On the opening match day, schools across the country were holding their entrance tests.
Education professionals were particularly animated today. School group chats buzzed with news of emerging geniuses and dark horses from various institutions.
The education sector wasn't alone in its interest—many corporate conglomerates and government officials were keeping close watch on outstanding young talents from around the nation.
Most eyes focused on prestigious universities, especially the two top institutions, Central and League, which attracted the vast majority of stakeholders' attention.
"Central and League have excellent freshmen this year, maintaining the high standards of previous years."
"No surprises in this year's National High School League—the champion will still emerge from either Central or League. If Central wins again this year, wouldn't that make it their third consecutive championship?"
"That's going to be difficult. Caroline graduated last year. Without their strongest trump card, Central's team strength has dropped significantly. I'm more optimistic about League this year."
"These two schools are always battling each other—there's no suspense there."
"It's inevitable due to the Matthew effect."
The Matthew effect referred to the phenomenon of polarization.
The strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker.
Ancient wisdom said: "Failure is the mother of success."
Yet reality often delivered a harsh slap to the face—only success was the mother of "greater success."
The world functioned like an enormous arena. Once a competitor gained even a slight advantage early on, that advantage would snowball through later competitions, eventually creating an unimaginably vast gap between winners and losers, potentially affecting future generations.
The same principle applied to schools. The more prestigious an institution became, the easier it attracted talent, growing increasingly stronger.
In the past, several schools had been able to compete with League and Central, but over time, the national collegiate league championship had been dominated by these two famous universities for the past two decades.
However, as Capital University's semi-finals concluded, news that "two exceptional rookie trainers emerged in the Capital Nova Cup" quickly spread throughout the education sector.
Videos of Cade and Roy's semi-final matches soon appeared in major chat groups.
"Wait, isn't that Elite Four Carter's son? Why did he enroll at Capital University?"
"His Abra is well-trained, definitely top-tier among novice Pokémon. But it's not extraordinary... Oh, he can bestow a psychic evolution blessing! That changes things!"
"What an excellent Psychic trainer! It's Capital's gain—why didn't he come to Central?" lamented a professor obviously from Central University.
"Heh, wasn't it enough that your Central recruited Caroline four years ago? Getting greedy, are we? Without Caroline, let's see how you'll win the collegiate league this year!" A professor from League University stood up and taunted.
"Bah, old man! Was I talking to you? Mind your own business!"
"It's none of my business? If you're upset, come fight me directly!"
"..."
Onlookers mentally criticized their childish behavior.
The rivalry between League and Central was legendary—from principals and professors to students, security guards, and cafeteria staff, everyone competed with their counterparts. This was common knowledge.
Soon, they clicked on Roy's match video.
"Which family does this kid come from? The name doesn't ring any bells."
"His starter Pokémon is Riolu, such a rare foreign Pokémon. Is he related to Elite Four Sebastian?"
"That speed... is this really a Pokémon who only started training a week ago? Isn't that a bit excessive?"
"Wait, what did the commentator just say? An ordinary family?"
"..."
Sudden silence fell across the chat.
Even the quarreling professors from League and Central were instantly quieted.
After quite a while, someone broke the silence.
"Where's the livestream? I want to watch the finals!"
"Look into this Roy's background."
In an instant, numerous professors from prestigious schools, corporate executives, and government officials flooded the livestream, just in time for the start of the match.
Referees and commentators took their positions one after another.
In a corner of the auditorium, Jordan, Callan, Chloe, and Axel successfully joined forces and assembled what amounted to a mahjong table.
Jordan looked dejected. He had just received a call from his parents, scolding him for his poor manners and looking down on classmates based on his family background.
To make matters worse, a senior student he had a crush on had finally added him on WeChat yesterday, only to delete him today... because she too came from an ordinary family and had joined Roy's fan club.
Callan and Alexis each patted Jordan's shoulders as the three young men sighed in unison.
Once you cross paths with Roy, misfortune follows for life!
Soon, Roy and Cade emerged from the contestant tunnels on opposite sides of the arena, met by thunderous applause from the audience.
The referee raised his flag:
"Three! Two...!"
At the beginning of the countdown, the entire Stadium fell instantly silent.
The audience stopped their discussions, focusing entirely on the two contestants.
"One! Begin the match!"
A blue glow of Confusion appeared in Cade's eyes. As if showing off his abilities, the Poké Ball at his waist levitated of its own accord.
The Poké Ball: I'll throw myself!
The moment Abra appeared, it was bathed in the light of evolution.
Meanwhile, Riolu made an ordinary entrance, immediately removing the weighted bracelets from both wrists.
With a confident aura that seemed to overwhelm his opponent, Cade issued his declaration:
"Roy, I'll show you the true power of a Psychic trainer and Psychic Pokémon working together!"
"Kadabra, Psyshock Web!"
Kadabra raised its silver spoon, and waves of blue psychic energy flowed outward, gradually seeping across the entire arena, weaving an enormous net!
