Waiting, waiting... finally, summer vacation came to an end.
The new semester had begun. The whole atmosphere of the school seemed freshly awakened, filled with a sleepy calm.
Ethan walked through the bustling crowd, observing with a touch of nostalgia the familiar surroundings around him.
At that moment, a young man approached from ahead—it was Leoric Vance, the school's prodigy and the famous "prince of the campus."
"Ethan? What are you doing here?" asked Leoric, a bit surprised.
"The school asked me to come for an exhibition battle," Ethan replied with a faint smile, his eyes gleaming playfully.
"A battle?"
"So the Ethan Black I saw on the list was really you?" said Leoric, half surprised, half mocking. "Did the school bring you here just to make me look good?"
"Make you look good? Don't you recognize me?" Ethan asked, pointing at himself.
"Of course I do. How could I not? You're the eternal mediocre Ethan, right?" Leoric said with a disdainful smile, one that barely hid his mockery.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. It wasn't surprising that Leoric was so confident after hearing his opponent was "Ethan." He surely never imagined that he was facing the champion of the Starter Pokémon Selection Tournament.
"Are you two the students Ethan Black and Leoric Vance?"
At that moment, a student wearing a high school uniform came running toward them.
"I am," Leoric nodded with an air of superiority. "You must be the one assigned to receive us. Take me to your principal."
"Y-yes, this way..." the young man replied nervously, leading them forward.
"Principal, long time no see!" greeted Leoric with a bright smile as soon as he entered the office.
"Leoric! You're as handsome as ever."
"Eh? Ethan, you came too. Come in, come in," the principal said warmly upon seeing them both.
"Ethan, Leoric, I suppose you two already know each other, right?" he asked, glancing between them. As his gaze passed over Ethan, a flicker of surprise briefly crossed his expression.
"Of course! I know Ethan better than anyone," Leoric replied before Ethan could say anything.
"Perfect," the principal nodded. "I hope during the exhibition battle you'll both hold back a little. What matters most is to inspire enthusiasm for battles among the students—to motivate them."
"Don't worry, Principal," Leoric answered with a confident smile. "We know what we're doing. It'll definitely be a great show!"
Of course, he didn't realize that the principal's words were actually directed at Ethan.
Ethan only smiled faintly and nodded silently.
"Very good," said the principal, relieved. "Then I'll leave the presentation and the battle to you two."
A short while later, with everything prepared, the three of them headed toward the sports field.
"Wow, that's Leoric Vance, the top student from last year's exams!"
"Yeah, I recognized him right away! He's even more handsome in person."
"A whole year's passed, and he's still just as charming..."
As Leoric appeared, the entire audience—especially the girls—burst into excited screams, which made him smile in satisfaction.
"I heard there'll be an exhibition battle this time."
"The guy next to Leoric must be his opponent, right?"
"Seems like it... though that guy looks kind of familiar. I feel like I've seen him before."
One student stared curiously at Ethan.
"Familiar?"
"Oh, I remember now! That's Ethan Black!" exclaimed a senior student from the third year, clearly recognizing the graduate from last year.
"Ethan? That name rings a bell too..." muttered a freshman.
"Of course! He's that Ethan, the eternal loser!" another student said between laughs, causing more people to recall the supposed "failure" of the school.
"Wait a second... wasn't the champion of this year's Rookie Tournament also named Ethan Black?"
"What? You mean that champion was our former classmate, the 'bottom of the class' guy?"
"No way, that's gotta be someone else."
The new student looked at Ethan again and, after hearing the whispers around him, slowly shook his head. It was hard to believe that the "Rookie King" and the school's former "slacker" were the same person.
"Hello everyone, I'm your former schoolmate, Leoric Vance..."
Leoric began his speech, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"Principal, may I save my speech for after the battle?" Ethan asked from below the stage, gazing at the students shouting excitedly. His smile slowly widened. He wondered how their expressions would change once the battle began.
"Of course," the principal replied without hesitation.
"Very well, next we'll have the Pokémon Exhibition Battle! The format will be three versus three. Let's welcome students Leoric Vance and Ethan Black to the stage!"
Amid thunderous applause, both stepped onto the battlefield, each holding a Pokéball.
"How exciting! What Pokémon will they use first?" whispered the students eagerly.
Although they had learned a lot about Pokémon battles in class and seen plenty on TV, it was rare to watch one live, right before their eyes.
The third-year students were especially excited—soon they would come of age and receive their first Pokémon. Many imagined themselves standing in that very arena.
"Come on, Ethan," said Leoric with a confident smile. "Send out your strongest Pokémon—or you'll regret it."
Without even waiting for the announcer, Leoric threw his Pokéball. With a burst of electric light, an Electabuzz appeared on the field, its muscular body crackling with sparks that drew wild cheers from the crowd.
"An Electabuzz, huh?"
Ethan smiled calmly and tossed his Pokéball.
"Then let's go... Kingdra!"
When Kingdra appeared, his imposing two-meter-tall body rose in the center of the field. With a serene gaze, he looked at his opponent. Just his presence radiated such pressure that even Electabuzz instinctively took a step back.
(End of Chapter)