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Jacob returned to Starlight City and reunited with Amelia and their two other teammates. Together, they prepared to travel to Embermere City for the upcoming High School Cup provincial main competition that would determine the strongest trainers in their region.

The month-long Patrol Team training had proven incredibly valuable for Jacob’s development as a trainer. Most significantly, he had successfully captured an Aerodactyl, while Amelia had caught a powerful Tyrantrum. Both of these ancient Pokémon possessed Heavenly King level potential, marking them as extraordinarily rare and valuable partners.

However, due to strict tournament regulations governing eligible Pokémon, neither Aerodactyl nor Tyrantrum met the specific entry requirements for the High School Cup competition. Since these Pokémon had not been officially registered with the Pokémon Association before the tournament deadline, they could not be used in any official matches. This was particularly disappointing since Jacob and Amelia could have achieved overwhelming dominance with just Aerodactyl’s incredible power alone. Understanding the importance of keeping such a powerful Pokémon safe and useful, Jacob made the decision to entrust Aerodactyl to his older brother, Asher. The ancient Flying-type would serve as both a reliable means of self-defense and a powerful trump card for the entire family.

Beyond these two remarkable captures, Jacob’s most significant gain during the training period was obtaining Diancie, along with its corresponding Mega Evolution Stone. The discovery of this legendary Rock/Fairy-type Pokémon was so momentous that Jacob chose not to reveal its existence to anyone, not even his closest family members.

This secrecy was not born from mistrust, but rather from a deep understanding that knowledge of Diancie’s presence would actually put his loved ones in danger. The incredible value and rarity of any Legendary Pokémon was well-documented throughout the world. Such creatures attracted attention from powerful organizations, criminal groups, and ambitious individuals who would stop at nothing to claim them. By keeping Diancie’s existence completely secret, Jacob was protecting both the Pokémon and everyone he cared about.

Additionally, the intensive training period had resulted in remarkable improvements across his entire team. Every single one of Jacob’s Pokémon had experienced significant physical development, with their overall strength growing at an unprecedented rate.

Most notably, his Bagon had achieved a major breakthrough by reaching Lord level strength and subsequently evolving into the more powerful Shelgon. During this evolution, Shelgon had naturally learned the defensive move Protect, which would prove invaluable in future battles by allowing it to completely nullify incoming attacks.

Perhaps even more impressive was the continued rapid development of his Overlord Class Dreepy. The little Dragon/Ghost-type’s strength was advancing so quickly that it was already approaching Gym Leader level power. Based on careful observation of Dreepy’s current capabilities and growth rate, Jacob estimated that evolution could occur at virtually any moment. Once Dreepy evolved into its next form, Drakloak, its combat effectiveness would experience a dramatic surge that would make it an even more formidable battler.

These remarkable developments made Jacob reflect on the true power of the mysterious Poison Bottle artifact he had acquired. The device had proven itself to be genuinely extraordinary, truly worthy of being considered a divine-level item capable of accelerating Pokémon growth beyond normal limits.

Several days later, the group arrived in Embermere City, where the atmosphere was electric with anticipation. The Frosthollow Province High School Cup provincial main competition was scheduled to begin within days, and the entire city had transformed into a celebration of Pokémon training excellence.

Embermere City was completely immersed in a festive and energetic atmosphere that seemed to pulse through every street and building. Enthusiastic fans had covered virtually every available surface with colorful posters featuring their favorite competitors, while others proudly wore face stickers displaying the emblems of their supported cities. The dedication of these supporters was truly remarkable to witness.

Some of the most devoted fans had even gone to extraordinary lengths to show their support. They had rented massive digital display screens on the sides of prominent buildings and purchased advertising space on subway station monitors, all to create spectacular tributes to their chosen trainers. The city had become a canvas for expressing passion and loyalty to both individual competitors and their home regions.

Frosthollow Province contained exactly eighteen official Gyms, each one specializing in a different Pokémon type and serving as the focal point for a major city. This meant that eighteen different cities had earned the right to send representatives to the provincial competition.

The tournament structure was carefully designed to ensure fair representation while maintaining competitive intensity. Each of the eighteen cities could send their top four trainers, creating a total of seventy-two competitors (18 × 4 = 72). Additionally, two special participants would join the field: the Champion and runner-up from the Frosthollow Province adult social category, bringing the complete roster to seventy-four skilled trainers.

The tournament format included special privileges for the strongest representatives. The Champion from each city would automatically receive seeded status, allowing them to bypass the initial elimination rounds and advance directly to the top thirty-two bracket. This meant that eighteen spots in the prestigious top thirty-two were already reserved for these elite competitors.

The remaining fifty-six participants would face a more challenging path to advancement. They would compete in an intense 3-versus-3 single elimination format across two grueling rounds. Only fourteen trainers would survive this brutal preliminary stage to join the eighteen seeded players in forming the official top thirty-two bracket of the main competition.

As the Champion of Starlight City, Jacob had earned the valuable privilege of seeded status. This meant he would not need to participate in the first two elimination rounds and could advance directly to the top thirty-two bracket without risking early elimination.

This advantageous position also provided Jacob with three full days of rest and preparation time. Rather than simply relaxing, he planned to use this period strategically by carefully observing other competitors’ matches and analyzing their battle strategies. This approach embodied the classic wisdom of “know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in battle.”

Jacob spent these preparation days in his hotel room, thoroughly reviewing detailed information files on various competitors. From the moment the main competition began, it was clear that the overall strength level would increase dramatically compared to the city-level tournaments.

