I caught a Pokémon

Once Broccoli appeared on stage, it began interacting with May. May threw a frisbee high into the air, and Broccoli accelerated, leaving a trail of flames on the stage. Then, it used Sky Punch to leap high into the air and smash the frisbee to pieces.

Don't let the simple and unpretentious appearance of this performance fool you; it's actually a test of the Pokémon's strength and accuracy. Moreover, Combusken's movements are clean and crisp, fully demonstrating its power!

Overall, he's handsome enough, but not particularly eye-catching; he can only be described as excellent and consistent.

Moreover, this was different from the performances she had practiced in Enju City. It was clear that she wanted to save those wonderful and repeatedly practiced programs for last.

Ultimately, with a flawless and error-free performance, she received a high score of 84.

Although she wasn't among the best, this allowed Xiaoyao to be relatively safe, and it was also clear that her basic skills were becoming increasingly solid.

Moreover, her unassuming behavior in the early stages helps her avoid attracting attention and thus reduce the threat she poses.

Of course, there isn't much difference, since you still have to defeat others to advance in the end. But being noticed a little later means you'll feel the pressure a little later, which is still worthwhile.

In short, Xiaoyao had her own plans, which she didn't tell Xia You and the others, and they didn't ask about them either.

After Haruka left the field, it was Saori's turn.

However, she and Haruka were not on the same stage; instead, she went to Musashi's second stage.

However, her appearance still attracted the attention of a large audience. Even the audience in front of stage number one stopped watching the performance on their own stage and mostly looked over there.

There's nothing we can do about it; she's very beautiful, knows how to dress well, and has a mature, older sister vibe!

Although the audience here is roughly half male and half female, when faced with such a charming contestant, not only the men's attention was drawn to him, but even the women couldn't help but take a second look.

Even Xia You and his group were no exception.

Even before I knew Saori, I would have paid close attention to her, let alone now that I know her, it's even more impossible for me to miss her.

It was at this moment that they noticed that, unlike Stage 1, Stage 2 was a huge pool with several circular platforms in the middle where Pokémon and trainers could stand, giving the contestants more options.

Saori calmly appeared and then released her Pokémon.

That was a Laplace.

After emerging from the Poké Ball, Lapras landed heavily on the water, splashing a large amount of water everywhere. Just before the water hit the ground, Lapras used Absolute Zero to instantly freeze the splashed water, creating a stunning ice sculpture!

It has to be said that compared to Xiaoyao's performance just now, this entrance was far more dazzling!

This immediately caused an uproar among the audience, followed by a huge cheer!

Unsurprisingly, Saori scored the highest score of the entire competition using this tactic.

Of course, this also instantly alerted all the contestants!

However, judging from Saori's expression, she didn't seem to care. After smiling and nodding to the audience, she calmly left the stage.

No wonder they're the champions of this year's celebration...

Whether it's the performance style or the confidence and demeanor, he is indeed completely different from the other contestants.

The performance continued.

After Saori, several more contestants took the stage, and then it was Shun's turn.

Xiao Shun's partner this time was his Rainwing Moth, and with the Rainwing Moth's Silver Whirlwind, he also got a high score.

The competition was now halfway through, with various teams taking turns on the field, creating a dazzling spectacle.

After them, Xia You saw Harry appear.

At that moment, they finally understood why Harry had been hiding himself under his cloak all this time!

Harry walked onto the stage and suddenly threw off his cloak, revealing his current appearance to everyone!

He... he actually dressed up as Xiaoyao!

Yes, it means exactly what it says!

Harry somehow acquired a headband, clothes, and gloves exactly like Yao's, and even wore hot pants, revealing a pair of... hairy thighs!

He looks exactly like a larger, somewhat ugly version of Xiao Yao. However, it must be said that his outfit is indeed very similar. If it weren't for the fact that his hair color is different from Xiao Yao's, you would really think he was Xiao Yao at first glance from a distance!

only……

Seeing his attire, the unsuspecting audience was immediately taken aback.

