The elimination rounds lasted for two days in total. After the elimination rounds, a total of 108 contestants remained. Out of more than 300 participants, over 200 were directly eliminated. In any competition, elimination rounds are cruel.
The cruelty of the elimination rounds is for the weak. If you are strong, you definitely won't be eliminated during the elimination phase.
"The next match will be a one-on-one singles battle, using three Pokémon." Before the official competition began, a referee came forward to announce the rules for the upcoming matches.
"Do you think I should hold back my strength?" Xiao Luoxue asked Jiang Chen. Hiding her strength, keeping some trump cards for herself, might allow her to catch powerful trainer opponents off guard later.
"I suggest you don't hold back," Jiang Chen gently shook his head at Xiao Luoxue. "I'm worried that if you hide your strength, you'll hide yourself out of the competition." This wasn't the elimination round anymore; you could still hide a bit in eliminations, but in the official tournament, those who made it in were definitely not weak.
"Alright then." Xiao Luoxue also didn't want to be eliminated right after passing the elimination rounds; she wanted to at least reach the top 32. Her ambition wasn't grand, mainly because her opponents were too strong. Going any further, Xiao Luoxue truly lacked confidence.
In the previous tournament, with Xiao Luoxue's strength, she would have had the ability to contend for the championship. But in this year's Hidden Dragon Cup Trainer Competition, there were simply too many powerful trainers.
"It seems I also have to go all out," Ling Wanqiu said quietly. She had originally wanted to hide some of her strength, but after hearing Jiang Chen's words, Ling Wanqiu felt it would be safer to give it her all. Better safe than sorry; if she messed up, she'd have no place to cry. As for Gu Shuangyue, no matter what opponent she faced, she would never hold back, always using her full power.
"Huh, your opponent is Gao Yang. He's really unlucky, isn't he?" The random drawing of opponents had finished. Xiao Luoxue couldn't help but say when she saw the name of Jiang Chen's opponent. She didn't know this Gao Yang, but she had seen the information Ning Ya provided.
In that data, Gao Yang was a formidable opponent, twenty-two years old, and possessed three Pokémon of Elite Four level. In the information Ning Ya collected, Gao Yang's strength could definitely rank in the top ten. But he actually encountered Jiang Chen, so without a doubt, he was done for. He clearly had the strength to reach at least the top 16, or even the top 8, but he was going to fall in the top 108. His luck was truly terrible.
"I hope I don't get so unlucky," Xiao Luoxue silently prayed.
"My defeating him is equivalent to eliminating an opponent for you all." If Gu Shuangyue encountered Gao Yang, defeating him shouldn't be a problem. But if Ling Wanqiu and Xiao Luoxue met Gao Yang, the chances of winning the battle weren't high.
The second match in the morning was Jiang Chen's. Coincidentally, Gu Shuangyue, Ling Wanqiu, and Xiao Luoxue didn't have matches yet, so they sat in the spectator stands with Ning Ya to watch Jiang Chen's match.
"I never expected that my opponent would be the person I least wanted to encounter," Gao Yang said, his expression grave as he looked at Jiang Chen. Others might underestimate Jiang Chen because of his age,
but Gao Yang wouldn't, because Gao Yang knew Jiang Chen's strength. Perhaps among all contestants, Jiang Chen was very young, but in Gao Yang's opinion, Jiang Chen's strength was absolutely among the best. Anyone who underestimated Jiang Chen would definitely lose terribly.
"You certainly hold a high opinion of me," Jiang Chen said, raising an eyebrow at Gao Yang's words.
"Of course, your reputation is quite something." Gao Yang knew Jiang Chen was the Champion's son, the champion of the Newcomer Trainer Competition. Of course, these things didn't scare him.
What was most important was that after learning about some of Jiang Chen's Pokémon's strength, he felt nothing but terror. Jiang Chen was still young now;
in the future, when he reached twenty-two years old, at Gao Yang's current age, Gao Yang had no idea how strong Jiang Chen's Pokémon would become. By then, Jiang Chen would probably be at least an Elite Four,
possibly even a Champion. Even now, Gao Yang wasn't confident he could defeat Jiang Chen. Bad luck was unavoidable. What could he do? He was randomly matched with Jiang Chen. What to do about such terrible luck?
