On a field similar to the Silver Academy's Athletic Field, the surrounding audience was cheering for their favorite competitors. Half of the cheers were for one particular competitor.
"Asen!"
"Asen!"
On the battleground, two strong and fierce Pokémon were engaged in a final clash: a Nidoking and a Machamp.
Both Pokémon were already battered and bruised, with little stamina remaining.
Seeing that the time was right, the Trainers of both Pokémon simultaneously issued their final attack commands. Machamp and Nidoking both used Hyper Beam. In the end, Nidoking's Hyper Beam was stronger and Machamp was severely struck , instantly collapsing to the ground, having lost the ability to battle.
The referee immediately announced, "Machamp has lost the ability to battle! Nidoking is the victor! Therefore, Asen wins the Freshmen Tournament championship!"
Asen recalled his Nidoking, his face expressionless, and walked off the field amid a round of applause.
***
After Eichi left the field, Miss Lin rushed over, so he said to her, "Miss Lin, I'm entrusting my two Pokémon to you."
"Entrusting them to me is absolutely fine. Don't worry," Miss Lin replied happily. "And congratulations, Eichi, on winning the championship!"
Eichi smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss Lin."
Miss Lin suddenly remembered something. "Oh, that's right. Go to the area behind the main stage now. The awards ceremony is about to start. Director Yanagi is already there, so hurry over."
"Alright," Eichi said. "I'll go now."
Eichi arrived backstage behind the main stage. A female teacher saw him and stopped him. "You must be Eichi, right?"
"Yes, I am," Eichi confirmed.
"Very well," the female teacher said. "Please follow me." She then led Eichi to a small room.
It was a small office with a sofa. A person was sitting on the sofa, and when Eichi entered, that person turned their head. It was Director Yanagi. Seeing him, Eichi said, "Director Yanagi."
Director Yanagi smiled. "You're here. Have a seat."
Eichi nodded and sat on the sofa opposite Director Yanagi.
Director Yanagi began, "To be honest, after all this time, this is the first time we've sat here and chatted."
"That's true," Eichi agreed.
Director Yanagi suddenly praised him. "Eichi, you are truly exceptional. You constantly bring us surprises that exceed expectations. You truly are a genius, just as that guy Arno said."
Eichi asked with some surprise, "Director, you know Teacher Arno?"
"Of course I know him," Director Yanagi said. "We're friends!"
"I see," Eichi replied. "He never mentioned it to me."
Now it was Director Yanagi's turn to be surprised. "Huh? He didn't mention me? What's wrong with that guy, Arno?"
Director Yanagi checked his watch and said, "Well, time's about up. Let's go out."
Eichi followed Director Yanagi out. Once outside, Sato and Konan were also there. The three of them together made up the top three winners of this Freshmen Tournament. Interestingly, all three of them were from the Kanto Region and from the same city, Viridian City.
The top three of the Freshmen Tournament received trophies: the champion received a gold one, the runner-up a silver one, and the third-place winner a crystal one.
Director Yanagi gave a short speech at the main stage and then called Eichi, Sato, and Konan up to receive their awards. Then came the photos and handshakes, which Eichi found quite uninteresting.
After this process, the three returned to the backstage area. Konan immediately started talking to Eichi.
"From now on, we know each other," Konan said. "Eichi, you are very strong. You are my goal now, and I'll find a chance to battle you again soon."
"Good," Eichi said. "I'll be waiting."
Konan then said the same thing to Sato. Sato also arranged a rematch with Konan. Afterward, Konan waved goodbye and left.
After she departed, Sato spoke to Eichi. "Eichi, I lost this time, but I learned a lot from this battle, so thank you. Next time, let's battle again. I hope you continue to maintain this level of fighting ability."
"No problem," Eichi replied with a smile. "I'll be waiting for you."
The two then parted ways. After they left, Director Yanagi appeared behind them. He had watched the entire scene and smiled with satisfaction.
"Old man."
Hearing the familiar voice, he suddenly turned his head and saw two familiar faces.
He laughed and scolded them, "It's you two guys! How many times have I told you to call me 'Director' when we're outside? Furthermore, how dare you two show your faces here? You lost to those guys from the Indigo Academy at the last Indigo League."
Genkaku did not look embarrassed at all. Instead, he said seriously, "That Bass is very strong. I was narrowly defeated this time, but next time, the winner is uncertain."
Director Yanagi said, "Alright, this is no place to talk. Come to my office. By the way, is there a reason for your return?"
***
Eichi had just returned to the Class One audience seating area when the entire class rushed toward him.
"Class Leader, you're the champion!"
"Class Leader, you're amazing!"
"Class Leader, your Beedrill is incredible! How did you train it?"
Everyone was excited, feeling proud by association with Eichi's championship win. Facing their excited chatter, Kelly quickly stepped in to mediate. "Alright, the Class Leader just finished his match and is tired. Let's not bother him anymore."
The students finally left Eichi alone and dispersed. Tetsu didn't leave; he was waiting for Eichi.
The two walked back together. Eichi thanked Kelly for helping him, and then they walked and chatted.
"Eichi, you hid your strength well," Tetsu said excitedly. "But how did you train your Beedrill? It's so strong it completely changed my impression of Beedrill."
Eichi smiled but said nothing. He knew exactly how Beedrill became strong, and replicating Beedrill's power was virtually impossible. Only Eichi and Scyther knew that behind this strength were Beedrill's countless days and nights spent using every last bit of its stamina to break its limits.
After parting with Tetsu, Eichi returned to his dormitory. As soon as he arrived, Eichi collapsed onto his bed, emptying his mind and thinking of nothing.
After lying there quietly for a few minutes, he got up and released his two Pokémon. When they emerged, Beedrill was full of spirit. After treatment from Miss Lin, it fully recovered. However, Scyther's injuries were more severe, so it had not fully healed yet.
Eichi stroked both Pokémon's heads and said, "You two were fantastic. Thank you for your hard work just now."
Beedrill raised its twin stingers and buzzed, "Bzzzz (That wasn't enough battling)."
Eichi smiled. "Alright, alright, I know you feel like you didn't battle enough. I'll find you a stronger opponent next time."
Scyther raised its scythes, signaling that it would definitely defeat that Electabuzz next time.