David continued to observe the situation, choosing not to reveal himself immediately. Instead, he watched from the sidelines, waiting for the right moment.
He absolutely had to eliminate everyone from those target schools—he was just worried there wouldn't be enough eliminations to go around. Now, when he was feeling drowsy, someone had brought him a pillow.
Naturally, he didn't plan to let them escape. However, since the people on the opposing side had nothing to do with him, he could comfortably sit back and watch the conflict unfold.
Once they had worn each other down, he would step in to claim the spoils. By then, the expressions on those trainers' faces would surely be priceless.
Thinking about this scenario, David's lips involuntarily curved into a satisfied smile.
The side with fewer trainers was clearly outmatched. They only had five or six people—barely a quarter of their opponents' numbers.
Although their strength wasn't bad, the other side was clearly formidable as well. Relying on their numerical advantage, they quickly forced the smaller group into a disadvantage.
"How about it, Hannah? Still not planning to hand over the item? As long as you give us what we want, I guarantee we'll let you leave. Otherwise, all of you will be eliminated right here."
At that moment, someone stepped forward from the larger group. He waved his hand to stop the assault, then shouted toward the opposing side.
The other side hadn't reacted yet, but David, who was observing from his hiding spot, immediately perked up.
"An item? What item? Could it be some kind of treasure?"
Upon hearing those words, David's eyes instantly lit up with interest.
"Pfft! You wish! We found it fair and square. Why should we hand it over to you?"
Hearing the demand, the smaller group became even more enraged. The girl leading them directly retorted.
"That's not how it works. Everything here is unclaimed property. Before the assessment ends, it naturally belongs to whoever can seize it. Even points can be stolen from others, so why wouldn't the item be up for grabs?"
"I advise you to hand it over while you still can. Resistance is futile—you can't escape now. Even if you try to withdraw from the assessment, we'll have enough time to take the item before the safety personnel arrive..."
"Alright, Dawson, stop wasting your breath on them. Just one simple question: are you handing it over or not?"
Another person walked out from the crowd, cutting off the first speaker. He addressed the smaller group directly.
"What a small world!"
David looked at the figure who had just appeared, a mischievous smile playing on his face.
This person was the same trainer who had defeated Willow and injured her Grovyle during the Novice Cup. His name was... right, Josiah.
If David remembered correctly, the Pokémon he used was a Jangmo-o. At one point, he had even been considered one of the hot favorites for the Novice Cup Championship.
After all, it was a Dragon-type pseudo-legendary! Even though it was only marginally stronger than Goodra—known as the shame of pseudo-legendaries—it was still a Dragon-type pseudo-legendary. Being highly regarded was only natural.
David had originally wanted to avenge his class monitor in the next round of the competition and teach this trainer a proper lesson. Unfortunately, Josiah had turned out to be all bark and no bite.
He had been easily defeated by Leonardo and his Gastly, without even forcing them to reveal their trump card.
Now David had encountered him here again. How interesting. This guy seemed to be the foreign aid for Wyvern Academy, right?
Heh. They thought that by recruiting a trainer who specialized in Dragon-types, they could make Wyvern Academy seem legitimate.
Heavenly Dragon? Could Kommo-o even be considered a heavenly dragon? David thought with disdain.
Among all the target schools, Wyvern Academy was the one David disliked the most.
It was a private school where not many students came from genuine Trainer families. Instead, most were children of wealthy nouveau riche.
The students at this school loved calling themselves 'dragons among people' and behaved extremely arrogantly. Their reputation among schools targeting First High was already the worst.
Since this was the Pokémon world, it was normal for many organizations and buildings to have names related to Legendary Pokémon.
Just like the Imperial City Novice Cup competition David had participated in before—it was also called the Moltres Cup.
There were many similar cases.
The Wyvern in Wyvern Academy's name referred to the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza. Their school emblem was precisely a coiled azure dragon silhouette.
This was also one of the things that irritated David. Previously, he had personally promised to let those two trainers from Wyvern Academy go.
He was a man of his word, of course. But now that he had encountered more people from this academy, having the opportunity to teach these arrogant trainers a lesson felt like divine providence!
While David was lost in thought, the tension between both sides intensified, and battle was once again on the verge of breaking out.
"Stop wasting time on them! If they won't give us the item willingly, we'll take it by force!"
"Jangmo-o, use Dragon Pulse!"
"Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!"
"Finish them off!"
At that moment, Josiah lost his patience and directly ordered his Pokémon to attack.
David observed them carefully, raising an eyebrow slightly. Oh? Not bad, it seemed.
[Name: Jangmo-o]
[Energy Level: 24 (Veteran)]
[Aptitude: Purple]
[Name: Charmeleon]
[Energy Level: 20 (Veteran)]
[Aptitude: Purple]
After half a semester, this trainer seemed to have improved considerably. A level 24 Jangmo-o, and even this recently captured Charmeleon had barely reached Veteran rank.
His strength was indeed respectable.
However, David didn't take it seriously.
This Jangmo-o's level was only about the same as the lowest-level Pokémon on his own team—Riolu. (Riolu's level had increased by one during this assessment period, also reaching level 24.)
But David would never think that this Jangmo-o could truly match his Riolu.
The strength wasn't weak, but that was all it was. Nothing particularly impressive.
At that moment, following Josiah's command, deep purple Dragon-type energy condensed in front of both Jangmo-o and Charmeleon.
The intense Dragon Pulse and scorching purple fireball launched directly at the girl's Pokémon.
"It's not that simple! Wartortle, use Water Pulse! Poliwhirl, use Ice Punch! Block their attacks!"
Upon hearing the girl's command, the two Pokémon in front of her immediately charged forward. The azure Water Pulse collided with the purplish-red fireball, while the Dragon Pulse was intercepted mid-flight by an Ice Punch.
The girl leading the smaller group clearly had some skill, as her two Pokémon successfully fended off the attacks from Jangmo-o and Charmeleon.
[Name: Poliwhirl]
[Type: Water]
[Gender: ♂]
[Energy Level: 23 (Veteran)]
[Aptitude: Light Purple]
[Ability: Swift Swim]
[Name: Wartortle]
[Type: Water]
[Gender: ♂]
[Energy Level: 21 (Veteran)]
[Aptitude: Purple]
[Ability: Torrent]
The clash between the leaders of both sides was like a spark igniting a powder keg.
Both sides immediately plunged into chaotic battle once more.
Gradually, the side with fewer trainers began to struggle against the overwhelming numbers.
Many Pokémon lost their ability to battle and collapsed. The remaining ones were nearly all injured. Even among the leading girl's two Pokémon, Wartortle had already fainted, leaving only Poliwhirl desperately holding the line.
The crowd on the opposing side seemed to have already tasted victory, and Josiah's face showed a slight smile. After so much effort, they were finally going to take down their opponents.
Once all of their Pokémon lost their ability to battle, he'd see what excuses they could make.
Seeing that the battle on the field was nearly concluded, David finally stood up. It was time for him to make his entrance.