I caught a Pokémon

Making it this far proves that they've at least reached the top 32, a result that most people can accept and even consider an honor.

After all, not everyone is qualified to stand here. Both strength and luck are indispensable. What is there to be dissatisfied with standing out from 600 people?

And because people knew that from this point on, the main competition would officially begin, the area around them was no longer just a few reporters, but filled with a large number of cameras. The truly terrifying exposure of the Ayame Tournament was now fully revealed to the public.

The flashbulbs were going off non-stop, as if this wasn't a group activity but a press conference.

Even though the contestants' eyes were stinging from the glare, they still kept smiling and showed everyone their most handsome side.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the images on the large screen began to scroll.

Unlike the rules of the preliminary rounds and preliminary tournaments, the final tournament stage turns into a full-scale 6-on-6 battle. Trainers no longer have to worry about being eliminated due to a single setback, and can go all out and show their best to the audience.

In just over ten seconds, all the images on the big screen were frozen in time.

Xiaozhi and Zhengzong found their opponents immediately, but after seeing Xiang Xiayou and Tetsuya's group assignments, they all looked at them with surprise and suspicion.

The reason is simple: in this competition of 32 to 16, Xia You and Zheye were unexpectedly grouped together and became opponents in this battle!

Seeing this, Xia You calmly turned her gaze away from the big screen, her heart unmoved.

Perhaps in Xiaozhi's eyes, although Xia You and Zheye were not close, they had at least been in contact for a few days and were considered nodding acquaintances. However, to fight against someone they knew and have to fight with all their might to determine a winner was a somewhat heavy thing to do.

Moreover, both of them are considered very strong. Xia You is undoubtedly the best in the world in Xiao Zhi's eyes, and Tetsuya's outstanding strength has also left a deep impression on people since the competition began, and he is also regarded as one of the favorites to win the championship.

Such a clash of titans, it's a pity no matter who gets eliminated.

But that's all; they don't think much beyond that.

Only Xia You knew that this person named Tetsuya, according to the timeline of the anime, was the champion of this Saiyu Tournament. Unexpectedly, he had already faced off against her in the first round of the main competition!

What a surprising group assignment...

However, he didn't mind. He figured he'd be fighting whoever he wanted, so what was the big deal about meeting Tetsuya earlier?

The only thing I feel sorry for Tetsuya is that because he faced me so early, his result will probably be stuck here. For someone who could have won the runner-up with his excellent strength, this is obviously a missed opportunity to make a name for himself.

As for whether he will lose to Tetsuya...

Xia You hadn't even considered it.

If such a situation were to actually occur, not to mention myself, I'm afraid the legendary Pokémon I defeated, and the opponents I defeated in other regions, would find it unacceptable.

Having reached this point, it's not just him who wants to win; even those who lost to him hope he can go further. Only in this way, from an outsider's perspective, losing to a champion won't seem so shameful, but rather somewhat justifiable.

Among the contestants, Xia You glanced at Tetsuya, and coincidentally, Tetsuya also looked over at that moment.

Xia You sensed a strong fighting spirit in his eyes, but she simply smiled at it.

Come on, let me see what you're capable of!

……

After leaving the main venue, to celebrate her and Xiaozhi's successful advancement to the main competition, Xia You, at Xiaozhi's suggestion and with everyone's approval, treated the people around her to a big meal at a nearby restaurant.

It's worth mentioning that when Masamune heard there was good food, he shamelessly joined in. Xia You didn't refuse, after all, he and Xiao Zhi were friends, and he had to give Xiao Zhi some face.

As for Tetsuya, perhaps thinking about his battle with Natsumi tomorrow, he went to the restaurant alone to avoid suspicion.

Xia You didn't press the issue, since they weren't really familiar with each other.

After the meal, at a nearby coffee shop, Xia You finally agreed to Pansy and Mary's interview request.

In fact, the fact that he waited until now to give the interview was already the best he could do.

This world is not just about Pokémon battles, but also about human relationships. Pansy goes without saying; having already been interviewed twice, Xia You naturally wouldn't refuse her again.

As for Mary, since she hadn't been offered herself to him last night, Xia You was afraid that Mary would be jealous of her and make false reports, and she was also afraid that Mary would use her beauty to seduce him again, so she agreed.

As for why Xia You chose Mary even though he rejected her offer, it was a result of Xia You's deep considerations.

A person who is willing to sacrifice so much to climb the ladder of success must have an extremely strong sense of career ambition.

Since such people cannot be friends, they should never be enemies either. Although I am not afraid of trouble at all, it is better to avoid trouble.