Although Xiaoyao's appearance didn't leave a deep impression, they could still tell that the man in front of them was dressed to imitate the little girl from before.

But what is the purpose of this?

Is that little girl some kind of celebrity?

Meanwhile, in the audience, Xia You and the others were speechless upon seeing this scene.

It turns out Harry had been holding back a huge surprise!

It's true that as long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed!

Xia You couldn't remember if such a 'dark' scene had ever appeared in anime; all she could say was that it was absolutely too cringeworthy!

Fortunately, Harry didn't choose to do that to himself, and while they felt a little awkward, they didn't experience the same embarrassment as Yao, who wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground!

For unlucky people, one Haruka is enough.

Even Xiao Sheng's eyes widened, as if she had seen through the essence of the matter: "Black Rose again, and this outfit again, Harry actually likes my sister, doesn't he?"

“This…” Xiao Gang was also quite helpless. “To go to such lengths to get revenge on Xiao Yao, Harry is indeed a ruthless person in a sense.”

Regardless of what others think, Harry's performance has already begun.

He confidently released his partner, the Cursed Doll. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Cursed Doll used will-o'-the-wisps to condense several blue flames around itself. After condensing for a while, these will-o'-the-wisps suddenly burst outward, exploding into a dazzling flame.

At the same time, it emitted a disturbing, mournful laugh, spreading a chilling panic across the stage.

Although his performance was completely different from the other contestants', Harry's approach still earned him a round of applause from the audience.

Although it may not suit most people's aesthetic tastes, the criteria for judging a lavish celebration are not solely determined by people's preferences.

Finally, with Harry leaving the stage and several other groups of contestants taking the stage, the preliminary round came to an end.

Now, it's finally the turn of the four official judges to make the final decision!

Chapter 897 The Challenge from Saori

The list of 64 contestants who were selected from 270 has now been released.

As the large screen above the venue began to change, the names of 64 people, each with a portrait, slowly appeared before the audience.

Saori tied with another male contestant for the highest score of the competition. However, because her name's initials were at the end, she was ranked lower. Despite this, both of them tied for first place in the preliminary round.

This was not unexpected for Xia You, after all, he was the 'near' champion of this celebration, so he was naturally not that simple!

I never expected that there were so many hidden talents besides Saori, and that someone else could also achieve such a high score.

Indeed, no one should be underestimated.

Looking at the others, aside from those they didn't pay attention to, Shun got 8th place, Harry got 22nd place, and Xiaoyao, whom they cared about the most, got a good result of 21st place with her steady style and strong chicken's steady performance.

This also puts her ahead of Harry by a margin, although she is only one point ahead of him. But it is precisely this one-point difference that will likely keep Harry up at night.

With the results announced, today's competition came to an end, and the audience gave a warm cheer to the contestants who successfully advanced!

After waiting for a whole year, I finally lived up to their expectations!

……

By the time Xia You and her group left the venue and met up with Xiao Yao in the contestant passage, it was already dusk outside.

Upon seeing Xiaoyao, Xia You and the others all offered their sincere blessings.

Xia You was the first to clap, "Congratulations, Xiao Yao, you've successfully advanced! That's a great start!"

"Great, May, congratulations!" Ash followed closely behind.

Xiao Gang added, "Keep this momentum going!"

Xiao Sheng added, "And the fact that they didn't just barely make it into the next round is truly something to celebrate!"

Faced with her friends' encouragement and praise, Xiaoyao chuckled.

"Didn't I already say that?" she said confidently, "I've become really capable now!"

At that moment, Saori also walked through the crowd and came to them.

Upon seeing her, Xia You and the others first offered their congratulations, while Saori, after thanking them, turned her gaze to Xiaoyao.

"Xiaoyao, congratulations on advancing to the next round! I'm really looking forward to facing you in the second round of the competition!"

Want to fight Haruka?

I never expected Saori to value Haruka so much!

