Chapter 49: Battling the Seeded Player_1

How to comfort someone...

Baidu provided many answers.

Fang Yuan meticulously searched but couldn't find an appropriate one.

In the end, Fang Yuan simply gave up.

"Forget it, Lin Jing should be a pretty strong girl, let her heal on her own."

Lin Jing was eliminated.

Since Growlithe was injured and needed to be examined, Fang Yuan did not return to the contestant platform and watched the morning's matches alone.

With Eevee's Poké Ball in hand, Fang Yuan didn't know if Eevee could continue to advance without injury like before—of course, that would be the best outcome.

Considering Eevee's traits, Fang Yuan actually had some confidence.

After the morning matches ended, the top thirty-two contestants were announced.

Among them, sixteen seeded Trainers advanced without any surprise and were already considered by viewers as the likely candidates for the top sixteen in the afternoon.

Before the afternoon matches started,

the thirty-two Trainers, including Fang Yuan, had their Pokémon examined by the Elf Doctors invited by the organizers. Once they confirmed there were no problems, the battle for the top sixteen was about to begin.

"Boss, you've gotta give it your all."

Fang Yuan, holding his phone in the waiting room, continuously heard Liu Le's voice in his ear.

"This is your third call already."

"Bwoo!" Eevee sitting on Fang Yuan's shoulder also showed a dissatisfied expression.

Originally, Eevee was holding Fang Yuan's phone and had even picked out several brands of mobile phones to buy, but this interruption by the "fatso" had prevented Eevee from shopping to its heart's content.

"OK! This is absolutely the last call. I checked the official forum, and, Boss, your next opponent seems to be a seeded player, but I believe you can crush them!"

Fang Yuan ended the call.

But it wasn't over yet.

The Psychology Club's group chat was also bustling.

Senior sister: "Top thirty-two... unbelievable. Does that mean if you win the next match, you'll be on a live broadcast?"

Club President: "You didn't secretly evolve Eevee with an Evolutionary Stone, did you? A Fire Spirit, or a Thunder Elf? Or is it a Vaporeon?"

Du Ai: "I feel like it's the result of the trash talk I taught you..."

Vice-President: "Wait a minute... at this pace, could it really be that we're entering the top sixteen?!"

Fang Yuan: "Don't panic, basic maneuver, just sit tight and wait to watch the live broadcast."

After saying that, he also closed the group chat.

...

"Hi."

The time was thirteen o'clock.

While sitting in the waiting room, Fang Yuan felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Lin Jing had returned.

"Growlithe is alright?" Fang Yuan asked.

"It's fine now," Lin Jing said.

"I just talked to my dad on the phone and told him about losing the match. Guess what he said? He said that it was normal because what we did before was just basic training... "

"It's not yet Growlithe's prime time for growth in power; there's no need to rush the increase in strength."

"So that's how it is," Fang Yuan remarked, surprised.

"Yep," Lin Jing said, her cheeks blushing slightly.

Although I don't know why, but losing a battle always makes one want to explain.

Just like blaming a bad internet connection for losing a game, or saying you forgot to check the questions properly after a bad exam... having a reasonable excuse can make one feel more at ease.

Fang Yuan acted like he understood, and turned his head, as Eevee jumped onto his shoulder, and they both fell silent together.

"It's almost my turn to go up."

"I know, I'm ready to take photos. If you lose the match, just wait for me to expose you in the group chat," Lin Jing threatened.

"It's impossible for me to lose."

"Bwoo," Eevee also agreed with Fang Yuan's words.

The upcoming battles couldn't possibly result in a loss.

Group A, B, and C, the seeded players from the three groups still advanced smoothly, becoming part of the top sixteen.

Three intense battles also made the spectators somewhat convinced about the list of seeded players posted on the official forum.

Indeed, those listed as seeded players all had some tricks up their sleeves.

"Group C has ended, and now it's Group D's turn. If I remember correctly... the players are that trainer named Lin Sen and the handsome guy named Fang Yuan, right?"

"Exactly, ah, actually, I hope that the adorable Eevee wins the battle... I never thought that a Pokemon like Eevee would make it to the top thirty-two. I really want to see it keep winning."

"That's impossible, haven't you seen the other seeded players' battles? So far, not a single seeded player has been eliminated..."

At the edge of the spectator seats, two acquaintances started discussing.

"Right, those trainers who only rely on trickery have no chance of continuing their winning streak." Next to them, a girl passing by was grinding her teeth, silently saying to herself.

Even wearing sunglasses, it was not hard to see that she was Han Jia, the first player to be eliminated by Fang Yuan's trash talk.

She and her Sand Naya had a really tough time...

Initially, after losing the match, Han Jia had wanted to go back home immediately, but for some reason, she now really wanted to see Fang Yuan lose as well. Only then would she be able to vent her frustration.

So, she came back to watch the battles.

Meanwhile.

"Group A, Scyther; Group B, Mr. Mime; Group C, Dream Demon; if I win the next round, Eevee will have to face a Ghost Type Pokemon. I'll aim to keep Bite hidden, maybe it will make the next opponent underestimate us, thinking Eevee has no means of subduing the enemy."

"But facing this Bulbasaur, Eevee also needs to take it seriously."

In the players' corridor, Fang Yuan walked alone to his position, waiting for the time to enter the stage.

After this match, he could enter the top sixteen.

The top sixteen, not only would one be able to show their face in a live stream with millions of views but also be interviewed by reporters. For a high school student, this was a rare achievement and recognition of their two months of effort.

"If my parents find out I was interviewed, they will definitely be very happy," Fang Yuan's lips curled up slightly.

...

"Alright, next up is this afternoon's fourth match, Lin Sen against Fang Yuan. I believe everyone is already familiar with their names..."

As the commentator spoke, Fang Yuan and Lin Sen came out.

Lin Sen's expression was a bit strange when he looked at Fang Yuan because he had watched Fang Yuan's previous battles and even specially asked Fang Yuan's last opponent for some information, learning about some of Fang Yuan's tactics.

Looking at Fang Yuan, Lin Sen thought:

"I'm mentally prepared. If he still thinks he can disturb me with trash talk, then he's walking right into a trap."

"When he speaks, he'll be distracted as well. It's a double-edged sword. As long as I seize the moment and let Bulbasaur launch a fierce attack, defeating that Eevee won't be a problem."

With these thoughts, Lin Sen smiled slightly.

"It seems like you are very happy to see me," Fang Yuan said unexpectedly as they both entered the stage.

However, Lin Sen didn't want to engage with Fang Yuan... and threw a Poké Ball towards Fang Yuan.

As both players threw their Poké Balls, Bulbasaur and Eevee also stood on opposite sides of the field, glaring at each other.