Even a cursory examination of the other cities’ seeded players revealed that the weakest among them possessed at least one Lord level Pokémon, while the vast majority commanded multiple Overlord Class partners. This represented a significant step up in competitive difficulty.

On the table before him lay a particular competitor’s profile that demanded special attention. The file belonged to Li Shiyu, who had claimed the Champion title for Embermere City and was widely regarded as the strongest candidate for the overall Frosthollow Province Championship.

Unless something completely unexpected occurred during the tournament, this talented young woman would likely become Jacob’s most dangerous opponent in the quest for the provincial title. Her ace Pokémon was a rare Shiny Gyarados with exceptional mastery of Water-type techniques, making her a formidable adversary who specialized in overwhelming opponents with raw power and tactical precision.

The three days of preliminary matches seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Kyle and their two other teammates had completed their tournament runs on the very first day of competition. Unfortunately, all three had been eliminated in the opening round, unable to advance further into the bracket.

This outcome was disappointing but not entirely surprising. When compared directly to representatives from other major cities, Starlight City’s trainers simply lacked the same level of experience and resources. The disparity in training opportunities and access to rare Pokémon had created a competitive gap that was difficult to overcome. As a result, Jacob had become Starlight City’s sole remaining hope for tournament success.

The residents of Starlight City had largely expected this scenario, as it mirrored the results from previous years. Their city had always been considered one of the weaker regions in terms of competitive Pokémon training, making deep tournament runs extremely rare.

However, this year felt different due to Jacob’s emergence as a genuine talent. His completely dominant performance during the Starlight City preliminaries had demonstrated that he possessed the skills and strength necessary to compete with the best trainers from other regions. For the first time in years, Starlight City’s supporters dared to hope for a meaningful tournament run.

Under the blazing afternoon sun at exactly three o’clock, Jacob stood in the backstage preparation area, taking slow, deep breaths while performing warm-up exercises. His match was scheduled to begin shortly, and he could feel the familiar pre-battle tension beginning to build.

The thunderous roar of the crowd outside was clearly audible even through the thick walls, creating an atmosphere of anticipation that made Jacob’s heart beat faster. Despite the nervousness, he also felt a surge of genuine excitement at the prospect of testing his skills against elite competition.

He carefully adjusted his official Starlight City battle uniform, checked his appearance in the mirror one final time, and then looked down at the three Pokémon waiting patiently beside him.

Sceptile, Charizard, and Noibat comprised his chosen team for this crucial match. Sceptile had already achieved impressive Overlord Class strength, while both Charizard and Noibat were tantalizingly close to reaching that same level. All three possessed considerable combat ability and had trained extensively together.

However, Jacob was fully aware that his upcoming opponents would be significantly stronger than anything he had faced during the city-level competition. Nearly all of his future adversaries would field teams consisting primarily of Overlord Class Pokémon, with some even possessing partners that had reached Gym Leader level strength. This knowledge created a small knot of nervous anticipation in his stomach.

From this point forward, every single match would present substantial challenges that would test Jacob’s abilities to their absolute limits.

“Jacob, please prepare for your entrance!” called out a tournament staff member, signaling that it was time for him to take the stage.

Hearing the announcement, Jacob quickly retrieved his Poké Balls and recalled all three of his partners, securing them safely for the upcoming battle.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the upcoming match promises to be absolutely spectacular!” announced the energetic host, his voice booming across the arena. “We have seeded player Wylder representing Sunbreak City facing off against seeded player Jacob from Starlight City! What kind of fireworks will ignite when these two elite competitors clash? Let’s find out together – please welcome both trainers to the battlefield!”

As the announcer’s introduction concluded, a mechanical lift began rising slowly from beneath the arena floor. Jacob and his opponent, Wylder , emerged simultaneously on opposite sides of the massive battle stage, appearing before the roaring crowd.

The battleground was truly impressive in its scale and design. Due to the considerable distance between the two trainer positions, Jacob could barely make out the details of Wylder’s face on the opposite side of the arena.

The battlefield itself featured a varied terrain that included multiple water pools, solid ground sections, and rocky outcroppings. This diverse environment was specifically designed to accommodate different Pokémon types, particularly providing adequate space for Water-type Pokémon to demonstrate their full capabilities.

“Everyone should be quite familiar with today’s two outstanding competitors,” commented Layne, the official voice of Frosthollow Province’s television broadcasts and the region’s most popular tournament commentator. His experienced voice carried a note of amusement as he continued. “We have Dragon-type specialist Jacob facing Poison-type expert Wylder . However, although Jacob has earned recognition as a Dragon-type trainer, we all know that his primary team members, Sceptile and Charizard, do not actually possess the Dragon typing.”

This observation about Jacob’s supposed specialization had become something of a running joke throughout his tournament career. Nearly every match commentary included some reference to the apparent contradiction between his reputation and his actual team composition.

“Sunbreak City’s Wylder has built his reputation as a Poison-type specialist,” Layne continued with his analysis. “His signature Pokémon include a powerful Gengar, along with Toxtricity and Glimmora. Based on the apparent strength levels of both competitors, Wylder appears to hold a significant advantage. My prediction is that Wylder will claim victory with a final score of either 3-1 or 3-2. Liliana, who do you believe will emerge victorious from this exciting matchup?”

Sitting beside the veteran commentator was Liliana, a young and talented woman who served as the tournament’s official female announcer. “Well, in that case, I’ll show my support for the underdog Jacob and predict that he’ll surprise everyone by winning 3-2,” she replied with a confident smile.

“Excellent! The match is about to commence, so let’s direct our full attention to the arena and see which of our predictions proves correct.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep