The morning session was dedicated to Pokémon Theory.
Although Pokémon battles appeared to be contests of raw strength, experienced Trainers knew that victory depended on far more than a Pokémon’s power.
A Trainer’s battlefield awareness, command ability, understanding of type matchups, move combinations, Abilities, and battle tactics were all equally important.
Simply owning a powerful Pokémon didn’t guarantee victory.
Otherwise, Trainers wouldn’t be necessary at all.
During every battle, a Trainer had to observe the entire battlefield, quickly analyze the opponent’s Pokémon, identify its moves, Ability, and possible strategies, and then issue the most effective commands.
Whenever the opponent used a move with a secondary effect, the Trainer had to instantly judge its impact and decide whether to attack, defend, dodge, or counter.
A skilled Trainer also knew how to chain together different moves, maximizing their Pokémon’s strengths while minimizing its weaknesses.
The most memorable battles were never won by Pokémon alone.
They were the result of perfect teamwork between a Trainer and their partner.
For that reason, theoretical knowledge was considered one of the foundations of becoming an outstanding Trainer.
— The afternoon was reserved for class battle practice.
At the same time, it served as an assessment of every student’s combat ability.
There were thirty students in Adrian Sterling’s class.
Twenty of them were registered Trainers.
Naturally, only those twenty would participate in the tournament.
Each match would be a one-on-one battle.
After all, the students had only been registered Trainers for about two months, and nearly half of them still owned only a single Pokémon.
— Standing before the class, Homeroom Teacher Xia Xiangyu announced the rewards.
“The student who finishes in first place will receive a type-specific resource worth approximately ₹2,00,000.” “Second place will receive a reward worth around ₹1,00,000.” “Third place will receive a reward worth approximately ₹50,000.” “If you don’t need the reward itself, you may exchange it for cash.” The students all came from respectable families.
Although ₹2,00,000 wasn’t a life-changing amount for many of them…
A prize earned through one’s own strength carried a very different meaning.
— The classroom immediately became lively.
One after another…
Students turned to look at Adrian.
Surprisingly…
None of them hoped to avoid him.
Instead…
They hoped to be matched against him.
Battling someone stronger was the fastest way to improve.
Without question, everyone in the class believed Adrian was the strongest among them.
Facing a powerful opponent wasn’t something a true Trainer should fear.
Many students had already begun planning tactics in case they ended up fighting him.
Sitting quietly at his desk, Adrian noticed all the eager stares directed his way.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
“Why does it feel like I’ve become the final boss?” It seemed everyone wanted to challenge him.
— Soon, the entire class followed Xia Xiangyu to the school’s battle complex.
As one of the region’s premier Trainer academies, Steelix High School possessed an impressive fifty-five battle arenas, covering a vast campus.
Compared to universities, however, that number wasn’t particularly remarkable.
Top institutions like Yindu University occupied an area nearly as large as a small city.
— The tournament bracket had already been decided through a random draw.
Adrian had drawn Number Nine.
The matchups followed a simple format.
Number One would face Number Twenty.
Number Two would face Number Nineteen.
And so on.
Adrian’s opponent…
Would be Number Twelve.
He didn’t care who he was facing.
His opponent, however, was visibly thrilled.
“I’m actually fighting Young Master Adrian!” His excitement was impossible to hide.
Beside him, another classmate looked at his own draw with obvious disappointment.
“So close…” “I almost drew him too.” — The tournament officially began.
The first battle featured Number One against Number Twenty.
One specialized in Water-type Pokémon.
The other was a Ground-type Trainer.
Although both had only become registered Trainers recently, the quality of their battle surprised everyone.
Their command skills were smooth, proving they had accumulated considerable experience long before becoming official Trainers.
Battle experience mattered tremendously.
The more battles a Trainer fought…
The more instinctive their decisions became.
For children from ordinary families, however, opportunities to gain battle experience before high school were extremely limited.
Even the cheapest Battle Clubs charged several thousand rupees to rent Pokémon and an arena for a single practice match.
That price alone was enough to discourage many families.
Students from wealthy backgrounds enjoyed a completely different upbringing.
Guided by experienced family elders, they often began learning Pokémon battles at seven or eight years old…
Sometimes even earlier.
By the time ordinary students officially became Trainers during their third year of high school…
Those privileged students already possessed years of practical experience.
The gap between them was enormous.
That was one of the biggest reasons civilian Trainers struggled to compete with descendants of prestigious families.
— Adrian was the perfect example.
Born with the Perfect Steel Heart, blessed with extraordinary talent, and carrying the memories and maturity of an adult, he had shown exceptional intelligence from an early age.
Because of that…
His grandfather and parents began training him in Pokémon battles when he was only three years old.
At first, he commanded only low-level Pokémon.
As he grew older…
The difficulty steadily increased.
Eventually…
He began commanding Quasi-Elite and Elite-level Pokémon during training.
He had even once directed one of his grandfather’s Quasi-Champion Pokémon in battle.
Years of constant practice had forged instincts far beyond those of his classmates.
— One battle after another came to an end.
Finally…
It was Adrian’s turn.
With a flash of white light…
His partner appeared.
— Name: Aron Type: Steel/Rock Level: 8 Potential: Quasi-Champion Ability: Heavy Metal Held Item: Hard Stone Gender: Male Moves – Tackle – Harden – Metal Claw – Rock Tomb TM Moves – Dig – Rock Slide – Protect – Sandstorm Egg Moves – Endeavor – Stomp – Head Smash — To everyone’s surprise…
Adrian hadn’t chosen Beldum.
Instead…
He sent out Aron.
“Aron!” The little Steel-type let out an energetic cry.
Its voice still sounded youthful, making it appear more adorable than intimidating.
Thanks to Adrian’s careful upbringing, a steady diet of high-quality metal ores, and the System’s exclusive Energy Cubes…
Aron had developed exceptionally well.
It already stood nearly 0.7 metres tall.
An ordinary Aron of the same age measured only about 0.4 metres.
Even more impressive…
It hadn’t yet reached Level 10.
There was still enormous room for growth.
— The afternoon sun shone brightly overhead.
Golden rays reflected brilliantly from Aron’s metallic armor, making it gleam with an almost indestructible luster.
Experienced Trainers could often judge a Pokémon’s condition simply by looking at it.
Smooth fur.
Bright, determined eyes.
Sharp claws.
A sturdy build.
Healthy posture.
A Pokémon displaying all those qualities had undoubtedly been raised with great care.
And such a Pokémon…
Rarely disappointed in battle.
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