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Roy stared at the tournament information displayed on his computer screen, his eyes scanning through the details with growing interest. The European Junior Championships caught his attention immediately, and he began reading through the requirements and regulations.
Internationally, the definition of youth competitors ranged from fourteen to twenty-five years old, which meant this tournament would attract a diverse group of skilled trainers from around the world.
"This championship has no restrictions on nationality or identity, only age restrictions," Roy read aloud to himself, his excitement building as he processed the implications.
The tournament's appeal was obvious. There were only a few super-large spiritual domains on Earth, and the promise of "Kalos's treasure in the spiritual domain" alone would be enough to draw countless participants from every corner of the globe. This wasn't just any ordinary competition - it was a gathering of young elite trainers from around the world, and considering that trainers up to twenty-five years old could participate, Roy knew there would definitely be some professional trainers in the mix.
The opportunity to battle and communicate with elite trainers from across the world was invaluable. Even without the mysterious 'treasure' being offered as the grand prize, this aspect alone would be enough to motivate many ambitious trainers to enter the competition.
As Roy studied the competition format, he noticed that reaching the top sixteen would guarantee prize money and access to choose from corresponding reward tiers. The Mega Stones belonged to the top sixteen prizes - essentially consolation prizes for those who made it far but not quite to the finals. Meanwhile, the coveted Key Stone was reserved as a prize that only the top four finalists could claim.
"As long as I reach the top four, it would be considered a success," Roy mused, weighing his chances carefully. "In that case, even if there are professional trainers competing, it's not impossible to give it a try."
Roy's confidence wasn't unfounded. With his Z-Move technique as his ultimate trump card, he believed he could hold his own against most opponents, as long as he didn't encounter a professional trainer who was completely overwhelming. Even in a worst-case scenario, making it to the top sixteen would still guarantee him a Mega Stone, which meant he wouldn't leave empty-handed regardless of the outcome.
The next day marked the end of Roy's holiday period. This 'holiday' referred not only to his personal break but also to the winter vacation that the school had provided to all students. Now it was time to return - the second semester of his freshman year was about to begin.
It was the official back-to-school day, and Roy arrived at the campus early in the morning. Instead of heading to his dormitory or checking in with classmates, he went directly to Professor Christian's office to explain his situation and request permission for what he needed to do.
"You want to ask for leave again?" Professor Christian looked at his student with a mixture of helplessness and resignation, letting out a long sigh. "Tell me, how long are you planning to be away this time?"
Roy scratched the back of his head, knowing this conversation would be difficult. "It's hard to say exactly," he answered honestly. "If I'm just participating in the competition itself, I should be able to return in time for the midterm examinations. But I'm concerned that something unplanned might happen during the tournament, so I'd like to apply for exemption from the exams entirely."
The truth was, Roy no longer felt any strong attachment to his position as 'Chief Recommended Student.' He had grown beyond needing the benefits and recognition that came with this title. Even if his test scores dropped to zero, it wouldn't affect his current reputation or standing in the slightest. The privileges that came with being the chief recommended student were no longer rare or valuable to him, so he was perfectly willing to leave that opportunity for other students who might need it more.
To put it bluntly, as long as Roy remained enrolled in the school, whoever succeeded him as chief recommended student would probably feel embarrassed to claim the title with any real authority. The most likely candidate to take over the position would be Cade.
"This..." Professor Christian was stunned to hear that Roy not only wanted to miss classes but also skip the examinations entirely. In all his decades of teaching, he had never encountered such a confident student who seemed to operate on their own terms.
His initial instinct was to refuse the request, but Professor Christian fell silent when he considered Roy's absolutely outstanding academic performance. The young man hadn't attended many classes seriously during the previous semester, yet his results had been phenomenal. With achievements like those, it seemed that traditional academic guidance wasn't really necessary for someone of Roy's caliber.
"I'll need to discuss this with Principal Finn," Professor Christian said with a mixture of frustration and resignation. "Though honestly, Principal Finn will probably agree to your request." He paused, then added, "At the very least, you'll need to participate in today's placement test, right?"
Seeing that his leave request would likely be approved, Roy smiled broadly. "Absolutely! I'll make sure to place first for you."
There was no doubt in Roy's mind about this outcome. The first-year examinations had become child's play for him at this point. He could randomly select any of his main Pokemon and completely dominate the competition with overwhelming force.
