"The World Focuses on You..."
A familiar phrase echoed in Roy's mind, but he was thoroughly confused.
"What's happening? Is my popularity rising?" Roy wondered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I didn't invite any cheerleaders, so could it be my good looks that finally made me go viral?"
He remained oblivious to what was transpiring online.
When the Elite Four member's son had made his announcement, the battle system had just notified Roy that his match was about to begin. He'd left his phone in his locker and headed straight to the battlefield, only to discover his popularity rating had skyrocketed within the system.
In mere minutes, it had surged to almost 100,000...
This was more profitable than when he'd hired a cheering squad the previous week.
"Trainers, please take your positions!"
Hearing the referee's announcement, Callan and Roy simultaneously stepped onto the Trainer platforms on opposite sides of the battlefield, each gripping a Poké Ball.
Callan was brimming with fighting spirit as he looked confidently at Roy. Though he didn't speak, his expression conveyed everything.
I will win!
"The battlefield will be Rock terrain."
"Weather conditions: Sunny."
"The rules are a one-on-one battle until one Pokémon is unable to battle!"
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One!"
As the countdown ended, both Trainers threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.
Bulbasaur and Riolu materialized on the battlefield.
The rivals locked eyes with intense animosity. Riolu sneered disdainfully at his previously defeated opponent, which caused Bulbasaur's face to darken with anger, his eyes burning with determination.
"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder! Follow with Vine Whip!" Callan calmly executed his pre-planned strategy.
Preventing Riolu from getting close remained his primary objective.
To achieve this, he employed a move he hadn't used before: Sleep Powder.
This wasn't a recently learned technique—Bulbasaur had known it for quite some time.
But Sleep Powder in real battles wasn't as straightforward as in games. Anyone could understand that powder moves traveled slowly—painfully slowly.
There was no way it would hit a Pokémon as quick as Riolu.
Therefore, Callan had adapted a strategy using vines to generate wind!
Bulbasaur extended four vines, spinning them like an electric fan, whipping up a gust that dispersed the pollen throughout the entire arena.
The diluted Sleep Powder wouldn't be enough to put Riolu to sleep completely, but it could induce drowsiness.
Simultaneously, Bulbasaur continuously released a barrage of Growl attacks.
Growl—a basic move that lowered the opponent's Attack stat and focus.
The physical interference of Vine Whip and Razor Leaf had failed last time. This time, Callan had intensified his approach by adding the psychological interference of Sleep Powder and Growl.
A two-pronged attack!
'Compared to yesterday, you've barely grown at all. Just surrender now!' Callan shouted passionately in his mind.
Roy understood his opponent's tactical goals, but found them unnecessarily elaborate. He could only groan internally.
Then...
"Fancy but ineffective," Roy chuckled.
"Riolu, Quick Attack!"
Riolu transformed into a blue blur at an unexpected speed, instantly vanishing from Callan's field of vision.
"Saaaaur!"
Bulbasaur wailed in pain, and Callan finally caught sight of the blue-black figure.
How fast!
"Metal Claw!"
Steel-type energy flashed as Riolu slammed a glowing claw onto Bulbasaur's head, sending the Grass-type crashing hard to the ground.
The impact force made Bulbasaur bounce back into the air, and Riolu, with instinctive fighting skill, raised his foot and executed a powerful sweeping kick.
At that moment, Roy's battle instincts and reaction time allowed him to keep pace with Riolu's astonishing speed.
In perfect synchronization, Roy's command came just as Riolu prepared to strike.
"Rock Smash!"
Like a projectile, Bulbasaur was sent flying high before crashing outside the arena boundaries, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
Riolu's lightning-fast three-hit combo was executed in one fluid motion—not giving his opponent any chance to recover.
Turn-based battling?
Nonexistent here.
Finding an opening and exploiting it took mere seconds.
"Phew!" Roy exhaled with relief. His opponent had tried to outsmart him with tactics, but fortunately, his Pokémon had superior skills!
As the dust settled, Callan stared blankly at his badly bruised Bulbasaur, hearing the referee announce the verdict.
"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! The winner is Riolu and Trainer Roy!"
"..."
Callan's mind went blank.
His legs suddenly weakened, and he slumped to the ground.
Defeated.
He had lost again.
No, if it had been just a normal loss, he would have been disappointed but not devastated.
Because, just as he had prepared for Roy, his opponent might have developed a strategy specifically to counter him...
If it had been an intense battle where both sides gave their all, Callan would have accepted defeat gracefully.
But what was this outcome?
What had happened?
Callan felt dizzy for a moment as he stared at Riolu standing victoriously on the battlefield, wondering if this Pokémon was some kind of monster to have improved so dramatically in just one day...
After a few seconds, he noticed something peculiar.
'Where are the bracelets?'
Callan spotted the discrepancy.
When battling against this Riolu yesterday, the Fighting-type had worn a bracelet on each wrist.
But today, Riolu's arms were bare.
Buying accessories for beloved Pokémon was quite normal—not just girls liked them, many male Trainers actually enjoyed dressing up their Pokémon. Callan hadn't thought anything of it yesterday.
But now, some intuition told him that the reason for Riolu's sudden improvement might be because the bracelets had been removed.
'Could they have been some kind of special items?'
Callan speculated.
The arrival of Pokémon in their world had brought many artifacts from different dimensions and timelines.
Items like Poké Balls and the healing machines at Pokémon Centers were developed by studying and improving technology found in ancient ruins.
Beyond these technological advances, the ruins occasionally yielded items with magical properties...
Such as Fire Stones, Water Stones, and more...
Callan had heard that a few years ago, a magical item called 'King's Rock' had sold for an astronomical 500 million Pokédollars at an auction exclusively for professional Trainers.
But Roy came from a common background—how could he have obtained such rare items?
Callan couldn't comprehend it.
"Student Callan!"
The referee's stern voice interrupted his thoughts with a reprimand: "What should a Trainer do immediately after losing a battle?"
"...Recall my Pokémon, and then shake hands with my opponent," Callan replied, embarrassed by his complete lapse in protocol. "I'm sorry, I was distracted."
He quickly stood up and recalled Bulbasaur into its Poké Ball.
Callan walked to the center of the arena, feeling shocked, embarrassed, and ashamed. He looked at Roy with complicated emotions as they shook hands in the traditional post-battle salute.
Taking a deep breath, he said with a sincere smile:
"Go on and win it for both of us."
"..."
Roy released his hand and looked at his classmate with bewilderment.
"You haven't been eliminated, have you?"
"Well..."
"These are just the qualifying rounds," Roy held back a smile and said with a 'shocked' expression. "Oh, and the two Trainers who advance from the qualifiers won't meet before the finals. From that perspective, it seems you don't have confidence in reaching the finals yourself, which is why you're telling me this now."
"Yep."
Callan was now so embarrassed that he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, so he could only nod repeatedly.
Roy turned around and waved his hand.
"I will win."
The simple, straightforward declaration gave Callan hope.
With Roy's strength and his Riolu, perhaps they could even defeat the Elite Four member's son...
Meanwhile, when the results of the first round of the Group F rankings were posted, the Capital University forum exploded!