In Cade's view, this was the perfect strategy.
Riolu's speed was exceptional, and Kadabra could Teleport—making it difficult for either to catch the other. Under normal battle conditions, these two Pokémon would likely be drawn into a war of attrition, ultimately testing their stamina.
Cade was highly confident in his Pokémon's endurance against most competitors.
But this Riolu was unpredictable, repeatedly demonstrating astonishing power whenever underestimated.
So, Cade adopted the strategy his father—the Psychic Elite Four member—often employed.
The psychic web.
Once successfully woven, as long as Riolu remained on the field, no matter how fast it moved, it would be trapped and doomed!
So you've chosen this tactic...
Roy smiled knowingly and decided to play along.
In an instant, his thoughts transmitted to Riolu's mind through their Aura connection.
"Thunder!"
Riolu let out a fierce battle cry and slammed its fists together. Within a second, it activated Electric Forge + Agility.
"Quick Attack!"
Riolu's body crouched slightly, its feet shattered the ground, and once again it launched into a near-sonic charge!
At such terrifying speed, novice-level Pokémon couldn't react in time and would be defeated in a single move.
The same would have applied to Abra before evolution...
But the evolved Kadabra was different.
Psychic-type Pokémon generally had weak physical attributes, ranking at the bottom of the eighteen types in terms of physical condition.
However, their powerful mental abilities gave Psychic Pokémon the fastest reaction speeds among all types.
In a split second, Kadabra focused on two tasks simultaneously—weaving the psychic web while using Teleport.
Riolu's Rock Smash crashed down, seemingly tearing through Kadabra's body, but it struck only an afterimage.
Kadabra's true form reappeared a hundred meters away.
"One hundred meters? Its psychic power has strengthened, increasing its teleportation range..." Roy silently noted this information while directing Riolu to continue the assault.
Without pausing, Riolu executed another Quick Attack to close the distance.
Kadabra continued using Teleport to avoid direct combat, waiting for the psychic web to complete.
Both Pokémon's skill execution, explosive power, and energy intensity far surpassed typical novice trainer levels.
Two rookies presenting such a high-level battle amazed many experienced trainers watching the match.
"The situation has reached a stalemate."
"But anyone with a keen eye can see that the balance is gradually tilting toward Cade. Roy can't afford to maintain this pattern much longer."
"Can he break through? The psychic web is nearly complete!"
In the auditorium, Reece anxiously commented, "If this continues, Riolu will lose."
"Hey, Roy has done well enough reaching the finals," Mrs. Naomi comforted Roy's mother beside her, though her own brows furrowed with concern.
It was a pity that this dark horse couldn't maintain its streak to the end.
"No, he will win," Serena suddenly declared.
She was watching the match from a different perspective than everyone else.
While others focused on Riolu, she had been observing Roy the entire time.
Roy maintained his poker face, but Serena could sense what was in his heart at that moment.
Absolute confidence in victory!
"Hahahahahaha!"
Cade suddenly laughed maniacally, covering half his face with his hand and brushing back his bangs.
The psychic web was complete.
"Look, Roy!"
"I'll end this fight in an instant!"
As his words echoed, Kadabra—having just completed another teleport to gain distance—suddenly unleashed a powerful Psywave.
Across the entire stadium floor and walls, psychic net patterns emerged, sweeping toward Riolu and instantly blocking all escape routes.
"Now!"
Roy and Riolu smiled excitedly, exchanging tactics through their Aura connection. They had been biding their time precisely for this opportunity.
At this moment, Kadabra was fully occupied manipulating the psychic web, leaving no energy to use Teleport.
But it shouldn't need to, because Riolu was already trapped in the net.
Among the skills Riolu had previously demonstrated, there were no long-range moves, meaning it couldn't touch Kadabra from inside the 'net.'
—That's how it should have been!
"Riolu!"
Roy shouted with genuine excitement:
"Aura Sphere!"
"What?!"
Cade was taken aback momentarily. Before he could say 'Riolu can't learn Aura Sphere,' he witnessed an incredible sight.
Riolu clasped its paws before its body, and suddenly a wave of lavender-colored energy formed between them!
Impossibly, it was an Aura Sphere—a move that only evolved or special Pokémon could typically master!
"How is this possible?!"
After Cade's exclamation, his mind filled with despair!
He frantically shouted:
"Dodge it! Kadabra!"
But it was too late.
Riolu thrust both paws forward, launching the Aura Sphere.
Kadabra, fully committed to maintaining the psychic web, could only watch helplessly as the Aura Sphere hurtled toward it!
"BOOM!!!"
The Aura Sphere exploded, transforming into a massive energy storm that completely engulfed Kadabra.
As the explosion subsided, a ten-meter crater smoldered with black smoke.
Shortly after, the smoke cleared to reveal Kadabra lying unconscious in the center of the destruction.
"Ka-Kadabra is unable to battle. The winners are Riolu and Roy!"