Chapter 20: The Combat Tournament Begins
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another two weeks had passed. The class combat tournament had finally arrived.
After this period of intense training, Drilbur had not only solidified its fundamentals but also made significant progress in its strength. It could now use its various moves with great proficiency, hitting whatever it aimed at. Even its height had shot up considerably, reaching an impressive 0.35m. It was finally almost taller than Basalt's knee.
Basalt: (*￣︶￣)
…
In the spacious classroom, all the students were assembled. The combat tournament was about to begin, but the expressions on everyone's faces were vastly different. The students who usually performed well were eager to show off their skills and win the generous rewards, hoping to achieve success and fame. The students who usually performed poorly, however, looked grim.
"Basalt, if you work hard, you still have a chance to get into the top four. I'm not so lucky. I probably won't even make it past two rounds."
The Sandshrew trainer, Gavin, was extremely nervous. His small fists were clenched tightly, and a light sweat had formed on his forehead. This kid was quite clever; he had made up his mind to stick with Basalt and leech off his knowledge. Whatever move Drilbur practiced, Sandshrew would practice the same. Whatever battle style Drilbur adopted, Sandshrew would follow.
And you know what? Although his Sandshrew hadn't mastered Mud-Slap, it had managed to learn Sand Tomb, albeit a version with much less power and a smaller range, making its practical use in battle limited.
"Top four? I hope so." Basalt just smiled and didn't say much more.
Although he had already mentally claimed first place for himself, Basalt was usually very low-key. Even during training spars, he would hold back to avoid revealing his true strength. He had never once revealed Rock Tomb or the Sand Rush ability. This was why Gavin only thought he had a chance at the top four.
But today, Basalt felt there was no longer a need to hide Rock Tomb. As for the Sand Rush ability, he would decide based on the battle situation. If he could keep it hidden, he would.
The bell for class rang, and Ms. Anya, dressed in a tracksuit and running shoes, walked in unhurriedly. Instantly, all the students returned to their seats, obediently waiting for her to speak.
"Alright, everyone, today is the day of our class combat tournament. I'm sure many of you have been looking forward to this for a long time. Now, I will explain the competition's format and the prizes."
Ms. Anya's gaze swept across the classroom. The students immediately quieted down, their ears perked up to listen.
"First, I'll explain the format. This competition is very simple. Each of you will draw a number, and then you will be paired up according to those numbers for one-on-one battles. The winner advances, the loser is eliminated, until the top four and the class champion are decided."
Ms. Anya displayed a tournament bracket. It was very simple and clear. Number 1 would battle number 2, number 3 would battle number 4, the winners of those two matches would battle each other, and the winner of that would battle the winner of the 5-8 bracket, and so on…
"Whoa, that's so simple and brutal!"
"Totally! If you get lucky with a type advantage, it'll be a breeze!"
"But if you're unlucky and get a type disadvantage, wouldn't that be miserable?"
"So, luck is really important! If you're strong to begin with and have good luck on top of that, you could win three matches in a row and get into the top four."
…
Listening to his classmates' discussion, Basalt smiled without saying a word. People who pinned their hopes on luck could never become strong. A truly powerful person could win even with a type disadvantage. Right now, he was more concerned about the prizes.
She held up her hands to quiet the room. Once the students had digested the information, Ms. Anya continued, "Now, let me announce the prizes for the top four."
"First place in the combat tournament will receive a one-month VIP pass to the Meteor Club. Second place will receive a three-month supply of Pokémon Pokéblocks. Third place will receive one Full Heal, and fourth place will receive one Great Ball."
"A one-month VIP pass to the Meteor Club?"
Basalt's eyebrows shot up, a look of delight on his face.
The Meteor Club was the most famous Pokémon club in Seaside County. It was somewhat similar to a high-end fitness club back on Earth, except the clients here were Pokémon. As long as you had a VIP card, any trainer could go to the Meteor Club to train. Not only were the facilities and equipment top-notch, but there were also many professional private coaches who could give you expert advice.
