"This, this! The power is way too terrifying, isn't it? Is that really still called Charge Beam? It should be called Charge Cannon!"
Airi looked at the miserable state of that Arbok, then at the civilian Trainer frantically thanking the emergency team, and couldn't help but stare in shock. She simply couldn't believe this was the power displayed by an ordinary low-level Pokémon.
A Pokémon in its first-stage evolution had actually defeated a fully evolved Pokémon across a rank!
"There's no need to be so surprised. That Arbok was pretty average. Its Move coordination was only decent, nothing particularly special.
Its Trainer looked to be in his thirties. Reaching only mid-level strength at that age probably means he hasn't focused much on training Pokémon. Most likely, he just accumulated strength through time.
As for that Voltorb just now, if it didn't have any other Moves, then honestly, Stone's Sandslash — or even your Staryu, Airi — could beat it. Though your Staryu would need to pay attention to defense."
Seeing Airi so shocked, Icarus calmly analyzed the situation, explaining that the Arbok was only average among civilian Trainers while also taking the chance to encourage the two of them.
"Mhm! I'm confident!"
"Yeah! As long as my luck isn't terrible, I should be able to pass the first round."
Encouraged by Icarus, the two of them also cheered themselves on.
After that, the three stopped going around to watch battles. Honestly, there wasn't much to learn from the first round of qualifiers. People only really started gathering information after the third or fourth rounds.
"Contestant Number 378, please proceed to Battlefield 6.
Contestant Number 378, please proceed to Battlefield 6.
Contestant Number 378, please proceed to Battlefield 6!"
After waiting for about an hour, the broadcast finally called Icarus's number. He was the first among the three to battle.
"Go, Icarus!"
"Icarus! You can do it!"
Originally, the two wanted to go watch and cheer for him, but Icarus refused. It was only a qualifier match — having just two people shouting from the stands would look especially awkward.
Besides, their own matches would probably be coming up soon. More than an hour had already passed since the first round began, so running back and forth would just be troublesome.
Led by a staff member, Icarus first arrived at the contestant area for Battlefield 6. After verifying his identity, he stepped onto the right side of the arena. At the same time, his opponent and the referee were already waiting there.
"The following battle will be between… Both contestants, please send out your Pokémon simultaneously!"
Even though there were no spectators, the referee still followed the usual procedures and introduced both sides. However, unlike team battles, there was no priority for the first attacker. Instead, both sides would release their Pokémon at the same time and immediately begin fighting.
Icarus understood the reasoning behind it. In a 1v1 battle, even if one side attacked first, if the second side sent out a Pokémon with a type advantage, that single opening move wouldn't fully compensate for the disadvantage. That would be far too unfair.
"Swish~"
Two flashes of red light appeared.
Icarus sent out Pidgeotto, while his opponent released an ordinary low-level Beedrill.
It had to be said — both Trainers had thought along the same lines.
Even though the tournament rules restricted flying height to 25 meters, a flying Pokémon still had a huge advantage against non-flying opponents. Even with a type disadvantage, it could slowly wear the opponent down.
But now, the Beedrill Trainer looked as though he were about to cry.
His cleverness had backfired.
His actual starter Pokémon was Graveler, but at the last moment, he remembered how many weaknesses Graveler had. Since Beedrill could fly and was also low-level, he decided to switch Pokémon at the last second.
Unfortunately, he hadn't expected his opponent to use Pidgeotto.
Whether in speed, maneuverability, or flight height, Pidgeotto completely outclassed Beedrill. How was he supposed to fight this?
Still, surrendering immediately was impossible. Maybe that Pidgeotto only looked impressive and was actually weak.
"Battle start!"
The referee didn't care about the Trainers' thoughts. The moment both Pokémon appeared, he immediately announced the beginning of the battle.
"Pidgeotto, Gust!"
"Beedrill, Poison Sting!"
The instant the match began, both sides launched attacks.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
After receiving the order, Beedrill rapidly fired several Poison Stings toward Pidgeotto.
"Ding ding ding Ding ding"
Unfortunately for it, Pidgeotto's Gust directly blew all the Poison Stings away. The remaining wind pressure then continued surging toward Beedrill.
