Jin Huang, Like the Protagonist

Grass-type Energy began gathering within Tropius. Leaves wrapped in energy shot out one after another, embedding themselves in the Big Tree not far away.

"Leaf Storm? No... this looked more like Magical Leaf?"

Lu Li happily examined the damage Tropius had dealt to the Big Tree.

Magical Leaf was quite a good move. It came with a tracking effect, and under normal circumstances, it was difficult to dodge unless it was blocked.

In the Real World, not every Pokémon knew the Divine Skill Protect, nor did every Pokémon know defensive moves.

"Fantastic! Tropius, you really are a genius."

Lu Li did not hold back his praise at all.

Tropius narrowed its eyes and cried out happily. What in the world could be better than receiving praise from its Trainer?

After resting with Tropius in the small grove for a while, Lu Li brought Tropius back to the stadium.

The moment he entered the stadium, Lu Li saw Jin Huang walking out with a slightly dark expression.

Seeing that Jin Huang did not look too well, Lu Li asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Don't even mention it!" Jin Huang sighed gloomily.

Jin Huang's lackey beside him explained, "Brother Jin Huang is feeling frustrated. His opponent in the next match is Sandshrew."

Lu Li: "..."

Lu Li looked at Jin Huang with some sympathy. This luck was seriously absurd.

If it was not arranged by someone, then Jin Huang's luck was truly beyond words. But if it was arranged, just how deep was that grudge?

Sensing the sympathy in Lu Li's eyes, Jin Huang likewise said with schadenfreude, "Don't celebrate too soon either. I checked for you—your next opponent is Houndour."

"Houndour? That's fine. At least it's not four times." Lu Li sighed in relief.

Jin Huang: "..."

Upon hearing that, Jin Huang's face turned green, because his was four times!

Jin Huang left, clearly intending to ask his mother for information.

No matter how slow Jin Huang was, he should have noticed by now that something was off with the school's matchmaking system.

How could anyone encounter two opponents in a row that they were four times weak against? After all, First High School had fewer than two hundred participating Trainers in total.

Watching Jin Huang's departing back, Lu Li muttered, "There really is something fishy going on here."

Before long, Jin Huang returned. Unlike the anger and gloom he had shown when leaving, he was now brimming with fighting spirit.

"You seem pretty happy?" Lu Li teased the fired-up Jin Huang.

Hearing Lu Li's teasing, Jin Huang looked at him with utmost sincerity and said, "Lu Li, thank you!"

Lu Li: "???"

Lu Li looked at Jin Huang with a baffled expression.

After cautiously glancing around and confirming that no one was paying attention to them, Jin Huang quietly reminded him, "This competition is very special. You have to perform well. I'll tell you the details after the match."

Lu Li nodded thoughtfully after hearing this.

Lu Li found Jin Huang's reaction rather interesting.

Perform well... Has some important figure come to the school? Lu Li thought.

Unlike Jin Huang, Lu Li, who had lived two lives, immediately guessed the truth of the matter.

After another round of matches, the following matches would determine the Top Ten.

Jin Huang was still the first to take the field.

Because Double-Edge had been revealed in advance, Sandshrew's Trainer had long been prepared for Aron's Double-Edge, so Jin Huang had an extremely difficult time.

After Double-Edge was dodged, Aron was hit by Sandshrew's Sand Attack the moment it came to a stop.

Facing the injured Aron, Jin Huang directly commanded, "Aron, endure it, then rush up and use Tackle!"

"Rock Slide!"

Sandshrew's Trainer gave the command first.

Jin Huang likewise shouted, "Aron, Endeavor!"

"Endeavor?"

Lu Li looked at Jin Huang and Aron in the arena in surprise.

This was ridiculous!

Could it be that all of you with a color in your names were protagonists?

Blue and Red in the games were one thing, but in the Real World, could you, Jin Huang, be a protagonist too?

Endeavor was a Divine Skill for turning the tables!

I could accept that your Aron inherited Double-Edge, Jin Huang, but now you were telling me that Aron had inherited Endeavor too?

Knowing what kind of move Endeavor was, Sandshrew's Trainer looked at Aron in the arena with a face full of terror.

Rock Slide struck Aron, but Aron's Endeavor also hit Sandshrew. Worse still, Aron's Tackle landed on Sandshrew as well.

In this round, Jin Huang and Aron narrowly claimed victory.

So far, Aron had displayed two Egg Moves: Double-Edge and Endeavor. One was immensely powerful, while the other was incredibly useful.

Inside the Principal's Office.

Yu Zhonggang watched Jin Huang narrowly win the match and sincerely praised him. "This Aron is unexpectedly outstanding, and its Trainer has a pretty good grasp of timing too."

The principal seized the opportunity to ask, "I heard that your Trump Card Pokémon, Gym Leader Yu, is an Aggron. Would you be interested in taking Aron's Trainer as your apprentice?"

After pretending to ponder in silence for a moment, Yu Zhonggang nodded. "I'll ask the kid myself after the competition ends."

It had inherited Double-Edge and Endeavor, and its Pokémon Trainer also possessed considerable talent for commanding battles. Someone like that definitely counted as exceptional.

Seeing that Yu Zhonggang had actually agreed, a flicker of delight crossed the principal's face.

These were all achievements to his credit!

It actually worked. Cuilian and I didn't waste all that effort after all, the principal thought happily.

Back then, he had wanted to reject such an absurd matchmaking system, since it was far too unfair to Jin Huang.

But Jin Cuilian had pleaded with him, and since she was Jin Huang's mother, he had reluctantly agreed.

Now, it seemed that their gamble had been worthwhile. Jin Huang had not let down his mother's expectations.

After winning the match, Aron collapsed onto the field from sheer exhaustion. However, since Sandshrew had lost its ability to battle first, Jin Huang was the undisputed victor.

How impressive. As expected, I can't underestimate the talented people of the world, Lu Li sighed inwardly.

With such a massive type disadvantage, Jin Huang's victory was not solely Aron's achievement. Jin Huang's excellent command had also played an indispensable role.

Lu Li was now looking forward even more to battling Jin Huang. He had originally thought today's matches would just be a bunch of kids playing around, yet Jin Huang had given him such a huge Surprise.

Jin Huang felt no joy from his victory. Instead, he anxiously recalled Aron into its Poké Ball and hurried toward the school infirmary.

After Jin Huang left the field, it was Lu Li's turn next.

"Houndour!"

With a quiet sigh in his heart, Lu Li arrived at Battle Arena No. 6.

The Kyushu League had once published a book titled A Guide to Choosing a Rookie Trainer's Starter Pokémon. It plainly warned everyone that Rookie Trainers were not advised to choose Dark-, Ghost-, or Poison-type Pokémon.

It was not that Pokémon of those types were inherently bad. The main reason was that Rookie Trainers could not handle Pokémon of those types.