Pokémon: When the World Changed Chapter 302 - 298: Outstanding Student

Waiting, waiting... finally, sumr vacation ca to an end.

The new sester had begun. The whole atmosphere of the school seed freshly awakened, filled with a sleepy calm.

Ethan walked through the bustling crowd, observing with a touch of nostalgia the familiar surroundings around him.

At that mont, a young man approached from ahead—it was Leoric Vance, the school's prodigy and the famous "prince of the campus."

"Ethan? What are you doing here?" asked Leoric, a bit surprised.

"The school asked to co for an exhibition battle," Ethan replied with a faint smile, his eyes gleaming playfully.

"A battle?"

"So the Ethan Black I saw on the list was really you?" said Leoric, half surprised, half mocking. "Did the school bring you here just to make look good?"

"Make you look good? Don't you recognize ?" Ethan asked, pointing at himself.

"Of course I do. How could I not? You're the eternal diocre Ethan, right?" Leoric said with a disdainful smile, one that barely hid his mockery.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. It wasn't surprising that Leoric was so confident after hearing his opponent was "Ethan." He surely never imagined that he was facing the champion of the Starter Pokémon Selection Tournant.

"Are you two the students Ethan Black and Leoric Vance?"

At that mont, a student wearing a high school uniform ca running toward them.

"I am," Leoric nodded with an air of superiority. "You must be the one assigned to receive us. Take to your principal."

"Y-yes, this way..." the young man replied nervously, leading them forward.

"Principal, long ti no see!" greeted Leoric with a bright smile as soon as he entered the office.

"Leoric! You're as handso as ever."

"Eh? Ethan, you ca too. Co in, co in," the principal said warmly upon seeing them both.

"Ethan, Leoric, I suppose you two already know each other, right?" he asked, glancing between them. As his gaze passed over Ethan, a flicker of surprise briefly crossed his expression.

"Of course! I know Ethan better than anyone," Leoric replied before Ethan could say anything.

"Perfect," the principal nodded. "I hope during the exhibition battle you'll both hold back a little. What matters most is to inspire enthusiasm for battles among the students—to motivate them."

"Don't worry, Principal," Leoric answered with a confident smile. "We know what we're doing. It'll definitely be a great show!"

Of course, he didn't realize that the principal's words were actually directed at Ethan.

Ethan only smiled faintly and nodded silently.

"Very good," said the principal, relieved. "Then I'll leave the presentation and the battle to you two."

A short while later, with everything prepared, the three of them headed toward the sports field.

"Wow, that's Leoric Vance, the top student from last year's exams!"

"Yeah, I recognized him right away! He's even more handso in person."

"A whole year's passed, and he's still just as charming..."

As Leoric appeared, the entire audience—especially the girls—burst into excited screams, which made him smile in satisfaction.

"I heard there'll be an exhibition battle this ti."

"The guy next to Leoric must be his opponent, right?"

"Seems like it... though that guy looks kind of familiar. I feel like I've seen him before."

One student stared curiously at Ethan.

"Familiar?"

"Oh, I rember now! That's Ethan Black!" exclaid a senior student from the third year, clearly recognizing the graduate from last year.

"Ethan? That na rings a bell too..." muttered a freshman.

"Of course! He's that Ethan, the eternal loser!" another student said between laughs, causing more people to recall the supposed "failure" of the school.

"Wait a second... wasn't the champion of this year's Rookie Tournant also nad Ethan Black?"

"What? You an that champion was our forr classmate, the 'bottom of the class' guy?"

"No way, that's gotta be soone else."

The new student looked at Ethan again and, after hearing the whispers around him, slowly shook his head. It was hard to believe that the "Rookie King" and the school's forr "slacker" were the sa person.

"Hello everyone, I'm your forr schoolmate, Leoric Vance..."

Leoric began his speech, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"Principal, may I save my speech for after the battle?" Ethan asked from below the stage, gazing at the students shouting excitedly. His smile slowly widened. He wondered how their expressions would change once the battle began.

"Of course," the principal replied without hesitation.

"Very well, next we'll have the Pokémon Exhibition Battle! The format will be three versus three. Let's welco students Leoric Vance and Ethan Black to the stage!"

Amid thunderous applause, both stepped onto the battlefield, each holding a Pokéball.

"How exciting! What Pokémon will they use first?" whispered the students eagerly.

Although they had learned a lot about Pokémon battles in class and seen plenty on TV, it was rare to watch one live, right before their eyes.

The third-year students were especially excited—soon they would co of age and receive their first Pokémon. Many imagined themselves standing in that very arena.

"Co on, Ethan," said Leoric with a confident smile. "Send out your strongest Pokémon—or you'll regret it."

Without even waiting for the announcer, Leoric threw his Pokéball. With a burst of electric light, an Electabuzz appeared on the field, its muscular body crackling with sparks that drew wild cheers from the crowd.

"An Electabuzz, huh?"

Ethan smiled calmly and tossed his Pokéball.

"Then let's go... Kingdra!"

When Kingdra appeared, his imposing two-ter-tall body rose in the center of the field. With a serene gaze, he looked at his opponent. Just his presence radiated such pressure that even Electabuzz instinctively took a step back.

(End of Chapter)