The next day.
At the Lily Arena, it's the quarter-finals, and in another day, it will be the semi-finals. The excitement of the competition grows day by day, not just among the on-site spectators but also for those watching through television and online.
In fact, various groups, big and small, have seized the opportunity to open betting pools, with many people placing bets on the contestants they support.
The bets go beyond just the match outcomes; they also cover victory or defeat in each round and how long each contestant and their Pokémon can fight.
The more precise the bet, the higher the odds.
Of course, the higher the potential reward, the greater the risk.
Because Natsuhiko often isn't favored by many, his odds remained high. When he faced Da Ye last time, Natsuhiko placed a small bet on himself.
However, because he wasn't entirely sure he could win, he didn't bet much but made a small profit.
This time.
Against Karin, his odds were even higher, but the victory odds were one to two, so after much hesitation, Natsuhiko decisively bet three million Alliance Coins on himself.
Not too much, losing wouldn't hurt...
It still hurts.
If he wins, he makes a small windfall, an unexpected income.
...
...
"Gary, who are you supporting today?" Ash Ketchum looked at Gary Oak with a playful grin.
He felt he had a "talent" for predicting Pokémon battles and had successfully "predicted" the results of several matches, "suppressing" Gary Oak.
Isn't Gary great and talented?
Winning against Gary proves he's even more talented, right?
He was in a great mood.
Gary Oak twitched his mouth at Ash's question.
Because he discovered that this contestant named Natsuhiko always exceeded his expectations.
All the so-called data analysis, battle predictions, Pokémon strengths and weaknesses were all discarded when it came to him.
It wasn't that they didn't work on Natsuhiko; it's just that Natsuhiko always had hidden cards and unexpected strategies, leaving people wondering if he had a new response ready.
This made Gary Oak increasingly interested in Natsuhiko.
But he still wasn't convinced, "Karin. Although Natsuhiko's abilities are unexpected, and he's achieved things many people can't in a lifetime, Miss Karin's strength is well-known."
"Hehe, then I'll continue to support Natsuhiko."
Clearly, Ash Ketchum regarded Gary Oak as a "guiding light."
"And what about Nanami?"
Nanami didn't think much and directly gave an answer: "Natsuhiko."
It was mindless.
But Ash and Nanami high-fived, indicating they shared the same view.
But caught between them, Gary Oak instantly felt like he had a fake sister.
Then he looked toward Professor Oak.
Professor Oak completely ignored him, discussing with Ash's mom Hua Zi about what souvenirs to buy later.
Alright.
He also had a fake grandfather.
...
...
"Now let's welcome the two contestants for the first round!"
"From Changpan City in the Kanto Region, the 'Dragon Tamer' Lance!!!"
Lance's dashing image and his righteous conduct spreading in the league gave him a massive base of supporters. As he entered, cheers erupted from the audience.
"Next up! Also from the Kanto Region, 'Ice Flower' Kona, who grew up in the warm tropics of Seven Islands!!"
Ice Flower, how the organizers came up with this title is unknown.
However, Kona's popularity was in no way inferior to Lance's, perhaps even surpassing it, given that attractive girls, especially "cool and aloof" 'ice queen' types, would inevitably receive a lot of adoration.
Sitting in the contestant waiting room and watching Kona sternly walk out the contestant's passageway, Natsuhiko couldn't help but smile.
These two rivals, he hadn't expected them to meet again.
"Why are you smiling?" Hilona noticed Natsuhiko's smile and couldn't help but ask.
Flint also glanced over curiously.
"Nothing," Natsuhiko shook his head.
Others might not know, but he was aware of Kona secretly practicing by herself every day recently.
And the tactics she practiced were ones Natsuhiko had once taught her.
It has to be said, Kona had put a lot of thought into dealing with Lance.
Actually, simply from the Pokémon attributes, Kona restrained Lance. This is why in their last encounter, Lance couldn't hold back.
But Lance wasn't completely restrained; he still had some ways to defend himself.
Thinking about how long it's been since Lance and Kona last fought, he must have found some ways to deal with Kona.
Under the referee's instructions, the battle quickly began.
The first Pokémon each side summoned was already a gamble.
Lance summoned Charizard, while Kona summoned Slowbro.
From the attributes of this round's summoned Pokémon, Kona had the advantage.
However, this Slowbro was obviously not one of Kona's primary Pokémon trained from the start. Its strength was only at the Elite Level, clearly at a disadvantage against Lance's initial Pokémon, the Gym Leader Level Charizard.
So, it's debatable who had the upper hand in this initial gamble.
Ultimately, it was Lance who scored first in this round.
Kona switched Pokémon, and Lance decisively withdrew Charizard, as it was slightly injured and would be easily targeted if left in the field.
In the second round, Lance summoned Gyarados, effectively avoiding the disadvantage of the Ice Attribute, while Kona summoned one of her trademarks, Cloyster.