Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Inside the Zhuqing City Arena, four standard battle arenas are arranged in a fan shape, each equipped with a professional referee team and a Chansey medical team on standby.

The stands were packed, and the enthusiastic atmosphere enveloped the entire arena in a layer of restless energy.

"Wow, is this what a proper competition looks like... a rookie tournament organized like this."

He rubbed his face anxiously. His past experiences had made him accustomed to operating in the shadows, and now the sudden exposure to fight under the watchful eyes of nearly a thousand people made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

In the athletes' lounge, he learned from the event staff that:

This competition consists of five rounds in total. The first four rounds are 1V1 singles matches, and the last round is 2V2 singles matches.

Even though he knew it was a beginner's tournament, what if some arrogant, badge-hating guy from a mythical beast suddenly appeared and beat up this teenager? That scene would be truly tragic and miserable…

Just then, a cool little hand gently grasped his wrist. Kirlia's eyes shone with a gentle psychic light, and a reassuring mental wave emanated from her: "Relax, Sword."

Look at Kirlian, whose movements are so elegant, like a noblewoman about to attend a tea party.

Looking at the grass turtle leisurely munching on a pomelo as it passed by, Zhang Jianying exclaimed, "You two little guys are really not nervous at all."

With the two Pokémon relaxing, he gradually let go of his anxiety.

"Hey Turtle, is it legal for you to take drugs before the race?" he joked after calming down.

The grass turtle gave him a disdainful look and gently kicked him with its hind legs.

"Now entering the stage is the rookie trainer, Zhang Jianying!"

The broadcast started, and blinding spotlights shone on them.

Zhang Jianying took a deep breath and led the Turtwig into the arena. The referee was reading the rules: "The competition will be a singles match. Each player may use only one Pokémon per round. The first player to disable their opponent's Pokémon wins..."

Standing on the standard battle arena, Zhang Jianying's gaze swept over his opponent and the little Chimchar beside him, excitedly somersaulting and clearly showing no fear. (Data view automatically expands:)

【Little Flame Monkey】

[Characteristic: Fierce Fire]

[Skills: Grab, Glare, Spark, Taunt, Wild Grab, Flame Wheel]

[Inherited Skills: Flame Fist, Lightning Fist]

Seeing this information, he looked helplessly at the Turtle: "From the very beginning, my type is countered. Isn't it said that leaves blessed by the forest bring good luck? Is my luck really so bad that even the blessing of the forest can't suppress it?"

The Turtwig tilted its head in confusion, looking at its trainer as if he were thinking about something strange again.

It must be said that Zhang Jianying lacks formal competition experience. Although he has participated in a few matches, they were either playful battles in a small town or wild fights with no rules and every move aimed directly at the trainer.

The competition is about to start, and he and the little turtle are still daydreaming...

"The match begins!"

"Little Flame Monkey, Flame Wheel!"

The blazing flames instantly enveloped the little fire monkey's body, transforming it into a burning wheel of fire that charged straight at them. Zhang Jianying almost instinctively shouted, "Quicksand Hell!"

He was stunned for a moment after shouting. To be honest, he was so distracted that he didn't even notice what instructions his opponent gave him.

The Turtwig that entered the battle seemed quite reliable. It stomped its forelimbs on the ground, causing Ground-type energy to fluctuate rapidly, and the ground beneath Chimchar's feet instantly turned into sand.

The little Chimchar, which was spinning rapidly, suddenly lost its balance, and its move was interrupted. It painfully covered its face, enduring the damage and restraint from the ground-type energy.

"Now! Seed bomb!"

The leaves on the Grass-type Tortoise's head shone brightly, and several seeds brimming with Grass-type energy shot out, accurately striking the trapped Chimchar. Just as Chimchar groaned and collapsed to its knees, a burst of evolutionary light erupted from its body…

Zhang Jianying glanced at the evolving Chimchar with a complicated expression, then turned to look at Turtwig. Turtwig also turned to look at its trainer with disdain, as if to say, "How can your luck be so bad?"

Zhang Jianying was internally screaming, "Is this reasonable? I was already at a disadvantage in terms of attributes, and then I evolved? This is incredibly bad luck. In a proper competition, you shouldn't be able to continue attacking after evolving, right? After all, I'm not the villain."

