Chapter 317: Tanya Tang
Based on that one sentence alone, it was clear that Namgung Xi held an incredibly high status on Dragon Island.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be so confident about bringing an outsider directly onto their secluded shores.
"Besides, you're so strong! Grandpa will be very, very happy to meet you," Namgung Xi added happily.
Kenji paused, considering her suggestion seriously.
After a moment, he nodded and gave her an answer. "Alright, thanks. I'd love to go. But after the Huaxia League Conference ends, I still need to challenge the Road to the Championship. It might take me a bit of time."
As far as his current plans went, he didn't have much scheduled after the Conference and the Champion's gauntlet. Visiting Dragon Island sounded like a perfect post-tournament vacation.
The "Road to the Championship," as the name implied, was the literal path to the top. It involved the consecutive gauntlet challenge against the regional Elite Four and, ultimately, the sitting League Champion.
"That's perfect! If you're coming with me, I have a legitimate excuse to stay on the mainland a while longer," Namgung Xi said, practically skipping with joy.
...
The second round of the main tournament concluded.
The roster had been brutally slashed from 1,500 participants down to just 375.
Trainers like Namgung Xi, whose Aces were only at the early Elite level, had been almost entirely wiped out.
Among the remaining nearly 400 trainers, almost every single one possessed an Ace at the peak of the Elite level or higher.
Following the end of the second round, the participants were given a two-day break to recover and adjust their mental states.
Kenji used this time to analyze his roster and plan his future rotations.
He currently had eleven Pokémon in his care.
Serperior and Annihilape had been caught relatively late. While they could output Elite-level power if they went all-out, their ultimate moves (Apex Surge and Rage Fist Plus) came with severe recoil and exhaustion penalties. He decided to bench them for the upcoming rounds to keep them as surprise options if needed.
That left nine Pokémon.
Among them were Beedrill and Darkrai.
One was his first partner, blessed by two Prismatic Hex Cores, with strength rivaling a Master-rank Pokémon. Beedrill was his undisputed absolute Ace and his greatest weapon in this Conference.
The other, Darkrai, was a Mythical Pokémon. After being raised to 4-Stars by Kenji, its growth rate had become borderline legendary. Currently Level 86, its actual combat level was so high that even a Level 99 Champion-rank Pokémon would struggle against it.
Kenji had no intention of using either of these two unless he ran into Elder Venom (Grandma Liu) or Zhurong Xun. They were far too valuable to reveal against mid-tier opponents.
Excluding those four, Kenji had seven active members left.
Ranked by power (low to high), they were: Arbok, Bellossom, Gyarados, Electivire, Ninetales, Tyranitar, and Slaking.
Note: Surprisingly, though Bellossom looked harmless, its high-star rank and items placed it at #2 in power among this group, only surpassed by the Level 80 Arbok.
Finally, Kenji decided to exclude Ninetales from the main rotation for now, as she preferred support and utility over pure combat.
His primary team for the mid-stages of the tournament was finalized: Arbok, Bellossom, Gyarados, Electivire, Tyranitar, and Slaking.
Kenji was confident that as long as he didn't run into Xun or Grandma Liu, this squad could handle anyone else in the bracket.
After the two-day break, the Conference resumed.
Namgung Xi, now a spectator, joined Li Heng and the others in the stands to cheer for Kenji.
In the waiting area, Kenji sat next to Elder Venom.
Grandma Liu was currently munching on a box of fried chicken, looking completely unbothered by the high-stakes environment.
With the majority of the field eliminated, the lounge felt significantly emptier. The atmosphere was heavy, tense, and silent. Most trainers sat in their own corners, eyes fixed on the constantly refreshing match schedule on the monitors.
Round after round, trainers stepped out onto the field.
Finally, Kenji's name appeared on the screen.
And his opponent was none other than the woman ranked #5 on the Championship Candidate list.
Her name was Tanya Tang. Her Ace was a Lopunny famous for its mastery of various martial arts and grappling techniques.
Rumor had it the rabbit was Level 95 and capable of Mega Evolution.
This was the first opponent Kenji had faced in the entire tournament who could truly be called a threat.
Grandma Liu continued eating her chicken, not showing even a flicker of worry for Kenji.
"Finish it quickly, boy. Grandma might still have two pieces of chicken left for you if you hurry," she said with a muffled chuckle behind her mask.
Kenji smiled. "I'll do my best."
With that, he stood up and walked toward the tunnel.
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