Trainers returning from the Kingdom of Roc

Chapter 33: The Prize

That unparalleled scene brought the atmosphere of the evening to its climax!

Hou Hao, standing below the stands, had his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a Poké Ball. He mechanically turned his head to look at He Wenwen, who was also staring blankly at him.

The two saw almost identical shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

"So..." Hou Hao swallowed hard. "Luo Yan wasn't giving it his all during training with us?!"

He recalled Luo Yan's battle at the club. Although Iris was strong, she did not have the absolute power she had just unleashed.

He Wenwen smiled wryly, looking at the little fire horse (Iris) being gently stroked by Luo Yan in the center of the field, and couldn't help but sigh.

"I never expected that this beautiful and elegant little guy would actually have superhuman strength. This is too outrageous."

In nature, besides some shiny variants, there are also some special individuals with amazing talents, such as the surfing Rhinoceros, the naturally strong Meowth, and the Pikachu with psychic abilities.

The rarity of such Pokémon is no less than that of Shiny Shiny Pokémon, and may even be rarer.

However, Hou Hao and He Wenwen naturally couldn't understand Iris. It wasn't some kind of innate divine power, but rather one of the most sinister skill mechanisms in the Kingdom of Locke.

In the common knowledge of trainers in this world, the effect of [Surprise Attack] is quite similar to the commonly known [Quick Attack], both being physical collisions involving high-speed approach.

However, under Iris's special skill system, [Ambush] is endowed with completely different magical and destructive power bonuses.

That seemingly simple collision was actually the result of a perfect combination of speed, timing, and the operation of one's own magic power. The intensity of the impact that burst forth in an instant far exceeded the conventional understanding of this world.

Luo Yan stood in the center of the field, surrounded by deafening cheers. She was still a little dazed and confused, with a feeling of "Is it over already?" lingering in her mind.

However, before he could even fully experience the feeling of being a champion...

From the contestant tunnel and waiting area, a group of young trainers who had stayed behind to watch the competition suddenly surged onto the finals field like a tidal wave, starting with someone.

"Luo Yan!"

"champion!"

"Well done!!"

The tension and competitiveness of the game were gone from their faces; instead, there was pure excitement, even fanaticism.

Before Luo Yan could react in time, several burly boys at the front had already lifted him up.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Luo Yan struggled in vain.

"Toss it up!!" Hou Hao shouted from the crowd.

The next moment, amidst the good-natured laughter and even more enthusiastic applause from the audience, Luo Yan felt his body lighten, his vision suddenly rise, then fall, then rise again... He was tossed into the sky by the combined efforts of these overly enthusiastic fellow contestants!

Once, twice, three times.

After the initial shock, Luo Yan also gave up resisting amidst the shouts of "champion".

Let them be.

If the final is a hard-fought battle between evenly matched opponents, then even if he ultimately wins, these equally proud young trainers will still be determined to win next time, with their competitive spirit outweighing their sense of recognition.

But when he crushed Kentaro, who was considered a nightmare for rookies, with one move and sent him flying out of bounds to end the match, the gap was beyond the scope of "maybe I can catch up with a little effort" and brought pure admiration for absolute strength.

What they tossed up was not just the champion of this selection competition, but more like a joint celebration of the emergence of a true ace!

When Luo Yan was caught again and his feet finally touched the ground, the trainers around him immediately started chattering.

"They're too strong! With Luo Yan on the team, we're definitely going to be champions in this year's Beginner League!"

"Our Jiangcheng finally has a chance!"

"Yeah! We always fell just short in previous years, but this time we might actually be able to make a run for the win!"

"Luo Yan, whether Jiangcheng becomes the 'provincial capital' this year depends on you, hahaha!"

"Let's cheer for the top three together, but you're definitely the key player, champion!"

The contestants' eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

Looking at the excited crowd around him, Luo Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. He had to admit that this scene was incredibly similar to the one he had shared with others during those three years.

With the conclusion of the finals, the lively selection competition for beginners has finally come to an end.

After receiving her certificate and giving her acceptance speech, Luo Yan was escorted to the awards area by Hou Hao and He Wenwen.

Although it was just a city-level selection competition, the prize for the champion was still very attractive.

First, you need to spend at least 10,000 yuan, then you need the "Mysterious Water Drop," which costs over 80,000 yuan on the market. Its effect is to increase the power of Water-type moves by 20% for the Pokémon holding it.

With this prize, the champion's value immediately jumped to 100,000 yuan.

Don't underestimate this amount of money. In fact, it's a significant help for a student who isn't preparing for the college entrance exam. Even if they don't need the Mysterious Water Drop, they can sell it to earn some money and give themselves more confidence for their study abroad trip.

The same applies to Luo Yan. From the moment he and Hou Hao secured a top-three finish, they had already said goodbye to the college entrance examination. The next thing they needed to prepare for was the Beginner League. Of course, this didn't mean they wouldn't take the college entrance examination at all, since the Beginner League was held after the college entrance examination.

Looking at Hou Hao beside her, Luo Yan picked up the mysterious water droplet. "Do you want it? If not, I'll find a mall to sell it to."

The mysterious water droplet wasn't really of much use to Luo Yan, as he didn't have any water-type Pokémon and was currently short of money.

Before, he only had to feed himself, but now that there are two more mouths to feed, he can't keep going to Hou Hao's place for meals. So it's better to exchange his money for cash right now.

"What would I need this for? My Politoed Tadpole is a physical attacker, and it'll be a multi-attribute damage dealer in the future." Hou Hao waved his hand. "Besides, if I want this, I can just ask my dad. My family doesn't need this stuff."

"True." Luo Yan pursed his lips, almost forgetting that he was also a young master. "Then I'll sell him."

"Sell it to me." At this moment, He Wenwen, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

Seeing that Luo Yan and Hou Hao were both looking at her, He Wenwen chuckled.

"I'd really like to catch a suitable Water-type Pokémon. It's good to prepare in advance. Don't worry, my offer won't be lower than the market price."

"Wow."

Luo Yan raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize you were such a wealthy woman."

...