You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 123 Champion Odds Ranking: Sixty-first place, Xia Chi!

Equip Blue Buff and Titan's Resolve to Tire Meow and Misdreavus respectively.

All preparations for the Pokémon Academy World Tournament are now complete.

After Xia Chi had rested for two days,

The night before the opening ceremony of the competition, he obtained the match-up information from Lin Qunzhi.

There were 64 contestants from 10 regions participating in the competition.

It's exactly the perfect number for a cup tournament's knockout system—

64进32，32进16，16进8
Until the final champion is decided!

Therefore, there are no fancy double-elimination systems anymore.

All the contestants who are able to participate in this competition are the most talented and gifted trainers of their respective age groups in their regions.

No one knows this better than Xia Chi.

So when he saw that his first opponent was Ruby from the Hoenn region, he wasn't particularly surprised.

In this world-class competition where elites gather, it's perfectly normal to run into an "old acquaintance".

Who is Ruby in the original story?

The protagonist of this special episode is based on Yu, the main character of Emerald. He is known as the son of the strongest gym leader!
Of course, the title of "strongest gym leader" for Qianli may be somewhat controversial.

The Galatians call it Chibana, the Hoennians call it Senri, and the Johto people call it Liubo.

Only Xia Chi knew that once Sakaki appeared, all these little brothers had to take a backseat.

However, regardless of the circumstances, there is absolutely no dispute that Senri possesses the strength of the Four Heavenly Kings.

He only chose to stay in Petalburg City as a small gym leader out of a sense of responsibility to his family and love for his wife.

It is easy to imagine how strong Lu Bi is, having been taught combat skills by Qianli since childhood.

------

"Xia Chi, your opponent Ruby seems to be ranked eighth in the odds of winning the championship!"

At the pre-competition meeting in Shanghai, senior student Lu Yiyi pointed to the information on her phone and said this.

Xia Chi was somewhat surprised.

Is Rubie eighth?
What kind of experts must the first seven be?

"What website is it? Is it authoritative? Who are the top seven?"

The question was asked not by Lü Gang or Xia Chi, but by Lin Qunzhi.

Dean Lin, whose family background and abilities are both top-notch, is genuinely concerned about his students' competition results.

Lu Yiyi said, "It's made by Golden Betting Company, of course it's authoritative!"

Golden Casino is the world's largest gambling company.

Xia Chi figured that since it was involved in gambling and located in Golden City, it was most likely a property of the Rockets.

"If it's the top seven."

Lu Yiyi said while scrolling through her phone, "Seventh is Korni from the Carlos region."

The future Sala City Gym Leader, Korrina the Cucumber, is only seventh?

Too low!

Xia Chi gave his fair assessment.

"The sixth is Marie from the Galar region."

Miss Mary, a strong contender for the future Galar championship, is only sixth?
Too low!

"Fifth is Gragio from the Alola region."

You mean, the son of the richest man in Alora, who captured Silvally and Zoroark, and the brother-in-law of the Aether Foundation, is only fifth?

Too low!

"."

"."

"The first is the green of the Kanto region."

what?
Professor Oak's grandson, the one who nurtured him, the Red rival, and the top talent in Blue and Green?

Too low!

Hey, wait.

It seems there's no one else there even if it goes any higher.
After Xia Chiyi's sharp commentary, he discovered that the people at the top of the odds list were all top-notch.

It made everyone seem to be ranked too low.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "With Xia Chi from the Eastern Huang region added to the mix, this year's competition is truly phenomenal!"

Lu Yiyi: "." Lin Qunzhi: "."

If you're not a buddy, then who are you?
"Junior Xia Chi, your odds ranking seems to be sixty-first."

The honest and simple-minded Lü Gang struck at the heart of the matter, with remarkable effect.

Xia Chi twitched her lips, but then became concerned about another issue.

Who are the three geniuses ranked below me?

Lu Yiyi rolled her eyes. "No wonder she's a top streamer. She doesn't seem to have any inhibitions when it comes to making fun of herself."

Xia Chi hummed in agreement: "That's right. In the live streaming business, the rankings have to be reversed."

Lu Yiyi gave a thumbs up and said, "You're unbeatable, buddy."

Lin Qunzhi slammed his hand on the table and said, "Alright, stop joking around. Everyone, go back and get some rest. Xia Chi, good luck in tomorrow's match, and try to get off to a winning start!"

Xia Chi's match was on the first day, while Lü Gang and Lu Yiyi's matches were spread out over the second and third days.

"Yes, I will!"

Xia Chi nodded solemnly in agreement.

This competition doesn't have the concepts of opening match, do-or-die match, honor match, or train station match.

If you lose, go directly to the train station; all the intermediate steps are skipped.

Determined to win the championship and thus gain the advantage in the battle rounds, Xia Chi is determined to win the first battle tomorrow!
After the pre-match meeting, Xia Chi and the other two went back to their rooms to rest.

Silent all night.

------

The next morning.

Today, Beishang Township is unusually bustling and prosperous compared to its past.

The newly built Beishang Township Arena, which can accommodate 60,000 people, was packed with spectators from all over the region who came to watch the games.

Today is February 18th, 225th year of the League calendar.

It was the opening day of the World Pokémon Academy Tournament.

Although this is Xia Chi's personally designated "large baby cup", the competition is still called "world".

Therefore, the audience's enthusiasm for this event is still very high.

It's said that tickets for the opening match have been scalped for tens of thousands of League Coins each!
This is the terrifying influence of Pokémon battles in this world!

Eight matches will be played today, starting at 9:00 AM and ending at 7:00 PM.

Although the match between Xia Chi and Ruby was not the opening game, it was the second game of the morning.

This can be considered a highly anticipated and focused battle.

Although Xia Chi's ranking on the odds list is low, he's very popular!

In just two months since the beginning of this year, he has been involved in the two most popular and influential events.

In the Tao Dailang incident in Beishang Township, this guy even played the "protagonist" role, commanding the legendary spirit Egui Peng!
In comparison, Ruby, who ranked eighth on the odds list, became a supporting character.

However, in Pokémon battles, the distinction between the main characters and supporting characters depends entirely on the strength of both sides.

So, although most viewers were only paying attention to this match because of Xia Chi.

However, most people favor Ruby, who appears to be stronger on paper.

The opening ceremony was not complicated.

After a brief speech by Ye Ci, the chief champion and president of the organizer, Padiya League.

The first match officially began.

The organizers specially arranged a high-level match.

Nemo from Orange Academy in the Padia region versus Duruo from Blueberry Academy in the Unova region.

The strongest individuals from two sister academies!
Nemo receives a lot of attention because she is the second daughter of the Rotom mobile phone company.

Du Ruo is the champion of the Blueberry League, the grandson of Shaka, the Gym Leader of the Twin Dragons Gym in the Unova region, and ranks third in the champion odds list.

Before the match, everyone expected it to be a spectacular clash of titans.

This is true.

Both the process and the result were exciting throughout the entire match.

The final score was 3:2.

Nemo's last Pokémon, the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile, was narrowly defeated by Du Ruo's Aluminum Steel Bridge Dragon.

He was awarded the title of "Sixty-Fourth Master of the Grand Prix".

(End of this chapter)