Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

However, Xia Shen refused all the conditions they offered after learning about them.

It wasn't that the conditions offered by those schools weren't good enough, nor was it that Xia Shen insisted on thinking about the college entrance examination.

The reason is that the early admission notice was sent not to the Pokémon Battle type, but to the Pokémon Breeding type...

This doesn't quite align with Xia Shen's plans for the future.

Pokémon breeding?

He has no idea about this!

Recalling what Zhou Yuanyuan had told him about the stack of textbooks taller than Snorlax, and Zhou Keke's daily listless state, Xia Shen refused without the slightest hesitation.

……

Back to the qualifying rounds.

Nandu Middle School won this semi-final very easily, not the kind of easy 6-0 victory they had in the previous singles and doubles matches.

Conversely, before the match, the two sides were evenly matched, with the score reaching 3-3 at one point.

In the next match, Nandu Middle School's first competitor, Fierce Arrow Eagle, made a desperate charge and exchanged blows, then gained momentum before leaving the arena.

Then... that Flame Ace swept through the entire team.

This was only because the opponent's ace Pokémon, Kangaskhan, deliberately avoided the main battle and instead hid in the arena match.

It's no exaggeration to say that this Flame Ace has demonstrated undeniable top-tier combat power in this qualifying tournament.

Looking at the seemingly unstoppable Blaze Ace on the TV screen, Xia Shen couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

How should we play tomorrow?

----------

Author's Remarks

7000+ words today, still a chapter to go and a few more chapters to fill...

2022-06-09 18:00

## Chapter 115 Time is running out for Moon Bear! (4.1k!)

The following day, the Nandu International Pokémon Battle Arena was packed with people for the final round of the qualifying tournament.

Since the Southern Metropolis Daily World Cup a year ago, the Southern Metropolis Daily has not seen a match that has garnered such high attention.

Even the Groudon Masters Tournament, which was also held in this venue earlier this year, was slightly inferior to today's event.

The only one capable of elevating an amateur-level competition between high school students to such a level is Xia Shen's Yueyue Bear.

Interestingly, compared to today's packed stadium, there were actually quite a few tickets left for the final before the semi-final match at Zhijiang Middle School.

Then, just minutes after Xia Shen's Moon Bear appeared, the tickets were quickly snapped up by people who had seized the business opportunity.

Immediately following this, ticket prices soared.

Before the competition even started, tickets for the finals had been inflated to more than ten times their original price, and there were still no available tickets.

Not only at the venue, but countless fans of Pokémon battles also watched the match via online streaming and television broadcast.

The appeal of the new Pokémon, Luna, is evident.

……

Inside the official live stream room.

The commentator is still Yan Yu, who was hired by the German company at great expense, and she will be hosting today's match.

"Welcome everyone to the final of the Jiangnan Division knockout round, where you will watch the showdown between Nandu Middle School and Zhijiang Middle School."

"Although both schools have already qualified for the national high school competition finals, this final is still full of highlights!"

"Will Nandu Middle School achieve its thirteenth consecutive championship in the Jiangnan Division, or will Zhijiang Middle School ascend to the throne as the new champion? The answer will be revealed shortly!"

Although the commentators knew perfectly well why everyone was there to watch, they still had to give the organizers face and finish their pre-match lines.

"Master Yan Yu, which side do you think will win?" After introducing the background of the competition, the host, as usual, steered the conversation toward this heavyweight guest.

Yan Yu immediately replied, "Of course it's Zhijiang Middle School, after all, I'm the group leader of the Shenzhen fan club!"

As Yan Yu playfully made fun of herself using netizens' jokes, the already lively bullet comments became even more animated.

……

"Pass this down: Yan Yu admits she's the biggest fanboy!"

"Yan Yu is a Shen fan, and so am I, therefore I am equal to Yan Yu!"

"To be fair, while Ursaring's stats are indeed impressive, it's only outstanding among Pokémon of the same age. As for Cinderace, I suspect it could even compete in professional tournaments!"

"It's alright, everyone's just here to see Moon Bear. You don't actually think anyone believes Zhijiang Middle School can win, do you?"

The comments section is always the best indicator of the audience's preferences, and undoubtedly, everyone came to see Moon Bear.

But everyone knows that it is virtually impossible for Zhijiang Middle School to dethrone Nandu Middle School.

Putting everything else aside, in a battle between the two sides' ace Pokémon, how can Aggron possibly beat Cinderace?

Many of the Fire-type starter Pokémon in the various generations of the Secret Realm are Fire/Fighting type Pokémon.

