The first day of the preliminary round for the fighting tournament marked the selection of 128 Trainers advancing to the main competition.
Among these 128, many are prominent figures from the Martial Arts Dojos and frequent participants in fighting tournaments as Professional Trainers.
These individuals are undoubtedly the favorites to claim the title of Master!
Beyond them, there are also Trainers who, despite not having undergone professional assessments, command Pokemon that meet professional standards, and these Trainers too have set their sights on the master title.
These Trainers are the focus of attention and recognized by the organizers as "seeded players," the experts of the competition.
On the second day, when the main matches of the fighting tournament take place, there will be only one main venue, drawing a large crowd with hundreds of matches for the audience to relish.
In fact, none of the competitors who made it to the main event is weak; any of them could secure a coaching position at any Battle Club.
Therefore, Fang Yuan is bound to face challenging opponents one after another, and the gag about his "Sonic Fist Eevee" can only go so far.
...
At Ice Tundra Mountain, a sea of people flooded the passageways to the various seats at the world's premier fighting tournament.
"Hey!! Look, that's Li Jing, a Professional Trainer from Purple Dao Hall. I've heard he's come with fierce determination and is set on claiming the master title this time."
"There's also Feng Yin, a Professional Trainer of Wind Fist Flow Dojo. They're both well-known in Ice Plain City."
"However, the visiting Professional Trainers are impressive too. I've heard that Mr. Wang Xuanliang is about to be promoted to a One-Star Professional Trainer. He scored the highest in the preliminaries and is resolute in his pursuit of the title."
"What a pity that Ice Field Dojo and Qin Yuan Dojo surprisingly have no Professional Trainers competing this time, only sending Apprentices. Could it be that the professionals are all exploring a Secret location?"
"Don't underestimate the new generation. The young Apprentices from Qin Yuan Dojo passed the preliminary round quite easily. Besides, there's a Trainer with an attack tool this time around. Could it be the Bone Stick Furious Monkey??"
"Attack tools, eh... It reminds me of the Farfetch'd that stood out at the last tournament, oh no, I mean the Onion Soldier."
Most of the spectators are fighting enthusiasts from the cities near Ice Plain City, often discussing interesting news amongst themselves.
Additionally, the guest lineup for this edition is quite luxurious, including executives from the provincial Trainer Association, representatives from Dawn Group, officials from the dojo committee, even a popular action movie star, and it's said that Master Level Trainers will be there, although such busy people will likely only show up for the crucial matches in the last two days.
The fighting tournament... officially opens.
By now, Fang Yuan already knew his opponent for the 128 to 64 match. His opponent was an heir to the King Kong Dojo, not one of the seeded players mentioned by the audience, which was quite a relief.
To show enough respect to his opponent, Fang Yuan was formulating tactics for his Fierce Fire Monkey.
In the 128 to 64 matchup, a total of 64 matches would be played. The organizers accommodated Fang Yuan well, not making him wait too long; his match would be the eleventh one.
"Match eleven, Zhao Yangyang versus Fang Yuan!!" The announcer with sunglasses held the microphone, his voice rapid, using information collected from the preliminaries to fire up the atmosphere.
"Zhao Yangyang's Primeape showed remarkable resistance in the preliminaries, while Fang Yuan's Fierce Fire Monkey is said to carry a special Bone Club as a trump card. Just how will their battle play out? Let's look forward to it with great anticipation..."
However, at the same time, the announcer was careful not to disclose too much information, as not to affect the competitors.
The host spoke, and the two contestants, followed by their Pokémon, made their way toward the main stage.
During the process of the contestants ascending to the stage, countless gazes fell upon them.
In the audience, supporters of the King Kong Dojo cheered enthusiastically. Many were familiar with this dojo, whose trainers and Pokémon were both extremely resilient and full of willpower. In contrast, Fang Yuan didn't have much fame in the circle of Fighting Type trainers, but there were still quite a few people who took notice of him.
