Returning to Magic City

"I'm already on the train. Yeah, don't worry. This is my second time going, nothing will happen."

"Just wait for my good news."

Fang Yuan hung up on Mother Fang, then yawned.

He was on a maglev train. Yes, he had boarded the maglev to Magic City early that morning.

The Little Phoenix King Cup Rookie Trainer Battle Tournament would hold its three-day preliminaries starting tomorrow. Including the Main Competition, the entire event would last a week.

In other words, Fang Yuan and Eevee would be staying in Magic City for a full week.

He was not worried about anything else, but hotel fees were really expensive... It looked like he could only deduct it from Eevee's snack budget.

"Tsk..."

"Good thing I was smart enough to book a room in advance. If I were only looking for a place to stay now, I'd definitely be sleeping on the streets."

"Still... the trip is so boring..."

The maglev raced onward. Sitting by the window, Fang Yuan felt strangely empty as he cast a sleepy glance at the scenery outside. Better get to the destination soon...

Eastern Magic City.

Fang Yuan got off the train in this city bordering the East Sea to the east.

This was where the Little Phoenix King Cup was being held.

"Whether in fire, in water, in grass, in forests,

in earth, in clouds, or in that girl's skirt..."

Muttering the theme song of the anime Aim to Be a Pokémon Master, Fang Yuan stepped into this unfamiliar city.

The moment he left the train, he released Eevee from its Poké Ball. Perhaps Fang Yuan had spoiled it from the beginning, but Eevee now disliked staying in its Poké Ball as well...

"Vee..."

The instant it came out, Eevee complained about Fang Yuan's singing.

If you couldn't carry a tune, then don't sing.

"No, you especially have to listen."

Fang Yuan pressed down on its head and kept muttering the song, making Eevee, perched on his shoulder, suddenly feel like crying.

"Oriental Pearl Arena... let's see, which way should I go..."

"Mm... forget it. Let's put our luggage in the hotel we booked first, then go register later."

"Vee!"

Since he would be staying for a week, Fang Yuan had not chosen a hotel that was too cheap. Staying somewhere expensive hurt his wallet, but at least the environment would be better and he could sleep more comfortably.

However, the hotel was not particularly close to the competition venue. Fang Yuan and Eevee would have to sleep early and wake early every day from now on.

After spending some time finding the hotel, Fang Yuan first let his parents know he had arrived safely, then began browsing the Little Phoenix King Cup's Official Forum.

"The posts are updating so fast..."

"Eevee, look. Someone is already posting a championship declaration. That's so cringe..."

"Vee?"

"Should we post one too?"

"Vee!" Eevee shook its head fiercely.

Posts showing off Pokémon, flaunting wealth, bragging, and sharing gossip could all be found on the forum.

Fang Yuan skimmed through a few and discovered that some contestants really had the goods.

"Scyther... Pinsir..."

"Onix... Mr. Mime..."

"Tauros... Torkoal..."

"Zangoose... Seviper..."

Looking at the pictures of those Pokémon, he realized that he and Eevee really did not have much of an advantage. With the competition approaching, all sorts of freaks were popping up.

"No, I can't keep looking, or something will happen." With three negatives in one sentence, Fang Yuan immediately put down his phone. "Come on, Eevee. Let's go register for the preliminaries now."

Fang Yuan had signed up for the Little Phoenix King Cup as soon as possible. After all, there was a limit on the number of entrants, and registering too late meant he would not be able to participate.

There were probably quite a few people like Fang Yuan, coming to compete despite not being locals of Magic City. Speaking of China, there were simply too many people. Any random competition could be packed to capacity, and there was never any shortage of contestants or spectators.

Similar Rookie Trainer battle tournaments existed in other regions, but none were as famous as the Little Phoenix King Cup, and their prizes for winning were not as good either. Besides, Fang Yuan had come for the Soothing Bell, so the Little Phoenix King Cup was his only choice.

Oriental Pearl Arena, contestant registration area.

Fang Yuan first took a taxi there, then waited in a long line for half an hour before it was finally his turn to register.

The young woman operating the computer behind the desk held out her hand, and Fang Yuan immediately knew what she wanted.

"ID card."

"Here."

Fang Yuan took out his ID card and handed it over. His ID card was now linked to his Trainer ID, so all it took was a swipe of the card to retrieve his registration information.

"Fang Yuan, student at Peaceful City First High School. Trainer registration location: Flat City Pokémon Center. Beginner Pokémon: Eevee..."

After briefly verifying Fang Yuan's identity information, the woman in charge of registration nodded. "This is your competition information. The back has some precautions listed on it. Don't lose it."

"If you lose it, you can use your Trainer ID to look it up on the tournament's Official Website."

"Thank you."

Fang Yuan accepted the palm-sized card and his ID card, then walked away from the line.

His contestant number was... 444?

"Damn, that's unlucky." Fang Yuan froze when he saw the number. What was this? Where was his 666?!

"Forget it. Drawing 444 means I'm lucky in a way too. Good luck, then. Looks like I've got a good hand."

After forcibly comforting himself, Fang Yuan noticed his preliminary match information beneath his contestant number.

"Field 7 in Zone E, tomorrow morning at nine..."

"My opponent's contestant number is 587."

"Being able to see my opponent's contestant number means they support scouting your opponent's information before a match. Intelligence warfare is an essential part of battling too, but what am I supposed to do with only a number..."

Fang Yuan was troubled. He had no way to investigate his opponent at all.

At the very least, he needed to know what kind of Pokémon his opponent had!

"Something's off. I feel like I've seen something like this before."

After leaving the registration area, Fang Yuan frowned, then quickly took out his phone and opened the Little Phoenix King Cup's Official Forum.

Then he spotted a post marked with a "hot" icon.

<Still worried because you don't know your opponent's Pokémon information? Click in, and you definitely won't regret it!>

Fang Yuan discovered that this post, which reeked of a sketchy advertisement, was actually offering to gather information on opponents. That move was so slick it made his scalp tingle.

"As long as I know my opponent's contestant number, and the price is dirt cheap too... Let's give it a try." Fang Yuan's mouth twitched.

After returning to the hotel, Fang Yuan immediately used the contact information in the post to get in touch with the other party. He paid a certain price to buy his opponent's information, and only then did he feel relieved.

Meanwhile, Eevee was also waiting for the opponent information, just like Fang Yuan. It wanted to know who its first opponent would be.

Ding...

Less than a minute later, the other side replied.

The information was simple. There was no photo and no name, only the type of Pokémon the opponent had.

Contestant No. 587. Pokémon: Lotad.