Blaziken, Infernape, and Emboar are all examples of this.

Although Cinderace is only a single fire-type, its skill pool contains mostly fighting moves in addition to fire-type moves.

In addition, given his [Free Spirit] trait, it's perfectly acceptable to treat him as a Fighting-type Pokémon.

If Aggron, who is four times weaker in melee combat and far slower than Cinderace, were to face him, it would be a massacre!

For Zhijiang Middle School to want to defeat its stronger opponent before the tournament is simply wishful thinking.

Therefore, in the eyes of the audience, the outcome was already predetermined; they came to watch the game simply to see the Moon Bear.

------

The competition officially began, with the singles main player match starting first.

The Pokémon facing off are Crobat and... Aggron!

The audience erupted in uproar!

What does this mean? The team's strongest singles player isn't even in the finals?

While Aggron may not be able to beat Cinderace, there are three Pokémon in the arena. Why not pick on the weaker one?

At least don't lose 0-3 in the ring match so badly, right?

Nandu Middle School was also surprised. They were certain that Aggron would appear in the tournament, which is why they arranged for Crobat, the third strongest singles player in their team, to play.

Given Crobat's strength, it's safe to say that he's not afraid of anyone in the Zhijiang Middle School team except for Aggron.

Their original goal was to secure those two points, but now they've given them away for nothing!

To be honest, while Aggron has a lot of resistance, it's not easy to find an opponent that it can completely shut down.

Four times weak to Fighting and Ground... These two types are major offensive moves, and most Pokémon will learn at least one of them.

But unfortunately, Nandu Middle School sent out a Crossbat... with poison and flight, which directly led them into the line of fire.

Both of its own type moves are completely ineffective against Poison-type moves, and Flying-type moves are resisted four times by Aggron.

As for cover moves, it would be too strange for a bat to know melee or earthquake moves.

Therefore, in the first match, Aggron defeated Crobat without any suspense, taking two points and at least ensuring that the match could proceed to the ring.

As for why they didn't just say they would take down their opponent before the match, Zhijiang Middle School simply didn't have that capability...

The subsequent matches proved this point.

In the two singles matches, a duel between non-mainstay Pokémon, Zhijiang Middle School lost both!

In the doubles match, a duel between the two starting doubles pairs, Zhijiang Middle School suffered another defeat!

Looking back now, if the opponent's Flame Blade had appeared in the main match... then Zhijiang Middle School wouldn't have even made it to the tournament.

The coach of Nandu Middle School didn't regret it much; the matchup arrangement was a game of strategy.

Moreover, he is confident in the overall strength of his team, and winning the championship... is only a matter of time!

……

With mixed feelings on both sides, the final battle, the arena match, has arrived.

The audience couldn't help but start to look forward to it.

Of course, we're not looking forward to who will win. What's there to look forward to? With Blaze's Ace of Flames as the grand finale, how could Nandu Middle School possibly lose?

What they were hoping for was to see Moonbear appear once again.

This may be the last time we see Moonbear on the field in the near future.

After all, Xia Shen isn't a professional trainer yet, so he doesn't have that many matches to compete in.

So viewers understand, Moon Bear... let's enjoy it while it lasts!

The whistle blew, and the first match of the tournament began.

The two sides facing off are Arrowhawk and Swampert!

……

Inside the live broadcast room, the commentators were analyzing the tactical intentions of both sides.

"Nandu Middle School's strategy for the arena match should be the same as the previous semi-final: let the Fierce Arrow Eagle wear down the opponent's stamina, and then take advantage of the favorable wind to leave the field."

"With Zhijiang Middle School making this arrangement, the last two Pokémon will most likely be Alakazam and Ursaring. Are they really going to let a second-year high school student dominate the finals? I have to say, Zhijiang Middle School is being a bit too bold."

"The match has officially begun, and as expected, Talonflame is still following the same desperate tactics as in the last match, directly using Brave Bird Attack! With its [Wind Wings] ability, it has already rushed to Swampert's front in an instant!"

In the real world, [Windwing] is certainly not the same as the "flying-type move priority increased by one" before the nerf in the game, otherwise that would be too overpowered.

In reality, [Wind Wings] has the effect of "adding one priority to Flying-type moves before taking damage".

Therefore, when the Arrowhawk appears, it uses the Brave Bird Attack, which kills a thousand enemies but also injures two hundred of its own, essentially destroying this characteristic itself.

Because the player wanted to leave the arena, no replacement was available.