Chapter 63: The Champion's Rewards

Chapter 63: The Champion's Rewards

"We have a winner!!!"

The commentator's roar quickly followed, guiding the audience's emotions and igniting the atmosphere in the venue once again. The stadium was plunged into a sea of cheers.

"Smoochum is unable to battle. Therefore, the winner of this match is… contestant Basalt!"

Influenced by the cheers, the referee waited for a moment for the shouts to subside before finally announcing the result.

"I lost."

Looking at the fainted Smoochum, Luna was silent for a long time. In terms of tactics, neither she nor Smoochum had made a mistake. The mistake was that they had underestimated Drilbur's attack power. According to the attack power Drilbur had shown when it shattered the Reflect wall earlier, although the wall couldn't hold, it should have at least lasted for two or three seconds. So, in the final moment, both she and Smoochum had taken for granted that the direction protected by the Reflect wall was safe and had ruled it out.

But what happened just now? Luna had clearly seen that the Reflect wall had shattered on impact. Either Drilbur had a "burst of power" at the critical moment, or… Drilbur had been hiding its true attack power all along.

Luna looked up unwillingly, just in time to see Basalt and Drilbur hugging and celebrating. She shook her head helplessly. Although she was a bit unwilling, a loss was a loss.

"It seems my training is still not enough."

Luna clenched her fists, preparing to go find Granny Shu for special training after the competition was over. During the Metro City team selections, she would definitely defeat Basalt and wash away this shame!

…

On the guest panel.

The four guests were all somewhat astonished, not because they were surprised that Basalt had won. Ever since Drilbur had displayed its extraordinary speed, successively breaking through the Reflect walls and putting Smoochum in constant danger, they had realized that Luna might lose.

What truly surprised them was Drilbur's attack power. To shatter a Reflect wall in one hit and still have enough power left to one-shot Smoochum—what kind of incredible strength was that?

They didn't know that Basalt's Drilbur was a monster that had almost achieved a move-like effect with just brute force. After absorbing the energy of the Smooth Rock Crystal, its physical stats were, at a modest estimate, two or three times that of a Pokémon of the same level… that was all!

"This dark horse Basalt really went all the way to the end! Miles, you've taught a good student."

Officer Tanaka was the first to stand up, applauding as he spoke to Coach Miles. "Now, I'm starting to believe what you said about his achievements surpassing your own."

"Hey, Miles, my younger son will also be in his third year of high school next year. Could I trouble you to give him some guidance?"

Hearing that Basalt was actually coached by Coach Miles, Director King was instantly energized. His younger son would be in his third year next year. If he could get some pointers from Coach Miles, maybe he could follow in Basalt's footsteps and achieve a repeat success.

Coach Miles chuckled and agreed. Giving some pointers was no big deal. In any case, if the kid's talent wasn't good, he could just turn him down later.

Only Victor Wei, on the side, was feeling bitter, but at the same time, very fortunate. It was a good thing Coach Miles hadn't agreed to the bet earlier. Otherwise, if he had lost his club's most prized "Thunder Punch" secret technique, he might as well close up shop.

…

In the audience.

After personally witnessing Drilbur's victory, Ms. Anya smiled, turned around, and left, quietly hiding her merits and fame. At the same time, she felt a sense of gratification. It wasn't in vain that she had given him that half-bottle of special "Metal Coating." Basalt's ranking was even better than expected; he had actually won the championship!

In Anya's original prediction, Basalt making it into the top four was no problem. But as for winning the championship, she hadn't held out much hope. Now it seemed she had still underestimated the potential of Basalt and his Drilbur.

…

With Basalt winning the championship, the most excited person in the entire venue was his mom. At this moment, she didn't mind the noisy crowd in the stadium at all. After posting about Basalt's victory on her social media, she began to call her friends and relatives one by one to share the good news.

"Hello, Second Sister. I have good news for you, Basalt won the championship. That's right, that's right, the champion…"

"Take it easy. There's no need to call every single person, is there?" Basalt's dad had a dark look on his face. He felt this was a bit too much showing off. A person should be low-key.

…

After the competition, Basalt was led by the staff to the main stage of the gymnasium, with Luna, Felix, and Luke following closely behind. After greeting the various guests, the four were led to the winners' podium. The representative of the organizer, Director King, personally presented the prizes to the four contestants.

"Congratulations, contestant Basalt. I hope you will continue to work hard and strive to pass the city's selections, bringing glory and fame to our Seaside County." Director King shook hands with Basalt and offered a few more words of encouragement.

Then, he began to award the prizes. As the champion, Basalt's rewards were 100,000 Pokédollars in cash, a rare Berry, and a Type Gem. On the podium, however, the prizes were not the actual items but three plaques engraved with the prizes. In addition, there was a trophy, but as soon as Basalt held it, he knew… it was made of copper. Not worth much.

But the moment Basalt raised the trophy, the venue erupted in thunderous applause, the cheers like a tidal wave. As the champion, he deserved such treatment.

