Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

By climbing and flying, they avoided the meteor shower that was almost certain to hit them!

But he had concealed it very well, so how did he know that he was gathering power for a meteor shower?

Before the powerful, gleaming dragon claw enveloped his body, the desert dragonfly still couldn't grasp this strange question.

…………

The desert dragonfly fell down.

Although on the surface it seems that both sides have lost one Pokémon, it's not a simple comparison.

Moon Bear did so many things before it collapsed.

The desert dragonfly was crippled, and the dragon-headed gopher and hippopotamus were also slightly injured.

It can be said that, despite not being an ace Pokémon, Luna has done everything it can to the best of its ability.

As Tango's ace Pokémon, Flygon only did one thing from beginning to end: brute force to take down Ursaring.

Even his final, desperate meteor shower failed to hit Garchomp, failing to create even a tiny bit of space for his teammates behind him.

It's fair to say that the two elves performed drastically differently.

Of course, this is definitely not just a problem with the Pokémon; the trainers who made the decisions and directed the battles should bear the brunt of the blame.

Tango silently recalled his ace Pokémon; he knew that the chances of winning this battle were slim.

A fully powered Garchomp—how ​​are the two Pokémon beneath it supposed to fight that way?

Relying on the hippopotamus's frozen teeth?

Given the hippo's speed and movement, it doesn't know how much it would have to pay to bite Garchomp.

Even so, I still need to wear down my opponent as much as possible.

Although this match is hopeless, the game is not over yet.

Jiangzhou University has a wealth of talent and will most likely be able to drag the game into the playoffs.

Whether my teammates can win depends on how much damage I can inflict on Xia Shen's remaining Pokémon.

……

Seeing Excadrill charging at Garchomp at all costs, Xia Shen roughly understood his opponent's intentions.

As he wished, Xia Shen did not have Garchomp avoid his attacks, but instead chose to engage in a direct confrontation.

Just kidding, do you think I, Xia Shen, am that kind of coward?

Besides, even if I agree, Garchomp can't agree.

With the aim of training other Pokémon, Xia Shen has rarely given Garchomp a chance to appear during this period.

I finally got out to get some fresh air, and I wouldn't be happy unless I killed someone to my heart's content.

So Xia Shen stopped giving Garchomp commands and let it do its own thing.

As expected, Garchomp defeated Excadrill and Hippowdon with its excellent battle awareness and abilities.

Although he was about to fall, he still managed to defeat three opponents at once.

Of course, every single Moonbear got an assist.

Thus, in the main match, Wudu University took the first point.

…………

Jiangzhou University is very resilient.

Aside from Rou Ge's stable performance in the second game to win the match, in the following two games, her opponents managed to turn the tide with a significant advantage.

The First Evolution

This shows that the overall strength of Chongqing University is still some distance from that of truly top-tier universities.

Thus, the two sides returned to the same starting line with the same score.

The final playoff match will directly determine who finishes first in the group.

The university sent Xia Shen, whose Pokémon pool is deep and whose combat power is strong, and who has been occupying the spot in the additional tournament for many years.

Jiangzhou University also demonstrated its strength as the top school after the three starter schools by sending out a professional fourth-dan trainer whose strength was in no way inferior to their own vice-captain's player.

Then... it was mercilessly defeated by Xia Shen's Arcanine, Zoroark, and Goodra, who were sent to guard the field.

After playing two 3v3 matches, I used five Pokémon, including Togekiss and Teebrim that I hadn't played yet.

Viewers were all amazed by the sheer depth of Xia Shen's cast.

In the first round of the knockout stage, as expected, Wudu University drew a school with similar strength to Yuncheng University.

They advanced to the quarterfinals without any pressure, thus equaling the best result ever achieved by Wudu University in the national competition since Li Xiang graduated.

In the next match, the quarterfinals, Wudu University fought a hard-fought five games to defeat Xingdu University, which was at the same level as Jiangzhou University.

Only then did the viewers who had been following the series realize this.

Xia Shen has led the previously unknown Wudu University to this point!

Let's take a look at who the other three schools are in the top four.

Go to Beijing, Nandu, and Dongdu, and the three imperial families live together!