Since interviews are unavoidable, especially as I continue to advance, I will inevitably be besieged by other reporters.

Xia You simply gave her the opportunity, then spread the word, using her as a shield to let others know that Mary had obtained her exclusive interview rights in the Hoenn region. In this way, she both appeased Mary and blocked other interviews, which was a good way to kill two birds with one stone.

Chapter 769 You have no idea how strong he is

While Xia You was being interviewed, in the open-air training ground on the other side of the players' dormitory, Tetsuya, who would be his opponent in the next match, was doing his final training with his Meowth and the other Pokémon.

However, no matter how much he trained, he discovered something he couldn't solve.

That's a problem with the Pokémon's condition.

Despite having made ample preparations in private and training every day, once they actually got to the competition field, it was as if they were wearing invisible shackles, unable to unleash their full potential.

It was visibly noticeable that the Pokémon's jumping, running, and moves were affected and became very unstable. Of course, these were not the main issues. The main issue was their mindset, and even their own mindset was slightly tense. It was this tension that caused their actions to become slightly distorted.

This is unavoidable, after all, you're attending such a conference, under the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators, with all eyes on you, it's hard to remain indifferent.

Maybe it will take a few more games for me to gradually get used to it...

For some reason, he thought of his next opponent, a man named Xia You.

Although I've only watched one of his matches, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that his Pokémon don't seem to be affected by this.

The man, in particular, seemed very calm, as if this wasn't the first time he'd encountered such a situation.

This was something that puzzled and made him somewhat wary. But overall, although Xia You's Pokémon had some brilliant performances, in his opinion, Xia You's command was still somewhat indecisive. They clearly had a chance to win, but they dragged it out for a long time before the outcome was decided.

This also made him feel that tomorrow's battle might be a little tricky, but he would definitely be the one to win in the end!

Bringing his thoughts back to the training ground, Tetsuya was about to say something to his cat when he saw the cat suddenly adopt a wary posture, showing its claws and looking towards the entrance of the training ground!

Startled, Tetsuya quickly turned around and saw another cat standing under a tree looking in their direction!

He recognized it at a glance—it was the same cat from the Rockets trio!

Speaking of which, since meeting Ash, he has also had several encounters with Team Rocket. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have any relationship with these guys who often do bad things, but because they all have a Meowth, he and Team Rocket have more in common.

But this is merely the common language between the two cats.

That's all.

So what is it doing here now?

Before Tetsuya could even ask himself a question, he saw his own cat walk up to the other cat and say something to it.

Meow Meow glanced at Meow Meow and Tetsuya wearing hats, then turned around, leaving them with only her back view.

"I'm only here to remind you of one thing, meow: never underestimate that man, meow!"

"What does this mean?" Upon hearing this, Tetsuya's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "Is that man very strong?"

Meowth didn't turn around, but looked up at the night sky and said in a solemn tone, "His strength is beyond your comprehension. Even our Team Rocket, the most powerful organization in the world, is no match for him. Especially those Pokémon that haven't shown themselves yet, just one glance at them would make them tremble. No matter which one it is, you cannot contend with them!"

Tetsuya was filled with doubt and unease.

Is that man really that strong?

He trembled all over after just one glance? That's too exaggerated, isn't it? He's just an ordinary person, not some kind of ghost or god.

Although he knew the cat's intention in reminding him was good, Tetsuya didn't take it to heart, thinking it was just making a fuss over nothing.

Just as I was about to say something about how strong I was, I realized that in the blink of an eye, the cat had disappeared!

Ok?

This made Tetsuya keep his words to himself, and also made him take the matter more seriously.

It's so mysterious. Could it really be that the person named Xia You is really that powerful, just like it says?

You can't tell at all...

Despite his doubts, Tetsuya decided to raise his level of attention to that man a notch, just to be on the safe side.

After all, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

……

Leaving aside these two contestants, on the rooftop of the office building at the Pokémon League convention center, Chairman Darma Lanqi was standing with his hands behind his back, also looking up at the night sky.

He heard footsteps behind him, and without turning around, he seemed to already know who it was.

"Isn't the night beautiful tonight?"

“It is beautiful.” John, the live broadcast director, walked up to him with a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth. “But I prefer the view right now.”

Hearing his words, Damalanqi lowered his gaze and saw the main arena, which was brightly lit in the distance, and a bustling food street further away.

After a long silence, Dama Lanqi finally asked, "Do you also find my decision unacceptable?"

