Songjiang City, Newbie Battle Hall.
"There are quite a lot of people."
Mu Yun looked around the nearly packed waiting area, surprised.
When the Battle Arena first opened last year, the crowds had been pretty modest.
He hadn't expected its popularity to explode this year.
"Hey, are you here for the Newbie Tournament too?"
An excited voice came from beside Mu Yun as he took it all in.
He turned to find a boy with a youthful face.
A small black backpack hung against the boy's chest.
Mu Yun nodded.
Most people here today were probably entering the Newbie Tournament.
The boy's eyes lit up. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a palm-sized notebook that looked like a study guide.
"I've got firsthand information on the contestants. Cheap, too—fifty a copy. Want one?"
Mu Yun: ...
How did a Newbie Tournament end up with people selling intel?
"Don't underestimate this tournament. Do you know where you're standing?"
The boy's expression turned solemn as he pointed at the floor.
"Newbie Battle Hall?"
"Wrong!" The boy wagged a finger. "This isn't just any Battle Arena. It's the Top Scholar Battle Hall, the only one in the country that a top scorer in the Pokémon Department exams has ever visited! It's where a carp leaped the dragon gate, where the waves of that moment still—"
His voice grew more impassioned by the second, as though he were proclaiming this a sacred site for Trainers.
But a top scorer in the Pokémon Department exams?
Mu Yun's expression turned strange.
"So think about it! If you win this Newbie Tournament, won't you have the same chance as our top scholar to bring glory to your family?" the boy continued.
"As the old saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win