I haven't decided on a name for my Pokémon trainer yet.

"Hey, hey, don't mess around! I've only met that person once! It was during the rookie cup, we're not even acquainted, okay?" Ye Feng quickly grabbed Zhang Qiang's hand.

Well, Zhang Qiang, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you've got to play this trick now, haven't you?

"However, Pengcheng University's Pokémon is Dragonite, so it seems like a formidable opponent." Ye Feng said, looking in the direction Lin Jiajia left, but his tone didn't seem to show much concern.

"Probably." Zhang Qiang didn't seem to care much.

"Oh? It seems your Charizard has gotten even stronger since I last saw it?" Ye Feng raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.” Zhang Qiang raised an eyebrow as well.

"Then I'd love to see for myself," Ye Feng said with a smile.

"Wait!"

Chapter 436: The matter of touching Togekiss to increase luck

The third day of the competition arrived quickly.

After the first round of elimination, 17 teams remain to continue to the second round of elimination matches.

Since there are an odd number of teams, one team will definitely get a bye. As for which team it will be, that depends on the captain's luck in the draw.

"Captain, good luck! I believe you'll definitely get a bye!" Haozi pumped his fist.

"I'll do my best," Ye Feng said, rolling his eyes.

The strength of the Imperial University team is beyond doubt. Everyone is confident of advancing to the next round. Since they can advance sooner or later, wouldn't it be better to play one less game and conserve their energy?

Most importantly, having a bye gives you the opportunity to observe the strength of other teams.

Watching a match live provides a more direct experience than watching a video of it afterwards, and you can also see some details that you can't see in a video.

Under the eager gazes of his teammates, Ye Feng walked towards the place where the lottery was being drawn. Before leaving, he deliberately touched Togekiss to get some good luck, since Togekiss is a recognized lucky creature among Pokémon, capable of bringing people good fortune.

It shouldn't be a problem to touch it and get some good luck, right?

"Captain Ye." Captain Mo quickly walked alongside Ye Feng, greeting him with a smile.

"Captain Xia, hello," Ye Feng replied.

The captain of the Demon Squad is named Xia Mingjie. He is a senior, a sunny and handsome boy, and I heard that he is very popular at school and is also very strong.

"I wonder who will be lucky enough to get a bye this round?" Xia Mingjie said with a smile.

"I don't know," Ye Feng smiled. "But I made a point of touching Togekiss before I came..."

"Huh?" Xia Mingjie was stunned for a moment, then understood what was going on and grinned, "Hahaha, Captain Ye is so funny."

"Haha, it's alright." Ye Feng chuckled.

Those nearby noticed the two laughing strangely and couldn't help but move to the side.

Soon, it was Ye Feng and Xia Mingjie's turn to draw lots.

"Captain Xia, would you like to go first?" Ye Feng gestured for him to proceed.

"It's alright, Captain Ye, you go first." Xia Mingjie waved his hand.

After a couple more polite exchanges, Ye Feng finally drew a lot first.

"Oh? Number 17? Looks like I'm in luck." Ye Feng showed the number plate in his hand.

Xia Mingjie was stunned for a moment, then suddenly regretted it. Should he have been more modest? If he had gone up, wouldn't the university have had a bye?

"Does touching Togekiss really increase your luck? I'll try it next time," Xia Mingjie thought to himself.

···

Although he had a bye, Ye Feng wasn't planning to go back right away. He intended to stay and watch the other teams' matches to gather information and prepare for the next round of competition.

The 12 people were spread out, with one person sent to each of the weaker teams to observe, while the focus was on the three teams from Magic University, Flower University, and Peng University.

Ye Feng personally went to watch the Magic University match; he was somewhat concerned about Zhang Qiang's current strength.

Ye Feng wasn't sure how strong the other students were, but he knew that Zhang Qiang, who possessed Mega Evolution, was probably the biggest threat to him in this league.

The opponent of the Magic University team took a strong lead and won two points in the individual battle right from the start. Fortunately, the last person in the individual battle was Zhang Qiang, who crushed the opponent with the powerful strength of Charizard. Otherwise, the Magic University team might have lost 3 points in a row and fallen into a very passive position.

As Ye Feng had predicted, Charizard had advanced to the Master level.

But it was just an advancement; like Captain Human's Swampert, it was at the initial Master level.

Even among masters, there are differences in skill levels.

If that's all there is to it, even Mega Evolution might not be enough to reach full quasi-legendary strength. If that's all there is to it, Ye Feng isn't too worried.

If Charizard were to fight Ye Feng's Arcanine, its Flash Fire ability would be incredibly frustrating for it—Zhang Qiang's Charizard is a special attacker and hasn't put much effort into training its physical attacks, so it's only usable in comparison.

