The Competition Continues

The second round of matches comprised a total of ten groups, significantly reducing the number of participants and accelerating the pace compared to the first round.

Before long, the second round concluded as well, bringing the competitors down from 20 to 10. However, those who remained were relatively strong.

Since Yuga didn't know which opponent would be left for the next round, he diligently watched the matches after his own concluded.

Several Pokémon left a strong impression on Yuga due to their exceptional strength among the participants.

Robert, who had demonstrated impressive performance in the first two rounds with his Baltoy, was naturally one of them. There was also a stubborn Camerupt that was remarkably formidable.

Despite its unremarkable yellow aptitude, this Camerupt held a level as high as 38, making it the highest-level Pokémon in the competition.

Despite its seemingly sluggish demeanor, the Camerupt was a force to be reckoned with in battle, particularly adept at employing its skill, Eruption.

Eruption was already considered an intermediate fire-type attack, possessing significant power. In a group of Pokémon still using basic skills, this stood out prominently. (Skills with a power below 60 are considered basic skills; skills with a power from 60 to below 90 are intermediate skills; skills with a power from 90 and above, including 90, are advanced skills. This classification is used only for attack-type skills and not for transformation skills.)

Another impressive contender was a Shuppet.

Ghost-type Pokémon were notorious for being tricky and eerie, and this Shuppet, utilizing its elusive form, along with the skills Shadow Sneak and Will-O-Wisp, proved challenging to handle.

With both its green aptitude and level of 30, this Shuppet exhibited considerable strength.

The third-round matchups were quickly determined, with Yuga opponent being a boy named Oda. In the second round, Oda had used a relatively uncommon Snowrunt.

Unlike the second round where Yuga had a relatively early match, this time he was in the final group. However, in the first group, just like in the second round, Robert took the stage.

Robert opponent used a grass-type Cacturne, a Pokémon commonly found in the arid areas of Hoenn region where deserts were prevalent.

As expected, Robert swiftly secured his victory.

In truth, the Cacturne wasn't weak either. After all, it had managed to advance to the third round. Its strength wasn't lacking; rather, it was simply outclassed by its opponent.

Following that, both the Camerupt and Shuppet, along with their respective trainers, successfully advanced as well.

The two participants from the fourth group had shown average performances in the earlier rounds, making it through in a typical manner. Ultimately, a trainer with a Swalot emerged as the winner.

Lastly, it was time for Yuga match against Oda.

Speaking of Oda, he was likely one of the weaker participants to have made it to the third round. His Snowrunt, be it in terms of aptitude or level, was far from impressive. Oda himself lacked substantial battle experience.

However, in the match against Yuga, Oda didn't use his Snowrunt. Instead, he released a Bug-type Cutiefly.

At first, Yuga thought that this Cutiefly might be stronger than the Snowrunt, but the two Pokémon strengths were almost identical—similar levels and aptitudes.

If one insisted, the Cutiefly had a slight advantage in terms of species, but in terms of strength, it wasn't much different from the Snowrunt. Yuga easily secured victory using his Floette Magical Leaf.

With the conclusion of Yuga group, it marked the end of the third round. The fourth round of matches would soon follow.

Only five participants would make it to the fourth round, meaning one participant would have a bye round.

The order of matches was determined by the referees, including Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and the event organizer. They took turns drawing two pieces of paper, each containing a participant name. Those drawn together would be opponents.

The order of matches was quickly determined. In the first group, Robert was up again, facing the trainer with the Camerupt. The second group featured Yuga against the trainer with the Swalot. Fortunately, the trainer with the Shuppet got a bye round.

Robert match concluded swiftly once more. His Baltoy was just too dominant, leaving no room for his opponent during the battle.

Despite the Camerupt impressive performance in previous rounds, it couldn't even put up a fight against Robert Baltoy. The Camerupt downfall lay in its aptitude, which was only at the yellow level, a stark contrast to Robert peak green-level Baltoy.

However, it didn't surprise Yuga that Robert Baltoy was this strong. With its high aptitude, level, skill proficiency, and the seamless coordination with its trainer, it would be strange if such a Pokémon weren't strong.

Next, it was Yuga turn for his match.

His opponent was a boy named Kiyono, who appeared quite young, sporting a round and chubby baby face that looked extremely cute.

His Pokémon was a Swalot, not particularly strong in terms of power. It wasn't as strong as the trainers with the previously eliminated Cacturne or Oda Pokémon, let alone the recently defeated Camerupt. Yet, he had managed to secure this position smoothly.

As the match began, both sides sent out their Pokémon. Unsurprisingly, Kiyono Swalot remained, and Yuga continued to field his Floette.

"Swalot, use Acid Bomb!"

The match curtain was drawn, and a burst of purple liquid shot out from Swalot mouth, hurtling towards Floette at rapid speed.

Being a Fairy-type Pokémon weak to Poison-types, Yuga understood that if Floette directly took this Acid Bomb hit, its fate would be sealed.

"Floette, use Fairy Wind!"

At Yuga command, a pink gust of wind immediately swirled around Floette, instantly shattering the Acid Bomb that was hurtling towards it.

The first attack didn't succeed. Kiyono promptly attempted to command Swalot to launch another attack, but Yuga didn't give him the chance.

"Floette, use Magical Leaf."

Four magical leaves shot out from Floette like sharp blades, heading straight for Swalot. However, before Swalot could launch its attack, it was interrupted by the skill activation.

Yuga was quite satisfied with Floette timing in this attack; it was just right.

As Yuga and Floette spent more time together, their understanding of each other grew stronger. Back in the day, Floette wouldn't have grasped Yuga intentions so easily.

After being hit by the Magical Leaf, the rotund Swalot tumbled around the arena for several rounds before finally coming to a stop. When it did, it appeared dazed and disoriented.

Seeing Swalot state, Yuga didn't miss the opportunity and promptly commanded Floette to unleash another Magical Leaf. While Magical leaf intended to intervene, Swalot failed to react in time. In an instant, it was struck again, losing its ability to battle.