With only two simple moves, Kommo-o had effortlessly secured victory.
Without question, this fully demonstrated Kommo-o's strength.
The spectators once again rewarded it with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Six battles.
Every opponent had been defeated in less than a minute.
Furthermore, nearly every victory had been achieved without Shiko's Pokémon suffering any injuries.
The strength of Shiko and his Dragon-type Pokémon had been displayed for all the spectators to see.
The appearance of six pseudo-legendary Pokémon had thoroughly shocked them.
Before the match began, everyone had already predicted that Shiko would emerge victorious.
After all, the three Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries he had previously revealed would have been enough to secure victory.
No one had expected him to present them with such an enormous surprise.
He had actually sent out three more Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries!
The spectators had truly been treated to a spectacular show.
At this moment, everyone in the venue had become one of Shiko's most devoted supporters.
They frantically chanted his name.
On the battlefield, Okada recalled his Chandelure.
As he stared at the man standing across from him, he felt that the figure shrouded in darkness possessed a mysterious aura whose depths he could not fathom.
Okada did not remain there any longer.
He decisively turned around and hurried off the battlefield.
Shiko did the same.
Amid everyone's applause and cheers, all he left behind was the sight of his retreating back.
In the VIP viewing area, Himeko and the Alliance's senior officials exchanged uncertain looks.
They had not expected Shiko to bring the leaders of the Dragon-type Pokémon clans from all six mountains of Dragon Valley into the tournament.
They had originally believed he had only brought Salamence and the other two.
Instead, he had brought all six of them.
With a lineup like that, his victory in the tournament was all but guaranteed.
They still could not understand why such an important figure would be interested in an event like this.
However, since he was willing to participate, all they had to do was ensure the rest of the tournament proceeded flawlessly.
With that thought in mind, they paid even closer attention to the arrangements for the upcoming matches.
After Shiko's match ended, the remaining battles in the round continued as time passed.
Several days later, every match in the round had concluded.
All thirty-two contestants advancing to the next stage had been determined.
Among the contestants on the list, the one unanimously ranked first and considered the overwhelming favorite to win the championship was Shiko.
His support rating and estimated probability of winning the tournament had both risen above eighty percent.
Ranked second was the contestant whose match Shiko had personally watched earlier.
Denjiro!
His support rating was only around ten percent, but that was still enough to place him second.
During this round, he had once again demonstrated exceptional command ability and extensive battle experience.
As a result, quite a few people believed he might still be capable of putting up a fight if he faced Shiko.
There was little reason to discuss the contestants ranked below them.
Judging by their performances, they were not merely weaker than Shiko.
Not one of them possessed a support rating or championship probability exceeding ten percent.
Naturally, very few people paid much attention to them.
Once the final thirty-two contestants had been determined, the tournament organizers immediately conducted the draw and arranged the matchups for the next round.
Shiko and Denjiro, the two contestants with the highest championship probabilities, were not placed against each other.
Their respective opponents were both contestants ranked near the middle of the standings.
With a little luck, competitors of their level might ordinarily have advanced to the following round.
Unfortunately, their luck had run out.
Barring an unexpected upset, the Round of 32 would mark the end of their tournament.
Following two days of rest and preparation, the matches determining the final sixteen officially began.
Naturally, the matches attracting the most attention were those involving Denjiro and Shiko.
Denjiro's match was scheduled for the afternoon of the first day.
As expected, he easily defeated his opponent and confidently advanced to the next round.
During this match, Denjiro changed several members of his lineup.
The combat strength displayed by these Pokémon proved that they had all reached at least the middle stage of the Elite Four level.
After demonstrating such strength, Denjiro's support rating and championship probability both rose considerably.
They increased to approximately twenty percent.
Meanwhile, Shiko's estimated probability fell to around seventy percent.
Shiko's match was held on the evening of the following day.
Just like in the previous round, he sent out his six Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries.
Once again, he cleanly defeated his opponent six to zero in less than ten minutes.
He advanced to the following round with ease.
The overwhelming strength he displayed once again caused the spectators to cheer excitedly for him.
After the two most anticipated matches ended, the other battles received far less attention.
Three days later, the round finally concluded.
Only sixteen contestants remained.
After another two-day break, the tense and exciting matches determining the final eight would begin.
Fortunately for the spectators, Shiko and Denjiro had once again avoided facing each other in the draw.
Had they been matched together, the championship match would practically have occurred ahead of schedule.
Denjiro's match was arranged as the first battle of the first day.
Initially, everyone believed that his opponent, a contestant named Belotti, would be easy to defeat.
After all, judging by Belotti's performance in the previous rounds, every one of his victories had been narrow and difficult.
The fact that he had reached this stage at all suggested that luck had been on his side.
His level of strength should not have been enough to challenge Denjiro.
However, no one could have imagined that this supposedly unremarkable contestant would place Denjiro under tremendous pressure and bring him face-to-face with a genuine crisis!
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]