From what Basalt knew, the private coaches at the Meteor Club were, at a minimum, Senior-rank professional trainers with a wealth of experience in Pokémon breeding. They could often give new trainers sharp, insightful advice that would save them a lot of time and help them avoid many pitfalls.
Although Basalt's parents had Pokémon, they weren't professional trainers. They could teach him very little about Pokémon battling and breeding. He had to learn everything himself. While Ms. Anya could answer his questions, she wasn't a dedicated private coach. How could that compare to one-on-one, personalized guidance?
As for the Pokéblocks, Full Heal, and Great Ball, they were nothing compared to the Meteor Club VIP card.
"That Meteor Club VIP card is mine."
Basalt clenched his fists, a slight smile playing on his lips.
But just then, a quiet voice rang out at an inopportune moment.
"Tch~ The first-place prize is just a VIP card for the Meteor Club? And it's only a monthly pass? How lame."
Basalt frowned slightly and turned to see that the source of the voice was Frank. He was flamboyantly pulling a card that shimmered with a golden meteor from his pocket and showing it to the people around him. "See this? This is an annual pass for the Meteor Club. The annual fee alone is 120,000 Pokédollars!"
Frank controlled his voice very well, so only the few people around him heard; Ms. Anya did not. It was obvious he was just showing off his wealth.
"Damned rich kid," Basalt cursed under his breath, but there was nothing he could do. It was frustrating when something you desperately worked for was insignificant to someone else, something they could even casually discard.
All roads lead to Rome? You might not reach Rome even with all your effort, but some people are born in Rome! What could you do when someone was just lucky enough to be born a rich kid? The only thing to do was work hard and try to become a self-made man.
"Alright, let's begin the draw."
Ms. Anya opened a program on her computer, and all the students' avatars appeared. Below each avatar was a number box. As she clicked the mouse, the numbers in all the boxes began to spin. This was the electronic age; no one thought they'd still be drawing lots by hand, right?
"Stop!"
As Ms. Anya pressed the stop button, all the students' numbers were revealed in an instant.
"Number 6? That's a good sign," Basalt said with a smile, looking up.
He was number 6, and his opponent was number 5, a red-faced boy whose starter was a Nidoran♂.
"Is my luck really that bad?"
When the red-faced boy saw that his opponent was Basalt, his face immediately fell. Not only was Basalt one of the strongest in the class, but in terms of type matchup, his Nidoran♂ was completely countered by Drilbur.
"Looks like I'm just here to hand over a free win," the red-faced boy said dejectedly.
According to the numbers, Basalt was in the third match. First would be the battle between 1 and 2, then 3 and 4, and then it would be his turn.
"I'll just wait a bit," Basalt said calmly, completely confident of his victory.
Soon, the competition began. The first match was Meowth VS Cleffa. The Cleffa's trainer was Chloe. It was clear Chloe wasn't cut out to be a trainer. Her Cleffa was well-fed and beautifully groomed, but in terms of strength, it was a joke.
After a single Scratch from Meowth, the Cleffa burst into tears and ran out of the battle area, crying in Chloe's arms. No matter how she coaxed it, it refused to continue fighting and was immediately disqualified.
"Are you kidding me?" Basalt had a dark look on his face. As expected, none of these girls could fight.
The second match was more normal: Mankey VS Psyduck. With no type disadvantage, the two Pokémon traded blows, and in the end, Mankey's slightly higher attack power won it the victory.
Compared to the assessment match two weeks ago, his classmates' skills had improved considerably, and their battles looked somewhat decent. But in Basalt's eyes, they were still lacking and couldn't escape the label of "noob."
"Contestants number 5 and number 6, please enter the field!" The referee began to wave his small flag.
That's right, for this competition, the school had even sent a teacher to act as a referee. Ms. Anya's only job today was to record the results and grade the students' performance. She was quite busy; as their teacher, she also had to observe her students' weaknesses during the competition to inform her future teaching.
"It's finally my turn!"
Basalt walked onto the battlefield with a grin. It was finally his time to shine.