Pokémon: Hard work pays off, moves can be upgraded infinitely.

On the opening day of the Black Dragon Cup, the Shanghai International Battle Arena was packed with people.

As a national-level competition, even though it was only the first round, many viewers still chose to buy tickets to watch the game live.

The level of excitement was several levels higher than that of football matches in previous lives.

"Welcome to the opening ceremony of the 2026 National Pokémon High School Tournament! I'm your host, Aqi!"

The host was a young man with a very friendly smile.

Beside him was an adorable little airplane—Pokekiss.

As Ah Qi spoke, Togekiss, with its bulging body, flew randomly above the audience seats.

They will also randomly sprinkle some mysterious little gifts.

This immediately ignited the atmosphere at the scene.

After the various performances at the opening ceremony concluded, the real National Pokémon High School Tournament officially began.

Because there are a large number of participants in the first round, the matches will not be held at the main venue where the opening ceremony was held, but at various other venues.

If viewers want a closer look, they can go to the desired sub-venue on their own. If they don't want to move, they can stay in the main venue and watch the live broadcast on the big screen, as well as the host's analysis.

Although the first round of the competition will not be broadcast live nationwide, it will still be pre-recorded and uploaded online after the competition ends.

The replays of the matches that I watched before were done this way.

"Let's go, get ready for the first match."

After the opening ceremony, Mu Yun was the first to stand up and lead his teammates toward the No. 6 battlefield.

"Wei Yang, relax and just do your best." Before Wei Yang went on stage, Mu Yun patted him on the shoulder.

"Yes, Captain!"

Wei Yang shouted in a very loud voice.

He was so excited that his voice even cracked a little.

However, Mu Yun understood.

Although Venue 6 is only one of the venues, it can still accommodate several thousand spectators.

At this moment, nearly 80% of the audience members were already seated.

It's inevitable to feel some excitement and nervousness.

..............................

Battlefield No. 6, on the host's platform.

"Welcome everyone to venue number 6! I'm Liu Liu, the host of this venue, and this is my partner, Nini!"

To ensure the competition's entertainment value and appeal, the well-funded organizers assigned two professional referees to each sub-venue.

A man and a woman, one responsible for professional commentary, and the other responsible for being beautiful and acting as a straight man.

"Let's see which two teams will play in the first match at venue number 6!"

"It's Heijiang University, one of the top ten! Looks like our first match at our branch venue will be very exciting!" Liu Liu's voice rose slightly.

"Northwestern University is also very strong!" Nini interjected.

"I almost forgot, our Nini graduated from Northwestern University. Nini, what are your thoughts on this competition?"

"Let's try to get three for two, and play it nicely!" Nini said, clenching her fist.

"That's ambitious!"

..............................

at the same time.

Inside the Northwestern University's preparation lounge.

"What? A graduate of Northwestern University, and all he wants is for us to complete a three-for-two exchange!" A young man with dark reddish skin said with a speechless expression.

"Three rings and two rings isn't enough? The other side is one of the top ten, you still want to win?" A young man with a buzz cut shrugged.

"It's not impossible," said a dark-skinned man with squinty eyes from the corner.

"Brother Tu, what did you find out?"

"Um."

Tu Ge took out his tablet and pulled up the information on the team members of Heijiang University.

"Three seniors, one junior, one sophomore, and one freshman? Sophomores and juniors are one thing, but why is there a freshman?"

"I know that ice-cold girl from the second year, but what's the background of that first-year student?"

"Last year's national top scorer."

"So what if he's the top scorer in the country? Can a four-year gap be bridged by a top scorer? This Heijiang University is outrageous. Do they really think everyone is like that ice-cold girl surnamed Ling, with the strength of a junior in their freshman year? I think that freshman is just a royalist, purely here to join in the fun."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, Brother Tu, please continue," the dark-skinned youth interrupted.

"Based on my understanding of Heijiang University, in the first two rounds of matches, they always use a strategy of pairing experienced players with newcomers, with the first and third players being their strongest players as a starting point and a backup option. The second player is usually used for training, and it's very likely to be that freshman," Tu Ge said.

"So, you mean we only need to take down the two strongest ones?"

"That's right."

Tu Ge nodded: "My Pokémon excels at attrition warfare. Go first, Captain, you're the strongest in the team overall. Go second, you can take down the first one who's not in good form and the weakest second one in a row. As long as we can successfully drag it out to the fifth match and force A-Cun to send out Die Shi Ban, victory is ours!"

"Let's do it!"

The dark-skinned young man clenched his fist.

This is a chance to beat the top ten! If you succeed, you can brag about it for the rest of your life!

"Then it's up to you, Tu-ge!"

"Um!"

..............................

On the battlefield.

"Without further ado, let's take a look at who's representing both sides in the first match!"

"The first person from Northwest University to participate is a senior student, Tian Yao. Nini, do you know her?"

"Junior Tian Yao, I've heard of him. He's the vice-captain of our Northwest University's team this year. He's a guy with a very steady fighting style."

"I see, that certainly fits the tradition of your Northwest University. Now let's take a look at Heijiang University's first representative, Wei Yang. Hmm? Wei Yang is actually a third-year student..."

"Wei Yang, a junior?"

Tian Yao frowned slightly.

Has Heijiang University changed its combat style?

Why send out a medium-sized horse in the first match?

That's good, though, at least he already knows about Wei Yang's background.

A trainer specializing in Fire-type has no advantage over Ground-type, and with a year's head start in training, plus his steady and methodical fighting style, victory should not be difficult.

The thought of winning the first game made even the usually composed Tian Yao feel a little excited.

If Heijiang University really sent that freshman to play in the second game, he might be able to win both games in one go.

If Ah-Cun is brought on again, victory will be a piece of cake!

Thinking of this, Tian Yao immediately perked up.