Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

And most importantly, practical experience.

With less than a week left until the national competition officially begins, I need to hurry up and give my dog ​​some extra lessons.

I was originally planning to spend a few days with Yan Yan in Dongdu, but maybe this is the fate of a trainer...

Therefore, in the period leading up to the opening match, Xia Shen focused his training efforts on Arcanine, both in reality and in Xicui.

Even Yan Yan's Pokémon have fought Arcanine several times to enrich his experience in battling Pokémon of different types.

Yan Yan was already used to the sudden appearance of a different-shaped Pokémon in Xia Shen's team.

Even the legendary Pokémon Meltan has adapted to it, let alone Arcanine.

Although Arcanine is classified as a [Legendary Pokémon], in terms of rarity, it certainly cannot compare to a true Legendary Pokémon.

Perhaps knowing why Yan Yan was coming, Ye Rou didn't visit even once in the last few days before the competition.

And so, amidst the intensive training and the sweat poured out by the Growlithe, the time for the national competition to begin quietly arrived.

------

May 10th was a sunny and breezy day.

The Dongdu Elf Arena was already packed with people.

Generally speaking, the popularity of a Pokémon competition in a region is directly proportional to the region's level of economic development.

As the third largest city in China, Dongdu is naturally also a "capital of elf battles".

The annual National College Student Pokémon Battle Tournament is an event that Dongdu residents have no reason to miss.

Although its competitive level cannot compare with higher-level competitions, it carries great significance.

The prodigies who shine on this stage will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, become China's top trainers in the future.

Many viewers enjoy the feeling of this kind of simulation game.

In the future, when you see a certain master or superstar on TV, you can boast, "I watched him grow up step by step back then."

Moreover, as the host, Dongdu University is one of the favorites to win this year's national competition.

As a result, front-row tickets for the first day of the group stage were almost sold at a tenfold premium.

The level of attention this national competition has garnered is evident.

The first day of the group stage will feature eight matches, meaning that half of the 32 participating universities will be playing.

Among them was the match between Wudu University, where Xia Shen studied, and Yuncheng University.

With both the two giants, Kyoto and Tokyo, participating, this match wasn't particularly noteworthy.

Wudu University is a dominant force in the Sichuan-Chongqing region. Which of the schools participating in the finals isn't a local powerhouse in the regional league?

Take Yuncheng University, Wudu University's rival today, for example. In Guangnan Province, it is also a well-known and dominant university.

From the outside perspective, it is considered to be on par with Chongqing University in terms of strength.

Apart from winning a national championship once under the leadership of Li Xiang, the current steel engineering master, Wudu University has no other highlights.

Of course, Xia Shen can also be added as a highlight of this year's competition.

However, it was just a flash of light.

In the eyes of many viewers, the three families that can shine the brightest in this competition are still the Kyoto, Nanto, and Toto.

As for Xia Shen... in the public's impression, he hadn't reached the professional level a year ago.

Nowadays, if we want to compete with those professional third and fourth dan players, or even the "secret weapons" hidden by many schools, we still lack a bit of foundation.

But the audience who had been watching Xia Shen closely and saw his effortless performance in the regional league remained silent.

They didn't argue with those netizens who didn't think highly of Xia Shen.

Wen has no first, Wu has no second.

As for strength, there's no end to arguing; you only know once you've fought.

Whether it's CJB or not, time will tell.

…………

The opening match was naturally the host country's game.

Dongdu University's opponent is a school in the Northwest Region of China that is neither strong nor weak, and its level is somewhat inferior to that of Wudu University in previous years.

Basically, once the group stage is over, it's hard to see them anymore; they're often eliminated in the first round.

Dongdu University did not disappoint the support of the fans who came to watch the game, winning all three singles matches and taking a winning start.

Captain Kaoru Fujiwara didn't even make an appearance.

The fluid and graceful fighting, and the exhilarating victory, greatly captivated the atmosphere at the scene.

The second game, the third game...

These four schools, which are not particularly strong, still delivered exciting Pokémon battles for the audience in a competition filled with top universities.