"Competitors, the match is starting," the referee reminded Jiang Chen and Gao Yang. As a referee, he couldn't just stand by while Jiang Chen and Gao Yang chatted.
"Go, Blaziken." "Nidoqueen." Gao Yang's Blaziken, Jiang Chen's Nidoqueen.
"Blaziken, Mega Evolve." After sending out Blaziken, he immediately used Blaziken's Mega Stone to make Blaziken Mega Evolve, its strength instantly soaring. The Blaziken, before Mega Evolution, was Rank One Elite Four. After Mega Evolving, Mega Blaziken's strength reached Rank Three Elite Four. It directly increased by two ranks.
"Wow, Mega Evolution! Someone used Mega Evolution!" "Is that Blaziken's Mega Evolution? That's so cool!" Although the official competition had just begun, there were quite a few people in the spectator stands watching the match, and the appearance of Mega Blaziken caused a stir.
In the elimination rounds of the past two days, no contestant was seen using Mega Evolution. It wasn't that they didn't have it, but that they were hiding their strength, and there was no immediate need to reveal it.
If they could win without Mega Evolving, was there a need to bring it out? It was better to hide it for now and use it when they encountered a true formidable opponent. In truth, contestants with Mega Stones were also few; not everyone had a Mega Stone.
"Mega Blaziken, use Blaze Kick." "Nidoqueen, show them your brute strength." After Jiang Chen gave the command, Nidoqueen nodded, her aura surging, and her arms seemed to thicken significantly. Raising both hands, facing Mega Blaziken's kick, Nidoqueen reached out and directly caught it. She took two steps back but still firmly held Mega Blaziken's kicking leg.
Then, Nidoqueen suddenly flipped, directly throwing Mega Blaziken to the ground, immediately followed by a punch to Mega Blaziken. This punch sent Mega Blaziken screaming. The arena was a rock-type field, and the rocks beneath were pulverized.
Thankfully, it was a specially constructed arena, capable of withstanding strong impacts, otherwise, this arena would probably be a mess. Before Mega Blaziken could get up, Nidoqueen delivered another punch, making Mega Blaziken scream and wail again.
Gao Yang grew nervous. When he saw Jiang Chen use Nidoqueen, he was actually a little happy. According to his research on Jiang Chen, among the data he collected, Jiang Chen's strongest Pokémon should be Dragonite.
Without using Dragonite, Gao Yang felt he might still win a round, or even defeat Jiang Chen in this battle. But Nidoqueen's strength was absolutely stronger than he had anticipated; after two consecutive punches, Mega Blaziken was already severely injured.
"Use Fire Punch." Gao Yang gritted his teeth. He couldn't defend passively, otherwise, he would eventually be defeated by Nidoqueen. Sometimes, offense was the best defense. Mega Blaziken used Fire Punch, making Nidoqueen's body recoil two steps. Seizing this opportunity, Gao Yang's Mega Blaziken immediately broke free and escaped from Nidoqueen's grasp.
"Nidoqueen, are you alright?" Jiang Chen asked Nidoqueen. "Nido." Patting herself with her fist, Nidoqueen indicated to Jiang Chen that she was fine. This kind of punch caused limited damage to her; she was very resilient.
"Mega Blaziken, use Mega Punch." "Nidoqueen, you use Mega Punch too." Jiang Chen smiled faintly. Nidoqueen had just used her brute strength, and that raw power hadn't subsided yet; her sheer brute force was terrifying. Gao Yang wanted to go head-to-head with Jiang Chen's Nidoqueen, and Jiang Chen couldn't ask for anything more.
"Bang~!" The two fists collided. Nidoqueen was pushed back a dozen steps before she stabilized herself, while Blaziken was knocked out of the arena. If not for the specially prepared anti-collision device, Mega Blaziken might have been sent flying right out of the competition grounds with one punch.
Furthermore, Mega Blaziken's expression wasn't good. Gao Yang, who had considerable battle experience, instantly realized Mega Blaziken's condition: Mega Blaziken was poisoned. Jiang Chen's Nidoqueen's ability was Poison Point.
The effect of the Poison Point ability is that sometimes, opponents who make contact with it become poisoned. Clearly, Mega Blaziken had bad luck and was afflicted, falling into a poisoned state.
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