The placement test for the new semester would maintain the same human-versus-human battle format as before. However, the number of Pokemon allowed had been increased from one-on-one battles to two-on-two battles, keeping pace with the average skill progression of first-year students.
Of course, this 'average' calculation definitely didn't include Roy in the equation.
When Roy arrived at the examination venue, the distinctive Cosmog floating near his shoulder immediately made everyone in the area recognize his identity. This caused an immediate uproar of discussion, with eyes full of various emotions - admiration, envy, curiosity, and intimidation - all focused on him.
Roy had grown accustomed to this kind of attention. He walked calmly to the registration counter and smiled at the upperclassman working there. "Senior, I'd like to register for the test."
"Of course! Right away!" the senior student replied nervously, not forgetting to use a gentle and respectful tone despite her obvious anxiety.
Roy filled out the required paperwork and confirmed which Pokemon he would be using for the day's battles: Electabuzz and Beldum.
Today's main protagonist would be Beldum. During his recent vacation period, these two Pokemon had been the most dedicated to training, continuing their rigorous practice routines every single day despite Roy's attempts to convince them to take breaks and relax.
With such incredible work ethic, excellent natural talent, and access to the highest quality resources Roy could provide, Beldum was already approaching the point where it would evolve. What it lacked was simply the opportunity to gain real combat experience through actual battles.
Today's goal was to allow Beldum to accumulate that crucial battle experience and become familiar with competitive fighting. Electabuzz was primarily there as backup, in case Beldum encountered any unexpected difficulties that might cause an upset.
The matches began, and Roy's opponent in the first round turned out to be an old acquaintance - unfortunately for his opponent.
"Why does it have to be you again?" Callan looked at the bracket displayed on the large screen with complete despair in his voice.
Axel patted him on the shoulder with a sympathetic smile. "Callan, you really should get used to this by now. Let me give you some advice: just accept that getting beaten by Roy is part of the authentic Capital University recommended student experience."
"Get lost!" Callan replied angrily, but there was no real heat in his words.
Soon, Callan walked onto the arena with a heavy heart, his posture resembling that of a condemned prisoner walking to the execution chamber. His back appeared lonely and desolate as he prepared for what he knew would be another decisive defeat.
Both trainers threw their Poke Balls simultaneously.
"Ivy!" Ivysaur appeared on the battlefield full of energy and fighting spirit, ready to take on any challenge.
But in the next moment, when it spotted Roy standing at the opposite trainer's position, the Pokemon froze completely. Its eyes contracted into tiny dots, giving it the exact same expression as a startled Ditto.
The Ivysaur's entire demeanor shifted to one of resignation and disbelief, as if it were thinking, "I should have known this would happen."
Without even bothering to look at what Pokemon its opponent would be using, Ivysaur turned its head toward its trainer with the most resentful expression imaginable. The look in its eyes seemed to say, "I'm supposed to be your ace Pokemon, right? Do you really want to watch me get beaten up like this?"
Callan didn't notice his Pokemon's grief and indignation. He was too busy staring in shock at the Pokemon Roy had chosen to send out.
Not only Callan, but everyone watching the match was completely stunned by what they saw. Immediately, an uproar of excited voices filled the arena.
"Is that a Beldum?"
"A Pseudo legendary Pokemon? And it's shiny too?"
"Where did Roy manage to get something like that?"
"Have I entered some kind of alternate reality? Our Capital University actually has Pseudo legendary Pokemon?"
"This is incredible! Our Capital University really has a Pseudo legendary Pokemon on campus!"
Owning a Pseudo legendary Pokemon was the ultimate dream of every Pokemon trainer. However, due to the extreme rarity of Pseudo legendary Pokemon and their incredible potential for growth, only officially recognized excellent trainers were typically entrusted with their care.
What made this even more remarkable was that this was a Shiny Pokemon - a color variant so rare that encountering one was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Among all the rare Pseudo legendary Pokemon, finding one that was also shiny pushed the odds into astronomical territory. Of all the famous Pseudo-legendary Pokemon that had gained recognition in competitive battling so far, none of them were known to be shiny variants.
The crowd watching the battle suddenly felt overwhelmed by the sheer impossibility of what they were witnessing.
Roy's team consisted of Lucario, Alolan Ninetales, Mimikyu, Blastoise, and now a Shiny Beldum. Well, except for Electabuzz, which was relatively common, every single one of Roy's Pokemon was incredibly rare. Even the least impressive member of his team would be considered a prized starter Pokemon.