The audience was pleasantly surprised to find that the level of this year's national competition was exceptionally high.

Normally, there are no more than five schools that have professional fourth-dan players.

However, judging from the six schools in the first three rounds, three schools have already produced such contestants.

So, after the two-hour break at noon.

Amidst the high spirits and anticipation of the audience, the fourth match officially began.

It was a match between Wudu University and Yuncheng University.

It's no different from regional leagues; the venue is still decided by flipping a coin.

Yuncheng University guessed correctly and gained the first choice.

The opponent was clearly prepared, having chosen the doubles court.

Because the doubles pairing of Wudu University is basically fixed to the Sandstorm team, and Ye Rou and Xia Shen are the two who have played in the main match.

Moreover, their Pokémon and fighting styles are so different that it's impossible to counter them by using the field. It would be better to focus on doubles matches and drag the game into a tiebreaker.

Ye Rou was not surprised by this situation. According to her strategy, the two venues she chose for the second match were the arena for the vice-general competition and the simulated volcano venue for the main general competition.

Volcanic site?

Who was this chosen for?

Upon seeing the unexpected choice made by Chongqing University, the live chat instantly became active.

…………

"What the heck is the Volcano Arena?? Does the Mist City University team have a trainer who is proficient in Fire-type moves?"

"Let me tell you, there really is a senior in the team who is proficient in fire-type skills, but he is the kind of person who rarely gets to play, let alone in the main match."

"Let me tell you, this is nothing. They pull off a lot of tricks in the regional league. Have you ever seen Xia Shen take turns using his Pokémon to win a 1v3 in the vice-captain battle?"

"You said it yourself, that's a regional league, this is the national stage. With their current opponent, even Wudu University wouldn't dare say they're guaranteed a win, right?"

"What's there to argue about? The first match is the main match, isn't it? We'll know once we see who's playing?"

Amidst the noisy chatter, the two team captains finished drawing lots and stepped off the stage, waiting for the match to begin.

Before long, the venue was ready, and the whistle blew to signal the start of the match for both teams.

Not many people care who will play for Yuncheng University. What's the point of watching something that's already been decided? Who else could it be if not their captain?

The audience's attention, and even the broadcast director at the stadium, focused their cameras on the location of Chongqing University.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, the familiar young man stood up and calmly stepped onto the battlefield.

No one was too surprised. Surely they couldn't really send that fire-type specialist trainer who was the water cooler attendant to the field, right?

However, while not surprising, the audience's interest in the match increased even more.

Simulated volcanic site...

What surprises will he bring to this stage this time?

…………

Xia Shen stood on the battlefield, watching the volcanic field slowly rise.

Although this site is called a volcanic site, it is impossible to actually move a volcano here.

It simply simulates the high-temperature environment near a volcano, with a large lava pool placed in the middle.

This volcanic terrain is naturally prepared for Arcanine.

He didn't intend to hide the Gyro Dog behind him.

With Arcanine's current top-tier professional fourth-dan strength, there's nothing for him to hide.

It would be better to let him accumulate more experience in the previous matches, even if he can't beat the opponent.

In a 3v3 match, there are still so many senior players cleaning up after this newcomer.

Moreover, it would be quite meaningful for him to achieve a winning start in the first match of the national competition.

Another point is that the opponent in this match is perfect for Arcanine to perform well.

Xia Shen squinted at the opposite side, where his opponent in this match was Lu Yao, the captain of Yuncheng University.

A trainer who specializes in Fairy-type and minors in Grass-type.

If Arcanine catches her, won't it beat her up badly?

On the other side, Lu Yao waited impatiently for the battle to begin.

Xia Shen was expected to play in the main match, but the volcano venue was a bit of a mystery to her.

We can only proceed with the pre-determined strategy and take it one step at a time.

Before long, the volcanic site was fitted together, and everything was ready.

The whistle blew, and the battle officially began.

Two flashes of white light appeared, revealing the Pokémon that had entered the fray: Whimsicott and...

Arcanine?