-029- First Round: The Great Elf Melee

There were a total of one hundred and three contestants from this club, even more than Tong Si had imagined.

The battle stage was a large arena formed by combining four standard battlefields. Yet, even with the space of four arenas merged, it was still somewhat cramped for one hundred and three Pokémon. If they were all small species, it would be manageable, but if someone released an Onix or another large Pokémon, the field would be uncomfortably crowded.

“Everyone, the Rookie King Tournament is about to begin. Please make your way to the arena and get ready!” Zhang Shanjie, the host and chief referee for this event, called out.

Upon hearing his announcement, the participants gathered around the edges of the arena. The one hundred and three competitors surrounded the battlefield so tightly that there was barely room to breathe. Luckily, they all managed to fit.

“I trust you’re all familiar with the rules. The first round of the Rookie King Tournament is a grand melee—every contestant’s Pokémon will battle at once. The duration is thirty minutes. Any Pokémon still standing when time is up will advance to the next knockout round.

“If, when time ends, more than sixteen Pokémon remain, there will be overtime until only sixteen are left. If fewer than sixteen remain, then only those few will advance.

“Well then, enough talk. If you’re ready, send out your Pokémon and let the melee begin.”

As soon as Zhang Shanjie finished speaking, the countdown began on the display panel. Some impatient trainers immediately released their Pokémon.

The first to appear was a Psyduck. It waddled onto the field, looking confused.

“Psy...duck?” The Psyduck gazed blankly at the crowd of trainers and promptly lapsed into a daze.

Soon, the other trainers released their Pokémon as well: Oddish, Geodude, Sandile, Magnemite, Scatterbug... and so on.

Tong Si and Jiang Tao also released theirs.

“Go, Elekid!”

“Go, Slowpoke!”

“Elekid!” “Slow...poke...”

As Elekid entered the field, sparks flickered across its body. Earlier that morning, Tong Si had taken Elekid to the club’s power room to absorb plenty of electricity.

The Slowpoke, meanwhile, lay motionless on the field, looking as vacant as ever.

“Tong Si, wasn’t your Pokémon an Eevee?” Jiang Tao asked in confusion. Just a few days ago, he’d seen Tong Si holding an Eevee downstairs. How was it that now Tong Si had switched to an Elekid? Was it even possible to change starter Pokémon? Jiang Tao was completely baffled.

“Who told you I only had one Pokémon?” Tong Si gave Jiang Tao a sidelong glance.

“What! You actually have two Pokémon?”

Jiang Tao frowned in envy. Why was Tong Si always one step ahead of him?

“Hmph! Even so, the Rookie King is going to be me and my Slowpoke!” Jiang Tao declared defiantly, hastening to command his Slowpoke to attack the nearby Pokémon.

As all one hundred and three Pokémon appeared on the field, the battle erupted instantly. Fortunately, there were no oversized Pokémon like Onix present; otherwise, not all of them would have fit.

The Flying-types in the arena seemed to have the easiest time, not having to jostle for space on the ground. But aerial combat was no walk in the park either. Swellow, Pidove, Rowlet, and other Flying-types fought fiercely above, vying for control of the skies.

On the ground below, alliances began to form. Trainers who knew each other grouped their Pokémon in the same area. These familiar Pokémon banded together and began bullying the lone stragglers.

A sudden explosion rang out, marking the first elimination—a Mareep.

“Mareep...!” Yun Zishan’s cry was audible even from across the arena.

Next to go was Shen Yuqing’s Skiploom. Though their Pokémon had joined forces, they were up against a team of five and stood no chance in a two-versus-five battle.

Once a trainer’s Pokémon was eliminated, they had to leave the arena perimeter and watch from the lounge. Within just a few minutes, twenty to thirty Pokémon had already been knocked out, either losing the ability to fight or being thrown from the field.

In this kind of free-for-all, alliances were obviously advantageous. Lone Pokémon were always the first to be targeted.

“Tong Si, my Slowpoke has already taken down three opponents!” Jiang Tao couldn’t resist bragging.

“Hah, I just wiped out a team of five all by myself,” Tong Si replied, pointing to the troop of Nidoran that Elekid now stood over.

That’s right—these were the very Nidoran who, just moments before, had banded together to take out Mareep and Skiploom.

“What! The Nidoran...?” The trainers in that group had hoped to stick together and sneak into the top sixteen, but who would have expected to run into Tong Si’s Elekid? Of course, they recognized Tong Si—just days ago, all of them had challenged him and suffered crushing defeats.

Before the melee, the five trainers had warned their Pokémon not to provoke Elekid—avoid it at all costs. But after their alliance managed to take down several other Pokémon, their confidence soared. The lead Nidoran suggested challenging Elekid, and the others eagerly agreed. That was how the Nidoran squad ended up ganging up on Elekid, only to be knocked out with ease.

After witnessing the Nidoran team’s complete defeat, any remaining groups lost all desire to take on Elekid. Some had begun to think their teamwork made them invincible, but after seeing Elekid’s overwhelming strength, they were quickly brought back to reality.

As more contestants were eliminated, the field began to clear out. Aerial combat remained fierce. Sensing an opportunity, Tong Si decided to intervene.

“Elekid, use Thunderbolt on those birds in the sky!”

Hearing Tong Si’s command, Elekid glanced up: seven Flying-types hovered above.

“Elekid!” Elekid knocked its fists together, signaling its understanding.

The next instant, a dazzling bolt of lightning split the sky, streaking across the entire arena. The powerful Thunderbolt not only paralyzed all seven Flying-types but also accidentally struck a few other Pokémon on the field. Any Pokémon that took a hit from Elekid’s Thunderbolt lost the ability to fight.

“You’re ruthless, Tong Si!” Chu Xuanxuan approached, her tone half-admiring, half-chiding. The arena had grown more and more empty, and with the distance between them shrinking, she now stood right beside him.

“I heard your Mareep’s gotten stronger?” Tong Si asked with a sly smile.

“Of course!” she replied. “What’s this, do you want to face my Mareep before the top sixteen?”

Chu Xuanxuan boldly issued her challenge.

“Top sixteen? I don’t plan on stopping at sixteen,” Tong Si said, shaking his head.

His words left Chu Xuanxuan puzzled.

“Hmph! Playing mysterious again. Well then, let’s have our battle early!” she retorted with a playful huff.

...To be continued.