Magic University Player Village.
In the dormitory.
Aside from Milotic, who had already competed, Fang Yuan summoned the remaining main Pokemon.
The adorable Little Eevee, Self-detonating Magnetic Monster, Monferno, Glutton, and Dragonite gazed at Fang Yuan with their eyes wide open.
"That's the way it is, there are still two battles left in the national tournament. Who amongst you has the confidence to take on three opponents at once? Please raise your hand, there's an extra reward in it for you!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Aside from the Self-detonating Magnetic Monster, the other four Pokemon raised their hands.
To them, taking on three opponents was indeed as easy as raising a hand.
"Don't be overconfident, the next two opponents won't be easy to handle..."
Especially that Huge Gold Monster, it could be very tricky.
Dragonite and Glutton would likely lose if they didn't use all their trump cards.
Even Monferno could suffer an upset, as Fighting is weak against Psychic abilities.
Fang Yuan spoke up, but the Pokemon didn't seem inclined to change their minds.
Although the opponents might be strong, none wanted to admit weakness in front of their teammates.
Fang Yuan turned to look at the only one who hadn't raised a hand, the Self-detonating Magnetic Monster...
Self-detonating Magnetic Monster: !!!
The Self-detonating Magnetic Monster felt like crying; Fang Yuan was too good at bullying it.
Before it evolved, it got picked on for only being able to say "Magnemite."
After evolving, it got picked on for not having hands. What happened to everyone raising hands together?
"Over-luru-luru-luru..." To show it was also capable, the Self-detonating Magnetic Monster did a somersault in the air, positioning its magnets upward to represent a raised hand.
"Good... Since you're all capable, let's draw lots to decide, alright? Of course, to prevent a certain Eevee from cheating, I'll draw for you."
Eevee: ???
You're discriminating against Psychics!!!
Eevee sat to one side, sulking. It didn't matter; the most valuable prize of the national tournament, that set of Evolutionary Stones, was as good as its. It didn't care about the extra reward.
Soon, Fang Yuan prepared some slips of paper, shuffled them, and drew two.
"Tomorrow's battle will be..." Fang Yuan opened the first slip and looked at Dragonite, saying, "You'll face the captain of the Imperial University Team, no problem, right?"
"Bo-Woo!!!!" Dragonite nodded repeatedly. If Milotic could take on three opponents, it would be looked down upon by Milotic if it couldn't do the same.
This battle, must win!
As the first slip was revealed, the other Pokemon showed expressions of disappointment.
Then, they looked eagerly at the second slip...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, loud thumping sounds came from inside Monferno's body. It swallowed nervously—it was very keen to take part in this battle.
During the Fighting Tournament, it had to withdraw due to an injury before displaying its full strength, something that Monferno had dwelled on for a long time.
Though it showed its strength during the Master challenge and Professional assessment, the former went unnoticed, and the latter, being a one-off event, wasn't quite satisfying.
This national tournament was also a significant event, and Monferno wanted to fulfill an unfinished dream...
Its nervousness caused a rapid heartbeat, now thundering like a startling crack of thunder.
Fang Yuan opened the second slip of paper, then exclaimed in surprise and displayed it to the Pokemon.
On it, the name Monferno was clearly written.
Monferno: (๑•ั็ω•็ั๑)
Self-detonating Magnetic Monster, Glutton: ◔‸◔
Eevee scoffed and walked away to practice its imitation moves, not wanting to waste any more time with these creatures.
Just a national tournament, what's so great about that!
...
The day of the semifinals.
The atmosphere at the Phoenix Nest Coliseum reached a peak.
Out of the top four.
Magic Fang Yuan defeated his opponent in a three-on-one battle, while Tao Shengjie of Emperor Capital University defeated his opponent with ease, seemingly without a care in the world.
Zhuo Yue of Hua University also took on three, and the captain of the Magic Team, Ji Yan, won with ease – all four were terrifyingly strong.
And the highest honor of the national tournament was to be contested among representatives from Magic University, Emperor Capital University, and Hua University.
Those schools that had been eliminated also wanted to see who would ultimately take the honor of national tournament individual champion.
On the main stand, still those same three people: Three-Star Grandmaster Ma Chenzong, Two-Star Masters Chen Changfeng, and Yan Hua.
Interestingly, after Fang Yuan's outstanding performance yesterday caught Master Ma Chenzong's attention, he made a remarkable discovery upon further investigation.
His murky gaze fell on Fang Yuan, filled with astonishment.
A powerful Trainer who had already completed the four Professional assessments and a senior Researcher – this talent reminded him of Xie Qingyi from Demon Capital University.
"Demon Capital University has been producing freaks these recent years... Maybe I should send my great-grandson there to study?"
...
"Magic University will win!! Fang Yuan is invincible!!!"
"Fang Yuan! Fang Yuan! Winning with one against three!!!"
Before the battle against Tao Shengjie from Emperor Capital University, waves of chants erupted from the Magic University audience seats, full of confidence.
On the side of Emperor Capital University, cheers were similarly loud, but the instructors from Imperial U didn't appear to have much confidence... Tao Shengjie also looked heavy with concern.
Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
Emperor Capital University was feeling insecure because they knew too much.
According to Imperial University's instructor, Teacher Hu Guanxiong, Fang Yuan had at least three Master level spirits, and each one was possibly no weaker than Zhuo Yue's Huge Gold Monster. How were they supposed to compete?
Even if Tao Shengjie was confident in his own strength, he was just a Professional Trainer up against an almost-Great Master – winning would be a miracle.
Unless, of course, all of this was just made-up by Old Hu!
But Teacher Hu Guanxiong had no reason to fabricate such a tale just to scare people; it was far beyond merely a Shock – after hearing the news, the president of Imperial University hadn't slept well for an entire night, all thanks to Fang Yuan.