Chapter 313: The First Round! Concluded!
On the violently trembling ground, Snorlax's round body rolled faster and faster, gaining momentum like a runaway boulder as it barreled toward Tyranitar.
Snorlax's stat distribution was notoriously lopsided. Its physical Defense and Special Attack were a meager base 65, and its Speed was a pitiful 30.
Because of this, it functioned as a pure physical tank and brawler. To deal any real damage to Tyranitar, it had to close the distance.
But closing in on a twenty-meter-tall monster...
Forget Snorlax, even its trainer, Wu Bing, couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he watched the gap close.
Facing the charging sphere, Tyranitar let out a guttural roar and slammed both palms upward.
Earth Power!!!!
However, this wasn't a direct attack.
As a Desert Tyrant with mastery over the Ground type, altering the terrain was as natural as breathing. Under the influence of Earth Power, a massive slab of the arena floor suddenly buckled and rose, forming a steep, jagged ramp directly in Snorlax's path.
CRASH!!
Snorlax's rolling form hit the ramp at high speed. Instead of smashing through it, the sheer inertia launched the one-ton Pokémon into the air.
With a base Speed of only 30, Snorlax was already clumsy on the ground. Mid-air? It was a helpless, floating target.
"ROAAAARR!!!! —"
Tyranitar roared again.
A metallic sheen instantly coated its massive right arm.
Partial Iron Defense!!
Simultaneously, a chaotic, bone-crushing Fighting-type energy gathered in its fist. Tyranitar swung its arm in a horizontal arc, aiming for the airborne bear.
Hammer Arm!!!!
KRA-KOOM!!!! —
The sound of impact was like a professional baseball player hitting a home run with a metal bat. Tyranitar's fist slammed into the center of Snorlax's belly.
The impact didn't just stop Snorlax's momentum; it reversed it. The round, "Meat Mountain" of a Pokémon was launched backward across the stadium like a cannonball.
BOOM!!!! —
With a sound that rattled the very foundations of the Phoenix Nest, Snorlax smashed into the ground.
At four meters tall and weighing a full metric ton, its impact was like an asteroid hitting the earth, kicking up a massive plume of dust and debris.
When the smoke cleared, Snorlax was gone.
Or rather, it was embedded. Looking into the crater, the audience could only see its white, round belly. Its body had been driven so deep into the reinforced floor that it was physically stuck.
While mid-air and defenseless, it had eaten a point-blank, 4-Star boosted, super-effective Hammer Arm.
Despite its massive bulk, its base Defense was only 65. The math was simple.
One-Shot KO!!!
Another effortless victory.
The stadium erupted.
To make it to the Huaxia League Conference, you had to be the best of the best. These trainers had clawed their way through a brutal qualifying process. Blowout matches like this were supposed to be non-existent at this level.
"Snorlax is unable to battle!! Tyranitar wins!!!"
On the field, Tyranitar's brow furrowed. It looked... annoyed.
Clearly, its time at the Tyranitar Temple had fully awakened the arrogant, violent instincts buried in its DNA.
Snorlax simply hadn't been a satisfying opponent.
Wu Bing recalled his partner with a dazed expression, and Kenji signaled Tyranitar back to its Heavy Ball.
"Don't worry," Kenji whispered to the ball as it clicked shut. "There are plenty of rounds left. You'll get a real fight soon."
Kenji adjusted his sunglasses and calmly walked off the field.
High on the spectator platform, the regional masters were watching.
"Kenji... I've heard of him," Rainey Chang (Northeast Elite) said, breaking the silence. "National League Champion. Easily the most hyped rookie trainer of the last decade."
"He's more than just hype," Lawson (Northwest Elite) added. "The word is his real strength is terrifying. His Ace is reportedly a Beedrill capable of Mega Evolution, and its power is... significant."
"A Mega Beedrill?" Mason Chu (Southeast Elite) frowned. Compared to the others, Mason didn't follow the youth circuit much. "How strong can a Beedrill actually get? Even Mega Evolved, its base stats are what, 495? It's a glass cannon at best."
Lawson caught the skepticism in Mason's voice and chuckled. "Don't underestimate the boy, Mason. I heard his Mega Beedrill comfortably dismantled Drago's Altaria in Saibei."
"What???!"
Mason was stunned.
Drago was the gold standard for provincial Gym Leaders. His Altaria was a Champion-level monster.
To be defeated by a rookie who had been a trainer for barely a year?
And with a Beedrill?
It was almost hard to process.
"Even so," Yuna Su (Southwest Elite) interjected, her eyes narrowed as she analyzed the match data. "Based on current performance, there's still a visible gap between Kenji and Xun Zhurong."
While Drago was the ceiling for Gym Leaders, a Zhurong prodigy was expected to enter the tournament with the strength to challenge an Elite Four member on day one.
Champion Zhurong Yun smiled but said nothing, his gaze fixed on the arena below.
...
The first round ground on.
Elder Venom (Grandma Liu) took the field shortly after Kenji, securing a victory so easy it looked like a choreographed rehearsal.
The next day, it was finally Namgung Xi's turn.
Although her skill level was firmly in the middle-to-lower bracket of the official participants, her luck was nothing short of legendary.
The matchmaking algorithm favored her again, pairing her with one of the lowest-ranked qualifiers.
She scraped through with a narrow, shaky victory.
The first round concluded. Half the field was eliminated.
Only 750 trainers remained.
The second round would trim the 750 down to 375.
With the first layer of "fodder" removed, Namgung Xi now officially found herself at the very bottom of the remaining power rankings.
But she didn't care. As she put it, making it into the main tournament was already a miracle worth bragging to her grandfather about for the next decade.
The second round maintained the 1v1 format.
Elder Venom was itching for a fight, practically praying to be matched against Xun Zhurong so she could personally humble the brat from the family she despised.
Unfortunately, her match was scheduled early in the block, and she didn't get her wish.
She didn't lose heart, though. As long as we both keep winning, she thought, the reckoning is inevitable.
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