Chapter 51: The Round of 16_1

Compared to quick battles, endurance battles better showcase a Pokemon's fundamental skills.

The first to run out of stamina was Bulbasaur, whose piercing Vine Whip had become its burden, no longer able to be swung as quickly.

"Dana~"

Wrinkling its nose slightly, Bulbasaur inadvertently inhaled the blowing sand and felt that its Vine Whip was very heavy while it almost lost its balance.

However, after a long period of battling, Eevee was not without its own exhaustion.

Although it had slowed down to conserve energy, its brain was very tired, especially after repeatedly dodging quickly, which put a significant strain on Eevee.

Luckily, it wasn't injured, and this kind of physical exhaustion could recover quickly after the match ended.

Eevee's advantage kept growing, like a snowball rolling downhill, slowly accumulating until it became massive, and it eventually crushed the last line of defense in Bulbasaur's body.

As the figures moved and interchanged, Eevee's double had disrupted Bulbasaur and Lin Sen's judgment.

Oriental Pearl Stadium is open-air, and under the scorching sun, Lin Sen, who was constantly in a state of tension, was already sweating profusely, showing signs of heatstroke.

Battle is also a competition between the Trainers' physical endurance and response time; compared to Lin Sen, Fang Yuan was obviously in a much better state and could provide more tips to Eevee during the battle.

"Dana~"

Meanwhile, Bulbasaur, having been knocked flying repeatedly, had managed to stand up three times in a row. Its willpower was far superior to any opponent Fang Yuan and Eevee had faced before, but its dwindling stamina and the continuous sharp pains in its body meant it could no longer continue the battle.

Plop!

Finally, Bulbasaur's body began to wobble, and then it quickly fell to the ground, probably unable to even move properly anymore.

After the countdown, the Referee quickly reacted.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle, so advancing to the top sixteen is... Trainer Fang Yuan."

On the other side, the Commentator explained with surprise.

"After a prolonged standoff, Bulbasaur falls first. Let's first thank Lin Sen and Fang Yuan for bringing us such an exciting match..."

Seeing Bulbasaur fall, Fang Yuan slightly tilted his cap and let out a sigh of relief; seed players indeed proved to be more challenging.

This time, Eevee's impressive reaction ability was thoroughly revealed, and Fang Yuan suspected that future opponents might prepare in advance, such as devising tactics to limit Eevee's mobility...

However, it was inevitable for their trump card to be revealed, and targeting Eevee's reaction ability wasn't going to be easy.

After the Referee announced the results.

The audience began to discuss amongst themselves, all wearing inexplicable expressions.

"It feels like I've been holding my breath for a long time, so thrilling. What just happened in that battle? That Eevee's movements were so agile, Bulbasaur seemed to be fighting the air, what's that saying again...?"

"Engaging in a battle of wits with the air?"

"Exactly, that's the feeling."

Following that, the audience began to applaud for the two competitors in the match, which seemed quite interesting. Most importantly, it lasted a good length of time, and the move-for-move battle between Bulbasaur and Eevee was very satisfying to watch!

"Not at all, that Lin Sen and Bulbasaur are tough enough. If I were up against my Sand Naya, I definitely wouldn't withstand the intense Vine Whip attacks."

"How did that Eevee manage to do that... When they battled against us, it wasn't like this at all."

Up on the steps, Han Jia, who was eliminated by Fang Yuan's trash talk, suddenly revealed a complex expression, having never expected Fang Yuan to win. Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but she felt that Fang Yuan and Eevee still had hidden cards up their sleeves.

The next match would continue, but Fang Yuan had successfully left a deep impression in the minds of all the guests.

Also, on the official forum of the Little Phoenix King Cup, several threads about Fang Yuan had appeared. As the dark horse who was the first to knock out a seeded contestant, Fang Yuan suddenly received a lot of attention.

…

"What's the matter, stunned? Didn't I tell you before that we wouldn't lose?"

After returning to the contestant's stand, Fang Yuan waved his hand in front of Lin Jing.

"How could you and Eevee... be so powerful?" Lin Jing said in disbelief.

From what she learned from her professional trainer father, the Little Phoenix King Cup was a highly prestigious competition among battles for new trainers, with new trainers who made it to the top sixteen often having the guidance of a professional trainer behind them.

And Fang Yuan...

"Isn't it simple? Eevee and I could even survive in a secret location," Fang Yuan laughed.

This was, of course, only a joke.

Being able to advance to the top sixteen did bring some joy to Fang Yuan because starting from the top sixteen, there were prize money to be claimed.

The first place prize was 10w yuan, plus a Pokemon tool and a Dawn Group membership card.

The second place prize was 50,000 yuan, along with a Pokemon tool.

The third and fourth places received 30,000 yuan and a Pokemon tool.

From fifth to eighth place, there was a prize of 10,000 RMB plus a box of Pokemon food.

From ninth to sixteenth place, the prize was 5,000 yuan.

Beyond that, the first place would also receive a trophy.

Although the prize money for the top sixteen might not seem much to the wealthy, for Fang Yuan, it was a substantial sum.

"Just one more win, and the prize money would double. And if it's the championship, that would be twenty times the amount!"

Fang Yuan felt exhilarated and planned to share the good news with Father Fang and Mother Fang first.

Although Father Fang and Mother Fang did not understand much about the Little Phoenix King Cup, they were still very happy to hear that Fang Yuan had won a title and prize money.

Right after, Fang Yuan also shared the great news of making it to the top sixteen with Uncle Shan from the Starshine Battle Club.

Upon hearing the news, there was a moment of silence on the other side, then a simple four-word response: keep up the good work.

Fang Yuan didn't mind and kept sharing the good news. The most extreme reaction came from Liu Le; Fang Yuan making it to the top sixteen meant that their plan had succeeded, and in that instant, Fang Yuan's image grew taller in Liu Le's eyes.

There was another group of people… who seemed rather silent. They were the senior brothers and sisters from the psychology club who had doubted Fang Yuan's ability to reach the top sixteen from the start.

After learning that Fang Yuan really did make it to the top sixteen, they started to question their lives, wondering just what kind of beast their junior was.

"When do you plan to leave?"

At the Oriental Pearl Stadium, on the contestant's stand, Fang Yuan asked Lin Jing.

"I'm staying at my aunt's place, so I have plenty of time. That's why I'm planning to stay to watch the Little Phoenix King Cup till the end before going back to Pingcheng," Lin Jing replied.

"If you can make it to the last day of the Little Phoenix King Cup without being eliminated, we could go back together."

Fang Yuan touched his nose.

"Hmm… that's not a bad idea; Eevee and I will keep winning all the way," she said decisively.