There were two commentators, both elite trainers who specialized in match commentary.
In view was a massive, open battlefield—akin to a huge soccer field—with a Pokéball symbol drawn at its center.
Surrounding the field were towering stands, and at the center of each side stood a giant screen for the audience to watch the battle more clearly.
Once Nathan took his position, his opponent appeared on the opposite side.
He was a bespectacled young man of similar age, exuding a gentle, refined air. He adjusted his glasses and gave a polite nod to Nathan.
Nathan smiled in return.
"The rules for this match are two versus two. The battle ends when one side surrenders or both Pokémon lose the ability to fight," the referee announced from the center of the field.
"Now, both contestants, please send out your Pokémon!"
The opponent took out a Pokéball and released his Pokémon. It was a creature covered in light yellow fur, with brown limbs and a pink, pig-like snout—a Mankey.
"Oh? Felix's Pokémon is actually a Mankey! That's not exactly beginner-friendly. Everyone knows Mankey has a notoriously short temper and is extremely aggressive. If a rookie trainer lacks experience, it's difficult to command one effectively," one of the commentators exclaimed loudly from the booth.
"Mankey, huh?" Nathan was a little surprised. He hadn't expected this choice. Like Pancham, Mankey also belonged to the Fighting type.
Without hesitation, Nathan took out a Pokéball , aimed it at the field, and spoke calmly, "Let's start your first battle, little guy."
A beam of red light burst forth.
Pancham appeared on the battlefield in front of Nathan.
"Pancham!"
Pancham let out a loud cry as it entered, exuding an imposing aura. It immediately locked eyes with the Mankey, its gaze sharpening, clearly recognizing it as the opponent.
"A local contestant, Nathan has chosen a Pancham! This should be interesting. Both Pokémon are Fighting types, and both trainers are rookies. This might turn out to be an exciting match," the commentators added, their words successfully riling up the crowd.
Finally, with a wave of the referee's flag, the battle began.
"Mankey, use Scratch!" Felix immediately commanded.
Mankey was fast. Upon hearing the order, it dashed toward Pancham, claws outstretched, aiming to strike.
Nathan remained calm. "Pancham, take the hit."
"Pancham!"
Letting out a fierce cry, Pancham stood its ground, showing no fear on its adorable face. Following Nathan's command, it allowed Mankey's claws to strike its body.
Normally, such an attack would definitely injure Pancham.
But this Pancham was not what it used to be. After half a month of intensive training, its physical defense and speed had improved significantly—even though it hadn't yet mastered the moves "Tekai" and "Soru."
Once Mankey finished its assault, Felix was stunned to see that Pancham had only a few scratches and barely looked hurt.
At that moment, Nathan's voice rang out again.
"Leer, then Low Sweep!"
"Pancham!"
Following orders, Pancham suddenly locked eyes with Mankey and glared. Though usually adorable, its intense stare sparked fear in Mankey's heart.
Mankey began breathing heavily.
Anyone familiar with Mankey would recognize this as the prelude to rage.
Mankey, known for its extreme irritability, rarely stayed afraid for long. Once angered, it would quickly forget its fear.
But unfortunately, before it could erupt in rage, Pancham had already made its move.
Low Sweep—a strong Fighting-type move that targets the opponent's legs.
Moreover, Pancham had been training with weighted leg bands for the past two weeks, which greatly increased its lower-body strength.
Bang!
With a powerful kick, Pancham struck.
Mankey cried out in pain and was knocked to the ground.
"Mankey!!"
Felix shouted, panicking. "Get up, Mankey! Create distance and use Focus Energy!"
Hearing its trainer's command, Mankey gritted its teeth and struggled to stand.
Nathan remained composed. "Pancham, finish it. Tackle!"
"Pancham!"
With a cry, Pancham sprang forward, its small legs launching it like a bullet toward Mankey.
Just as Mankey rose to its feet, Pancham's Tackle landed solidly, launching Mankey back to the ground.
This time, no matter how much Felix shouted, Mankey couldn't get up.
"Looks like in this clash of two Fighting-types, Pancham is the victor," one commentator said with a hint of surprise. "This Pancham has clearly been trained well. Its coordination with its trainer is excellent. Whether it's strength, explosiveness, or endurance, everything seems finely tuned. In the past, contestants from Poplar City rarely performed well in the trials, but now… I'm starting to expect big things. Perhaps Nathan will surprise us."
With a trained eye, any elite trainer could see how special this Pancham was.
Although still in the beginner-to-growth stage (Level 11–20), it had already shown a remarkable ability to withstand damage.
To endure an enemy's blow and only suffer minor injuries? That's not something just any rookie Pokémon can do.
"You did well, Mankey."
