"The selection tournament list is out. The matches begin tomorrow, so please be prepared."
Opening the door, Ray handed over a form.
"I understand. I'll get ready ahead of time."
"Good. Then I shall take my leave."
Ray closed the door respectfully before turning to depart.
Despite Gu Yuan being much younger than him, Ray had shown no condescension from the start. On the contrary, he admired the boy from the bottom of his heart. A person with no background had relied solely on talent to grow into an Ace Rank trainer within a single year of traveling, even winning the Indigo League championship. After three months of special training, he had successfully helped his quasi-Ace Pokémon break through. No matter how one looked at it, he was an undisputed favorite of the heavens.
Faced with such a person, how could Ray not feel admiration and respect?
It was important to note that Ray wasn't the only one with this mindset.
Gu Yuan, unaware that he had already achieved such fame, saw that his first opponent was Shimura, whom he had fought once during the Indigo League. Confirming that the first match posed no threat, he resumed his training in psychic powers.
These past few days, he felt himself getting closer and closer to breaking through to becoming a Middle-tier Psychic. If he could break through after the selection tournament, his survival capabilities would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Gu Yuan didn't believe for a second that those families would give up after only one assassination attempt. Once he left the Kanto region, it would undoubtedly be the perfect time for them to strike. In the eyes of these people, no honor could compare to their own interests; they didn't care at all whether he was going to win glory for the Kanto region.
In another room, Shimura's expression grew increasingly grim as he looked at his first opponent.
During the three months leading up to the selection tournament, Shimura had kept a close eye on information regarding Gu Yuan. He was even aware of the discussions held to deal with the boy. However, what he hadn't expected was that Gu Yuan wouldn't just survive, but would undergo a meteoric rise in strength over those three months, now possessing five Ace Rank Pokémon.
Against an opponent of this caliber, there was no hope of victory. Realizing this, Shimura felt a wave of indignation mixed with a sense of utter helplessness!
Damn you, Gu Yuan. Just wait. So what if you can participate in the selection tournament? When you leave the Kanto region, it will be the day you die!
At this moment, knowing he would stop here, Shimura could only find solace in such dark thoughts.
Time passed, and the selection tournament began as scheduled.
There was no ceremony and no audience, only a few Elite-level trainers presiding over the event. The first match was Gu Yuan's battle. As the champion of the Indigo League, he naturally drew considerable attention, especially since his opponent was the tournament's third-place finisher.
"The battle begins!"
As the referee's voice rang out, Gu Yuan and Shimura released their Pokémon simultaneously. With a flash of white light, Ditto appeared on the field.
Seeing Gu Yuan lead with Ditto, a hint of smugness flashed in Shimura's eyes. Based on his knowledge of the champion, he figured there was a high probability Gu Yuan would lead with Ditto. Only by doing so could he hide his true strength, just as he had during the Indigo League.
In that case, his Drapion had a chance of winning. Even if he lost eventually, at least he wouldn't be swept three-to-zero, saving him some face. However, Shimura couldn't help but feel that this line of thinking was a bit pathetic. He was supposed to be a genius; since when had he fallen so low that simply defeating one of the opponent's Pokémon was enough?
Regardless of his thoughts, he didn't hesitate to order Drapion to attack.
"Start with Pin Missile, then use Scary Face!"
Shimura had a tactic prepared for Drapion from the start. The moment the battle began, Drapion charged at maximum speed. Needle-like pins resembling missiles shot out in succession, forming the first wave of offense.
"Houndoom, release a series of Fire Blast!"
The roaring, burning symbols of fire surged out, swallowing the Pin Missile whole. Seizing this opportunity, Drapion closed the distance to Ditto. It unleashed a Scary Face, but Ditto followed Gu Yuan's command and used Inferno!
While Ditto's speed was lowered, the Inferno slammed directly into Drapion's chest. Under the impact of the scorching flames, Drapion was knocked back, and the burn status set in immediately.
Seeing this, Shimura's face darkened even further, and his resentment toward Gu Yuan deepened. In truth, even Shimura couldn't accurately judge whether he felt hatred or pure jealousy. He envied Gu Yuan's talent, his strength, and the natural advantage he held as a Psychic.
"Drapion, use Acupressure and follow up with a combo!"
"Houndoom, Nasty Plot!"
Acupressure activated, and Drapion's speed increased.
"Drapion, Earthquake!"
"Ditto, flood the entire battlefield with fire!"
The shockwave spread, and the entire battlefield began to crack and shatter. After enduring the Earthquake, Ditto continuously released Inferno, causing the intense heat to quickly cling to the broken arena. In an instant, the entire field turned into a sea of fire, forcing Drapion to seek a quick resolution.
Without hesitation, Drapion charged forward under Shimura's command. With its increased speed, it reached Ditto in the blink of an eye, only to be met by a Fire Blast. Suffering from the burn status, the physically-oriented Drapion was simply unable to break through Ditto's offensive.
"The final blow, Drapion! Giga Impact!"
After weakening Ditto's stamina with several Earthquake hits, Shimura ordered Drapion to launch its final assault. Energy condensed as Drapion turned into a streak of light, breaking through the wall of flames and heading straight for Ditto.
"Ditto, gather all the flames! Fire Blast!"
The fire converged into a massive symbol in front of Ditto, stubbornly blocking Drapion's charge. Once Drapion's momentum was exhausted, the burn damage ticked again, taking Drapion out.
Shimura didn't hesitate to swap in his next Pokémon, hoping to crush Ditto while its stamina was low. Unfortunately, Gu Yuan was faster. Ditto first transformed into Alakazam and then used Recover, completely extinguishing any hope Shimura had for victory.
The rest of the battle was much simpler. With Ace Rank strength, Shimura's other two Pokémon were no match and fell one after another to Ditto's assault.
The moment the battle ended, Shimura made no effort to hide his resentment. However, all he could do was glare at Gu Yuan before recalling his Pokémon and slinking away in disgrace.
With Gu Yuan's opening act finished, the next up was Akatsuka, who undoubtedly drew a significant amount of attention. Seeing this, Gu Yuan remained in the stands to watch Akatsuka's battle.