Ash, with his invincible physical body, wants to become a Pokémon Master...

"Xiaoxia, aren't you going to drink your milk?"

"My jaw is killing me, and I never want to drink anything related to milk again!"

Xiaoxia glared at him and handed her breakfast to Xiaozhi.

He really didn't stand on ceremony and just ate it.

Just then, a voice came.

"Seeing that you can still eat so much, like a glutton, makes me feel relieved."

The arrogant tone is that of a familiar character.

"Idiot Xiao Mao, you're here for breakfast too?"

"Of course not, don't mistake me for you!"

Xiao Mao took out a number plate and showed it to Xiao Zhi.

"This is the number plate I just got after drawing lots for the venue. Today's first match is the Rock Battlefield."

The preliminary rounds of the Quartz Tournament involve drawing lots in the central hall to determine the battle venue.

The tournament features four types of battle arenas: rocks, grass, water, and ice.

All battles will be fought in a 3v3 format.

Only after winning the battles in the four aforementioned venues can the match proceed to the main stadium for the official competition, starting from the fifth round.

"I'm going to prepare for the next match. You can continue drowning yourself in your rice bucket." With a wave of his hand, Xiao Mao left with his girlfriends.

This kid came to remind Ash not to forget to draw a battlefield, but the way he talks is still so annoying.

Looking at the time, the draw for the preliminary rounds must be completed half an hour before the start of the first match.

With half an hour left, Xiaozhi quickly finished his breakfast and dragged Xiaoxia to the front desk in the lobby.

In the center of the hall is a display board engraved with the four venue signs.

The light on the display panel will rotate, and the contestant can press a button on the machine to be randomly matched to the corresponding venue.

The receptionist at the front desk warmly introduced Xiaozhi to the situation.

"You can press the button as you wish, and the block that stops will be the battleground for the first round."

"Okay, I understand. Let's draw cards this turn!"

Xiao Zhi quickly pressed a button, and the light on the screen started spinning continuously before finally stopping after a while.

Ash's first battle was set in the Water Arena!

"The water court is the third match, and it will be held at 2 PM. Please don't be late."

The opponent for the match was also determined along with the venue; it was Duowu from Jianggele City.

"I heard she's a very vain person who likes to perform and use that to attract everyone's attention."

Xiaoxia took out the tournament's insider guide and began to introduce Xiaozhi's opponents.

"Where did you get this book?" Xiao Zhi had never seen it before.

"I bought it at a stall near the entrance of the venue yesterday. I heard it contained information about most of the contestants."

Xiaoxia found it yesterday while watching the torch relay ceremony and thought it might be useful for Xiaozhi, so she bought a copy.

"It's expensive, it costs 1 yuan."

"What?! Is the book cover made of gold, or are the words on it made of gold?! Xiaoxia, you spendthrift woman!"

"Why did I buy it with my own money, especially for you?!" Misty yelled at Ash, her face now swaggering.

Xiao Zhi shrank back and asked, "Then, esteemed Miss Xiaoxia, is there any information about me in the book?"

Xiaoxia flipped through the book and actually found Xiaozhi's page.

"The Pokémon it possesses is unknown. It has extremely developed muscles, so please remember not to have any physical contact with it."

"I only remembered this one sentence."

"What?! It's one thing to not have names like 'the coolest Pokémon trainer' or 'the strongest favorite to win the championship.' But all it says is 'muscular' and that's it!"

"What a shoddy book sold by a dishonest merchant!"

But this also made Xiaozhi realize a business opportunity: no matter how bad the book was, it could still sell for 10,000.

Why not hire a few experts who are good at gathering information to create a better gossip book about the players? Wouldn't that make them incredibly wealthy?

Not only are the audience interested, but the contestants will definitely want it too.

Then we'll release a ranking of strengths and predict the match results.

"And you can also get involved in TV shows."

During the competition, the eyes of the entire Kanto region were focused here, and the number of people at the venue reached millions.

Not to mention the television viewers, television programs in the Kanto region are extremely boring and there are no similar programs.

"If we add some betting options..." The more Xiao Zhi thought about it, the more profitable it seemed, and he immediately gave the order to the group.