It's worth noting that Haruka only achieved a slightly above-average result in the preliminary rounds, and her performance wasn't particularly outstanding. She was even ranked more than ten places behind Shun. Yet, despite this performance, Saori still made her say those words. It seems that either Saori truly saw Haruka's potential, or Shun's casual conversation with her had left a deep impression on Saori!

Facing this formidable opponent, Xiaoyao showed no sign of ease, but instead smiled and nodded.

"Miss Saori, I also look forward to sparring with you!"

After all, they had become friends. Even though May and Saori seemed to have become rivals, Satoshi still asked rather inappropriately, "Um... Ms. Saori, we're going to have a big meal to celebrate. Would you like to come along?"

"Thank you for your kindness, but I have something important to do right now." Saori shook her head first, then looked at Xia You and said solemnly, "Mr. Xia You, may I ask you for a favor?"

"Me?" Xia You raised an eyebrow, noticing that everyone's gaze was fixed on him. He asked in surprise, "How can I help you?"

Saori chuckled, and with that chuckle, her charm was on full display, instantly captivating Xiao Gang who was standing beside her. But for Xia You, his heart remained completely unmoved.

Which of my women isn't prettier than her?

Therefore, this bit of charm was not worth mentioning in his eyes.

At this moment, Saori continued, "I have long admired your name and know about your achievements. Although you are not a Coordinator, I would like to have a match with such a powerful person as you, so... please grant me this request!"

Oh, I see...

I didn't expect Saori to be so belligerent.

However, he didn't agree immediately, but just smiled and said, "Normally, it's no problem, but you have a competition tomorrow, right? If your Pokémon gets injured in the battle with me, wouldn't that be a loss?"

Confidence comes from inner strength!

Despite Saori being the 'near-champion' of this year's Grand Festival Quartz Tournament, she's still no match for me.

This is why Xia You dared to make such a boastful statement!

Although Xia You's words were somewhat arrogant, Saori didn't mind. On the contrary, she felt that this was the tone a strong person should have.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "This city was built specifically for the competition and has state-of-the-art medical facilities. Unless it's a fatal injury, with Miss Joey's help, one night will be enough to complete the treatment!"

It seems she really wants to fight me.

but……

Xia You still didn't agree, but instead turned to look at Xiao Yao first.

When Xiao Yao saw Xia You looking over, she immediately understood and waved her hand.

"It's alright, you and Ms. Saori go ahead, we'll go to the restaurant and wait for you."

This is what makes Xiaoyao so understanding.

She understood Xia You's concerns.

After all, both he and Saori have now entered the main competition stage and regard each other as rivals. Therefore, the battle between Xia You and Saori will inevitably expose some of Saori's Pokémon abilities and methods, thus giving him a certain advantage and information. Although Miss Saori may not care about these things, it will still be unfair no matter what.

Seeing that she had spoken up, Xia You nodded: "Okay, then please wait for me for a moment."

May returned his big smile and then walked ahead to the restaurant not far away. Satoshi initially wanted to stay and witness the battle between Xia You and Saori, but seeing his appearance, Max grabbed his arm without saying a word and forcibly took him away.

"Xiaosheng, why are you pulling me?" Xiaozhi was still very reluctant. "I want to stay too. I want to watch Xia You and Saori's battle!"

"You have absolutely no sense of propriety! Alright, let's go, I'm starving!"

With a combination of dragging and pulling, these people finally left.

In the blink of an eye, only Xia You and Sha Zhi remained. Looking at her, Xia You pointed to the distant forest.

"The open-air battlefield here is overcrowded right now. If we don't want to attract attention, we'd better find a secluded spot."

The idea of ​​going into the woods with a woman you've only known for a short time sounds suggestive, and if people saw them and recognized them, gossip would probably spring up like mushrooms after rain.

But there was nothing they could do; the city was already packed with spectators.

Fortunately, it was dusk, and the sky was quite dark. In addition, the players' passage was far from the audience passage, so they did not attract much attention.