"Beedrill, follow the airflow and retreat as far as possible!"
This civilian Trainer was actually quite skilled. Realizing the Gust still had plenty of power left and couldn't be dodged directly, he immediately ordered Beedrill to ride the wind backward.
"Buzz buzz Whoosh whoosh"
Beedrill nodded. Enduring part of the Flying-type energy, it rapidly flapped its wings and retreated with the wind current.
"Pidgeotto, Peck!"
Naturally, Icarus wouldn't let Beedrill simply escape the attack range. He immediately ordered Pidgeotto to close the distance and finish the fight quickly.
"Beep! Swish~"
Pidgeotto chirped sharply before its body blurred forward. In the blink of an eye, it reached the left side of the battlefield.
"Damn it! Beedrill, Fury Attack! We're going all in!"
Seeing this, the opposing Trainer realized there was no escape. This Pidgeotto wasn't just for show — it was genuinely well-trained. Since that was the case, he might as well gamble everything.
After all, Peck was only a single-hit Move. Even with the type advantage, it shouldn't instantly knock Beedrill out.
Meanwhile, Fury Attack usually struck three to four times. As long as Beedrill hit the wings or another critical spot, there was still a chance!
The Trainer wasn't surprised that Pidgeotto knew Peck. Unlike lazy Trainers who neglected study, he was already nineteen years old and had consistently completed missions over the years, allowing him to exchange for both Beedrill and Graveler low-level training manuals.
Those manuals taught additional development methods for Pokémon, and he understood very well that Pokémon Moves were not fixed and unchangeable.
For example, his Beedrill could mix poison into Fury Attack — something he had learned directly from the training manual.
"Heh~ Pidgeotto, Frenzied Fury Attack!"
Hearing the opponent's command, Icarus gave a faint scoff and immediately changed his own order.
"Frenzied Fury Attack? What's that?"
Not only the Beedrill Trainer, but even the nearby referee looked confused.
They had heard of Frenzied Fury Swipes before. Since Pidgeotto knew Peck, learning an advanced variation wasn't strange.
But Frenzied Fury Attack?
That was something they had never heard of.
"Thud Rip Swish swish swish~ Thud!"
"Buzz! Buzz buzz!"
Very quickly, however, they understood exactly what it meant.
After Pidgeotto closed the distance, not only did its beak stab forward repeatedly, but its sharp claws also tore countless wounds across Beedrill's body.
As for the poor Beedrill, after resisting briefly at the beginning, it was completely overwhelmed and could only let out miserable cries.
"Bang~"
By the time Pidgeotto finally stopped attacking, Beedrill had already collapsed onto the ground, covered in injuries and completely unable to battle.
"I declare Contestant Number 378, Icarus of Aoki Town, the winner!"
Seeing the battle conclude, the referee glanced at the completely unharmed Pidgeotto with slight surprise before loudly announcing the result.
"Thank you. Return, Pidgeotto."
After winning, Icarus thanked the referee, recalled Pidgeotto, and headed toward the resting area.
"Sigh~ You did well, Beedrill."
On the opposite side, the young Trainer could only helplessly recall his Pokémon. After softly comforting Beedrill, he handed the Poké Ball to the medical staff and left the battlefield in disappointment.
Failing to pass even the qualifiers meant his only options now were to stay as a spectator or retrieve his Pokémon and leave the Gym entirely to enjoy other festival activities.
His own plan was to participate in the other events once Beedrill recovered. After all, the first day's qualifiers weren't particularly exciting.
It would be better to use the opportunity to join merchant-sponsored activities and earn some extra rewards.
"Congratulations, Icarus!"
"Icarus, I knew you'd win!"
As he exited the battle area, he happened to run into Airi and Stone, who had hurried over. Their own matches were about to begin soon, but they had already seen on the monitor in the waiting room that Contestant Number 378 had won, so they came to congratulate him first.
After all, they still had fifteen minutes before disqualification, and sparing one or two minutes wouldn't matter.
"Thanks."
Icarus smiled and encouraged the two of them as well.
After watching them head into their respective battlefields, Icarus returned to the waiting area.
He believed that as long as their luck wasn't too terrible, clearing the first round shouldn't be a problem.
