Pokémon: Hard work pays off, moves can be upgraded infinitely.

Time passed quickly as everyone's emotions swirled.

Soon, the list of the top 16 teams for the knockout stage was released.

After lunch, in the afternoon, the round of 16 officially began.

This time, Mu Yun was the first to go on stage.

The opponent was none other than Black Heart Cotton—Wind Fairy, who eliminated Wu Tu in the first round.

Whimsicott had a great time fighting Onix, but it suffered a lot against Mu Yun's Ice Spirit.

Even the fastest boost from Mischief can't match the speed of Ice, which only needs to activate its ability.

As the frigid territory unfolded, all of the Wind Fairy's tactics became ineffective in the face of the relentless ice and snow.

The result was self-evident: yet another small ice sculpture appeared on the battlefield.

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[Ding! Alolan Vulpix (20) defeated Whimsicott (25). Permanent Quest 1: Battle Completed. The opponent's level was detected to be higher than yours. Congratulations, host, your reward has been doubled! You have received 20 points!]

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[Ding! Target detected as Short-Term Task 8: Provincial Joint Examination II. Bonus points awarded: 50!]

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The second match was played by Liu Hesheng.

His opponent was the Gyarados that had brutally defeated Liu Jianhao's Arcanine during the group stage.

He is also one of the only two remaining players from Group A to advance.

Although Gyarados has an advantage in terms of type when fighting Azure Glaive, unfortunately, in the face of absolute equipment stat bonuses, the mere difference in type is like a gentle breeze and is not worth mentioning at all!

Under the merciless slash of Azure Flame Blade Demon's Regret Sword, Gyarados fell in resentment.

Next up are the competitions of Chi Duoduo, Lü Jiayi, Lin Youqi, and others.

As a result, they naturally qualified for the quarterfinals.

The list of the top eight was released in about two hours.

"Congratulations to these eight contestants for making it into the provincial quarterfinals. Now, please take a short break and prepare for the quarterfinals!" announced the host, Seventeen.

The knockout stage is divided into two days, or more accurately, one and a half days.

The top four teams were determined on the first day, and the champion was determined and awarded on the morning of the second day.

During breaks, people naturally enjoy song and dance performances.

As a sporting event, the song and dance performances during Pokémon battles are naturally not the grand and melodious traditional song and dance performances.

Instead, it featured cheerleading, a sport more appealing to male audiences.

Uniform movements, long, straight, snow-white legs, youthful and energetic smiles, generous rhythms, dynamic beats, and the sweat pouring down...

Every single one of these moments brought a smile to the audience's faces, reigniting the atmosphere in the venue.

Even Wu Tu stood up straight, wishing he could go back and fight another three hundred rounds.

Reclaim Onix's former glory!

"Now, the next match will be the first game of the quarterfinals, between Lin Youqi from the blue team and Mu Yun from the red team!"

"Let's see what kind of fierce battle they'll bring us this time!"

Seventeen's voice was as passionate as ever, infecting almost all the audience members and making them shout involuntarily.

Unfortunately, such a lively atmosphere couldn't warm Lin Youqi's heart.

"Oh no, we're going to be eliminated in the quarterfinals."

Lin Youqi felt a little bitter.

I thought I could still make it to the top four, but I didn't expect to run into Mu Yun.

How do I fight this...?

Lin Youzhe, sitting in the audience, also felt sorrow for his younger brother at that moment.

Of the eight people, apart from Mu Yun and Liu Hesheng, his younger brother was no match for them.

Unfortunately, we encountered one of the two monsters.

It can only be said that it was a matter of timing and fate.

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In the battlefield.

"Please release your spirits!"

Although Lin Youqi felt that the chances of winning were almost zero, he couldn't possibly withdraw from the match in front of so many spectators.

Everyone can understand failure, but giving up seems cowardly.

After all, everyone came to watch the game. If one or two people give up, what are they supposed to watch?

"Go on, Little Du."

In the match against Lin Youqi, Mu Yun did not let Bingbing play.

Instead, they brought out their old friend, Xiao Du.

He wasn't entirely sure about Lin Youqi's talent, so to be on the safe side, he decided to let Xiao Du try again.

"Partner, I'm entrusting this battle to you!" Lin Youqi said in a deep voice.

Awesome!

The forest lizard makes its appearance, brimming with fighting spirit.

Although he was defeated by Xiao Du in the first game, which dampened his spirits, he regained his morale after winning the next twenty games.

The will to fight burns brightly in my heart once more!

He was fearless!

He's still that invincible forest lizard warrior!

"Should we...?"

The forest lizard was about to roar and express his inner fighting spirit, but when he saw the other's figure clearly, his voice stopped abruptly and turned into a question with an uncertain tone.

That figure looks so familiar...

The forest lizard seemed unsure of its eyes, rubbed them, and then turned to look at Lin Youqi on the high platform.

Trainer, what's going on?

Lin Youqi gave him a helpless look and then mouthed "Go for it!"

"..."

come on?

Who?

Me?

Me, who lost two lives in one move?

The forest lizard didn't chuckle; instead, it pursed its lips, not letting the bitterness at the corners of its mouth betray its feelings.

"Both Pokémon are in position, let the match begin!"

"Little Du, the Phillips shears!"

"Hiss!"

The familiar sound, accompanied by the familiar sound of the wind, reached the ears of the forest lizard.

The familiar pain traveled to his nerves from a familiar location.

The familiar feeling of weightlessness during inverted flight and the familiar sensation of impact to his back no longer brought him frustration and pain; instead, they brought him a sense of relief.

Even elves have their limits. Sometimes, being too hard on yourself only brings endless pain. On the contrary, accepting your limitations appropriately is the best way to become stronger...

This was the forest lizard's final thought before it collapsed.

He felt his soul had been elevated, and he was certain he would become an even better Lizard King Warrior in the future!

"The Forest Lizard is unable to fight; the winner is the Beedrill from the Red Team, Mu Yun!"

The referee's voice brought the audience back to their senses.

"Holy crap, that's a Beedrill? It killed the Forest Lizard in one hit?"

"If I remember correctly, Lin Youqi is the grandson of Heavenly King Lin Qingyun, yet he lost to a giant bee. Is this all the Heavenly King's grandson is worth?"

"Come on, bro, didn't you watch the previous matches? Mu Yun was the favorite to win the championship, isn't it normal for him to lose to him?"

"Normal? Beedrill, Pidgeotto, and an Ice-type Vulpix—which of his three Pokémon is a particularly strong species? You're telling me it's normal?"

"Hmm...that seems to make sense..."

"What's so abnormal about that? Haven't you heard of gifted individuals? Back in the day, King Felipe started with a Pidgey he found and rose to become one of the top four regional champions in the Central Region. Read more books, and you'll find that all sorts of outrageous things have happened in history!"

....................................

The audience's debate did not affect Mu Yun and Lin Youqi.

The latter already knew the outcome of the battle, so he didn't even have the idea of ​​starting a "fight to the death." He simply recalled the forest lizard and headed to the medical room.

Mu Yun then put away Xiao Du and returned to the rest room.

We await the announcement of the final four teams.