Chapter 54: Ryoma's Fans

"Whoa, was that Gyro Ball?"

"Isn't Gyro Ball an attack move? To think it can be used like that!"

"I learned something new, learned something new!"

At the same time, the onlooking classmates were amazed to see Sandshrew use Gyro Ball to block Hyper Beam, and with the previous spinning Sand Attack, their gazes toward Ryoma were now clearly filled with admiration!

"This Ryoma is so strong! He managed to train an ordinary Sandshrew to this level. That's far better than those who already own powerful Pokémon!"

"That's right, especially that George."

"Hmph, is having a Pyroar really so impressive?"

"I was wrong to think so highly of someone who doesn't even care about their Pokémon's life or death!"

"Exactly! I also looked down on that George!"

Suddenly, countless fans of George turned against him, switching allegiances to join Ryoma's fan club.

"So what? Just look at that Yuto."

"Who knows what Ryoma's family situation is? He could just be a wealthy young master. Otherwise, how could he possibly train such an outstanding Sandshrew on his own?"

With so many opinions floating around, there are always a few troublemakers who can't resist jumping in when everyone is focused on admiring Ryoma.

"Um..."

At that moment, a weak voice spoke up, its owner looking quite embarrassed.

"What? Rojin, you know him?"

"Oh, right! Your name is Rojin, and his name is Ryoma. You two aren't related, are you?"

The one speaking was Rojin, who, after losing to Ryoma, had worked hard and eventually gained admission to Aloha Pokémon Academy with the help of his father's connections.

"Related? Strictly speaking, yes, we're from the same village," Rojin sighed, glancing at Ryoma with mixed feelings.

It hadn't been long since their last battle, yet Ryoma's rate of growth was simply terrifying!

Unapproachable, unapproachable.

"Since you're from the same village, why don't you tell us about him?"

Immediately, a group of gossip-hungry classmates surrounded Rojin, eager to ask questions.

"Um, if I say he's a commoner, will you believe it?" Rojin hesitated before speaking.

"Commoner? Are you kidding? It's hard enough to keep one Pokémon alive, let alone train it to this level!" A troublemaker quickly retorted.

This time, even the other classmates looked puzzled. Just like that troublemaker said, keeping a Pokémon alive is indeed difficult, and raising it well is even harder. They all knew this from experience.

"I'm not lying to you. He became a Trainer thanks to the Secret Realm invading our village, and that's how he got a Sandshrew as compensation," Rojin quickly explained Ryoma's situation, and the more they listened, the more surprised they became.

"I have no reason to lie to you. We are from Yukimura Village, so just ask and you'll find out," Rojin concluded, shrugging helplessly.

His words convinced most of the people present, but it also made them even more astonished.

From Rojin's account, it was clear that this Ryoma was a genius—one that was extraordinarily talented.

After all, only a few months had passed since he obtained Sandshrew, yet his rate of improvement was truly frightening!

"Uh, if I'm not mistaken, this Ryoma seems to be Sato Professor's assistant. I think I saw him pull out Sato Professor's assistant card."

This statement caused a stir, and everyone present froze in disbelief.

What did they just hear?

This Ryoma actually took Sato Professor's assistant card?

An eighteen-year-old newcomer becoming Sato Professor's assistant? That was way too outrageous!

It was completely impossible!

"Are you sure you didn't missee? Was it really Sato Professor's assistant card?" A soon-to-graduate senior stared intensely at the one who made the remark, his expression extremely dark.

Clearly, he was also a competitor for Sato Professor's assistant position!

"I shouldn't have misseen..." The junior was startled by the sudden pressure and quickly replied in a weak voice.

"Damn it! Ryoma, huh? I won't let this go!" The senior huffed coldly and left the arena, having lost all interest in watching the matches! 

…

In infirmary.

After the end of the match, Yuto hurriedly brought Charmeleon in for treatment.

"Don't worry, Charmeleon's injuries shouldn't be serious; a bit of rest and it will be fine," Ryoma comforted him while handing over a bottle of milk tea.

"Mm."

Yuto responded absentmindedly, occasionally glancing toward the treatment room.

"Ding!"

At that moment, the indicator light in the treatment room changed from red to green, and soon they saw the nurse pushing Charmeleon out from within.

"Your Charmeleon is fine now. Just let it rest a bit, and it should be back to normal by this afternoon," the doctor followed, smiling at the anxious Yuto.

"Ah, that's great! Thank you, doctor!" Yuto quickly expressed his gratitude.

The morning matches had concluded, and the semifinals were scheduled for the afternoon, with the final match taking place in the evening, perfectly coinciding with the Halloween celebration.

During lunch, Ryoma and Yuto returned to their dormitory. At that time, Professor Sato also came to check in. After giving Charmeleon a brief examination, he let out a slight sigh of relief and took out a healing potion for Charmeleon to drink.

The healing potion that Professor Sato provided was clearly a high-quality item, and Charmeleon, who had initially been somewhat sluggish, instantly perked up after drinking it, as if it had taken a stimulant.

"Make sure to perform well this afternoon, and try to use Sandstorm. Otherwise, those two Scyther will be tough to deal with."

As he prepared to leave, Professor Sato patiently advised, and Ryoma naturally agreed enthusiastically. Professor Sato just wanted to see how Sandshrew would utilize Sandstorm in battle.

"Our opponents are Scyther; what should we do this afternoon?"

After Charmeleon fully recovered, Yuto sighed in relief and began enthusiastically discussing strategy with Ryoma.

"There's no need to hide the Sandstorm technique anymore."

"If we can defeat Scyther, we'll probably have to face that Metang and Shelgon."

"These two Pokémon, one has Steel type, and the other has a hard shell. The effects of Sandstorm are not very significant."

Ryoma thought for a moment and began formulating their battle plan for the afternoon.