I caught a Pokémon

Even though there's nothing between the two of them, I always feel like Xia You knows Cai Dou very well.

The waiting time flew by as we chatted.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, this highly influential fighting tournament in the region officially kicked off.

It's worth mentioning that, besides Cai Dou, many other very strong players also participated in this tournament.

For example, Kenny Yang, Cabernet Sauvignon, Languedoc, Schüco, and... White Dew.

First is Kenny Yang. Although Xia You hasn't interacted with him yet, Xiao Zhi is no stranger to him.

Shortly after Ash arrived in Unova, Bailu met him and became one of Ash's rivals there. Like other rivals, the two became friends after a fight, and Bailu treated Ash fairly kindly.

It's actually Cabernet Sauvignon.

She is not Ash's rival, but Cilan's formidable opponent.

She is a C-rank Pokémon sommelier, but before becoming a sommelier, she worked at a luxury friendly shop between Arrowhead Forest and Skybridge, and has a certain connection with Cilan. In fact, she even embarked on this path because of Cilan.

These two were new faces to Xia You, but they were both relatively strong amateur players.

As for Langley, she was the girl who called herself the 'Dragon Destroyer' that the group met during their travels when they passed through a nature reserve.

I never expected that she would also participate in the competition.

Finally, there's Emperor Xiu.

Needless to say, Xiu Di is quite popular in the anime and is also considered Xiao Zhi's biggest rival in this region. It would be hard for Xia You not to know him.

Especially on the day Xiu Di became a trainer, Xia You saw him outside Professor Yew's research institute.

What's truly surprising is the White Dew.

Like Xiu Di, Bai Lu, who had only recently started her journey, also arrived here. Moreover, she seemed to have matured considerably and had clearly been tempered a lot.

But he still couldn't shake off that absent-mindedness.

It's a pity I didn't run into her before the competition, otherwise I would definitely have caught up with her first.

However, the participation of these individuals has made this fighting tournament far more prestigious than expected.

Of course, the biggest difference from the anime is that Ash, Cilan, and Iris are not present here.

This is also related to their route.

If it weren't for Xia You, Xiao Zhi and his friends would naturally not have missed such an event, given their pace. However, because they wanted to catch up with Xia You, Xiao Zhi quickened his pace and chose a different direction, which is why he ultimately didn't appear here.

In particular, Kenny, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Langley almost correspond to Ash, Cilan, and Iris, as if they were tailor-made for their growth.

But the impact is not significant.

After all, no matter who the opponent is, there can only be one ultimate winner in this fighting tournament.

At this moment, the contestants' information also appeared on the big screen.

After all the information flashed by, the host of the conference, George East, also came out.

However, George's role here was limited; he merely presided over the opening ceremony, ignited the atmosphere, and introduced the prizes for the event.

Therefore, not long afterward, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he finally signaled for the conference to officially begin.

A burst of enthusiastic applause and whistles immediately erupted from the audience. Some waved support flags, while others shouted the contestants' names. The atmosphere in the venue suddenly heated up the moment the gong fell.

Xia You looked up and saw that the match information for the first round was being displayed on electronic screens on both sides of the field.

He spotted Cai Dou's name immediately.

Cai Dou's first opponent was someone he didn't know at all. He seemed to be a trainer from some remote town, and his information panel didn't show many impressive battle records.

But it doesn't really matter. Even if she directly encounters Emperor Xiu, it will be the same for Cai Dou.

As expected, once Aya's battle began, she easily defeated her opponent with a huge advantage and advanced to the second round.

Chapter 1452 Effortlessly

Cai Dou's octopus martial arts skills were outstanding. Relying on her extremely flexible body, she did not choose to clash with her opponent's strength, but instead brought her fighting techniques to their fullest potential.

If a gym leader performs normally, the outcome of such a fighting tournament is naturally predictable.

Not to mention, there was indeed a significant gap in skill between her and her first opponent.

Besides her, the other contestants also performed exceptionally well.

Whether it's Kenny Yang, Cabernet Sauvignon, Langley, or Xiu Di, they all defeated their opponents and advanced to the second round, which shows that their strength is indeed top-notch.

Even during the White Dew season, she stumbled and confused as she defeated her opponent.

It's clear that the first round of competition only eliminated those weaker players, and the skill levels of the players varied greatly. However, after going through rounds of selection, the remaining players will become stronger and stronger.

Just like in the second and third rounds, Bea encountered Kenny Yang and Langley respectively, and defeated their Strike Demon and Slash Commander using the Overpowered Panda and Wrestling Eagle Man respectively.

In the three battles, she used three different Pokémon, and in all three, she defeated her opponents cleanly and decisively, demonstrating that she has maintained a very good competitive state.

In fact, apart from the Four Heavenly Kings like Shiba, Xia You rarely sees anyone as hardworking as Cai Dou.

At her age, her achievements are truly well-deserved.

After three rounds of competition, the number of trainers still able to stand on this stage is naturally decreasing.

Soon, Cai Dou faced her fourth round of battle, and her opponent this time was none other than Bai Lu.

In terms of relationships, Bai Lu has now become friends with Xia You, but for Cai Dou, she is just a stranger, so she naturally won't pay much attention to her, let alone show any mercy.

Only Hikaru and Makomo in the stands could not help but feel sorry for Hakuro.

After all, they could see that Cai Dou was coming on strong, and these contestants were originally much stronger. Bai Lu knew them and had a good impression of them. Now that they saw them competing, they naturally felt helpless about Bai Lu's impending defeat.

Xiao Guang sighed: "Do you think Bai Lu would have had a chance to win the championship if Miss Cai Dou hadn't participated in this competition?"

