As usual, Dragon Tail finished the match. Though this was an official competition, the battle held no surprises. His opponent was strong, but still no match for Chu Xin. Under Xiao Wu's attacks, the opposing Pokémon was soon knocked unconscious by Dragon Tail and left unable to battle.
"S-so strong! Is this what a seeded contestant is like?"
His opponent was clearly stunned. He had seen how casually Dratini fought throughout the match; it obviously hadn't used its full strength.
"Well, I guess. Your Pokémon is really strong too!"
Since his opponent was being so friendly, Chu Xin didn't mind offering a compliment.
"Th-thank you."
What's a Pokémon?
While his opponent was still puzzling over that, the referee interrupted their conversation.
"All right, Dratini wins! Contestant 666 advances."
Chu Xin left the arena with Xiao Wu. His next match would take place that afternoon. As soon as he stepped outside the competition grounds, a crowd of reporters surrounded him.
"Contestant Chu Xin, how did you train your Dratini?"
"I'd like to ask how it feels to be selected as a seeded contestant. What do you think of the other seeded contestants?"
An attractive female reporter pushed past everyone else to the front, then handed Chu Xin her business card.
"I'd like to conduct an exclusive interview with Mr. Chu Xin on behalf of our newspaper. If you have time, please call this number. Any time is fine, even at night."
The reporters' enthusiasm startled Chu Xin. Were reporters all this aggressive nowadays?
Looking at the business card in his hand, Chu Xin felt tempted for a moment. I'm just a kid. Would something like this really get past the censors?
Just as Chu Xin was hesitating, the sight of Aier outside the crowd brought him back to his senses. Someone he knew was watching. He had better forget about the business card.
Chu Xin slipped the reporter's business card into his pocket and struggled to squeeze out of the ring of reporters.
Only after shaking off the reporters did Chu Xin greet Aier.
"What are you doing here? You didn't even tell me you were coming. You gave me a real scare."
Aier didn't answer Chu Xin, but silently walked over, took the business card out of his pocket, and tore it to pieces.
"The master would never allow you to do something like this, young master. You would do well to keep yourself out of trouble."
"How could I ever do something like that! I was going to throw it away ages ago. It's just, it's just... I couldn't find a trash can! Yes, that's all it was. I couldn't find a trash can. Got to protect the environment!"
Chu Xin felt a little disappointed, but his expression remained indifferent.
"Let's not talk about that. When did you get here? Didn't I tell you to wait at the inn?"
Chu Xin had brought Aier along when he came to Jindu, but hadn't asked for any help. After all, things like registration had to be handled in person, so he had arranged for Aier to stay at the inn.
"The master wanted to see you battle, so he sent me to record it."
As Aier spoke, the camera in Aier's hand bobbed up and down.
"Oh, so that's it. Let me see it first. I want to check how it turned out and whether I look handsome!"
Aier was pretty good with a camera. All of Chu Xin's handsome moments had been captured, and watching them left him thrilled.
Aier let out a helpless sigh.
"Young master, if you truly intend to pursue a career as a Monster Handler, I suggest you aim for the best possible result in this competition."
"Of course! I'm the man who's going to become Champion!"
"Young master! I'm not joking!"
Aier glared at Chu Xin, clearly angry.
"All right, all right. You talk, I'll listen. I'm listening, aren't I?"
Chu Xin offered a few soothing words to calm Aier down.
"I'm not joking, young master. If you want to become stronger, you need to place well in this competition. The top fifty will enter the academy. All powerful Monster Handlers are academy graduates, so if you want to grow stronger, you must at least make the top fifty."
This competition means joining an academy too? Aren't I supposed to get my Monster Handler License, go traveling, and earn Gym Badges?
"Why do I have to join an academy?"
Aier looked at Chu Xin as though he had seen a ghost, unable to understand why Chu Xin would ask such a question.
"The academy has records of most Monster-rearing methods. You can only learn those techniques there. How will you raise powerful Monsters without attending an academy?"
Hmm, that's true!
Figuring things out on his own certainly couldn't compare with established training methods.
"Also, the higher you place in the competition, the more resources the academy will allocate to you once you enroll. The Monster Handler qualification tournament is also a way for the academy to select talented students."
Oh, so that's how it works!
But Chu Xin frowned, still puzzled.
"Then why can't I come back when I'm older? The older someone is, the better they should be at raising Pokémon, right?"
"That's true, but the academy also has age requirements when selecting students."
"Huh? Why?"
Aier looked helplessly at Chu Xin. The young master didn't understand any of these basics!
"Because the maximum age for a Champion is forty. Anyone older is ineligible for Champion selection."
So it's because of the Champion's age limit. That made sense. The younger someone was when they passed the Monster Handler selection, the greater their chances of becoming Champion. Of course the academy would want to admit talented people like that.
"Don't worry. With Xiao Wu's strength, getting through this competition won't be a problem. We're aiming for Champion!"
Chu Xin stroked the Poké Ball in his hand. All his hard work over the past few days had been for this moment. Of course he would give it everything he had to climb the rankings.
"Young master, I watched all your previous matches. Those opponents weren't much, but the ones coming up won't be so easy."
As Aier spoke, a stack of documents was set down in front of Chu Xin.
These... these are files on my opponents?!
"Doesn't this count as cheating?"
Chu Xin looked at Aier in surprise. Was this really allowed?
Aier glanced dismissively at the documents on the table.
"Gathering intelligence on your enemies is part of battle. Besides, you're a seeded contestant yourself, young master. Your information has long since been exposed. Otherwise, how would those reporters know your name?"
Chu Xin scratched his head sheepishly. That did seem true. Ever since he became a seeded contestant, everyone recognized him. All his information seemed to have been leaked long ago.
"Young master, I hope you'll study your opponent's information carefully. Your next opponent truly is exceptional. His strength is beyond what the other contestants can match. If there were one more seeded contestant, it would definitely be him!"
If Aier was taking this so seriously, I'd better have a proper look!
Chu Xin picked up the documents and studied them carefully. It was a long time before he finally put them down.
This guy really is something! I'll have to reveal some of my strength in the next match!
Before you continue