Time rewinds to a few days ago, the Phoenix Mountain Sports Center in Rong City had already transformed into a boiling ocean.
The stands, capable of holding tens of thousands of people, were packed, and waves of cheers rose higher and higher.
This year's Sichuan Province High School Pokemon Competition saw frequent dark horses and constant upsets, elevating the suspense and entertainment value to an unprecedented level, attracting far more attention than in previous years, forcing the organizers to move the final stages of the competition to this large, modern sports center.
The Sichuan Province high school league format had a strong resemblance to a challenge match, with each county or city forming a ten-person team.
Each team member could send out one Pokemon to compete, and unless that Pokemon lost its ability to battle, or the trainer voluntarily surrendered, the Pokemon could remain on the field to battle.
This format had its advantages, ensuring that all participating students had the opportunity to showcase their skills on the field.
However, it also had its drawbacks; some exceptionally strong students might unfortunately be eliminated early due to their teammates' weaker abilities, as very few participating students could achieve the feat of 'I'll take on ten'.
And just now, a spectacular 1-vs-3 showdown, worthy of being recorded in Sichuan Province's competition history, was born!
"Match over! The winner—Qu County High School Representative Team!"
As the referee's loud announcement echoed, the emblem of the Jincheng Representative Team on the giant electronic screen instantly dimmed.
The entire venue first fell into a brief silence, then immediately erupted into an unbelievable chorus of gasps and discussions.
"Oh my god! Jincheng's City Team... actually lost?"
"They didn't even make it to the top four?! They lost to Qu County, a small county town? I must have misheard!"
"That's Jincheng, a traditionally strong team! What happened this year?"
On the field, a young man in a Jincheng City Team uniform stumbled onto the ground, falling beside his Pokemon, which had lost its ability to battle.
It was a massive Steelix, its luster now dim, its body covered in scratches.
The young man gently stroked Steelix's cold, hard body, his eyes instantly reddening, tears mixed with unwillingness and disbelief rolling down.
This Steelix was his ace, cultivated with countless hours of effort, reaching Elite Level (over Level 30), carrying his firm confidence in challenging for the Sichuan Province High School League Champion title.
He had originally thought he would at least make it to the finals and reach the national stage, but he never expected to be stopped here.
In stark contrast to the young man's grief was the composed, almost cold, victor on the other side of the field.
A young woman with snow-white hair and equally pale skin turned around expressionlessly.
She didn't even spare her opponent another glance, simply raising her hand casually.
In the arena, her uniquely shaped Pokemon—Aegislash—was slowly retracting its massive blade into its ornate shield, transforming from its aggressive blade form back into its stable shield form.
On the blade, there seemed to be faint traces left from striking its opponent.
It floated quietly behind the young woman, like the most loyal knight, walking indifferently with her back to the player's tunnel.
This white-haired young woman was, of course, Yelena.
Her battle style had become the most astonishing topic of conversation in this year's competition.
Regardless of whether her opponent's attribute was advantageous or not, and no matter what tactics her opponent employed, she consistently sent out only this one Aegislash.
And the strength displayed by this Aegislash was terrifying; its estimated level far exceeded that of high school students, possibly even reaching an astonishing Professional Level (over Level 50)!
It crushed all opponents one by one with pure strength and speed, like an adult teaching a child a lesson.
Just now, that well-trained Steelix was completely helpless against Aegislash; its massive steel body was repeatedly struck like a spinning top, eventually crashing to the ground, unconscious.
"Another 1-vs-3... How much more power does she have hidden?"
"She's too strong, I can't see her limits! Can anyone force her to send out a second Pokemon?"
"Is this really a level high school students can achieve?"
In the stands, voices of astonishment, doubt, and fear intertwined.
It wasn't that no one tried to cause trouble, citing her foreign identity.
But Yelena had clearly learned her lesson from her previous battle with Chen Kai; all her competition procedures, residency permits, and trainer qualification documents were complete, and each document bore the seal of the Capital League Headquarters, making the process so impeccable that there was no loophole for others to exploit, leaving those who tried to trip her up at a loss.
