I caught a Pokémon

Using its terrain advantage, the Dire Ape kept surfacing and attacking, which caused a lot of trouble for the Grovyle, making it unable to fight back. However, Ash, being Ash, quickly found an opportunity and used the water surface frozen by the Dire Ape's Ice Beam to shake the Dire Ape out of the water!

That's not all. Because Diantha used too many Ice-type moves, the entire water surface was frozen into a solid layer of ice, which trapped Diantha in its own web, preventing it from diving back into the water and giving Grovyle more opportunities.

Although the forest lizard's speed was somewhat affected on the ice, it still managed to approach the Dire Tooth Sea Lion at an extremely fast speed. With a flash of lightning, it suddenly increased its speed and crashed into the Dire Tooth Sea Lion's neck before it could react.

This move was indeed very effective, knocking the Dire Seal to the ground. However, at that moment, the Dire Seal also revealed its ultimate move.

Suddenly, the Dire Seal stood up and, mimicking the Forest Lizard's earlier action, rammed headfirst into the Forest Lizard at an extremely fast speed!

The forest lizard was caught off guard and staggered back more than ten steps before finally managing to stand still.

People then realized what had happened.

Mimicry, a general-attribute move, allows you to take the opponent's last move and use it as your own during battle, even if the attributes don't match. Therefore, once used, it often achieves unexpected results in battle!

As a result, the Dianthus temporarily possesses the ability of lightning, which to some extent makes up for its lack of speed.

Seeing this, Ash was initially surprised, but then stopped using his speed to fight it and instead ordered his Grovyle to engage in close combat.

Xiao Feng naturally wouldn't be outdone, and sent Direo to meet them head-on. Little did he know that this was just a trick by Xiao Zhi. Just as the two Pokémon got close, Grovyle suddenly retreated and used Seed Gun, hitting Direo!

Upon seeing this, Xiao Sheng and the others gaped in astonishment once again.

No one expected that Ash would actually use a trick!

His move not only fooled Xiao Feng, but also surprised the host and the audience. What seemed like a close-quarters battle to decide the outcome turned out to be just a feint!

This guy has really grown.

Judging from its performance alone, Ash's Grovyle is good at both offense and defense. Although it has not yet evolved, its performance is almost on par with Tetsuya's Sceptile. If it evolves into Sceptile, its strength will definitely be even greater.

After that successful attack, the Forest Lizard completely seized the initiative, built up its momentum, and gained the upper hand. In the final clash, it narrowly dodged the Dire Ape's Lightning Flash and then used its Leaf Blade to hit the Dire Ape's vital point, defeating it!

At this point, the outcome is decided.

The referee immediately announced the result: "Seirei is unable to battle, Grovyle wins, and Ash is the winner of this battle!"

It must be said that the process was full of ups and downs, and the several exciting battles made the audience very happy. Now that Ash has won, they all cheered enthusiastically. Even Sho and his friends stood up and shouted something to Ash.

Unfortunately, their voices were completely drowned out by the noise. Not to mention Ash in the arena, even those sitting next to him couldn't hear what they were shouting.

Although Xia You didn't get up, she also clapped her hands lightly to congratulate him.

He could indeed see Ash's progress in this battle. While maintaining his style, Ash's strength steadily improved, and he also became more strategic. Compared to when he first started his journey, Ash had undoubtedly grown a lot.

This makes Xiao Zhi more threatening, but he is still a bit inexperienced for Xia You.

Seeing Ash enter the player tunnel, Xia You and his group also got up and left the stands.

The group met outside the arena, and before they could even get close, Ash was already waving to them with a big smile.

"Congratulations, Ash! You've made it to the next round!" Max and May also stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Xia You also smiled and said, "It was a good battle. You've grown a lot."

Ash's mouth was practically stretched to his ears, and his smile became even brighter.

"Hehe, not at all, I'm very strong, how could I possibly fall in this round!"

Xiaoxia didn't hold back in rebuking his arrogant behavior, saying, "You're really shameless. If I hadn't watched the match, I would have thought you easily defeated your opponent. You only managed to win by luck in the last match, didn't you?"

Xiao Zhi was genuinely both shocked and afraid of Xiaoxia, especially her sharp tongue. He had experienced it too many times. It could be said that apart from Xia You and Xiao Yao, she was just as sharp-tongued to everyone.

His face stiffened, and his smug expression froze.

"Alright." Xia You rubbed Xiaoxia's head and laughed, "You two stop bickering. Xiaozhi's opponent is no weakling. If she hadn't met Xiaozhi, she would actually have made it to the next round."

Seeing Xia You speak up for him, Xiao Zhi immediately beamed with joy and gave Xia a smug look.

"See? Even Brother Xia You thinks Xiao Feng is amazing. The fact that I can beat her proves that I'm even stronger!"

