I caught a Pokémon

Leaving her aside, after a short break, the second round of the competition review officially began after the groups were formed.

In this round, Ash and Nozomi were grouped together, Dawn was grouped with the male trainer who was ranked second, and May was grouped with another female trainer.

This grouping is actually a pretty good result.

After all, Dawn and May were not grouped together, which avoided an internal conflict, and this was also what Ash and Nozomi hoped for.

It's important to know that Ash and Nozomi aren't really friends. They've only met once and exchanged a few words because of Dawn, and their relationship was even a bit strained with some unpleasantness. This pairing up will allow the two of them to resolve their differences.

The audience was unaware of the awkwardness between the two, but they still showed considerable anticipation for the first battle of the second round.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ash and Nozomi, as the first opponents, took to the stage together.

Unlike the grand tournaments in the Kanto region, the Sinnoh region's tournaments have returned to a singles format. In the second round, each participant only needs to send out one Pokémon, instead of a doubles battle.

While it is somewhat similar to Hoenn, it still retains the Kanto rule that allows players to select Pokémon that are different from their first-round lineup.

As the five-minute countdown began, both players simultaneously sent out their Pokémon.

First, let's look at Ash. In this round, he still sent out Aipom, which had performed well before, and did not change his Pokémon.

This aligns with his original intention, since he came to participate in this celebration event because of Aipom, and he will naturally use it to complete the entire event.

Let's look at Xiaowang again.

This time, she didn't use the previous Misdreavus, but instead used a Charming Cat.

Just like its name suggests, this is a cat-like Pokémon with a very elegant appearance. It is only half a meter long and most of its body is gray, with only the tips of its paws, the tips of its ears, and the circle around its mouth being white. Its long tail curls like a vortex, giving it a slightly lazy and noble look.

This Pokémon is said to be very easygoing, occasionally making a sound from its throat to act cute, which makes it very popular, especially among girls. Usually, it uses its tail and eyesight to charm people, and it can use its tail to perform beautiful movements like ribbon exercises in rhythmic gymnastics. However, don't underestimate it because of this. Once it gets serious, its sharp gaze can put its opponent into a mild hypnotic state and reveal its hidden brutality!

But none of these are the most important.

There's a saying that's been circulating among trainers who keep charming cats.

That is—never let Charming Cat evolve!

While outsiders might not understand the reason behind this, only the trainers who evolved Charming Cat know that the evolved Charming Cat is simply too ugly!

She always looks angry, and her bloated figure is completely different from her charming cat form—they're practically two extremes!

Instead of possessing that noble elegance, they have gained a fierce quality, so apart from a few people with unique aesthetic tastes, it is difficult for anyone to praise them as 'beautiful'.

Just as Xia You was feeling sentimental, the battle between the two had already begun.

Ash immediately commanded his Aipom to attack Grease.

Faced with Aipom's high leap and tail attack, Glamour remained unmoved. Only when Aipom was close did it suddenly use its swirling tail to wrap around Aipom's tail, blocking its attack.

This prevented Ash's attack from succeeding.

On the contrary, because Glitter showed its speed and reaction, in this battle, even though the two Pokémon's tails were tangled together, it was Ash, the attacker, who lost some of his flair points!

And that wasn't all. With Charming Cat's exertion, the longtail monster's hand, which was entangled in its tail, was actually spun around and thrown out!

Fortunately, Ash is no pushover either. At this critical moment, he managed to get Aipom in the air to use Swift to counterattack, thereby stabilizing its position and once again reducing Meowth's brilliance!

This resulted in a draw between the two Pokémon in their first encounter, with neither gaining a significant advantage.

However, it's clear that compared to these coordinators, Ash's fighting style is more like that of a trainer. This is why, even though he initiated the attack, he was the one who lost points.

But it was precisely because Ash was a trainer that he reacted quickly when attacked and made the right response, which reduced Meowth's glamour value and even hurt Meowth!

This can be described as a clash between the standard Coordinator's fighting style and the Trainer's fighting style!

The two fought side by side, neither falling into the other's rhythm, making it a close contest!

"This player named Xiaowang is really amazing."

Xia You heard Xiao Gang's praise from beside her, and nodded in response.

yes……

If she weren't powerful, how could she have defeated Dawn in the final grand celebration and become a top Coordinator?

"This match won't be easy for Ash. It remains to be seen if he can find a way to win under these circumstances."

"What?" Xiao Gang asked in surprise when Xia You didn't think highly of Xiao Zhi. "You mean... Xiao Zhi will lose this match?"

"Who knows?" Xia You shrugged. "After all, Ash isn't a true Coordinator, and his opponent isn't someone to be underestimated either. It's about 50/50. If Ash wants to win, he'll have to unleash his full potential."

After hearing this, Xiao Gang fell silent.

However, he didn't completely believe Xia You's viewpoint.

After all, although Xia You is powerful, he is not omnipotent. It is impossible to accurately predict the outcome of Pokémon battles.

Most importantly, he had witnessed Ash's strength firsthand, so he was quite confident in dealing with these Coordinators.