Also in the audience, apprentices of the Wind Fist Flow Dojo remembered Fang Yuan... since Fang Yuan had studied at the Wind Fist Flow Dojo. Moreover, Wang Ling, the professional trainer from Qin Yuan Dojo whom Fang Yuan had encountered in Ice Plain, was also present as an onlooker, her gaze lingering on Fang Yuan for a moment.
"He's also participating in this competition?" In the audience, there were others who recognized Fang Yuan, like Qiao Yiyi and Duan Xue, two medical volunteers, who were finally able to rest now that a large number of trainers, researchers, and medical staff had arrived from the capital for the Lake of Purification. With time on their hands, the two came to watch the Fighting competition.
In the contestant area... Wind Fist Flow Wind Tiger saw Fang Yuan take the stage and smiled faintly, curious to see how far Fang Yuan would go, apart from him, two apprentices of the Qin Yuan Dojo and also a contestant who was quite wary of the Fierce Fire Monkey's Bone Club, were all observing Fang Yuan and his Fierce Fire Monkey.
At the same time, professional trainer Feng Yin watched the Fierce Fire Monkey with puzzlement... Wasn't this Fierce Fire Monkey a prodigious talent in boxing? Why... had it switched to stick techniques now?
"Bwoo..." In a certain spot in the audience, an Eevee was also moving about, watching the match as a spectator.
This special roving reporter Bwoo caught the attention of many... because it carried a smartphone, and from time to time, the Eevee would control the smartphone to take photos of Fang Yuan and the Fierce Fire Monkey.
"You... aren't taking out the stick?" On the stage, Fang Yuan's opponent, Zhao Yangyang from King Kong Dojo, looked at the Bone Club behind the Fierce Fire Monkey. He didn't dare underestimate any contestant who had made it through the preliminaries, even an unevolved Fierce Fire Monkey. He regarded them with enough significance and hoped that Fang Yuan would do the same.
"Your team doesn't deserve the Fierce Fire Monkey to take out the stick," Fang Yuan said, his expression calm. The Fierce Fire Monkey complied and took out the Bone Club. This opponent didn't seem easy to deal with. Relying on Gathering Energy techniques would, at best, put them at a fifty-fifty chance... so they had to turn to other tactics.
Bang!!
Seeing the Fierce Fire Monkey arm itself with the Bone Club, Zhao Yangyang and his Primeape smiled. Although they hadn't faced such an opponent before and didn't know how to deal with him, they were looking forward to the contest. At Zhao Yangyang's command, the Primeape charged forward with its arms crossed for a slashing pose!!
At that moment, Fang Yuan also issued a command.
"Bone Returning Dart!!!" Fang Yuan shouted loudly, as if worried his opponent wouldn't hear.
The next second, the Fierce Fire Monkey hurled the Bone Club at the onrushing Primeape. Whoosh! The Bone Club soared through the air!
The Primeape was startled... But it seemed the Bone Club didn't hit it. Instead, thrown with tremendous force, it flew swiftly past the Primeape, soaring towards the sky.
"Be careful!!" Zhao Yangyang was also startled by the command. Could the Fierce Fire Monkey learn Bone Returning Dart??? Indeed, this move was performed with a Bone Club, but...
Like its name, Bone Returning Dart was capable of returning. Dodging once meant they needed to be wary of a sneak attack on its return. Trouble!
Heeding Zhao Yangyang's warning, the Primeape turned its head warily and resumed a defensive posture. However, Zhao Yangyang and the Primeape were soon stunned.
The Bone Club... kept flying.
This was a Bone Dart, with no returning function at all!!
Boom!!!
At this time, the Fierce Fire Monkey, moving at an extremely fast speed, delivered a Sonic Fist to the back of the Primeape's head, leaving it dazed. Then it followed up with relentless punches, earnest and fierce, embodying the essence of the Wind Fist Flow technique.
As it attacked, the Fierce Fire Monkey chuckled. The thrown Bone Club wasn't intended to return; Eevee would pick it up. In an instant, the audience was filled with exclamations of "Holy shit." The tactic was very basic, but precisely because of the heightened caution towards the Bone Stick Furious Monkey... Fang Yuan's opponents fell for it.