Pokémon: Check-In System

Nero paid no attention to the gazes around him.

Participating in the school team selection tournament had long been his decision, and nothing would change that.

Besides, Nero firmly believed that his strength was more than enough to secure a spot on the school team.

During the winter break, Combusken not only mastered [Shave] but also significantly improved its strength through a steady diet of Pokéblocks and nutritional berries.

On top of that, he had learned a variety of combat techniques and fighting-type moves from Hugo at the dojo.

But most importantly…

This week was just the registration phase for the school team selection tournament. The school would compile a battle list, allowing participants to prepare for a week before the matches officially began next week.

For most people, a week wasn't enough time to see any significant improvement in their Pokémon's strength.

But for Nero, it was a different story~

The reason was simple—next Monday was March 1st. And what was so special about March 1st?

It was his monthly sign-in day!

By checking in, he would receive another reward!

A move just as powerful as [Shave]!

Nero was quite excited about this move.

"Since you're determined to participate, Nero, then so be it."

There were no entry restrictions for the school team selection tournament. Any student could sign up if they wished.

Since Nero had expressed his intent to join, the homeroom teacher naturally wouldn't refuse and immediately added his name to the list.

Whether Nero won or lost had nothing to do with his classmates, but there were always people who loved to gossip—such individuals existed in every world.

"Since when did Nero become so stubborn?"

"Hasn't he always been?"

The student who said this even tapped his temple, his gaze meaningful. It was clear he was making fun of Nero's past accident when he was in a coma after a traffic incident.

"Hmph, he's just there to make up the numbers. He really doesn't know his place."

Dennis snorted coldly.

Perhaps due to personality clashes or behavioral differences, Nero and Dennis never got along.

Dennis was the type who flaunted his privileged family background, acting overbearing because of it. Many classmates didn't like him, but since Dennis was strong, they had no choice but to flatter him in person.

Nero sat down without a word, unwilling to engage with those who only knew how to talk big.

His classmates' doubts about his strength were understandable.

Nero had only returned to school in January of this year. Due to falling behind for over half a year and the fact that Torchic had only recently hatched, their foundational training wasn't up to par, making them relatively weak.

Back then, many students used free battles in practical combat class as an excuse to challenge Nero, grinning as they sought easy wins.

Since Nero was still weak at the time, struggling classmates saw him as an easy target to boost their own confidence.

It was always Lyle who stepped in to take the battles for Nero.

But over time, with Nero's knowledge of Pokémon from his past life, he developed a highly effective training plan. Coupled with the benefits of Pokéblocks and nutritional berries, Torchic quickly evolved into Combusken.

After evolving, Nero sought out those who had previously challenged him and defeated them one by one. To this day, many of his classmates avoided battling him in practical combat class.

With Combusken's evolution, their training scope expanded. Through their combined efforts, they secured third place in the mock exam before the semester ended.

However, during the final exam—where battles were conducted between different classes—Nero had the misfortune of facing the class president of Class 3.

Class 3's president was the strongest in his class, and his Vaporeon had a natural advantage against Combusken.

At the time, Combusken's mastery of Thunder Punch was still shaky.

Fire-type moves were weakened, and Thunder Punch couldn't yet unleash its full potential. With only its kicking techniques to rely on, Combusken was ultimately defeated by Vaporeon.

Based on the combined evaluation of his battle performance and written exam scores, Nero ended up ranking fifth in his class.

Finishing fifth was still impressive, but there were always jealous individuals who would criticize others simply because they couldn't reach that level themselves.

Some believed Nero had dropped from third to fifth place due to arrogance and complacency.

Now, when they heard he was entering the school team selection tournament, many were quick to judge.

The logic was simple.

If even the third-ranked student wasn't confident enough to enter the school team selection, what made the fifth-ranked student think he had a chance?

Was he just throwing himself into battle to embarrass their class? What a disgrace.

…

After the unpleasant gossiping, Nero continued his routine—attending morning and afternoon classes as usual and spending his lunch break at the library.

Since Nero was a day student, he was dismissed around 5 PM.

He made the most of his free time, frequently visiting the club for Pokémon battles and occasionally training with Hugo at the dojo.

By the third day, Nero found school too much of a hassle and directly requested leave from his homeroom teacher to focus on training.

Given Nero's good track record and decent grades, the homeroom teacher approved his request.

Over the next few days, Combusken begun training with unwavering determination.

After all, wasn't that the whole reason why he and Nero had been pushing themselves so hard? The school team selection tournament was just around the corner.

Becoming a member of the school team meant gaining access to valuable resources, expert coaching, and better training opportunities—all of which would help pave the way for an outstanding performance on the college entrance exams.

That was their goal.

However, Nero wasn't the type to have Combusken train mindlessly without rest. He understood the importance of balancing hard work with recovery.

After each long day of rigorous training, Nero and Combusken would wind down in the evening with a game of soccer.

Over just a few days of playing, Nero noticed something remarkable—Combusken had an exceptional talent for the sport. His progress was astonishingly fast.

All Nero had to do was explain a technique verbally, show a demonstration video, and that was it—Combusken would pick it up instantly, executing it flawlessly.

"My great general, Combusken, truly has the makings of a soccer king~"

…

A week flew by in the blink of an eye, and soon, the first day of the school team selection tournament had arrived.

Nero had done his research.

This year's selection featured a total of forty participants.

But only five spots were available.

The tournament followed a knockout-style format—win three matches in a row, and you'd secure a place on the team.

The competition was fierce. In most cases, each standard class only had one or two participants. Nero's class, however, was an exception—it had three.

The rest of the competitors came from the two advanced placement classes.

After all, even mid-tier students in the advanced classes were generally on par with the top one or two trainers from a regular class. Many were eager to secure a spot on the school team.

The matches would take place in the largest stadium at Samron First High.

Due to limited seating, only two grade levels could attend in person each day, while the rest would have to watch the live broadcast from their classrooms.

Since the tournament spanned three days, students would rotate between attending in person and watching remotely.

On the first day, the audience consisted of first-year middle school and first-year high school students. The second day would be for second-year middle school and second-year high school students.

As always, the opening ceremony kicked off with a series of speeches from the school leadership…

But since everyone knew that today's schedule was packed, the speeches were surprisingly short—wrapped up in just a few minutes. Up next was the draw.

"I'm in the first match?"

Nero glanced down at the slip of paper in his hand. A single number was printed on it: 1.

"Well, first match it is."

With that, he stepped into the competitor's tunnel.

Waiting for him inside was a familiar figure.

The moment Nero saw his opponent's face, his pupils shrank.

It wasn't just anyone.

It was the one person who had defeated him during the final exams—Class 3's president—

Leiv!

And standing beside him was his Pokémon, one of Eevee's evolutionary forms—

Vaporeon!

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