Moreover, this is only the first battle of the second round of the Grand Contest. Even if Ash loses in the end, it's impossible for him to fall so quickly in the first battle, right?

Chapter 932 The Powerful Little Yao

Unfortunately, the battle did not unfold as Xiao Gang had hoped.

Ash was ultimately defeated.

Although he was able to go toe-to-toe with Xiao Wang in the early stages of the battle, his passionate fighting style was not very effective on this glamorous stage, especially when facing some strong opponents, such as Xiao Wang in front of him. The effect was not obvious, so much so that Xiao Wang figured out his pattern and won by a large margin when the five-minute countdown ended.

Of course, it's not that Xiao Zhi is that bad.

After all, Ash is a player who has entered the tournament's elimination rounds twice, an honorary trainer of the Orange League, and has even defeated a strong player like Age of Gods. How could Ash's strength be weak?

However, in this battle, he fielded Aipom, which he had only recently captured, and the rules did not aim to defeat the opponent's Pokémon. As a result, when facing the Coordinators' style of fighting, which only aimed to reduce the opponent's flair stat, Ash's advantage turned into a disadvantage due to the different fighting styles, which led to his unfortunate elimination.

However, it must be said that Ash's perseverance in battle, especially his performance with Aipom, made Xiaowang have a different opinion of Ash.

After Xiaowang successfully advanced, the second and third matches saw Xiaoguang and Xiaoyao face off against their opponents.

However, there's not much to say about these two matches.

First, there's May. For someone who has already made it to the Grand Festival finals, her perspective and strength have changed a lot after that transformation and baptism. Not to mention that she has been traveling with Xia You all this time. Therefore, as long as she doesn't make any serious mistakes or encounter other trainers of particularly high level, this tournament-level opponent won't cause her any trouble.

Next up is Xiaoguang.

As mentioned before, having a mother who is a top-tier Coordinator, even though she didn't actually teach Hikari anything, still greatly influenced Hikari to some extent through their daily life, conversations, and activities, as well as through the stories her mother told her about her past experiences. Just like Xia You influenced Xiao Yao, coupled with her own extraordinary talent, Hikari was able to defeat her opponent with her Bumblebee, even though it was her first time participating in the Grand Contest and her first time advancing to the second round.

Moreover, it must be said that Xiaoguang's curly ears are quite extraordinary.

Not only is it very fast, but it also knew how to use ice-type freezing beams before it was captured!

This startled its opponent so much after it used this move that the opponent forgot to dodge and was frozen by Xiaoguang, which secured Xiaoguang's victory.

May and Dawn both advanced, which swept away Ash's frustration from his recent defeat.

When Ash arrived at the audience and sat next to Xia You and Brock, the group assignments for the second battle of the second round were revealed.

However, perhaps it was fate, even with Haruka's involvement, Hikari and Nozomi ultimately could not escape the battle between them.

Just like in the anime, the two were grouped together again. This is not surprising, though. Even disregarding the anime, there are only four contestants left, so the chances of them being grouped together are still quite high.

As for Xiaoyao, she was naturally grouped with another of the top four contestants.

"This is going to be exciting!" After a short rest, seeing Dawn and Nozomi take the field, Ash's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Who do you think will win between them?"

It has to be said that Xiaozhi has a really good attitude.

Despite having just been defeated by Xiaowang, he didn't care at all, and instead discussed Xiaoguang and Xiaoyao's battle with great interest.

This also shows that while he is certainly carefree, he only approached the Grand Festival with a try-it-out mentality and didn't care about it as much as he did about the Pokémon Contest.

Upon hearing Xiaozhi's question, Xiaogang stroked his chin and tentatively asked, "Shouldn't it be Xiaowang?"

Although it was Brock's first time meeting Nozomi, his observation of her battle with Ash showed him her strength. Therefore, compared to Dawn, who was highly talented but had only recently debuted, Brock was more optimistic that Nozomi would win.

However, as soon as he said it, he still glanced at Xia You.

After all, he had just said that Ash would win the battle against Nozomi, but it turned out that Xia You's judgment was more accurate. Therefore, he wanted to hear Xia You's opinion on the battle.

Fortunately, this time, Xia You's judgment was in line with his.

“I also think Xiaowang will win.” Xia You nodded and said, “Xiaoguang’s travel time is too short, she hasn’t really grown up yet, and she lacks experience with Pokémon, which is indeed a disadvantage for her.”

“Yes…” Ash added, “And Nozomi is very strong, we absolutely cannot let our guard down!”

Ok……

Ash, who was just defeated, is indeed the most qualified to speak on this point.

As they were talking, the battle between Xiaoguang and Xiaowang had already begun.

In this battle, Hikari sent out Curly Ears, who performed well in the previous battle, while Nozomi kept her lineup unchanged, sending out Charming Cat again.

Under the command of the two trainers, the two Pokémon each used their abilities. However, since the travel time was longer, the Charming Cat was able to dominate the entire battle, almost constantly suppressing the Bumblebee.