"But it almost got defeated just now. Can we wait until it finishes evolving and hasn't adapted yet before finishing it off? Nobody's taught me how to do this. What should I do? I need help urgently!"

The evolution process lasted for several seconds, and when the light faded, Infernape appeared on the field in a completely new form.

It clenched its fists and roared, the flames on its tail burning fiercely, and a giant pillar of scorching fire shot into the sky—the "Blaze" ability was activated!

"Fire! Great!"

The Infernape's trainer excitedly clenched his fist, then glanced at Zhang Jianying, a hint of gratitude in his eyes...

A moment of silence fell over the arena. The referee, realizing what had happened, announced, "Chimchar has evolved! The match continues!"

Zhang Jianying shaded his eyes with his hand, looking at the towering pillar of fire with a sense of unease. He was glad he hadn't continued the attack earlier, otherwise he probably would have been disqualified. It seemed that in a proper match, one shouldn't attack at times like this.

Thinking this, he breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he wasn't facing an evil villain, so there was no need to go to such lengths.

but……

This is absolutely nothing to be relieved about!

Hey referee, take a look! That guy on the other side practically has "cheating" written all over his face. Is that "fierce fire" even reasonable?

This Infernape must be Ash's "senior brother" who also got the underdog protagonist template, right?

There was no time to think about anything else; the fully buffed Infernape had already launched its attack.

"Infernape, unleash your full power with Flame Burst!"

The jet of flame, accompanied by scorching heat, roared in, and the flame, thicker than the turtle's body, was about to strike it.

"They have no sportsmanship and ambushed me, a careless newbie who didn't know how to dodge."

To be fair, although he lacks experience, he is a natural-born player with a big heart. His pre-match tension turned into focus at this moment, and he still couldn't help but mutter to himself.

There was no time to dodge, so he calmly commanded, "Full power quicksand hell defense! Grassy terrain, find it." He believed the Grassy Turtle would understand what he meant.

The grass turtle also snapped out of its daze and got into the zone, its silent yet efficient fighting style once again appearing.

It instantly mobilized ground-attribute energy, forming a sizable, high-speed rotating sand tornado in front of it before the jet of flames arrived.

At the same time, the leaves and shells above shimmered with light, and the grassy ground covered the entire battle area, continuously providing them with recovery.

The flames collided with the sand tornado, but with the continuous recovery of stamina on the grassy field, the jet flames finally ran out of steam.

While the Sand Tornado was still partially obscuring their vision, a glint flashed in Turtwig's eyes. Using the feedback from the Grassy Terrain, it precisely located Infernape!

Accompanied by the trainer's "Seed Bomb" command.

Several Seed Bombs, amplified by the Grassy Terrain, accurately hit the exhausted Infernape!

This time, Infernape finally collapsed to the ground, its eyes spinning in circles...

"Infernape is unable to battle, therefore the winner is Zhang Jianying!"

As the referee announced the result of the match, the entire audience cheered and applauded enthusiastically. The grass turtle silently returned to his side, completely unlike its usual mischievous self.

During the post-match rest period, I returned to the players' lobby. After having my Turtwig checked by the medical team, they found it was fine. Walking with my Turtwig, I thought to myself, "Luckily, this was a beginner's tournament, and the Pokémon's energy levels weren't high. Otherwise, my Turtwig might have really been injured."

He silently reminded himself and summarized the match. The Turtwig had good chemistry with him and could accurately understand his meaning. It just lacked powerful moves.

It seems we can only take it slow. However, according to Miss Joey, the energy within him has exceeded the critical point and he is about to evolve.

Once out of battle, the Turtwig reverted to its usual goofy self, following its trainer back to the rest room like a retired old man. It took a berry from Kirlia, proudly shook the leaf on its head, and slowly munched on it: "As expected, with the trainer and the big sister around, I, Turtwig, can completely do without thinking."

Kirlia patted Turtwig helplessly, as if looking at a naughty younger brother, and used her psychic powers to soothe Turtwig's post-match spirit.

Soon, the broadcasts began announcing the players' preparations for the second round of the competition.