He even summoned his three generals, Gan, Wen, and Cui—oh, no, I mean, Cui.

Kojiro, Musashi, and Meowth assigned them to set up the venue for the tournament and collect interesting information about the contestants.

Moreover, the three of them were right there at the conference, which was very convenient.

Of course, it is also necessary to ensure that the book is sufficiently professional.

I believe they could finish the first version of the gossip book in a single day, given their capabilities.

"What?! One day?!" The trio was devastated upon receiving the news.

But Xiaozhi pulled out Xiaoxia's book and shoved it in their faces.

"Don't think I don't know this book was published by Team Rocket. You guys were in charge of the Indigo League, weren't you?"

Originally, Kojiro and his two companions had almost disappeared from Team Rocket due to their repeated mission failures.

But ever since he joined Ash's team, he's been slacking off every day, doing Team Rocket's missions half-heartedly, and occasionally handing in a few randomly caught Rattatas, which ironically led to their promotion.

Especially now that the Rockets' headquarters has been destroyed and they are short-handed.

The three of them were directly appointed as the Rockets' leaders in the Quartz Plateau region during the league's games.

"If you don't finish this, all three of you will be tied up and fed to Gyarados!"

"How could this happen!"

Of course, Xiao Zhi isn't some kind of demon, and he won't be like some unscrupulous bosses who only talk about giving and not about giving back.

While they were protesting, Ash took out the reward he had prepared in advance.

"Would you like this bag of legendary bottle caps from Kojiro, which are now completely discontinued on the market?"

"want to!"

"Meow Meow, this dried fish hut made of gold coins is yours if you complete the mission well."

"Really, meow!"

"The group has already bought two or three TV channels for this project, and they plan to film several idol dramas later. Would Musashi like to play the female lead?"

"Female lead, spotlight... shining brightly, my dream of becoming an actress..."

Every time Xiao Zhi said something, the eyes of the three of them lit up.

"Ha, ha, ha! Then let's do our best to complete the mission!"

"Just remember that wearing a raincoat means it's sunny, and turning on the lights means it's daytime. Work hard, work diligently, and keep going! You will definitely be able to complete the mission."

Ash finally got the three of them excited and they started shouting along.

"Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!"

After giving the trio a pep talk, I told them to hurry up and get on with the mission, and Ash also needed to go back and prepare for the afternoon's match.

He had already arranged which Pokémon he would send out in the preliminaries and had Professor Oak help him get them in good condition.

We need to go to the Pokémon Center to teleport it here.

Chapter 89 The First Match of the Tournament: The Water Arena

After Ash got the Beedrill Poké Ball from Professor Oak, he and Misty went out together and were blocked by a flamboyant man with long green hair.

"Are you Ash from Pallet Town? Hello, I'm Takeru from Jianggele."

When someone came to greet him, Xiao Zhi naturally responded politely, extending his right hand in return.

But unexpectedly, just as he was about to shake hands, the other person suddenly pulled their hand away.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, but I don't let anyone touch my right hand that holds the Poké Ball."

With a wave of her hand, which seemed to be about to shake hands with Ash, she magically produced a Poké Ball and then twirled it in her hand with a showy air.

Now I see, this bastard came here to provoke me.

"Do you believe me, Duowu? If it weren't for the tournament rules prohibiting fighters from fighting, you'd have at least ten bumps on your head right now."

Xiao Zhi casually crushed a pebble at his feet and threatened him with a forced smile.

He immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Fighting is too brutal. Trainers should settle their differences on the battlefield."

Provoking opponents before a match to disrupt their mindset is a common tactic used by Duowu.

"With my skill level, I'm certain I'll win this match!"

"You should do your best. Although the result is already obvious, it would be too pitiful for the audience if the outcome were decided too early."

Seeing that Xiao Zhi was in too much danger, and worried about his own safety, Duowu quickly turned and left after uttering some harsh words.

[Ding! New side quest triggered 'Responding to Provocation': Humiliate Doo in the match]

[Rewards: Alliance Coins +1200; Speed ​​+1; Free Attribute Points +2]

"What? We even wanted to show him goodwill." Xiaoxia was very unhappy with Duowu's attitude.