Shiko did not care at all about the discussions taking place outside.
He still had an entire lineup of Digimon at his disposal.
Moreover, under Shiko's training, all of them had already grown into their Complete forms.
Their combat power was fully comparable to that of Third-tier Legendary Pokémon.
If he wanted them to advance another step and Digivolve into their Mega forms, it would only require a single thought from him.
Shiko felt no pressure whatsoever regarding a six-on-six battle.
What interested him most was Belotti's true identity beneath his human disguise.
Just what kind of Pokémon could he be?
Shiko found himself growing increasingly eager to discover the answer.
Two days later, every match in the Round of 16 had concluded.
Before the draw for the next round began, Himeko asked Shiko what he wanted to do.
After receiving his indifferent response, Himeko decided not to manipulate the draw behind the scenes.
The quarterfinal matchups were soon announced.
Shiko and Belotti had not been placed against each other.
Each of them had been assigned a different opponent.
Their opponents were fairly powerful.
Of course, none of the competitors who had reached this stage could possibly be weak.
However, that level of strength posed no threat to Shiko or Belotti, the two leading championship contenders.
After the draw was announced, the competitors received another two days to rest.
The tournament finally resumed.
Belotti's match was scheduled for the afternoon of the first day.
As expected, he once again sent out a lineup composed of six Legendary Pokémon.
Against such a lineup, his opponent naturally had no ability to fight back.
The opposing team consisted of four Elite Four-level Pokémon and two Quasi-Elite Four-level Pokémon.
It was even weaker than Denjiro's team.
Naturally, it stood even less of a chance against Belotti.
The match ended in less than five minutes.
More than half of the seats in the audience were empty during this match.
A completely one-sided battle without even the slightest exchange of tactics was simply not entertaining to watch.
Shiko's previous matches had also been overwhelmingly one-sided.
However, the spectators had at least been curious about whether he would reveal another new pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
That sense of anticipation had been enough to keep them interested, so attendance at his matches had remained high.
After Belotti's match ended, his suffocatingly overwhelming strength once again convinced the spectators that he would unquestionably win the tournament.
Shiko's match took place the following morning.
His opponent also possessed a full lineup of Elite Four-level Pokémon.
However, they were facing Shiko's six pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon, all of which had reached the peak of the Elite Four level.
Compared with Belotti's match, which had ended in less than five minutes, Shiko's battle lasted slightly longer.
It took him a full ten minutes to defeat his opponent.
Judging solely by their overall performances, Shiko appeared considerably less impressive than Belotti.
Consequently, Shiko's championship odds fell once again that evening.
They dropped to only zero-point-five percent.
Belotti's odds, meanwhile, rose to ninety-nine-point-five percent.
The difference between them was simply enormous.
Those odds indicated that nearly everyone believed Belotti was certain to become the tournament champion.
Two days later, the remaining two quarterfinal matches concluded.
The final four competitors had now been decided.
Following tradition, the semifinal draw was held that same evening.
The first competitor selected by the roulette wheel was Belotti.
Other than Shiko, the remaining two semifinalists immediately closed their eyes and silently prayed that they would not be selected.
Neither of them wanted to be brutally crushed by Legendary Pokémon.
The portraits in the opposing competitor slot began flashing.
A moment later, they stopped.
The competitor selected to face Belotti was Shiko.
Oh?
It was him?
Shiko had not expected to encounter Belotti in this round.
He had assumed that they would only confront each other in the final.
Still, meeting him now was perfectly fine.
Shiko was already beginning to feel impatient.
Whether it was testing the combat power of his Digimon or uncovering Belotti's true identity beneath his human disguise, he was intensely curious about both.
When the other two semifinalists saw the confirmed matchups, they froze for a moment.
Then they immediately began cheering in delight.
Wonderful!
This was the best possible matchup for them!
They would finally be spared from facing those two monstrously powerful competitors!
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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