Chapter 51: The Final Day

Halloween Sun and Moon Cup Newcomer Challenge, early morning of the second day.

All the advancing contestants gathered early at the playground, once again uniting beneath the podium.

On the podium, staff were rolling out screens to initiate a new round of groupings for the contestants.

"Ahh, I thought we were definitely going to face those troublesome brothers, but now they've decided to regroup. Doesn't that mean all the strategies we discussed last night are useless now?" Yuto exclaimed in frustration upon hearing that the organizers would be regrouping.

Yuto wasn't the only one displeased; other contestants also looked upset, clearly feeling the same disappointment.

Ryoma, however, shrugged indifferently. They were aiming for the final victory anyway, so they would inevitably face strong opponents at some point.

Soon, the large screen on the podium began to spin, with the information of various contestants flashing repeatedly. In the end, pairs were formed and began to arrange in the topmost part of the screen.

In total, 27 battle pairs were listed, while 5 remained unpaired with a single number, not matched with opponents.

"Huh, why weren't we given an opponent?" Yuto looked confused.

"Idiot, it means we got a bye. Looks like the organizers want to finalize the top 32 first before proceeding to the next round of challenges!" Ryoma rolled his eyes.

And indeed, as Ryoma predicted, they received a bye this round, directly advancing to the top 32!

Yuto: o（≧ ≦）o.

…

After a morning of fierce competition, the top 32 of this tournament was quickly determined.

Without exception, the four teams that Yuto identified as potentially being fake rookie Trainers all successfully advanced, and almost all did so with overwhelming dominance.

As a result, these four teams instantly gained countless fans, becoming the presumed strong contenders for the tournament!

"I'm so mad! The top four?"

"Where did they place us?"

Yuto exploded with frustration upon hearing this news!

"I actually think it's alright; gaining fame makes it easier to be researched, and it's better to quietly make a fortune," Ryoma shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hmph! Anyway, all we need to do is battle them!"

"I want them to experience the fear of being dominated by the demon king!"

Yuto clenched his fists and shouted with great determination.

Very well, his ability to accept things is impressive; he's already calling himself the demon king now. 

…

In the afternoon, at the school playground.

Since they did not know their opponents, everyone gathered again beneath the podium.

At this moment, the large screen displayed sixteen groups, with contestant information constantly flashing and quickly being filled into those groups.

Soon, Ryoma and the others' opponent appeared—contestant number 88.

Great, they had a significant numerical advantage; number 77 was up against number 88. It seems luck was omnipresent.

Arriving at their very familiar arena number 7, their opponents were already standing in the battle zone—two girls who looked quite attractive.

"Yuto, how should we take this round?"

"Show them some tenderness or crush them violently!"

Ryoma smiled playfully at Yuto, who stood beside him.

"We'll go all out and crush them! Let everyone see our strength!"

Yuto seemed to be holding onto some frustration, clearly still concerned about the top four title from the morning.

"Then let's go! Sandshrew, use Rollout!"

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

KO! 

...

Due to Halloween only having a three-day break, all contestants participated in two matches in one afternoon, directly determining the top 8.

In the second round, during the 16-to-8 battles, Ryoma and his team encountered a tough opponent. Ultimately, relying on Charmeleon's control, Sandshrew managed to take out the opponent with a series of Rollouts.

"Sigh, it's all your fault for hiding your skills. Just look at the school forum; everyone is discussing those four guys," Yuto complained with dissatisfaction in the evening.

"Why rush? Now that our five teams have all made it to the top eight, we'll definitely face them. Hiding your skills isn't a bad thing," Ryoma said without looking up.

"That's true, but it's still really frustrating," Yuto sighed.

"Instead of wasting time on the forum, you should review our strategy."

"Those guys are all strong, and we don't know if they have any tricks up their sleeves. Even if we go all out, we might not win for sure!" 

Ryoma scribbled on the paper, writing down the moves the opponents had shown, followed by corresponding strategies.

Yuto quickly agreed and began to discuss with Ryoma.

---

On the third day of the competition.

Since the schedule today wasn't tight—quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, totaling just seven matches—the venue was moved to the school gymnasium.

On this day, the school's leaders also came to watch and witness the birth of the final champion!

"Sato Professor, that's Ryoma, isn't it?"

In the guest area, Principal Ishikawa casually glanced at Ryoma and then quietly asked.

"That's right; that's Ryoma. A very impressive little guy," Professor Sato said, smoothing his mustache and smiling at Ryoma.

Hearing Professor Sato's praise for Ryoma, the other school leaders turned their attention to Ryoma, showing interest in him.

"So... how is the research on Sandstorm weather going?" Principal Ishikawa nodded and continued to ask.

"I'll report to you about that later. For now, let's focus on the upcoming matches," Professor Sato replied, shaking his head. He then turned his gaze towards the battle area. "I think the next opponents will force him to use Sandstorm several times!"

---

In the arena, Ryoma and Yuto looked at the grouping on the screen, their expressions somewhat grim.

Because their number was number 1, and according to the bracket on the screen, they would face a strong opponent in every match until they secured the final victory.

Their first opponent was the combination of number 2's Manectric and Pyroar, and if they won, they would likely battle number 3's dual Scyther combination next. In the finals, they would meet the winner from the upper bracket.

"I told you, didn't I? There are definitely seed players in this tournament," Yuto sighed slightly, displaying a knowing expression.

"It seems so," Ryoma also sighed.

On the other side, Professor Sato looked at the groupings on the screen and nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with the matchups. It seemed that this would force that kid to use Sandstorm several times!