When the spotlight hit Basalt's face and projected it onto the screen, his fans also went into a collective frenzy, cheering and shouting with all their might.

What is popularity? This is it!

The only thing that puzzled Basalt was that he noticed Coach Miles, on the side, had glared at him several times, seeming to have a big problem with him.

Could it be that Coach Miles… is starting to get jealous of my talent? Basalt stroked his chin, not understanding. As expected, I'm too outstanding.

After the awards ceremony was the group photo session with the guests and leaders. As the champion and the most dazzling person in the venue, Basalt was undoubtedly standing in the center position, with Drilbur standing in front of him. A Pokémon competition was the result of the joint efforts of the trainer and the Pokémon. At this moment, the little mole deserved a spot.

"Chari~~"

The moment Basalt raised the trophy high, Drilbur also made a peace sign with its claws.

Drilbur: Y(^o^)Y

The flashbulbs went off, and everything was frozen in time.

…

After everything was over, the audience began to leave in an orderly fashion. Basalt, on the other hand, was led by the organizer's staff through the VIP exit.

"Student Basalt, for your champion's reward, besides the 100,000 Pokédollars which will be directly transferred to your card, there is also a Berry and a Type Gem. May I ask, what type of Gem do you need?"

A round-faced staff member with glasses took out a list and handed it to Basalt, smiling. "As for the Berry, you also need to confirm. Currently, our county government's treasury has five types of rare Berries to choose from."

For the Type Gem, there were only about a dozen types. Basalt chose the "Ground-type" Gem without hesitation. He only had one Pokémon. Was there even a choice? But this way, he wouldn't have to spend money to buy a gem, which saved him a huge expense.

As for the Berry, he really needed to choose carefully.

"Which five types of Berries?" Basalt's eyebrows shot up, slightly excited. The preciousness of rare Berries lay in their scarcity. They were rarely circulated on the market. Even if you had money, you might not be able to buy one; it depended on your luck. Unlike Type Gems, which, although expensive, could be freely bought on the market as long as you had money.

"Currently, in the county government's treasury, we have the Liechi Berry, which can increase a Pokémon's attack after consumption; the Ganlon Berry, which can increase defense; the Petaya Berry, which can increase special attack; the Apicot Berry, which can increase special defense; and the Salac Berry, which can increase speed." The round-faced staff member listed them off as if counting her family treasures. She was afraid Basalt wouldn't understand the effects of these rare Berries, so she specifically explained their functions.

"It's really exactly the same as in the games. The names and effects of the Berries haven't changed," Basalt's eyebrows shot up. The five rare Berries corresponded to the five main stats of a Pokémon.

"Should I choose the Liechi Berry? Or the Salac Berry?" Basalt hesitated. His little mole was an extreme physical attack and speed type. Defense and special attack were not its pursuits. This eliminated three of the Berries, leaving only the Liechi Berry and the Salac Berry. One increases attack power, the other increases speed. It was really a difficult choice.

"I really want them all," Basalt sighed. I thought only children make choices. Sigh, I've brought shame to all adults.

"I choose… the Salac Berry!" After thinking for a long time, Basalt finally made up his mind.

The Liechi Berry could increase Drilbur's attack power, but that was all. The Salac Berry was different. After a Pokémon's speed increases, it not only means that it can attack and retreat with ease, but it also means that dodging becomes easier, which is equivalent to adding an evasion-boosting effect.

Besides, don't forget that the little mole's ability was "Sand Rush." Once it consumed the Salac Berry and its base speed increased, when it activated the Sand Rush ability, its speed would increase again. This was equivalent to getting two for the price of one. So, this time, he had to choose the Salac Berry.

"Okay, one Ground-type Gem and one Salac Berry. I'll notify them to prepare them now." The staff member nodded and quickly made a phone call, likely to coordinate.

"Oh, right. As the champion of the selection tournament, the bureau will send a letter to the Trainer's Association, recommending you for an exceptional promotion to Junior Trainer. This way, you can save the trouble of taking the assessment."

After everything was confirmed, the round-faced young lady gave Basalt another small surprise.

To be directly recognized as a Junior Trainer without needing to take the assessment?

"Yay!"

Basalt was overjoyed. In this world, a trainer's rank was somewhat similar to a professional qualification certificate on Earth. Each promotion required an assessment, which included a written test and a practical test. In terms of practical combat, Basalt was definitely not afraid; he was confident in that. But when it came to the written theory test, he got a bit of a headache. It wasn't that it was particularly difficult, but there were just too many things to memorize, several books' worth. If he could advance in rank without taking the test, it would save him a lot of brain cells.

Following the round-faced young lady to the county government's treasury, Basalt successfully received his rewards. Not half an hour after giving his card number, the 100,000 Pokédollar prize money also arrived.

When he saw the transfer notification, Basalt was also a little dumbfounded. Is this… really something an iron rice bowl government worker can do?