What Icarus didn't know, however, was that after he left, the referee began writing notes with a pen.
Especially on Icarus's contestant information sheet, the referee wrote line after line of detailed comments — far more than for the average participant.
In reality, these referees employed by the three major powers also carried intelligence-gathering responsibilities.
They were required to evaluate every battle and mark Trainers with talent or potential. Even the losing side would still have their data recorded.
The first-round pairings were genuinely randomized by computer, aside from a few seeded contestants who received quiet adjustments to avoid clashing early.
Because of that, many promising young Trainers would inevitably run into veteran Trainers who had gained strength through years of experience.
That outcome was obviously unfortunate.
The Qingmu Conference had always been intended as a tournament for discovering talented young Trainers.
So what about those veteran mid-level Trainers in their forties?
Young Trainers rarely defeated them through pure strength alone. If nothing were done, most of the Top 16 or even Top 8 would likely be filled with veteran Trainers instead.
That clearly went against the purpose of the tournament.
As a result, once the first-round data was collected, the organizers would quietly manipulate later matchups behind the scenes.
Starting from the second round, veteran Trainers would be paired against each other repeatedly, gradually eliminating one another. Any survivors would eventually be matched against seeded contestants.
By the end, the Top 8 would mostly consist of younger Trainers, perfectly matching the tournament's intended image.
Of course, those veteran Trainers probably understood what was happening, but none of them dared to complain.
After all, their goal had only been to earn some easy rewards. Even a small amount of money was still worth taking, especially since their strength practically guaranteed they could clear the first round.
Additionally, all this collected information allowed the three major powers to jointly maintain control over the Town.
After all, if you wanted prizes, you had to reveal your strength in battle. Once you fought, your foundation, talent, and combat style all became visible.
Using that information, they could estimate your future potential.
For example, Icarus's battle report was quickly uploaded and placed into the hands of analysts from the three major powers.
"Sixteen years old. Ordinary mid-level. Pidgeotto excellently trained. Knows combination Moves. Civilian Trainer. Definitely a strong prospect."
After a quick glance, the analyst marked his file as "High Potential" before placing it aside.
The documents on the desk were divided into four categories:
One pile for those eliminated in the first round, and three additional piles labeled low, medium, and high potential.
"This one can fight him… no, not this one. The high-potential contestants need easier matchups."
At the same time, several other staff members sat in front of computers, painstakingly adjusting future battle pairings.
Naturally, Icarus and the others had no idea any of this was happening. Since it was their first time participating, they genuinely believed the system was completely random.
About ten minutes after Icarus returned to the resting area, Airi and Stone also came back together.
"Icarus! We won! Hahaha~"
The moment she entered, Airi excitedly whispered to him. Even though she was thrilled, she still remembered they were in a public resting area.
"Oh? Congratulations to both of you. So, what kind of opponents did you face?"
Icarus first congratulated them before asking curiously.
"I fought a civilian Trainer. His Pokémon was the same as Stone's — a low-level Graveler. My Poliwag dealt with it pretty quickly.
As for Stone, he fought someone from the family faction."
After briefly describing her own battle, Airi shifted the topic toward Stone.
"Yeah. My opponent seemed to be from the Akiyama family, one of the four great families, though probably not a direct descendant.
His Pokémon was a low-level Golbat.
Luckily, my Graveler could tank the damage, and in the end I used Rock Throw along with consecutive rock shots to knock it down."
Hearing this, Stone also gave a brief summary of his own match.
"Honestly, it really does deserve the reputation of being one of the four great families!
After my own match ended, I ran over to watch Stone's battle. Even though that Golbat was only low-level, it was trained incredibly well.
If it had been my Staryu instead, I honestly don't think I could've beaten it."
After hearing Stone's brief explanation, Airi felt he hadn't emphasized the important part enough, so she added a few extra comments.
"Yeah. That combination of disruptive Moves was used extremely smoothly — Supersonic, Astonish, and Confuse Ray flowed together perfectly.
My Graveler almost ended up defeating itself."
Realizing that Icarus was probably more interested in the strength of family Trainers, Stone deliberately focused on explaining the opponent's Move coordination.