Xiaoxia wasn't deliberately picking on Xiaozhi, especially not at such a happy time. It's just that they've been traveling together for so long that teasing him has become a habit, and she feels uncomfortable if she doesn't say something. Now that she sees Xiaozhi back to his old self, she snorts with a smile in her eyes and turns her head away from him.

After Ash's match ended, there was another match in between, and in the final segment of today's schedule, Masamune's match took place.

In this match, he easily defeated his opponent by a large margin, which made Xiao Zhi, who regarded him as a formidable rival, very envious.

After all, he had only managed to defeat Kofun with great difficulty, while Masamune won so easily, which made him feel inferior.

On the first day of the competition, apart from Tetsuya who was eliminated by Xia You, both Satoshi and Masamune advanced, which made their subsequent battles even more anticipated.

To celebrate their advancement to the top 16, in the evening, at Ash's suggestion and with May's strong approval, they went to a top-rated pizza restaurant for a celebratory meal.

The restaurant's most popular dish is the most authentic pizza baked in a stone oven. The crust is crispy, the cheese melts in your mouth, and it's topped with various grilled meats, seafood, and fruits, making it a truly satisfying meal for everyone.

In particular, Satoshi and Masamune started competing with each other again, determined to see who could eat more.

Obviously, with his small appetite, how could Xiaozhi possibly compete with Masamune's large belly? In the end, he narrowly lost to him.

This made Ash sigh in frustration, and then, with his big belly sticking out, he vowed to defeat him in the next competition.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, the group draw for the Round of 16 was announced.

After receiving the notification, Xia You and the others lost their appetite. Xia You paid the bill and then hurriedly led the group back to the players' hall.

Because the journey was too long and it took some time, by the time they arrived, all the match groups had already been displayed on the big screen.

Upon looking up and seeing their group assignments, Ash and Masamune were both startled, and then looked at each other simultaneously.

On the big screen, the first pair of players in the first row were clearly their portraits!

They never imagined that they would be having dinner together just a moment ago, but would be competing against each other on the field tomorrow!

Both of them froze, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Although I knew that after advancing, as the number of contestants decreased, we would inevitably meet one day, I really didn't expect it to happen so soon!

This also means that no matter who wins, the other will leave the arena with regret!

Xia You shook her head, turning her gaze away from them, and instead looked for her group information, finding her own avatar in the last group of the second row.

His opponent was a young female trainer with a ponytail and thick-rimmed black glasses.

Xia You thought about this person carefully for a moment.

As the competition progressed, the number of remaining contestants had decreased significantly, so he still had some impression of the remaining contestants. This female trainer, in the round of 32, used a ruthless method completely different from her unassuming appearance to easily defeat her opponent, presenting the audience with a one-sided crushing victory!

interesting.

Xia You touched her chin thoughtfully.

In the first round, I encountered Tetsuya, and in the second round, I encountered the strongest of the remaining contestants. Will I encounter the strongest person among the top 8 in the next round?

Of course, he didn't think much of it, simply assuming it was just luck.

Even if he knew that this was a deliberate arrangement by the Pokémon League, he would simply laugh it off. After all, in the face of absolute power, no amount of trickery would be of any use.

Just as Ash turned his gaze away and was about to look at Satoshi and Masamune again, Masamune suddenly ran out the door, and Ash, after a moment of stunned silence, also chased after him.

Seeing this, Xiaoyao and the others stood there in astonishment.

"them……"

"Don't worry about them." Xia You waved her hand dismissively. "It's just a little squabble between two boys. It's nothing serious. Let them handle it themselves. We don't need to get involved. Let's go back to the dorm and wait for them."

Just as Xia You said, Xiao Zhi and Zheng Zong are both friends and rivals. Since it is inevitable that they will become opponents tomorrow and they will have to decide the winner on the battlefield, if they want to maintain this friendship, then no one can help them except to open their hearts to each other.

Nodding, Xiao Yao and the others naturally understood this principle. After shaking their heads, they stopped paying attention to the two of them and followed Xia You back to the dormitory.

Just after the group left, behind the glass window on the second floor of the hall, Dama Lanqi watched Xia You's disappearing figure and remained silent for a long time.

That's right, the opponent arrangement this time was naturally arranged by him again.

He was also the most skilled trainer he selected from the remaining trainers!

Xia You has already entered the top 16, which is a dangerous sign. If we can't stop him in the next round and let him advance to the top 8, or even the top 4, then all our ideas and expectations will truly be in vain...

Chapter 780 Spectating the Battle

Although it was the same venue, the atmosphere in this round of 16 to 8 was noticeably more intense than in the round of 32.

Despite having the same number of seats and the same number of spectators, the audience was more enthusiastic, and the cheers were louder, clearly indicating greater anticipation for a battle that was destined to be even more intense.

