Chapter - 58 : Zachery and Jerry - I

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After a brief conversation with his friends, Arthur bid them farewell and made his way back home. He promised to attend their Pokémon matches, which were scheduled to begin next week, three weeks ahead of his own competition.

During this time, Arthur took his Pokémon deep into the grasslands to train. He wanted to continue honing their skills and strategies in preparation for the upcoming competition.

Finally the next week came , the school competition was held in the outskirts of the rich area of Novuron city . Arthur also reached outside the pokemon stadium to see his friends matches.

Outside the stadium, there was a distinct division between the entrance lines for the wealthy and the less fortunate. The privileged individuals were granted direct entry, while those with limited means had to wait in line. Once inside, the seating arrangements further emphasized the social disparity, as the rich were allocated separate and more comfortable seating areas, while the poor were left to sit on the ground.

Before the competition began, an announcement was made regarding the number of participants. It was stated that 150 participants were selected from the poor area, while 250 participants were selected from the rich area.

This revealed that not all students from the five schools in the poor area were able to meet the criteria for participation. Additionally, despite the smaller population of the rich area, they had a greater representation in the competition compared to the significantly larger population of the poor area.

So, in total, there were 400 students participating in the competition. The competition would proceed with knockout rounds until only 100 students remained. These top 100 students would then move on to the second level of the school competition, where the top 100 participants from all the cities would compete against each other.

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After a while, the commencement of the competition began, and students were called up randomly to showcase their skills.

The match began with two boys from the rich area facing each other. It was evident from their attire. They released their respective Pokémon, a level 27 Hitmonchan and a level 26 Wartortle. The crowd around Arthur was excited to see these Pokémon in person, as they had previously only seen them in books. However, there was not much enthusiasm from the rich area audience.

The battle commenced, and after a while, Hitmonchan secured the victory with a Thunder Punch. The second boy then sent out a level 24 Staravia. The match intensified as Hitmonchan attempted to strike with Thunder Punch, but Staravia dodged and countered with Aerial Ace, ultimately winning the round. The first boy then sent out his level 23 Heatmor, and another round of fierce battle began. However, once again, Staravia emerged triumphant. The first boy's expression turned sour upon witnessing his Heatmor's defeat.

In a final attempt to turn the tide, the first boy unleashed his level 28 Arctozolt. Arthur was astonished to see a fossil Pokémon for the first time. Fossil Pokémon were incredibly rare and valuable. Observing Arctozolt's level, Arthur suspected that it might be the first boy's trump card.

The battle between Arctozolt and Staravia commenced, with Arctozolt easily securing the victory using Powder Snow and Thunderbolt. The second boy then sent out his level 25 Seviper, but it also fell short against Arctozolt. Thus, the first boy emerged as the victor of the match.

After the thrilling matches of the day, a total of 100 battles concluded, resulting in 40 students from the rich area and 10 students from the poor area qualifying for the next round. The following three days would see the commencement of the remaining 300 matches. However, Zachery and Jerry did not have their matches scheduled for today, so they eagerly awaited their turns in the coming days.