The jealousy was overwhelming. Why was life so unfair?
Even though they attended the same school as Roy, the students present suddenly understood exactly how students from other universities felt when facing their school's teams.
Their self-confidence was completely shattered. Some of them didn't want to become trainers anymore and seriously considered going home to inherit their family businesses instead.
The nickname "Demon King" really wasn't an exaggeration.
"Bel!" Beldum, experiencing its first official battle, was extremely excited. As soon as it appeared on the battlefield, a totem aura emerged from its body, enveloping it in a powerful energy field.
Under the Totem condition, its overall combat rating increased by a full grade, reaching C+ level.
Ivysaur stared at Beldum with the expression of a Pokemon that had already accepted its fate. The two Pokemon faced each other in a tense standoff.
The moment the battle officially began, both trainers issued their commands simultaneously.
"Vine Whip!" Callan called out.
"Iron Defense!" Roy responded calmly.
Four powerful Vine Whips lashed out suddenly. The speed and strength behind the attack were completely different from when Riolu had faced similar moves in previous battles - this Ivysaur was clearly much more experienced and powerful.
Facing the incoming attack, Beldum didn't attempt to dodge or evade. Instead, a brilliant metallic light began glowing around its body as it activated its defensive technique.
Crack! The Vine Whips struck with enough force to pulverize massive rocks, but they didn't even leave the slightest scratch on Beldum's hardened surface.
"This defensive power..." Callan's heart sank as he realized the magnitude of the challenge he faced.
Even accounting for Steel-types having natural resistance to Grass-type attacks, this level of defense was completely outrageous. If this were a video game, the damage indicator would probably show 'HP-1' for that attack.
"Use Iron Head," Roy said softly.
Beldum responded immediately, channeling Steel-type energy into its head before launching itself at Ivysaur like a metallic projectile.
Ivysaur was ready for this and dodged the attack with practiced ease.
BOOM! The terrifying impact created a massive crater where Ivysaur had been standing just moments before.
The power behind the attack was absolutely amazing, but there was an obvious weakness that Roy had already identified.
Speed was definitely Beldum's greatest limitation.
Roy wasn't surprised by this observation. Pseudo legendary Pokemon were notorious for being late bloomers, typically having relatively low combat effectiveness in their initial evolutionary forms.
The fact that Beldum possessed such strong defensive capabilities and impressive attack power was already an excellent result of Roy's training methods. Under normal circumstances, even with type advantage, most Beldum wouldn't be able to defeat an experienced Ivysaur like this one.
However, Beldum's incredible defensive abilities made it essentially invincible in this matchup. This would simply become a battle of attrition, where Beldum's superior stamina would eventually win out.
On the battlefield, Beldum worked tirelessly to land hits, using Tackle, Iron Head, and Zen Headbutt in sequence. It utilized all three of the attack moves it had learned so far.
With the enhancement provided by its Totem aura, Beldum's physical stamina was truly remarkable.
Unable to break through Beldum's defense with any of its attacks, Ivysaur could only dodge desperately. After intense physical exertion took its toll, one small mistake in timing directly ended the battle.
Callan withdrew his Pokemon with an expressionless face. His heart remained unmoved by the defeat, and he actually felt like laughing at the situation.
"It took you longer to beat me this time," he thought to himself. "Roy, your efficiency is decreasing. That's it?"
The subsequent battles followed the same pattern. Relying on its incredible defensive capabilities, Beldum consistently dragged battles into wars of attrition, basically winning every one-on-one encounter through sheer endurance.
Of course, there were some battles that resulted in losses.
These defeats came when Beldum faced Fire-type, Dark-type, and Ground-type Pokemon. These three types represented Beldum's greatest weaknesses in terms of type matchups.
Even Beldum's impressive defensive power couldn't completely overcome the disadvantage of type effectiveness, especially when facing the intense heat of Fire-type attacks.
Throughout the day, Beldum experienced the full spectrum of competitive battling: the excitement of engaging in combat, the joy of achieving victory, and the disappointment of suffering defeat.
"Bel!" Under the stimulation of all these various emotions and the accumulation of valuable battle experience, the light of evolution suddenly began to appear around Beldum's metallic body!
The transformation was finally beginning.