Ever since his Blaziken had been defeated by Oliver's expertly commanded Gible, Meng Ming had been searching for him.
Unfortunately, the clues he had were extremely limited. All he knew was that Oliver now owned a Gabite—and the members of Chengdu No.1 High's team naturally had no intention of selling Oliver out. As a result, Meng Ming had gone all this time without gaining a single solid lead.
He had already assumed the opportunity was lost.
Yet now—unexpectedly—he saw him again, right outside the tournament venue.
Even though it was only a back view, Meng Ming recognized it instantly.
Ever since that day, Oliver's departing silhouette had appeared in his dreams more than once. There was no way he could mistake it.
Meng Ming suddenly sprinted forward, startling his teammates beside him.
"What's the captain running for?"
"No idea—probably saw someone he knows?"
Though confused, they hurried after him.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye."
The reporter smiled and waved.
"Goodbye."
Oliver had just finished the interview and turned toward the contestant entrance.
Seeing Oliver leave, Meng Ming panicked and accelerated again, shouting as he ran:
"Hey! Wait—stop right there!"
Unfortunately, the venue was far too noisy, and the distance between them was still considerable. Oliver didn't hear him at all.
"The contestant from Chengdu No.1 High seems very confident," the reporter said cheerfully to the camera.
"Let's look forward to their performance."
Just as she finished speaking, she noticed a young man running toward her from the distance. Her eyes lit up immediately—her instincts told her this one was interesting too.
She stepped forward and stopped him.
"Excuse me, are you also a contestant in this tournament?"
Blocked in his pursuit, Meng Ming tilted his head desperately to look past her.
He saw Oliver already entering the contestant tunnel, checking in.
Meng Ming knew it was hopeless now. Once inside, the backstage area would be crowded—there'd be no chance of finding him.
He could only glare resentfully at the reporter in front of him.
Still, at least he had confirmed one thing.
Oliver was also a competitor.
And with his strength, he would definitely survive the elimination rounds and enter the group stage.
They would meet again there.
The reporter felt a chill under his stare and quickly repeated her question.
At that moment, Meng Ming's teammates finally caught up, panting.
"Captain, what was that about just now?"
They froze when they noticed the reporter.
Instantly, their breathing steadied, backs straightened, and one of them even checked his hair in a reflective surface.
"So this is your team captain?" the reporter asked with interest.
"Which school are you from?"
"We're from Chengdu No.2 High School."
The reporter exclaimed, delighted.
"What a coincidence! Two interviews in a row, both from Chengdu schools."
Meng Ming immediately asked,
"The person you interviewed earlier—was he also from Chengdu?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"He's a contestant from Chengdu No.1 High School."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Meng Ming's mouth.
"Chengdu No.1 High," he murmured.
"I'll remember that."
Backstage Area
The contestant area was packed.
Trainers and coaches from countless schools across the Southwest filled the space.
Oliver searched for quite a while before finally locating Coach Liu and the others based on photos in the team chat.
Among the trio, the chubby Guo Shengfu was especially excited.
"My dad said if we make it into the semifinals, he'll give me 500,000 credits as allowance. If we reach the finals, it's a million. And if we win the championship—he'll buy me a Munchlax!"
Everyone knew that Snorlax—and anything related to it—was Guo Shengfu's absolute favorite.
Qi Jun laughed.
"Then you'd better treat us to a meal afterward."
Liu Lixuan sighed.
"Do you guys think the championship prize will be higher this year?"
Coach Liu thought for a moment.
"Hard to say. Last year, the total team prize was around ten million credits. But the rewards increase every year—this time it might reach fifteen million. Split evenly, that's about three million per person."
Liu Lixuan fell silent.
So did everyone else.
They all knew his mother was gravely ill. The family had already spent everything on medical expenses, and his sole reason for joining this tournament was the prize money—to afford her surgery.
Among the trio, Liu Lixuan had the greatest talent.
If he hadn't needed to work part-time constantly to earn money, his Sandslash might have already broken into the advanced tier.
This was the reality for ordinary trainers.
Without a strong financial foundation, becoming powerful was almost impossible.
"Why the gloomy faces?" Jiang Shuyun said firmly.
"With our strength, first place is guaranteed. Liu Lixuan, just get ready to count your money!"
"Exactly! With the captain here, what's there to worry about?"
Everyone turned to Oliver.
Oliver smiled and nodded.
"Let's do our best."
They formed a circle—players and coach alike—hands stacked in the center before swinging them down together.
Their morale surged back to its peak.
At that moment, the stadium announcement rang out:
"Attention all contestants.
Please proceed immediately to the center of the venue for the opening ceremony.
Attention all contestants."
"It's starting. Let's go."
Oliver gestured for everyone to follow.
The Walk to the Arena
The passage from the lounge to the arena was dim.
But at the far end—
Blinding light.
Countless young trainers stepped into the tunnel, moving toward that brilliance.
As they neared the exit, thunderous applause and cheers roared from outside, blending with powerful, uplifting music.
The atmosphere ignited everyone's emotions.
Oliver even heard quiet sobbing nearby.
Turning his head, he saw Jiang Shuyun discreetly wiping her eyes.
"Hey," he teased,
"This doesn't really match your combat power."
She lightly smacked his arm, her voice unsteady.
"You… you wouldn't understand. I'm just too excited."
High above, official Alliance drones captured the scene from the sky.
From the tunnel poured countless tiny figures into the vast arena, like ants flooding an open plain.
Standing on the enormous field, surrounded by towering stands packed with spectators and massive banners, the roar of the crowd crashed over them like waves.
In that moment, despite feeling small—
It felt as if everyone was cheering for them alone.
"Welcome to the annual Southwest Inter-School Tournament!"
the host's voice echoed across the stadium.
"This competition represents the highest level of youth training in the Southwest region. Countless students pour their passion and sweat into this arena. It is also a stage for selecting true talent—only genuine prodigies can stand at the summit. And the Pokémon League has prepared generous rewards for those who do!"
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