The two men's words sounded rather strange, but only the league's top brass knew that they had used some unconventional methods to deal with one person in this final tournament, and that person was none other than Xia You!

For this trainer who has won the championship twice in Kanto and Johto, and now has traveled across the ocean to the Hoenn region to once again make a run for the championship, in order to make things more difficult for him and prevent him from winning the championship, the League, under the intervention of Damaranchi, carried out a behind-the-scenes operation, deliberately preventing others from fighting each other, and instead arranging the strongest trainers among them to be in the same group as Xia You.

In this way, Xia You's opponents are all strong, and if he can defeat them, he can be eliminated as soon as possible, thus preventing the embarrassing situation where all the championships are won by one person.

John exhaled a smoke ring and shook his head.

"I don't know. All I know is that whether it's the investors or the people on the board, they only care about the ratings. As long as the ratings are guaranteed, they don't care who wins the championship. The audience will also like such a star contestant more. Moreover, I think if Xia You's strength can really continue to win the championship, no matter how many strong opponents you arrange, he will still defeat them in the end, enter the finals, and win the championship."

After another period of silence, Dama Lanqi finally let out a long sigh.

“How could I not understand what you’re saying?” he sighed. “But how can we not try? Letting one person win all the championships is undoubtedly unhealthy for the league’s development. I can’t just stand by and watch that happen, at least not while I’m still in power…”

He really is a stubborn old man.

John sighed inwardly, but decided to try to persuade him again.

“I have a different opinion on this.” He threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out before saying, “I don’t think that one person winning all the tournament championships is detrimental to the development of the league. On the contrary, if this is achieved, it will serve as a benchmark. With such a player who has won the Grand Slam and whose strength is so unique, trainers will only take him as their goal, train hard and try to surpass him, instead of causing the entire league to decline as you said.”

It can be said that Dama Lanqi is just getting old and likes to get stuck on details, but that doesn't mean he's short-sighted, otherwise he wouldn't have been in the chairman's position for so many years.

It's just that he's never encountered a challenger as strong as Xia You before, leaving him standing at a crossroads, unsure of what to do next in a way that would benefit the alliance.

Hearing John say this now really touched him.

Although I still disagree with some of his views, I have to admit that John makes a lot of sense.

If it really turns out that way in the end, it will certainly be a completely different story.

After a third silence, Dama Lanqi finally shook his head.

"Perhaps, but since we've already intervened this time, let's see how it goes. If Xia You can still defeat everyone and win the final victory under this arrangement, then it proves that he is indeed a person worthy of being recommended. At that time, we should indeed consider setting up a benchmark figure, as you said. But for now, let's focus on the present."

……

Nine o'clock in the morning, at the main venue of the Colorful Joy Festival.

Compared to the previous qualifiers and preliminary tournaments, this final tournament has finally come to the largest main venue of the Rainbow Tournament.

Even though it was only the first round of the main competition, the venue, which could hold 80,000 people, was already packed to capacity.

The atmosphere in the small meeting room was incomparable to that in the main hall.

With a crowd of 80,000 people, even a single clap or a roar of applause is earth-shattering, which undoubtedly requires a mental adjustment for the contestants.

Amid the cheers, Xia You calmly walked out of the contestant tunnel and stood opposite Tetsuya on the other side.

Before him, there had already been a fight here, which had warmed up the atmosphere. The battle between Xia You and Zheye was the second one today.

The two were standing on a high platform covered by a lid, which would soon become the battlefield for their duel.

Once you enter the main tournament, as mentioned before, the competition adopts a format where all six Pokémon battle. You can freely switch the Pokémon you use during the match. There are also four different terrains: grass, rock, water, and ice, which are randomly selected by the spinning wheel.

After the initial selection of the battleground, if three Pokémon on either side are defeated, there will be a short break, and a new battleground will be selected to continue the battle.

Overall, it was no different from the Quartz Conference and Silver Conference that Xia You had participated in before.

After a brief introduction of the two contestants, the host's voice continued to echo across the arena: "Now that both contestants are ready, let's see what the venue is for the first half!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a giant roulette wheel appeared on the big screen in the arena. The wheel had icons representing four different types of arenas. It spun rapidly as the wheel turned, and then slowly stopped after a dozen seconds.

The pointer eventually pointed to a water droplet pattern.

"It's the water arena! The first half of the match between Xia You and Tetsuya has been confirmed; they will fight on the water arena!"

A place of water...

Xia You pondered the location for a moment.

I don't have many Pokémon that can be used in water-based terrains, which does limit my options compared to the other three terrains.