Curly-eared cat jumps very high, but Charming Cat jumps even higher!

Curly-eared Cat can use the Ice Beam, but this move was easily countered by Charming Cat, who gathers power in its paws, causing Curly-eared Cat to lose points!

It can be said that, in the face of an opponent who was far stronger than himself, Xiao Guang, the newcomer, was completely suppressed.

Of course, Xiao Guang was not without any means to fight back.

Despite being no match for Charming Cat head-on, Xiao Guang was quick-witted. Seeing that he couldn't take it by force, he ordered Curly Ears to use the Freeze Beam on the stage, completely freezing the surface. Although Charming Cat was very agile, its paws were actually hindered on the ice.

Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Guang launched an attack and managed to turn the tide and recover a significant amount of brilliance points.

Unfortunately, as Charming Cat broke through the ice, Hikari's counterattack came to an abrupt end, and he knocked Curly Ears to the ground in one fell swoop.

The five-minute countdown ended at this moment. Looking at the spectacle of both sides, there was still a certain gap, and it was this gap that led to Xiaoguang's regrettable defeat.

"As expected, this is how it ends..." Xiao Gang sighed softly, "Xiao Wang is indeed very powerful; she even lost to Xiao Guang."

Before we could even feel sorry for Hikari, Haruka's battle began right afterward.

Just like in the previous match, May sent out her Squirtle again after entering the second round of the audition. This Pokémon, which she obtained from Professor Oak's lab, is no longer the same as before. After a long journey, it has become quite powerful, which helped May win this semi-final match with a significant advantage.

Thus, the final two contestants for this celebration have finally been determined: Xiaoyao and Xiaowang!

This was exactly what Xia You had predicted.

"It seems that our last hope rests entirely on Haruka."

Upon seeing the final list, Ash couldn't help but sigh. Of course, he didn't mean anything by it; he acknowledged Nozomi's strength but also wanted to see who was stronger between Nozomi and May.

At this moment, Xiao Guang, who had just been eliminated, also came to the audience and sat down next to a few people.

Xia You noticed Xiao Guang's expression and saw that she wasn't obviously disappointed. While amazed by her ability to adjust herself, she also turned her attention back to the stage.

After Xiaoyao and Xiaowang took the stage and got ready, the final of the tournament officially began.

Since only one Pokémon is allowed to be used in the second round, the two players did not change their lineups even in the finals. They still used Squirtle and Graviton, so they did not need to make any adjustments. When the five-minute timer started, they gave the order and commanded their Pokémon to launch an attack.

Throughout the entire event, it was clear to everyone that Nozomi's Charming Cat was indeed very powerful, but Haruka's Squirtle was equally impressive.

Judging from experience, Nozomi, who has only just earned a ribbon badge, is naturally not as good as Haruka, who has already traveled to two regions and participated in two grand conventions.

Fortunately, experience isn't everything when it comes to Pokémon battles. It depends on the Pokémon's condition, mentality, and command ability, especially in such a grand tournament, which is full of variables.

In addition, Xiao Wang also regarded Xiao Yao as a formidable enemy, so at the beginning of the battle, she went all out. And sure enough, she fought Xiao Yao to a spectacular and evenly matched degree.

As the offense and defense alternated, their brilliance gradually decreased, soon reaching half.

Seeing this, people's expectations for the final have been met, and it can be said that this is indeed the most exciting battle since the second round!

However, once she got to this point, Xiaoyao started to exert her strength.

Those familiar with Xiaoyao's style know that she has always been a slow starter. Even after following Xia You for a long time, she still hasn't changed this personality. This naturally makes her less threatening in the early stages. However, once Xiaoyao gets through the early stages and adapts to the battle, her opponents will have to endure her counterattack.

For example, right now.

While Xiao Wang was directing Charming Meow in battle, she suddenly felt the pressure increase. She realized that Squirtle's attacks had become sharper. This change caught her off guard, and the rhythm she had been slowly getting used to suddenly became chaotic. As a result, Charming Meow lost a lot of brilliance points, and in just a moment, it was already in a precarious situation!

This greatly shocked Xiao Guang in the stands.

Because he had fought against Nozomi and Charming Cat and been defeated by her, Hikari truly understood Nozomi's strength. Naturally, he was also very shocked that Haruka could push Nozomi to such a point.

Finally, I have a clear understanding of Xiaoyao's true strength.

Let's look at Xiao Wang in the field.

After Xiaoyao changed her rhythm, her response collapsed completely. In the end, she couldn't even organize a decent defense or counterattack and was defeated directly.

For Xiao Wang, since the journey had only just begun, her strength had not yet reached the level of the later Magnificent Celebration, where she had the ability to compete for the finals. Therefore, she really had no way to deal with this defeat.

Upon seeing this result, the host, Bai An, appeared out of nowhere, holding a microphone and loudly proclaiming, "It's decided! The winner of this competition has been decided!! Let's congratulate Xiao Yao on winning the celebration competition and also receiving this celebration ribbon medal!"