Rongcheng No. 1 High sent Jiang Shuyun onto the field first—exactly as planned.
Their opponent, Wancheng No. 1 High, chose a rather ordinary-looking male student, who released a Bayleef the moment he raised his hand.
Both sides had already reviewed each other's data beforehand, so when Wancheng No. 1 High realized that Rongcheng No. 1 High had sent out Jiang Shuyun right from the start, they were momentarily stunned.
After all, Jiang Shuyun's partner Pokémon was a Charizard at high-entry level, something they already knew from pre-match analysis.
As expected, the instant Charizard appeared, it let out a thunderous roar and blasted a column of fire into the sky. Bayleef instinctively showed fear in the face of such ferocity.
Once both Pokémon took their positions, the referee raised his hand.
"Battle—begin!"
Charizard attacked first. Facing a mid-level Bayleef, fear was simply not an option.
Flames erupted across Charizard's body—it was using Flare Blitz, one of its signature moves.
The opposing trainer tried to struggle, hoping to at least create an opening for his teammates.
"Bayleef, use Poison Powder!"
Bayleef shook the leaves around its neck, scattering dense clouds of pale purple powder that drifted toward Charizard, spreading wide enough to cover almost every possible approach.
But Charizard showed no hesitation. It plunged straight into the poisonous haze, its blazing flames instantly incinerating the spores, and smashed directly into Bayleef.
With overwhelming strength and a clear type advantage, Bayleef was sent flying high out of the arena, crashing to the ground unconscious.
The opposing trainer stared in disbelief at Charizard, which still radiated intense fighting spirit.
"How is that possible?" he blurted out.
"Why isn't your Charizard poisoned?"
Jiang Shuyun replied calmly, "The flames surrounding Charizard burn away any poison powder that comes near it. Your move had no effect at all."
Hearing this, the trainer finally lowered his head in silence.
The gap was simply too great.
In the face of absolute strength, tactics and tricks lost almost all meaning.
According to the rules, Jiang Shuyun continued to defend the field while Wancheng No. 1 High sent challengers one after another.
Two more contestants stepped up, only to be defeated by Charizard without much trouble.
For the fourth round, Wancheng No. 1 High finally sent out their captain.
Using Wobbuffet's Counter-based strategies, combined with Charizard having already fought three consecutive battles and showing signs of fatigue, they barely managed to bring Jiang Shuyun down.
As she stepped off the field, Jiang Shuyun was visibly irritated—clearly disgusted by Wobbuffet's endurance tactics and reflected damage.
However, Wobbuffet itself was barely hanging on. After tanking multiple Charizard attacks, it was clearly running on fumes.
Rongcheng No. 1 High immediately sent out Guo Shengfu, the chubby team member.
His Machoke, a Fighting-type Pokémon, easily defeated the higher-leveled Wobbuffet with a clean and decisive victory.
"Wancheng No. 1 High is down to their final contestant! Can he create a miracle?" the host cried.
The last opponent stepped onto the battlefield, releasing a Staravia at mid-level strength.
Guo Shengfu fought bravely, but Staravia's aerial mobility and dominance eventually overwhelmed him.
Because Staravia was a Flying/Normal-type Pokémon, Liu Lixuan's Sandslash would have been completely countered. After a brief discussion, Rongcheng No. 1 High sent out Qi Jun instead.
Qi Jun's Pokémon was a Pidgeotto, also the second evolutionary stage of a regional bird Pokémon.
What followed was a rare and thrilling aerial battle.
The two Pokémon darted through the sky, weaving and diving with remarkable skill. In Oliver's eyes, the fight was still far from the legendary aerial clashes he had once witnessed—like the battle between Decidueye and Noctowl in the secret realm—but it was undeniably impressive.
Pidgeotto was well-balanced in all aspects, while Staravia's advantage lay in speed. However, that advantage was largely erased by the difference in levels.
In the end, the mid–high-level Pidgeotto emerged victorious.
With that, every member of Wancheng No. 1 High had been defeated.
"The final result is in!" the host shouted passionately.
"Rongcheng No. 1 High claims victory with overwhelming strength! They still had two contestants who never even took the field! Let us congratulate Rongcheng No. 1 High on winning their first group-stage match!"
To roaring cheers and thunderous applause, Oliver and his teammates stepped into the center of the arena.
Meanwhile, Wancheng No. 1 High's team walked silently into the dim tunnel leading back to the lounge.
Pokémon battles had never been about friendship first and competition second.
From the very beginning, victory had belonged only to the winners.
Even if some of them admired Oliver deeply, defeat still hurt.
Fortunately, in the group stage, each team would face three opponents in total. Wancheng No. 1 High was not eliminated yet—they still had two more matches to fight with everything they had.
"Don't be discouraged," their captain said firmly.
"We were just unlucky. Anyone who runs into monsters like them would lose. As long as we fight without regret, that's enough."
The team lifted their heads, determination rekindled in their eyes.
They still had two battles left—to prove that they weren't weak, only that their opponents were absurdly strong.
The tournament schedule was not tight, giving each team plenty of time to rest and analyze future opponents.
But the teams grouped with Rongcheng No. 1 High were utterly miserable.
The more they analyzed, the more hopeless they felt.
Half of the sixteen group-stage teams had only advanced by seizing the wooden tokens Oliver had released during the elimination round.
His performance in the secret realm had been nothing short of outrageous.
And yet, Rongcheng No. 1 High also had Jiang Shuyun with a high-level Charizard, plus teammates who were far from weak.
No matter how tactics were arranged, victory seemed impossible.
As expected, the next two group-stage matches ended the same way—Rongcheng No. 1 High advanced without suspense, securing their spot in the next round with unquestionable dominance.
The remaining three teams quietly bowed out.
Years later, when they looked back on this tournament, they would all feel proud—not of winning, but of having once shared the same stage as Oliver.
While the competition raged on inside the arena, news of Oliver participating in Pokémon battles continued to spread rapidly outside.
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