since being captured. Lu Cheng vividly remembered Gongsun Rong's teaching: Never underestimate your opponent. No matter how weak they seem, you must always give your all in every battle!
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