The entire venue of the Hoenn Tournament was enveloped in a celebratory atmosphere. Even in some major cities in the Hoenn region, promotional photos of the contestants began to appear at bus stops and department stores. Some employees of large companies even secretly started to slack off to watch this annual grand event.

It surpasses even the lavish celebrations that just concluded not long ago, and in short, it has increasingly attracted the attention of the entire nation.

Amidst much anticipation, the match between Ash and Masamune kicked off today's schedule at 8:30 AM!

It's unclear what the two talked about last night, but now, standing in their respective trainer command areas, their faces are solemn, especially Masamune. He is completely different from his usual carefree and jovial self; he is tense and conflicted, and one glance is enough to tell that he is still struggling with his inner conflict.

The rules for this round of the competition are exactly the same as the previous round.

The host introduced the two contestants in a loud voice, followed by the draw for the venue in the first half of the competition, which was finally settled on the ice arena.

A rectangular ice arena, covered in thick, solid ice, was brought to the center of the arena by gears.

Everything is ready; the battle has officially begun!

In the stands, Xia You and her group sat among the crowd. In order to watch the game more leisurely and comfortably this time, and to prevent Xiao Yao from stealing all the snacks, Xia You specially prepared a lot of snacks. She also waved to the stiff Team Rocket trio and bought some drinks from them at a price that was almost free. With everything prepared, she was able to watch the game in a relaxed manner.

At this point, Ash and Masamune's first Pokémon had been decided.

Ash's first Pokémon was his Gryphon, and after hesitating for a while, Masamune also released his Girafarig.

Others might not know, but Xia You and the others knew that what Masamune was struggling with was not which Pokémon to use, but how to face Ash.

This is really tough on him. A cheerful boy like him has been forced to this point, which shows how much he values ​​friendship.

On the contrary, Ash, having already experienced the fateful battles with Gary and Hiro, and the friendly duel with Natsume, was already used to sparring with his friends in such situations, and was the relatively calm one.

Let's turn our attention back to Pokémon.

In terms of attributes, Giratina is a Normal/Psychic-type Pokémon, while Corphish is a Water-type Pokémon. The two Pokémon have no type advantage or disadvantage and neither has a field advantage. No matter how you look at it, this should be a very evenly matched contest.

But Masamune seemed to have lost his composure and turned into a complete novice. Under his command, Kirinki's moves were not only chaotic but also made many common-sense mistakes, resulting in a disastrous defeat.

This surprised the viewers, who couldn't understand why such an amateur player would appear in the round of 16!

"This can't go on..."

Seeing Masamune in such a state, even though he wasn't very familiar with him, Kosatsu still shook his head: "If this continues, he's bound to lose!"

Having witnessed all of this, Xia You took a sip of her drink and said to Xiaoxia and Xiaogang, "Don't you guys feel that Zhengzong's current state looks somewhat familiar?"

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang both looked at him at the same time.

"You mean...?"

Shaking her head, Xia You said, "Just like when Ash challenged Hiro at the Indigo League!"

Hiro?

Upon hearing Xia You mention this name, the two couldn't help but recall Kanto, as if they were seeing that boy again, who also wore a hat, had a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, and whose personality was more composed than Ash's.

Indeed, Masamune's current state is just like Satoshi's when he fought Hiroshi. Not only is he not playing his full potential, but he also lacks fighting spirit.

It's safe to say that he truly lives up to his reputation as the chubby version of Ash Ketchum; even the hardships he encounters are the same.

Xia You continued, "If we want to restore it to its original state, everything depends on Masamune himself. Of course, I don't think Satoshi will stand idly by."

Their gazes returned to the arena.

At this moment, the lobster soldiers used the ice pillars and ice rocks on the field to make Kirin run around in circles, while Masamune, due to his own problems, was unable to adjust his state and naturally could not give any effective commands, which made Kirin's performance even more unstable.

In the end, after dodging several counterattacks from Qilinqi, the lobster soldier defeated it with a single crab claw hammer.

Ash won the first game!

Even after winning the first battle, Ash showed no joy; instead, he looked at Masamune with a complicated expression.

Seeing that Masamune had not recalled his Giratina for a long time and had sent out his second Pokémon, the referee frowned and raised his flag to give him a hint.

This is very bad news.

If Masamune is still unable to send out a Pokémon when the referee raises the flag again, he will be considered to have forfeited and thus disqualified from the competition.

Some audience members booed.

The annual Ayame Tournament has already reached the round of 16 to 8, and this is what they're showing them?

Discontent slowly arose in the audience and quickly spread, causing Kosatsu and the others to worry about Masamune.

"What on earth is he doing?" Sensing that the atmosphere beside him was a bit strange, Masamune scratched his hair, looking very puzzled. "What's there to be so conflicted about? Even Ash has made up his mind to fight with all his might, so why is Masamune acting like this?"

Xia You shook her head helplessly.