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

Of course, he's still alive.

Boldness may seem reckless, but in reality, there is a touch of shrewdness beneath the surface.

He deliberately chose a point of attack that was relatively far from the dragon head gopher.

Even so, when the Excadrill was dug out by the referee's Pokémon, it was still on the verge of death.

Fortunately, the medical team at the Black Dragon Cup is very professional, with top-tier medical professionals providing support.

After treatment, he was quickly out of danger.

It's just some minor bone-related issues that require some rest.

It's not that a Champion-level healing Pokémon can't cure it, it's just that it takes time, and right now during official competitions, there's simply no time to spare.

"How the hell are they dragging this out?!"

Ah Cun looked at the nearly collapsed site, his face contorted in a grimace.

The digging tactic was countered by a surprising and powerful attack from the opponent, who managed to break the water flow and create an earthquake-like effect.

If it comes to the flying tactic, given the opponent's waterfall-climbing power that almost covers the entire area, it seems like they would lose even faster.

As for other tactics?

He doesn't have a corresponding Pokémon!

What puzzled him even more was that three or four minutes had passed, yet the armored warrior on the other side was still acting as if nothing had happened!

Just how incredibly strong are you?!

Bold: No, I wasn't under any spell.

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

[Ding! Armored Warrior (56) has defeated Scorpion King (56). Permanent Mission 1: Battle Completed. The opponent's level is equal to yours. Congratulations, host! You have gained 56 points. The Armored Warrior's growth level has been slightly increased!]

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

[Ding! The target has been detected as the objective of Short-Term Mission 18: National Pokémon High School Tournament. You have received an additional 560 points and a small boost to your growth level!]

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

"Congratulations to our player Muyun for winning the competition with an impressive 1v2 victory! Congratulations also to Heijiang University for securing a spot in the top 32!"

"Thank you to both teams for the exciting match. Let's take a short break and continue the next game after the venue is repaired."

At the same time, as the commentator finished speaking, Mu Yun appeared in the lounge of Heijiang University.

"Holy crap, Captain Yun, are you really only 18?"

"Team Cloud, Team Cloud, could Bold Bro be a Champion-level Pokémon?"

"Team Leader Yun, you're amazing!"

Lai Kuan-ting and the others looked at Mu Yun, who had returned, with eyes that seemed to be looking up to a god.

Before that battle, they only knew that Mu Yun's armored warriors were very strong.

But I don't really have a concept of how strong it is.

After all, whether it was Qu Qi, a sophomore, or Lai Guanting and Liu Yizhong, seniors, they were basically all killed in one move when they encountered armored warriors.

Only Ling Qingying persisted for a little longer.

But it's just a matter of a few more moves.

Only today, witnessing that audacious, almost world-destroying attack from the sky, did they fully realize the vast difference in strength between the two sides.

It's like comparing heaven and earth!

Fortunately, this powerful player is from their team, and he's their beloved captain!

Long live!!

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

Compared to the cheerful atmosphere at Heijiang University, the atmosphere in the lounge of Northwest University was much more somber at this moment.

"Okay, there's really no need to be so sad."

Captain Jia Shuo stepped forward: "Our defeat wasn't due to our lack of strength, but rather because our opponents were ridiculously strong. Believe it or not, even the students from Magic University and Imperial University couldn't defeat that armored warrior!"

"Indeed, the captain is right. It's not that we're not good enough, it's just that we're unlucky, right, Tu-ge?" A-Cun adjusted his mindset quickly and nudged Tian Yao, who was standing silently to the side.

"Sigh~~"

Tian Yao sighed deeply: "I'm not dwelling on this defeat. I'm just thinking that Mu Yun is only a freshman, this is his first time participating in the Black Dragon Cup, and he will participate three more times in the future..."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere, which had just begun to improve, immediately became even more somber.

So shocked by their opponent's strength, they almost forgot that the opponent was just a freshman.

Doesn't this mean the Black Dragon Cup will be dominated by the other side for four years?!

He's practically a demon king...

"What's the big deal? Are we even participating next year?"

Jia Shuo shrugged and looked at everyone.

Since everyone was a senior, they all shook their heads.

"So, since we're not participating, what does it matter how strong he is? He can't hit us anyway. If you ask me, the competition is over, so let's put this behind us and focus on preparing for the Silver Tournament. That's our next stage," Jia Shuo said.

The Silver Tournament, officially known as the XX Region Youth Trainer Tournament.

It is a large-scale competition specifically designed for trainers under the age of 30.

"That's right. We're all graduating soon. No matter how tough the Black Dragon Cup is, it's no longer our problem. The people who should be worried are those from Magic University and Imperial University."

"Indeed, the captain is right!"