Watching the two children interact, Zhang Jianying waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's win the game!" He was completely focused on the match.

Kirlia sensed the trainer's confidence mixed with composure and smiled gracefully: "Good luck, Sword. Good luck, Tortoise."

Zhang Jianying's second opponent was a girl with a Lucky Cat outfit. Zhang Jianying's gaze swept over the Lucky Cat:

[Luke Cat]

【Characteristic: Intimidate】

[Skills: Electric Shock, Charge, Bite, Tackle, Gaze]

[Inherited Skills: Frozen Fang, Flame Fang, Lightning Fang]

"Go on, turtle, I'll give you a treat after you're done."

"There are two kinds of Pokémon I hate in my life: those that threaten me and those that don't let me threaten them."

Both sides' Pokémon enter the arena.

This time, no longer distracted, Zhang Jianying immediately spoke up: "Quicksand Hell, grab it! Don't let it get any closer!"

As soon as Lucrezia entered the arena, it let out a menacing roar, and an invisible pressure field spread out. It was clear that Turtwig's attack momentum had been weakened.

At the same time, the Lucky Cat charged forward with flames burning in its mouth, but was still accurately controlled in place by the Turtwig, who was in full control.

"Seed bomb!"

The flying seed hit the struggling, agitated Lucas, but because its abilities were reduced, Lucas was barely in decent condition.

As it was hit, Lukecats, crackling with electricity, forcefully broke free of the quicksand hell's restraints. This time, it tried to charge towards Turtwig by changing direction.

"Lucky Cat, Flame Fang!"

"Curse, grassy field!"

Skillfully enhancing defense and attack through abilities, while reducing speed, is a minor drawback, as the tortoise's size inherently limits its speed. Meanwhile, the grassy terrain has been prepared.

The Lurker's Flame Fang came flying, but the Turtwig calmly sidestepped, letting the Flame Fang land on its back shell.

The Fire-type energy, which was super effective against it, made Turtwig frown; it had clearly underestimated the damage. But as it was attacked, the Grassy Terrain flashed with light, continuously restoring Turtwig's stamina.

Zhang Jianying's voice rang out: "Bite down, face-to-face seed bomb!"

"Lucky Cat, keep using Fire Fang, eh!?"

Unfortunately, before Lupus could rekindle its flames, Turtwig seized the opportunity when its old power was exhausted and its new power had not yet been generated.

The grass turtle, its mouth wreathed in black energy, bit down hard on the lek cat.

Before the leuk cat lost consciousness, it saw several enormous seeds...

"Luke Cat is unable to battle; the winner is Zhang Jianying!"

Intermission.

After bringing the treated Turtwig back to the rest area, Zhang Jianying said to Kirlia beside him, "It's our turn now. Are you confident?"

"No problem, I'm looking forward to it."

Kirlian smiled gracefully, her small face radiating confidence.

"Alright, let's go, it's our turn."

He used a Poké Ball to recall Turtwig, gently took Kirlia's hand, and walked towards the contestant's tunnel.

On the field, the referee was already in position. Opposite him was a boy who looked a bit older. Unlike the previous competitors, he wasn't accompanied by any Pokémon and appeared rather taciturn.

"Please send out your Pokémon."

The boy silently threw out a Poké Ball, and Raven appeared menacingly in the sky, while Kirlia gracefully landed on the field.

Looking at the Crow Leader, Zhang Jianying's expression turned serious. If he remembered correctly, the Crow Leader should have a surprise attack skill.

【Crow Head】

[Characteristic: sleepless]

[Skills: Ambush, Surprise Attack, Wing Attack, Shadow of the Night, Taunt, Malicious Pursuit, Black Mist, Wind, Air Blade, Trick...]

[Inherited Skills: Brave Bird Attack, Doom Song, Feather Dance]

"As expected, a surprise attack... and this skill pool is just too luxurious, like something out of a wealthy family."

But... young man, do you know what a noble mage is?

Kirlia stood gracefully in the center of the field, as serene as a lady of high birth. In contrast, the raven leader spread its broad wings, its hoarse caw radiating a malevolent oppressive aura.

"The match begins!"

"Kirullian, meditate."

"Chief Crow, launch a surprise attack!"