In recent years, the policy of favoring top universities has meant that schools other than these three top universities are at least a level below them in terms of resources and student quality.

Therefore, it has been a very long time since a national tournament was won by a team other than the three starter teams.

The last time this happened was more than a decade ago, at Chongqing University, with Li Xiang, a senior, at its core.

And this year, it's the same university in Chongqing, and another exceptionally talented student...

No, it's simply a genius leadership that is unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated.

Countless people are hoping that this year, will another dark horse fairy tale emerge?

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

Chapter 240: What can Arcanine do?

Perhaps it's a special treatment enjoyed by the host country.

Back when the knockout stage was divided into groups, Dongdu University avoided the other two giants and was placed in the same half of the group as Wudu University.

Therefore, the two semi-final matchups are Beijing vs. Nanjing and Beijing vs. Beijing.

It doesn't matter if it's a good draw or a bad draw; at this stage, everyone is aiming for the championship.

To win the championship, you must defeat all your opponents.

So what does it matter who you draw?

Therefore, on the morning of May 17th, the semi-final match between Dongdu University and Wudu University kicked off first at the Dongdu Elf Battle Arena.

A significant difference between Toto University and most other schools is that the captain plays in doubles rather than singles.

But that doesn't mean they're not strong.

Conversely, in doubles, each player only needs to send out two Pokémon. Theoretically, this would allow Kaoru Fujiwara to conserve more strength to face her opponent in the playoffs.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious, namely that the main match is easily used as a breakthrough point.

Of course, the breakthrough point only applies to opponents of similar skill level.

Against ordinary schools, even the vice-captains from Toto University are almost invincible.

With two formidable players, Xia Shen and Ye Rou, in the singles competition, Wudu University is definitely more than just an ordinary school.

Just when all the spectators thought this match would be like all the previous five matches played in the city.

First, Xia Shen and Ye Rou took three points, then Dong Du pulled back three points, dragging the game to the additional match between Xia Shen and Fujiwara Kaoru, when an unexpected event occurred.

In the main match, Wudu University fielded Ye Rou instead of Xia Shen!

The player who played for Toto University was not Amami Raku, who had always played in the main match and was ranked second in the team in singles, but a little-known substitute!

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

Clearly, both schools have started playing a tactical game!

…………

"Brothers, I get it. With Fujiwara Kaoru not playing, Toto University felt they had no chance of getting the two points in the main match, so they played a ploy, strategically forfeiting. Then they'll try to win the second, third, and fourth matches, denying Toto University a chance to play in the playoffs!"

One comment seemed to be the most plausible guess, which sparked a deeper discussion among the viewers.

“That makes sense, but how can Dongdu be sure they can win the vice-general competition with Ye Rou in charge?”

"So it's a gamble. The worst outcome is that it will drag on to the playoffs, but if we win, we can bypass Xia Shen and advance to the finals. That's a huge win!"

"Wudu University also thought of this, so they sent Ye Rou to play the main match to secure two points, and then sent Xia Shen to play doubles?"

"But this is too risky. What if the opponent doesn't change their formation and Ye Rou hasn't even beaten their Tian Hai Le yet?"

"Foggy City University is taking a risky gamble; they're facing greater risks and lower rewards. To avoid a playoff, Xia Shen must defeat Fujiwara Kaoru in the doubles match, which is no easy feat..."

The all-knowing netizens pooled their wisdom and even figured out all the scheming thoughts of both sides in the semi-final.

The subsequent matches unfolded as they had anticipated.

Ye Rou won the first match easily!

In the second and third games, Dongdu University also won with an absolute advantage!

The score was tied at 2-2 before the doubles match, which was unusual.

The decisive match for this semi-final has arrived ahead of schedule!

What hasn't changed is that the people who control the scales of victory are still Natsumi and Fujiwara Kaoru.

The only change is that the stage has shifted from the singles tiebreakers to the doubles matches.

…………

"We can see that the four players about to take the court are discussing their final tactics with their respective coaches in the players' stands. However, what no one expected was that Dongdu University's team seemed more tense. It seems that Wudu University's last-minute lineup change has put a lot of pressure on their opponents! Coach Wang, what are your thoughts on this premature final battle?"

In the studio, the commentator consulted the former Bug-type Elite Four member.