The Competition Begins

Was everyone in this room a seeded contestant?

Chu Xin turned to study the other contestants who had been selected alongside him. Most were young people his own age.

Why wasn't anyone older here? The Monster Handler Exam had no age limit, did it? Chu Xin had seen some adults at the exam, too. Older people should, in theory, take training Pokémon more seriously. If the seeds were chosen based on strength, there should have been at least one or two adults here, right?

Could it be based on potential?

Chu Xin did not dwell on it. No adults was good news. That meant he could enjoy the perks of being seeded. Although he was only ranked eighth, he was confident he would not lose to anyone his age.

The perks were certainly nice, but staying here made Chu Xin uncomfortable all over. The reporters around them were constantly taking pictures, and with a social butterfly like Lei Jing sitting beside him, Chu Xin had become the center of attention, too.

Being noticed felt good, just definitely not in a situation like this!

Fortunately, Chu Xin did not have to endure that torment for long. Newly arriving seeded contestants soon drew everyone's attention, and even the noisy Lei Jing beside him settled down.

Before long, all sixteen seeded contestants were present. Aside from Lei Jing, Chu Xin did not know a single one.

"Hey, do you know who these people are?"

It was rare for Chu Xin to strike up a conversation with Lei Jing, but since Lei Jing was the only person he knew here, he had no idea who else to ask.

Lei Jing turned to look at Chu Xin.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"Aren't you a social butterfly? How come you don't know either?"

Lei Jing scratched his head and gave Chu Xin a puzzled look.

"What does 'social butterfly' mean? It doesn't sound like a compliment. But I really don't know these people. They're just a bunch of small fry. All my Growlithe needs is one move..."

Before Lei Jing could finish, Chu Xin pushed him back into his seat.

Did this guy seriously have no social awareness at all? Everyone here was a seeded contestant. Even Chu Xin was not sure he could beat all of them. If Lei Jing kept making enemies without restraint, getting targeted himself was one thing, but he had better not drag Chu Xin into it!

Chu Xin truly regretted coming to this Monster Handler competition now. If he had not wanted to beat that Growlithe, he would never have admitted to knowing this guy.

Fortunately, Zhuo Yuan, the competition's host, appeared just in time to draw everyone's attention. Even Lei Jing quieted down, and Chu Xin could finally sit in peace for a while.

"All right, everyone. Let this old man say a few words."

Once Zhuo Yuan took the stage, he launched into a speech that lasted more than half an hour. It was all pleasantries, without a single word getting to the point, and Chu Xin kept nodding off as he watched.

Only in the last few minutes did Zhuo Yuan get to the key benefits for the seeded contestants.

The sixteen seeded contestants would be assigned to different divisions. Once the top sixteen had emerged from those divisions, they could advance to the finals.

But the biggest perk of being seeded was getting a personalized promotional photo posted on the official website. Having a handsome photo of himself on the official website certainly sounded good!

Soon, people arrived to arrange their photo shoots, and the sixteen seeded contestants were assigned to different photographers.

"What kind of photo would you like?"

"What kind? Just a simple profile shot."

Before long, Chu Xin's personalized promotional photo was ready. He had to admit, this photographer really was a professional!

Chu Xin was already good-looking, and with Red's signature Baseball Cap on, his profile somehow looked imposing.

Add the imposing cutout of Dratini behind him, and he looked like someone nobody should mess with.

Ridiculously cool!

After saving a copy for himself, Chu Xin immediately posted it to his Moments feed.

"Selected as a seeded contestant! Here's my handsome photo!"

His dad was the first to reply, moments later.

"No way, you really got your Monster Handler License, and you even became a seeded contestant! You got your own promotional photo, too? Son, are you really not planning to come home and inherit the family fortune?"

Chu Lian's comment left Chu Xin silent. Put that way, being seeded suddenly did not feel so great. Was becoming a Trainer really better than inheriting a family fortune of ten thousand?

Before Chu Xin could find an answer, his mom cut off his escape completely.

"If our son likes it, let him do it. Why are you holding him back? I'm still fit and healthy. I can keep going for a few more years. Worst case, if this character's a bust, we'll just make another one."

Seriously! Now I had no choice but to become Champion!

Before long, Lei Jing also posted his own promotional photo to his Moments feed.

"I'm the most handsome!"

He definitely posted this to show off after seeing my post. Didn't I block him? How could he still see my Moments?

Only after checking specifically did Chu Xin realize he had never set his Moments to be hidden from Lei Jing.

He promptly changed the setting. He never wanted to see this social butterfly again!

After blocking Lei Jing, Chu Xin could finally focus on preparing for the competition. He used their day off to warm Xiao Wu up. Every one of those seeded contestants looked strong, but his Xiao Wu would not lose, either. Besides, Chu Xin had prepared a special trump card for Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Wu, we're definitely going to win this time. If we win the championship, I'll grant you one wish, as long as it's within my power!"

Really? At the mention of a wish, Xiao Wu immediately perked up.

"Wu!" (Really? Anything at all?)

"Well, a wish within my power. As long as I can do it, I'll help you make it happen."

"Wu!" (For the championship! I'll give it everything!)

At last, the competition arrived. To prevent the seeded contestants from knocking one another out early, the monster competition had been specifically divided into sixteen divisions, each containing one seeded contestant and designated by a different letter.

Chu Xin had been assigned to Division H, apparently because he was the eighth seed.

"We meet again, Chu Xin! You'd better win! I'll beat you in the finals!"

The moment Chu Xin arrived at the arena, he spotted Lei Jing. The guy had actually made a special trip to his division to see him, which really startled him. Surely they were not that close?

Forget it. I'll pretend I don't know him. Chu Xin had no desire to repeat the embarrassment of two days ago.

"Young master, you have to win!"

To his surprise, Aier had come as well. Besides Aier, Chu Xin spotted Farfetch'd in Aier's arms. He had not expected Farfetch'd to come, too.

After giving them a wave, Chu Xin stepped onto the battlefield. Soon, his first opponent stood across from him.

"Hello! Let's have a good match!"