However, just as Yelena was about to step into the player's tunnel, an exceptionally clear cheer, full of enthusiasm and adoration, suddenly erupted from a section of the stands near the tunnel entrance.
"Sister Lian! So cool!"
"Sister Lian is the strongest! Qu County will win!"
"We'll always support you, Sister Lian!"
In that area, dozens of young women wearing the school uniforms of various high schools in Qu County had spontaneously formed a cheerleading squad.
Waving colorful ribbons or homemade small flags, they were excitedly shouting encouragement towards Yelena.
These female high school students, who were her age or even a year older, had eyes full of pure admiration and affection.
This emotion not only stemmed from victories on the field but also because, in the past period, there had been competitions between several high schools in Qu County, and other schools had originally tried to compete for qualification spots.
But Yelena had unreservedly participated in Pokemon battles with students from other schools, won, then led them in special training, and meticulously guided them in tactical skills, sharing everything she knew, thereby earning the respect of most of the female students, and even some teachers.
It was her strict demands and formidable strength that transformed this originally ordinary county team.
Now, besides her, Wang Yi, Wang Tianxiang, Su Yuexi, and others had also become very strong.
Although they still couldn't compare to Yelena, they had just successfully defeated several of Jincheng's contestants, and Yelena often only needed to finish the job at the end.
These cheerleaders firmly believed that their county team would not only win the Sichuan Province High School League Championship but also the National High School League Championship!
Hearing these familiar shouts, filled with genuine gratitude, the icy lines of Yelena's profile seemed to soften slightly.
She slowed her steps a little, turned her head slightly, and looked at her classmates who were excitedly cheering for her.
Then, she raised her hand and gently waved it in their direction, a faint but genuine smile even gracing her pale lips.
This smile, like a sign of acknowledgment and response, instantly ignited even stronger enthusiasm among the Qu County young women, and their cheers grew more fervent.
Although this interaction only lasted a few short seconds, Yelena withdrew her gaze, reverted to her indifferent demeanor, and walked into the dim tunnel with Aegislash.
"Holy cow! Awesome, Sister Lian!" As soon as Yelena entered the player's room, the yellow-haired guy started yelling.
Yelena naturally couldn't be bothered with him and turned to Wang Yi, asking, "Who's the opponent for the next match?"
Wang Yi immediately looked up, handing over a densely written sheet of paper, and said with a slightly serious tone, "It's the Shicheng Team. This is the information we just collected."
She quickly added, "They are also one of the biggest dark horses in this competition. Shicheng is just a county-level city under Fucheng City, but just now, they caused an upset by eliminating the Fucheng City Team!"
Yelena took the information, her gaze quickly scanning the handwritten details of the opponent's Pokemon types, common skills, and tactical tendencies.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble." With that, she put away the information, nodded to Wang Yi, Su Yuexi, Qin Ying, Bai Jin, and the others, and they all left the lounge together, chatting and laughing.
After some time spent together, and with the Sichuan Province competition, these five young women had already become good sisters!
The yellow-haired guy, not getting a response, was already used to it and didn't mind at all.
Usually, Yelena would only pay attention to him during sparring training.
He smiled, then turned and left with Sun Songjin, Lu Liqiu, and Pang Fenghua, arms around each other's shoulders.
Sun Songjin's main Pokemon was a Jolteon, which was eliminated by Chen Kai in the Qu County competition. Lu Liqiu's main Pokemon was a Floatzel, previously eliminated by Su Yuexi. And Pang Fenghua was eliminated by Wang Yi in the Qu County semifinals.
Since there were a total of 10 qualification spots, they were also able to participate in the Sichuan Province competition.
Although the yellow-haired guy and these three were not from the same school, they were still on the same team, and the yellow-haired guy quickly became very familiar with them.
Most importantly, Chen Kai wasn't around, and during daily sparring, the four of them couldn't beat the five girls at all, so now they could only huddle together for warmth and comfort each other in resignation.