Chapter 84: Semifinals

"Hahaha, Julian, Julian!"

After having dinner in the room, Julian was lying on the bed and scrolling, when there was a knock at the door and Will's excited voice came.

"His brain doesn't seem right, he's so happy after losing"

Julian muttered, and Lucario, who was exercising his Aura, got up to open the door.

"Oh, Lucario it's you"

Will was slightly taken aback upon seeing Lucario open the door, then happily stepped inside the room to find Julian scrolling through his phone on the bed, background music playing.

"Let me introduce myself~"

"I only order milk at a bar even though I'm a cowboy~"

(T/N: some kind of song lyrics after translation)

As soon as Will heard the music, he recognized it as Vibrato's latest viral cross-dressing video, featuring young ladies with great figures, fair skin, and long legs.

'This scumbag'

Will secretly said in his heart.

"Got something to say?"

Julian continued swiping on his phone, not bothering to get up. It's normal for a man to like beautiful and sexy women.

But Julian had always focused more on Pokémon than girls.

With his family background, if he really wanted to find a girl, he could be a scumbag and change his girlfriend every once in a while.

"I came to tell you, I made it to the top 16!" 

Will said, the pride on his face was about to overflow.

Now, Julian didn't bother to scroll on his phone, but opened the conference official website, looked at the list of top 16 players, and really saw Will in it.

'This bas***d really is Emperor of Luck!'

"Hahaha, I told you I was lucky, right? You have to admit it now!"

Will beamed, noticing Julian's slightly stiff expression.

After today's matches, which had ended with 15 trainers out of 30, one trainer among the losers would be randomly selected to fill the 16-trainer bracket, ensuring there would be no byes.

All those eliminated early were hoping to be that lucky trainer; many even prayed to legendary Pokémon.

It seemed Togepi merchandise were flying off the shelves.

After all, Togepi was a lucky Pokémon.

"You should've seen Han, Zosh, and Shen when I won the lottery; their faces were priceless! If I hadn't run, I would have been beaten up by Shen!" Will laughed, reveling in his temporary triumph.

The individual competition of the Silver Province High School League spanned two days, with matches from the top 16 to the top 8, culminating to the top 4.

In the end, the top four players emerged: Julian, Nolan, Leo, and Thea.

Will, however, stopped at the top 16.

The matches for the final four would be held at the main venue, which could accommodate nearly 500,000 spectators. Not only would there be hosts, but also special guests to commentate on the later stages of the competition.

While the Yale Provincial High School League was a major event, the contestants were high school students, and their Pokémon were all under pseudo-Elite levels. Many experts considered it more of a Baby Cup.

Therefore, there was no host commentary in the earlier matches; it would only start in the latter rounds.

Julian's semi-final rival was Nolan, also a longtime competitor. The match was scheduled for 8:00 AM, with the second semi-final at 2:00 PM.

By 7:50 AM, Julian and Nolan had already taken their positions at opposite ends of the arena, quietly waiting for the match to begin.

The auditorium was filled with 300,000 eager spectators, with many staff members bringing Pokémon to maintain order and prevent accidents.

Julian stood on the south side of the venue, Nolan on the north, while the hosts and guests for commentary occupied the west side.

This time, the host was Zeke, a renowned figure from Yale TV Station and a pseudo-Elite Trainer. The guest next to him was the president of the Lake City Trainer Association—an actual Elite Trainer.

"Mr. William, with both Julian and Nolan coming from prestigious families, who do you think has the better chance of winning?" the host inquired, a sly smile on his face.

The backgrounds of both trainers were widely known through social media.

Responding to the host's loaded question, Mr. William chuckled, "Julian's strength is evident, while Nolan has only used Pupitar to defeat his opponent's three Pokémon since the competition began. His remaining two Pokémon are still unknown."

That statement was ambiguous at best.

"My husband Nolan is the best in the world!" 

"Nolan, I want to give you a little fire monkey!"

"These are all b****** who covet my husband's beauty"

"Where are the Walker family army? Come out and take care of these girls!"

"For those cheering for Nolan, I'll send you a black silk photo!"

"I'm sorry, brothers, I've betrayed you!"

Will looked at the live broadcast comments, his face contorted with rage, then typed, "Nolan, you can do it!" He even took a screenshot to send to someone promising a black silk photo.

Shen, witnessing this whole scenario, couldn't help but scoff, "Julian is your brother, and you treat him like this?"

Realizing the absurdity, Will quickly typed a message to the girl again: "And I also have a brother(Julian), so can you send two photos."

Shen: "⊙_⊙"

"Nicely done hair; hers legs are long and thin, totally worth it!"

Will wiped nonexistent drool from the corner of his mouth, saved the picture, and uploaded it to an online drive, his actions smooth and seamless.

"It's eight o'clock; the match is about to start. I wonder which Pokémon the two players will send out first?" the host announced.

Julian threw a Poké Ball into the arena, and as the white light faded, Metagross materialized, catching the rebounding ball with one hand.

A Poké Ball rebound is a skill every trainer needs; failing to master it could lead to an embarrassing dash to retrieve the ball after a showy throw.

"Pupitar"

Nolan called out, sending forth his first Pokémon with a serious expression.

"Zen Headbutt!" Julian commanded.

Instantly, Metagross transformed into a silver streak, charging towards Pupitar.

"No, Why is it so fast?"

Nolan cursed inwardly. In his eyes, this Metagross was nothing short of unscientific—its speed, defense, and physical prowess seemed to defy reason.

During this time, aside from competing, Nolan had dedicated his efforts to studying Julian's Metagross.

After all, if he could defeat Metagross, he might just stand a chance against Julian.

*****

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