Felix returned Mankey to its Pokéball . Taking a deep breath, he took out his second Pokéball and threw it.
A new Pokémon appeared—Oddish.
But once again, it fell to Pancham.
Even after two consecutive battles, Pancham still had plenty of stamina remaining—a direct result of its rigorous half-month training.
The first battle ended quickly.
Nathan secured victory in a near-crushing manner.
After leaving the battlefield through the contestants' tunnel, he returned to the contestants' hall. He visited a temporary Pokémon Center nearby to heal Pancham, then sat quietly in a corner to wait.
The matches didn't end that early on the first day.
To qualify for the next round, a contestant needed to win three consecutive matches.
That meant at least two more battles awaited Nathan.
…
[Name: Pancham]
[Ability: Iron Fist (Increases power of punching moves)]
[Type: Fighting]
[Description: Has a short temper and is impulsive, but won't tolerate bullying. Uses a leaf to read enemy movement. Even when hit, it charges forward fearlessly, using strength strong enough to bend a power pole to knock out its foes.]
[Level: 14 (Growth stage: 11–20)]
[Moves: Tackle, Leer, Arm Thrust, Taunt, Low Sweep]
Pancham had been at level 12 before the battles due to not fighting during training, but these two matches had leveled it up to 14.
No doubt about it—competing was an excellent way to level up a Pokémon.
Pokémon in the tournament were much stronger than the wild Pokémon outside Yang City, which usually ranged between Level 1–10. Contestants' Pokémon were typically between Level 11–20, with some even above Level 20 or 30.
Defeating stronger opponents naturally yielded more experience points.
Nathan took out his phone and opened the class group chat—it was buzzing with messages.
Homeroom Teacher William: [ Hahaha, well done Nathan! That was a beautiful win.]
Sam: [ Boss, you're amazing! That Pancham is trained so well—totally worthy of being our leader!]
Ethan: [ Yeah, Nathan's Pancham is strong. But Sun, you still don't know what Nathan's starter Pokémon is, do you?]
Sam: [ Duh, if I did, I would've bragged already. But… heh, I've got a good feeling about this trial tournament.]
Ian: [ I watched the livestream—Nathan was awesome. Totally crushed the opponent. Go, Nathan! Aim for a top rank. If you make it to the finals, I'll come cheer for you in person!]
Zack: [ Absolutely! Nathan, do your best! In past years, our Yang City team always ended up at the bottom. This year, we're counting on you. If you make the finals, I'll be part of your cheer squad too!]
Sam: [ Jealous! I want a cheer squad too!]
Zack: [ You? Deserve one?]
Ethan: [ Oof, that one hurt.]
Nathan shook his head and laughed at the chat. After sending an "OK" emoji, he went quiet and opened Li Cheng's chat.
She had sent a few messages right after his match ended.
Lily: [ Yo, the kid did good—keep it up!]
Lily: [ Mommy loves you~ ❤️]
Nathan: […]
Nathan: [ I'm your dad!]
....
No one at school would believe that the cold, untouchable goddess Lily talked like this in private with Nathan.
Smiling, Nathan continued scrolling through his phone.
But despite the relaxed appearance, he had already opened his system interface in his mind.
The quest function was flashing.
Clearly, a new quest had been triggered.
[Quest: You've entered the trial tournament and won your first match. Since you've joined, aim for the top and win it all!]
[Details: This is a chain quest with six stages. Complete each stage to receive a random reward!]
[Stage One: Qualify from the preliminaries!]
[Reward: Random (Could be a TM, held item, mysterious item, Pokéball , etc.)]
"A chain quest, huh? The further it goes, the better the rewards probably get." Nathan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his expression growing more excited.
Winning the championship was still a long way off.
But clearing the prelims? That wasn't going to be a problem.
There were still two or three days left before the preliminaries ended—no need to rush.
Shaking his head, Nathan switched to the system shop.
The daily refresh had already updated the items available. But after glancing at them, Nathan quickly looked away.
Yeah… way too expensive.
All three items were incredible—one of them even being Ho-Oh's Flame—but the price tags, especially those strings of zeros, immediately killed his shopping mood.
Maybe someday when he's rich.
"What about TMs… Found it." Scanning through the system shop, Nathan soon located what he wanted.
Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch—all available as TMs.
Each cost 50,000 PokéCoins.
Nathan couldn't afford all three, but he had just enough for one. He had saved several tens of thousands, and his parents had been giving him daily allowances during the tournament. His total funds now exceeded 70,000.
Each of the three moves was something Pancham absolutely needed.
And they all synergized perfectly with its Iron Fist ability.
After some consideration, Nathan chose Thunder Punch and purchased it.
[Purchase successful!]