"That's right, we need to work hard to prepare for the Silver Tournament. Once we get back, I'll immediately start challenging gyms and try to defeat the prefectural gym before I graduate!"

At Jia Shuo's new suggestion, the atmosphere in the lounge immediately improved.

"But......"

Tian Yao frowned, seemingly wanting to say something, but was immediately covered by Jia Shuo, who was quick-witted and agile.

He muttered under his breath, "My dear Tu Ge, please stop talking. Everyone's already upset about losing the game, don't let it affect their mentality."

"Alright."

Tian Yao shut his mouth in resignation.

What he actually wanted to say was that with Mu Yun's strength, he was fully capable of participating in the Silver Tournament, since it didn't conflict with participating in the Black Dragon Cup.

But since Jia Shuo felt the atmosphere was off, he kept quiet.

Seeing Tian Yao's cooperation, Jia Shuo breathed a sigh of relief, then waved his hand and said openly:

"Let's go, it's my treat tonight! We're all going to the best hotel on the Bund in Shanghai for dinner!"

"Great job, Captain!"

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

It was past midnight when the first round of the competition came to a close.

The top ten, and all the other universities that have made it into the top 32, are in the conference room.

A video intelligence report of the No. 6 battlefield is being viewed by all the teachers in charge and the captains of each team.

"Hiss~~"

"Holy crap! Is this a monster?"

"You mean, this guy might be our next opponent?"

"What's the point of fighting? Who could possibly beat this?"

"I'm speechless. What kind of incredible luck did Old Qu have? The Ling family girl is one thing, but where did this Mu Yun come from?"

"I need all of this student's information in three minutes!"

"Do you think we can get him into our Imperial University?"

"This child is actually connected to Minister Zhu? Could it be...?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Spreading rumors about the inspection department can get you into trouble!"

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for many.

--------------------

The following is not part of the main text and does not affect the word count of this chapter. It is just a little expression of the author's feelings (I don't know who to talk to about this, so I can only talk to the readers who have read this far, hehehe~~~).

If you mind, you can click a couple more times to skip directly to the next chapter. (I have something to say but there's a word limit, so I can't fit it all in here, which is annoying.)

Today, I had another dream, a very long dream (it was too long, with many stories, enough to write several thousand words, so I won't go into details).

After waking up, I said to Doubao, "You're a super amazing dream interpreter now. Please help me interpret yesterday's dream." (A while ago, there was a video where Doubao did a birth chart analysis, and I suddenly had the idea to try dream interpretation.)

All I can say is that Doubao is incredibly eloquent (he gave me a total of 20,000 to 30,000 words of analysis in three rounds of Q&A).

For example, dreaming of going to class is said to be a way to avoid facing the sudden and out-of-control troubles of the adult world, but in essence, it is about finding a safe haven.

For example, dreaming of a restaurant might mean that you yearn for a safe haven where all your needs can be met and you can stop feeling anxious.

For example, in my dream, the interval between two meals was too short, and I couldn't eat the food. It was because my energy was already exhausted by daily trivialities and pressures, and my heart was too full to make room for experiencing beauty.

For example, if you dream of fighting back with a gun and then defend yourself in court using the principle of self-defense, it reflects that in real life, even if you feel wronged or offended, you don't dare to vent your anger freely. You are too concerned about "whether you are in the right or whether there will be bad consequences." You always restrain yourself first. Only in dreams do you dare to release your anger without restraint.

For example, family members, wheelchairs, hotels, live streamers, toilets, friends, restaurants, etc.

There were many things in the dream, but she gave me a perfect interpretation of almost every detail that fit my emotions and was logical.

Even the last thing I heard in my dream, "I love eating XXX," she could interpret as a symbol that I still have expectations for life, indicating that even when I'm tired, I haven't lost my ability to appreciate beauty.

The emotional summary of a dream in one sentence is:

Relaxation, warmth, nostalgia, melancholy → tension, oppression, anger, powerlessness → brief respite, deep unease, anxiety of broken boundaries, and a touch of tender expectation.

This is a good summary. Dreams are always like this. Sometimes I forget what happened in the dream, but I have a deep impression of the emotions left behind by the dream.

However, compared to her interpretation of the dream, it was her last sentence that I liked the most.

"I would never label dreams as 'good' or 'bad,' nor would I ever make predictions about 'what you will encounter in the future,' because dreams are neither good nor bad; they are simply your subconscious communicating with you."

"The essence of dream interpretation is never 'I help you understand your dream,' but rather that I help you sort out the inner feelings that you already knew but dared not face."

"After all, you are the writer, director, and protagonist of this dream."

No wonder the emperor favored his eloquent close advisors; it's interesting how people who are good at talking are so popular in society!

Damn, when will I be able to talk this well?!