Advancement

Yuga's victory over Tomoka signified his official qualification to establish a Gym in the Verdanturf Town. Simultaneously, the system congratulated him on completing a task and awarded him the privilege to unlock two additional Sub-Ecopark.

Regardless of how other spectators reacted, Mayor Ishida and Liliana in the audience seats wore delighted expressions, vigorously applauding Yuga's achievement.

Watching Tomoka depart, Yuga shook his head in resignation and spoke to Venusaur, "Venusaur, you did great."

Venusaur, with its fist-sized eyes narrowed, smiled contentedly at Yuga. It was thrilled to have helped Yuga secure the victory.

After Yuga's match, it was time for the matches of Brawly, Marlon, Roxie, Sora, Viola and Grant. As expected, these formidable trainers advanced, securing their qualifications to establish Gyms.

Among the sixteen who earned the right to build Gyms, the real excitement was yet to come. Regular spectators cared less about which trainers qualified and were more interested in the intense battles between the skilled trainers. These sixteen were undoubtedly the strongest among the hundreds of participants in this competition, making their battles a spectacle that satisfied the audience's visual cravings.

Shortly after the conclusion of the first round of today's matches, the next round commenced, giving the participants minimal time for rest—a test of endurance for the trainers.

The large screen above the arena quickly revealed the groupings and match sequence. Yuga was placed in the middle position this time, and the first match featured Sora and a trainer from the Kanto region.

Sora's first Pokémon was Bellossom, a Pokémon Yuga had seen him use in the Pokémon Contest—a remarkably powerful Pokémon that easily defeated opponents like Voltrob.

Sora, known for his coordination training background, showcased exquisite and elegant moves with Bellossom. His mastery over techniques left the opponents' Voltrob amazed.

Next, Bellossom defeated an opponent's Pikachu and was later overcome by an Electivire. Eventually, Electivire fell to Sora's second Pokémon, Weavile, securing Sora's victory.

The opposing trainer specialized in Electric-type Pokémon, whereas Sora had no specific type specialization, making it challenging to predict his next Pokémon.

After Sora's match, Brawly, Marlon, Yuga, Viola, Grant, and Roxie's matches unfolded one after another, with each of them securing their advancement.

However, what surprised Yuga the most was Roxie's performance.

Roxie was friends with Marlon, and when the two were together, Roxie often remained silent, leaving most decisions to Marlon. However, today, Roxie displayed remarkable strength, and Yuga felt that her abilities might even surpass those of Marlon.

In this match, Roxie used an oversized Poison-type Pokémon called Arbok from the Kanto region. This Arbok was nearly twice the size of a typical Arbok, appearing imposing and intimidating.

It began with a glare to Onyx, followed by a sweeping Iron Tail, displaying extraordinary power that seemed almost unbeatable. Combined with its Intimidate ability, the opponent's Pokémon were frightened upon entry, hardly lasting more than a few rounds.

This became another instance of a one-on-three victory, following Yuga's earlier feat.

However, unlike the sparse applause Yuga received, Roxie earned enthusiastic cheers and applause from the audience. The spectators loved Roxie's spirited battles, in contrast to Yuga's method of wearing opponents down.

Coincidentally, Yuga's next opponent was from the Hoenn region, just like him. However, this trainer hailed from a small city in Hoenn, with significantly better conditions compared to Yuga's that come from small town.

The situation in the city where this trainer resides is rather unique. They once had a Gym, but it was disbanded because the Gym trainers at that time violated the rules, using their Gym leader status for personal gain. Hence, they needed to participate in the competition again.

This trainer's name is Cardinal, a specialist in Steel-type Pokémon training, much stronger than the Flying-type trainer Tomoka whom Yuga faced in the first round.

Perhaps aware of Yuga's previous one-on-three "heroic feat," Cardinal didn't hold back. His first Pokémon was the colossal monster Aggron.

Looking at the roaring Aggron, with its gigantic mouth wide open, Yuga wondered if Cardinal had struck gold somewhere, as it was no easy task to raise such a massive creature. Only wealthy trainers like Steven would own several of them.

In fact, the cost of raising most Steel-type Pokémon was quite high because they usually required regular consumption of specific minerals to maintain their attribute balance.

To make them stronger, trainers needed top-quality minerals, which came at a steep price. However, trainers like Yuga, specializing in Grass-type Pokémon, had a more budget-friendly and hassle-free career.

Confronting this behemoth, Yuga sent out Chimecho.

Chimecho, relying on its agility and outstanding defense, managed to wear down Aggron.

When Aggron finally fell, the expressions on the faces of the spectators turned bizarre.

"We want to see heated battles, Pokémon going head-to-head in fierce combat! What are you showing us? In the first round, you wore them out, and now in the second round, you dragged them down like kites. This is toxic!"

Unsurprisingly, Yuga once again failed to earn the applause of the audience. The only ones applauding him wholeheartedly were Mayor Ishida and Liliana, their faces flushed with excitement. Yuga had won the match, and no one was more thrilled than them.

On the other side, Cardinal's expression underwent several changes. He was very concerned about ending up in a miserable situation similar to Tomoka's.

Fortunately, Yuga didn't go overboard. After Chimecho defeated another of his Pokémon, a massive Steelix, Yuga replaced it with Vivillon.

Cardinal's last Pokémon was a Magnezone, which had a type advantage against Yuga's Vivillon, making it his strongest Pokémon.

Initially, Cardinal thought that this time he might regain some dignity by winning against at least one of Yuga's Pokémon. However, Yuga and Vivillon demonstrated that type advantage didn't guarantee a stable victory.

Vivillon, with its Speed and Special Attack boosted to the maximum through Quiver Dance, was simply too fast for the ordinarily sluggish Magneton. It could only trail behind Vivillon and face its "Sleep Powder."

The outcome for Cardinal was inevitable—a decisive loss.