Chapter 43 Advancing All the Way - Part 1

In the afternoon, it was still Area E No.7 Field.

Fang Yuan faced his second battle.

He had to admit, there were really many New Trainers participating in the Little Phoenix King Cup; no wonder there were so many fields hosting battles simultaneously…

If this weren't done, it would be impossible to finish all the matches in a week's time.

"Your Pokemon is Eevee, right?"

"Condolences, my Pokemon is Machop. I have the advantage in type."

This time, Fang Yuan's opponent was a talkative trainer, also quite capable of trash-talking. If Fang Yuan were a pushover, he probably would have felt pressured by now.

But how could he care about such a disadvantage in type?

"Don't you know that defeating the opposite type is the protagonist's standard configuration?" Fang Yuan said.

The opponent thought to curse, having never seen someone so shamelessly boastful.

The next moment, both trainers released their Pokemon and at the referee's signal, Machop went into a sharp karate chop stance, striking towards Eevee.

Whoosh!

On Fang Yuan's side, still just a simple command of Quick Attack, and Eevee vanished from Machop's line of sight in an instant.

"Too slow on the reaction." Fang Yuan remarked.

Machop's sight couldn't keep up with the speed of Eevee's Quick Attack. By the time Machop realized, it had no strength left in its palm because a huge force had struck its waist, completely throwing off its balance.

Watching Machop be so neatly handled, Fang Yuan's opponent's expression instantly stiffened.

How could this be, his Machop had been chopping Sand Splash moves as a training bag for a month...

A month's efforts, all in vain, not even lasting one move.

"Number 444, Fang Yuan advances." the referee glanced at Fang Yuan.

It was the same referee from the morning's match for Fang Yuan, and over the course of the day, this field would see many battles. It was difficult for the players to make an impression on the referee and the referee wouldn't go out of his way to remember them.

But Fang Yuan had managed to, solving his opponents with one move in two consecutive battles; Eevee's combat prowess was indeed noteworthy.

"Good, just like that preserve strength, advance this way, and we will soon acquire the official competition qualifications."

However, after two battles, the advantages of the special training Fang Yuan had provided to Eevee were becoming apparent.

Their first opponent was typical of having done no training; their Pokemon was raised like a pet.

The second opponent, although the Sand Splash moves were impressive in spirit, was full of weaknesses.

In contrast, while Eevee might not be said to have no weaknesses, it definitely was not so easily targeted by an enemy.

After finishing the second battle, Fang Yuan probably had no more matches for the day; he planned to head back early and practice Counter Shield with Eevee.

However, as Fang Yuan passed by a field, his feet involuntarily came to a stop.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on here?"

"Hmm?"

The person Fang Yuan tapped on the shoulder was taken aback, then said, "The girl in the blue tracksuit seems to be an apprentice from the Winter Dojo. I just got here too, that move really gave me a scare."

"Oh, thanks." Fang Yuan looked towards the field.

Snorunt's move, Icy Wind, directly turned the Water Series Kingler into a block of ice; its power is one thing, but the technique also had some tricks to it.

Icy Wind blows freezing cold air at the opponent to attack, and it's usually hard to freeze anything directly, but the Kingler was instantly frozen... This Icy Wind is interesting.

"I wonder how Snorunt fares in other aspects. If it's just a frail spellcaster, that's still manageable. But if its basic qualities aren't inferior to Eevee's, meeting her will likely be a tough battle. However, Pokemon like Snorunt... probably don't have a great chance."

Seeing the Trainer of Snorunt walk away, Fang Yuan didn't linger either. He hadn't expected to encounter such a formidable person so soon.

…

After leaving the Oriental Pearl Stadium, Fang Yuan took a ride to a public battle venue that was close to the hotel he was staying at.

He and Eevee were going to continue their special training for Counter Shield there.

Although the opponents they had encountered so far were easily dealt with, Fang Yuan didn't believe that everyone was at this level.

Already on the official forum of the Little Phoenix King Cup, many strong new Trainers have been exposed, including the Dojo Apprentice, who should not be underestimated.

"A Dojo Apprentice, huh…"

"It's just unknown how many such people there are."

On the second day of the preliminaries, having warmed up with Eevee, Fang Yuan set off for the Oriental Pearl Stadium early again.

Today their opponent was a Rock Type and Ground Type Geodude.

Relying solely on Quick Attack probably wouldn't be enough to instantly defeat such a tough-skinned Pokemon.

"Facing a Rock Type, Quick Attack's power is reduced by half. It looks like it needs to be combined with other moves." Fang Yuan was already prepared to reveal a bit more of his strength.

The field was the same old field, and the Referee was an old acquaintance. When the time for the match arrived, Fang Yuan confidently walked into the battleground.

This time, Fang Yuan's opponent was a study-oriented Trainer who didn't seem fond of talking. His opponent not taking the initiative to speak, Fang Yuan struggled to come up with any trash talk.

It seemed his wit was not sharp enough…

As Fang Yuan felt silently helpless, the Referee had already announced the start of the battle.

"Eevee, start moving."

Without hesitation, Fang Yuan gave a command that seized the initiative.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!"

Although he didn't use Quick Attack, Eevee's speed was still no match for Geodude. Geodude could only watch Eevee and follow its Trainer's commands to launch a long-range attack.

The assault was fierce, but the aim was insufficient.

None of the stones thrown hit Eevee. It didn't even have to use its ability; with its vision alone, it could react and dodge.

"Sand Splash."

Taking advantage of Geodude's Move, Eevee had already run to its side. With a gentle flick of its paw, a handful of fine sand hit Geodude's eyes precisely, preventing it from seeing its surroundings clearly.

"Keep using it," Fang Yuan said.

After several Sand Splashes, Geodude was helpless. Blinded, Moves like Tackle and Rollout were like random attacks.

Finally, after being toyed with until exhausted, Eevee landed a Quick Attack that knocked Geodude out of the field.

"Sand Splash is really dirty…" Fang Yuan thought to himself.

Sand Splash is most effective when it hits the face, but with Eevee's long practice, hitting the eyes wasn't a problem as long as the opponent wasn't too fast.

Before leaving, the Referee looked at Fang Yuan again, who also looked back and greeted him.

"See you this afternoon."

"If this Number 444, Fang Yuan, wins smoothly in the afternoon, he can be set as a seeded player."

Watching Fang Yuan's departing figure, the Referee thought to himself.

Physical Strength, mobility, reaction speed, mastery of Moves, and mental quality—all of Eevee's attributes far surpassed those of other Pokemon. Ordinary contenders facing Fang Yuan's Eevee were basically unable to gain the upper hand or advantage, because the difference in strength was just not on the same level...

Moreover, in the three matches so far, Eevee had only shown Quick Attack and Sand Splash. It was probable that it was still hiding many strengths. That was the most crucial part.