Makomo shook her head: "I don't think so. Shiratsuyu's Wobbuffet evolved into Flame King so quickly, which is indeed very fast. Moreover, her performance in the first few rounds was also remarkable. However, her experience is too shallow, and her performance is somewhat awkward. In addition, she has that kind of personality. I think that she has already reached her limit by getting this far."

It must be said that, in terms of combat, although Makomo is a genuine newbie, she has a good eye and a wealth of theoretical knowledge, and she can talk about things very eloquently.

Xia You nodded in agreement: "Zhen Gu is right, and compared to Bai Lu, that Xiu Di has a better chance of winning the championship."

"Emperor Xiu?"

The two of them turned their heads at the same time and looked at the boy in the waiting area.

Makomo pushed up his glasses: "Indeed, if we put aside Ayaka, among these trainers, his performance is the most consistent. However, I think that guy named Kenny is also very strong. If they were to meet, it would be hard to say who would win."

Xiao Guang recalled their first meeting and felt a pang of nostalgia.

"Yes, I didn't expect Xiu Di to grow so fast. He has only been traveling for a short time, but he seems more reliable than Xiao Zhi."

Xia You laughed and said, "If Xiao Zhi hears you say that, he'll be sad."

Xiao Guang waved his hand dismissively: "I'm just stating the facts, and even if that guy were here, I would still say the same thing!"

All three chuckled softly, and after laughing, their attention returned to the competition.

At this time, the battle between Cai Dou and Bai Lu had already begun.

With the superhuman strength of Rainbow Bean, they faced off against the Flame King of White Dew.

But it was clear to everyone that this was indeed a match between two teams with vastly different strengths.

Most importantly, Bea is not the type to give her opponent an opening or make a mistake during a battle, which made the match almost one-sided.

Even though Yanwu King performed exceptionally well, it was still to no avail.

after all……

This Machamp is Bea's strongest Pokémon.

The battle was over in less than five minutes.

The difference is obvious.

Xia You could even hear the other audience members discussing, praising, and even marveling.

Naturally, after eliminating Bai Lu, the fighting tournament entered its final round.

However, Aya's final opponent was not Xiu Di, as the others had guessed before the match, but a man named Masaomi.

In the semifinals, he defeated Xiu Di with equally overwhelming strength and advanced to the finals.

This was the first time Xia You had focused her attention on this man.

Zhen Gu produced a manual from somewhere and, while flipping through it, said to the two, "He is the champion of the last fighting tournament. Look at how confident he is; he is indeed very strong. It is said that he came to participate this time to defend his title."

Xia You looked at the man named Zheng Chen, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember him.

It must be someone who isn't very important.

In any case, the final match has now begun between Ayaka and Masaomi.

This is what the audience is most looking forward to.

Cai Dou's performance was naturally outstanding, but similarly, Zheng Chen eliminated many opponents in another venue, gaining a lot of attention.

Not to mention, he was the champion of the previous fighting tournament.

This naturally makes people even more eager for this match.

Compared to before,

Although they were in the same venue, the atmosphere of the final battle was clearly completely different from before.

The discussions in the stands were more intense than at any previous event, and even the local residents who had been chatting earlier sat up straight and turned their attention to the center of the field.

On the big screen, Bea and Masaomi's names were lit up side by side, and below each name was a Poké Ball representing the number of Pokémon they had left.

Unlike the previous rounds, this final battle adopted a three-on-three format, which can maximize the strength of both players and provide a more exciting spectacle for the audience.

However, this must be based on a situation where both sides are evenly matched.

When everyone thought the two players would have an incredibly exciting battle, Cai Dou showed them with her actions that things didn't go according to their expectations.

This was a relatively easy battle.

Cai Dou only fielded the Overbearing Panda, and easily won the victory with a clean 3-0 score.

Chapter 1453 Inviting Opponents

For Xia You, Cai Dou's easy victory was entirely expected.

And there won't be any surprises.

Like a wolf entering a flock of sheep.

Of course, this isn't because these players are weak, but rather... well, compared to Aya, they are indeed very weak, so weak that they didn't pose any threat whatsoever.

However, we cannot conclude that the bean yielded nothing based solely on this point.

Every battle is meaningful, especially a series of battles like this. Even if the opponent is weak, I believe that Aya will definitely learn something from the battle.

At the very least, my proficiency with the moves has increased somewhat.

And I also won a prize at this conference... well, a nutrient solution that I could use up in a year.

In short, at least in Cai Dou's opinion, winning or losing and the prizes were secondary; what mattered was how long it had been since she had last seen Xia You.

Even just one glance was enough for her to believe that this long journey across the ocean had not been a waste of time.

Right after the awards ceremony, Cai Dou left through the contestant passage and saw Xia You and the others who had been waiting there. However, unlike before, this time the contestant named Bai Lu, whom she had defeated earlier, was also with them, chatting and laughing, clearly very familiar with them.

This made Cai Dou somewhat disheartened.

They undoubtedly met during their travels, while I... and Xia You will obviously never have that experience again.

Regardless of how sensitive Cai Dou had become, upon seeing her come out, the group naturally went to the restaurant next door to celebrate for her. This time, with Bai Lu joining in, the atmosphere no longer had to rely solely on Xiao Guang to keep things going.

Although Bai Lu was a bit dazed, she was clearly a lively person. Throughout the meal, she kept talking and, without anyone asking, recounted all her experiences and the fun things that had happened to her recently.

The others listened attentively, but Cai Dou herself seemed a little downcast, glancing at Xia You every now and then.

Not for any other reason, but...

She knew that after this meal, she would be returning to Galar, and she didn't know when they would meet again.

That's why she wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

Xia You naturally saw it too.