The fourth match!
Owen's fourth opponent in the qualifiers was also quite average, showing nothing extraordinary. Eevee easily dispatched them using only Quick Attack and Sand Attack.
With that, the second day of qualifiers concluded. At this stage, the contestants for the main event had mostly been screened out, leaving fewer than two hundred participants remaining.
Referees from various sections began reporting the battle situations in their respective areas to the organizers.
After deliberation, the organizers selected sixteen Seed Players from the remaining pool and distributed them across different groups for the main bracket.
These sixteen were nominated by the referees; while the initial list of nominees was much longer, the structure of the tournament allowed for only sixteen seeds.
Consequently, the organizers had to make their final decisions based on the species of the Pokémon, the trainers' schools, and their backgrounds, meticulously hand-picking the final sixteen.
"Lucky! A bye! Straight to the main event!"
Back in his hotel room, Owen sprawled across the soft bed and cheered while scrolling through his phone.
Except for a few unlucky contestants, most of the remaining pool advanced directly to the main bracket, bypassing the third day of qualifiers.
This meant that tomorrow, Owen and Eevee would have the entire day to focus on special training.
Having confirmed his entry into the main event, Owen shared the good news with his parents, Leo, and the members of the Psychology Club.
He then set his phone down and fell into a deep philosophical debate with himself.
Should I post a Moment on WeChat?No, I'll wait until I hit the Top 16.Wait! Wouldn't it be more impactful to just post a picture of the trophy after I win?
Owen nodded to himself. No rush. However, when he opened his phone again, he was in for a surprise. His class group chat was buzzing about the Young Ho-Oh Cup.
"No way, am I exposed already?"
Owen clicked in with a sense of dread, only to realize the classmates weren't talking about him, but someone else.
Class Monitor: I didn't expect this! Lynnea, you actually went to the Young Ho-Oh Cup and even made it to the main event. Impressive!
Liam: Nice, nice! Keep it up. If you hit the Top 16, you'll get to show your face on the live stream. Those videos get millions of views.
Lynnea: Ah... don't get your hopes up. I don't think it's very likely.
Student A: Don't give up! If you make the Top 16, we all get to bask in your glory. Hurry and have your dad give you some emergency training!
Lynnea: He doesn't have the time! Besides... he's the one who made me come. I didn't even want to participate.
Owen opened his Moments and found Lynnea's update. This was the source of the commotion in the group chat.
Lynnea: Spent the whole summer training with Growlithe. So tired. Now I've been kicked to Shanghai by my dad to join this Young Ho-Oh Cup... luckily I made it to the main event, or I'd definitely get lectured when I get back (Skull Emoji).
"Whoa," Owen was stunned. He had actually run into a classmate, and she had made it to the main bracket as well.
I almost forgot, Uncle Loren is a Professional Trainer and has always been raising you to join the police force. It makes sense for him to send her here for experience... Does this mean we might end up as opponents?
Amidst his realization of how small the world was, Owen sent Lynnea a message.
Owen: Which group were you assigned to?
Lynnea: Group F... wait, why are you asking?
Owen: That's a relief.
Lynnea: Relief?
Owen: Because I'm in Group D.
Lynnea ...
Lynnea: You... you... You came too?! (Shocked Emoji)
Owen: [Image: Screenshot of Battle Information]
Lynnea ...Aggressive. As expected of the man who walked out of a Secret Realm alive!
Owen: You flatter me.
Lynnea: Let me calm down first... by the way, have you seen the forums?
Owen: What happened?
Lynnea: The data for the Seed Players in each group has been leaked. I checked; the Seed for your Group D is a trainer with an Ivysaur. Supposedly a top student from the High School Affiliated to Shanghai University. Do you and Eevee have a shot?
The Motivation of a "Dark Horse"
High School Affiliated to Shanghai University... Ivysaur...
Seeing Lynnea's message, Owen's eyes narrowed. He opened the official forum and indeed found a new "Hot" post.
[Group D Seed Player: Liden, High School Affiliated to Shanghai University. Starter Pokémon: Ivysaur.]
"Eevee." Owen called Eevee over from the TV. Together, they stared solemnly at the data.
"Are you mad?" "Vee!" "We aren't even Seed Players." "How are they even ranking these?!" "Vee!" Eevee barked angrily.
"In that case, we need to show them what's what. Make them regret not making us seeds," Owen said. "If we can't be a Seed, we'll be the Dark Horse!"
Eevee felt that was a solid plan.
"So, since we don't have a match tomorrow, I'll take you for some emergency 'burst' training, okay?"
Eevee: "???"
The little Pokémon sighed and nodded. Fine, fine. Just survive these few days, and then life will be good.
With the Seed data in hand, Owen wasn't in the mood to keep chatting with Lynnea. After exchanging words of encouragement, he dove into researching his potential opponents.
This Liden and his Ivysaur are probably the biggest hurdles in Group D. In less than two months, he managed to evolve his Bulbasaur. Did he feed it growth hormones?
Owen shook his head and looked at the data of the other fifteen Seed Players: Scyther, Snorunt, Onix, Misdreavus, Abra... they all looked formidable.
For the second time that day, Owen entered a deep philosophical state. We are all rookie trainers; why are you guys so outstanding?
"I'll see you on the battlefield."
Owen was brimming with fighting spirit. It was impossible to scare him off with just a bit of data.
Who would make it to the end? They'd have to fight to find out. He and Eevee had worked hard for two months with one clear goal: the championship.
Out of respect for the competition, Owen spent the night studying the known participants of Group D.
Eevee, though she was "watching TV," was distracted, focusing most of her attention on the liquor glass bottle in front of her.
Yes, Owen had given the bottle a "buff," switching the plastic for harder glass to save money on Eevee constantly breaking the plastic ones.
The third day dawned, and the alarm woke them both. Owen washed up quickly, took Eevee out for breakfast, and then they began their emergency training session.
Bite, Double Team, Counter Shield...
As long as they weren't eliminated, Owen and Eevee refused to waste a single second, constantly refining their moves and techniques.
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