Kirlia, in perfect harmony with its trainer, gracefully closed its eyes, a faint glow of enhanced abilities emanating from its body.

A flash of light appeared on the crow leader's body, then it suddenly went silent; the skill had failed to activate…

"Next up is rock-paper-scissors."

"Continue meditating!"

"A surprise attack!"

After another flash of black light from the crow leader, nothing happened...

The audience erupted in uproar. Some looked bewildered, while others seemed thoughtful. Zhang Jianying chuckled, "I bet your gun is empty!"

He stood in the center of the field, looking at Kirlia after her power was enhanced, and mentally tried to sense, "Am I confident I can dodge its sudden attack?"

Kirullian didn't say anything, she just nodded.

"Alright, Magic Flash!"

The boy on the other side, unconvinced, commanded the Raven Leader to use the surprise attack again. The moment the surprise attack was successfully used, he almost burst into tears, but looking at the Raven Leader who had suddenly lost his combat ability and crashed, he couldn't help but feel confused and looked at the other side with a blank expression.

It turns out that Kirlia had already captured the scene two seconds into the future through Foresight, and used Teleport to guard the path of the Ravenhead's charge. A Magic Dazzle with +2 Special Attack accurately hit the Ravenhead's Special Vision, which had a weakness to Energy Slow. Then, it nimbly returned to the trainer's side.

The crow leader's eyes started spinning the moment he was hit.

Kirlian then used her telekinesis to create a net, stopping the crow from falling headfirst and preventing it from suffering further injury.

The referee then realized what was happening and raised his flag: "The leader of the crows is incapacitated; Zhang Jianying advances!"

Meanwhile, many spectators were whispering among themselves, asking what had happened. Those who understood excitedly explained it to those around them.

But in reality, none of them truly understood how extraordinary what Kirlia had accomplished was.

The rest area for the semi-finals was around the field. Since Kirlia was unharmed, she didn't go to the medical station, but instead sat on a bench next to the field chatting with her trainer.

Just then, the trainer who had finished treating the crow leader walked over and extended his hand to greet him: "Hello, my name is Qingye, nice to meet you."

Zhang Jianying was taken aback; this was the first time an opponent had taken the initiative to approach him. He extended his hand and shook it back: "Zhang Jianying, may I ask what brings you here?"

The boy named Qingye seemed rather shy, his voice tinged with nervousness: "Actually... I wanted to ask, how did you guess I would use a surprise attack? And why did the crow leader suddenly lose his fighting ability the last time he successfully used a surprise attack?"

What should I say? Should I tell you I have a cheat code? After thinking for a moment, I said, "I mainly know Crow Leader's skill pool quite well, and I guessed you might use this skill."

"As for the end, it was probably just luck. When Kirlia used Teleport, she happened to run into the trail of the Raven Leader."

He didn't tell Aoya Kirullian that he was able to dodge using special future vision, since a surprise attack is always to strike the opponent before they use an attack skill.

He didn't want to tell Kirullian about her special circumstances, so he simply attributed his victory to luck.

"Oh, I see. I see."

Qing smiled shyly, it was unclear whether he accepted the statement, "Then I wish you all the best in your upcoming matches, and I hope we can have another match next time we meet."

"Okay, see you next time."

After Qing finished speaking, the two exchanged contact information in the encyclopedia and then said goodbye and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Jianying asked Kirullian, "How was it? Did you sense anything amiss?"

Kirlia shook her head: "I only sensed shyness and a little nervousness, but there was absolutely no malice."

"That's good. Get ready, it's time to go on stage."

At that moment, Kirlia's voice came: "However, I see a faint line connecting you two."

"???"

He looked at Kirlia with a complicated expression, and said with a headache, "He should be a boy, right..."

Kirlia smiled helplessly, knowing that her trainer had misunderstood, but she didn't explain. Anyway, he would realize in a moment that she meant "the connection of fate".

Zhang Jianying stroked his chin, then shook his head and chuckled. Since there was no ill intent, why overthink it?

After all, sometimes, as the turtle said, "having a brain but not using it" can actually make life easier.

Looking at Kirulian beside him, Zhang Jianying felt an unprecedented sense of confidence.

They are ready for the semifinals later.