The team battle that followed was a huge surprise to everyone.

Whether it was because the teamwork of the Magic University players was too good or the opponents were too weak, the Magic University players won all three team battles, and the score was reversed in an instant.

"It seems that, unlike us, this school's team is focusing on individual competitions," Ye Feng secretly guessed.

If it weren't for Zhang Qiang's unexpected appearance, they might have been able to win all the individual battle points and put immense pressure on the students from Magic University.

After adjusting their strategy, Magic University successfully won the arena battle without any upsets, which relieved their supporters.

Many people were taken aback – they almost thought a dark horse was going to emerge in this league.

After watching the match, Ye Feng met up with his teammates and exchanged information.

Based on the observations, all three universities—Moda, Huada, and Pengda—have fielded a Master-level Pokémon in this competition. As for whether any are hidden, it's impossible to say.

Meanwhile, Ye Feng suspected that there were two Master-level Pokémon at the Magic University.

Since Zhang Qiang's Charizard is a Master-level Pokémon, what about Xia Mingjie, the team leader? Putting himself in Xia Mingjie's shoes, Ye Feng felt that Xia Mingjie should also have a Master-level Pokémon, otherwise how could he hold onto his position as team leader? He would probably have been usurped by Zhang Qiang long ago.

If that's the case, then the pressure on Imperial University will be immense.

Master-level skills are not something that can be found everywhere. No matter how outstanding the participants are this year, they are most likely only at the beginner level.

However, it still holds an overwhelming advantage over high-level Pokémon.

If you have to fight two Master-level Pokémon in a row, not to mention the slightly weaker Arcanine and Kingdra, even Gardevoir and Gengar would be under a lot of pressure.

In particular, Zhang Qiang's Charizard has mastered Mega Evolution, and there has been no document prohibiting the use of Mega Evolution in this league.

Even Ye Feng cannot be careless when dealing with Mega Charizard Y.

Chapter 437 The game is in progress

After the second round of elimination matches, there were 9 teams remaining. The draw will continue, and one team will still receive a bye.

If they're lucky enough, a team might even get a bye all the way to the semifinals.

Sometimes, luck is also a part of ability.

However, Ye Feng was not lucky this time and did not get a bye; that spot was taken by Huacheng University.

"I have a feeling there's something fishy about this lottery," Ye Feng muttered to himself, looking at the numbers in his hand.

The result of the draw was somewhat intriguing.

As if it were a behind-the-scenes operation, none of the four strongest teams—Imperial University, Magic University, Huacheng University, and Pengcheng University—were matched up.

However, this was just Ye Feng's wild speculation. He did not sense any fluctuations in mental energy when he drew lots, so there should be no possibility of any behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Of course, if it's a waveguide, he wouldn't know.

By the way, does a waveguide have the ability to manipulate objects remotely?

"See you in the semifinals." Xia Mingjie waved to Ye Feng.

"See you in the semifinals," Ye Feng replied.

At this moment, a bespectacled, refined-looking man walked over and extended his hand to Ye Feng: "Hello, I am Wang Shaoyang, the captain of Pengcheng University."

"Ah, hello, I'm Captain Ye Feng." Ye Feng extended his hand, and the two shook hands.

"I've heard of you. Dr. Ye's name is quite renowned," Wang Shaoyang said with a smile, pushing up his glasses.

"Haha, thank you." Ye Feng scratched his head a little embarrassedly.

“Dr. Ye is not only accomplished in Pokémon studies, but also very strong as a trainer,” Wang Shaoyang said. “I also have some experience in Pokémon studies. If we have time, we can exchange ideas.”

Ye Feng was taken aback; he hadn't expected to run into a fellow professional.

Since Wang Shaoyang dared to consult with a PhD in Pokémon studies instead of just asking for advice, it means his research in Pokémon studies is definitely not just superficial...

"Haha, no problem, I definitely will if I have the chance," Ye Feng agreed with a smile.

"Oh, right..." Wang Shaoyang suddenly remembered something, "You seem to know our Jiajia?"

"Your Jiajia?" Ye Feng naturally knew he was referring to Lin Jiajia, and a hint of gossip flashed in his eyes. This choice of words was quite interesting.

Wang Shaoyang was taken aback and realized that Ye Feng had misunderstood. He quickly explained, "It's not mine, it's ours... No, it's like this, Lin Jiajia is like... well, like our team pet in our team, so we all call her that. It doesn't have any special meaning."

"It's alright, I understand." Ye Feng nodded in realization.

I feel like the misunderstanding has only deepened. Wang Shaoyang was speechless.

Ye Feng was obviously joking.