Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

“Master Alder is right, my strength is still far from enough.” Lian Wu sighed helplessly and reached out his hand to Xiao Zhi. “I heard that you defeated Wan Long in an instant, and I always thought that was just an exaggeration... Now it seems that you really can easily manipulate us Elite Four members.”

"Mr. Lianwu and the old craftsman's skills are truly commendable." Xiaozhi smiled and shook hands with the other party. "This was a good battle, and I hope both of us gained something from it."

“I’ve already suffered a crushing defeat…” Lian Wu shrugged and retrieved the old craftsman. “Then I wish you a premature championship.”

He waved with his back to Ash and gradually disappeared into the player tunnel...

"Is that person really the Unova Elite Four member?" Koharu asked uncertainly from the stands. "The Old Master Builder should be his main force, but he only captured Arrowhawk less than a year ago, and this is the result..."

Using a new pet against the opponent's old pet resulted in a crushing defeat. In fact, not only Xiaochun, but many people were astonished.

“That’s normal. He’s facing Ash.” Blue’s smile was full of pride. “Any Pokémon caught by Ash can be trained to at least the Elite Four level, and it definitely won’t take a year.”

"Yes, compared to before, the Arrowhawk has undergone a complete transformation," Serena remarked.

Once upon a time, it was just a family pet that would peck at him every day, but Ash discovered its talent and gave it strength that surpassed even the Champion level!

"But you seem to know quite a lot," Blue suddenly turned her attention back to Cher, "You even know how long it's been since Ash caught his new Pokémon, you must have been secretly watching him all along~"

"I... am..." Xiaochun blushed, instinctively wanting to deny it, but in the end she nodded, suppressing her embarrassment.

There were more than a dozen girls sitting in the audience area, and she was right next to Xiao Lan, definitely in the innermost circle.

In front of Xiaolan, she didn't want to hide her feelings, feeling that doing so would distance her from Xiaozhi...

This scene was also witnessed by Xiaoyao, who was a few seats away, and she seemed to have some different thoughts in her mind...

But it won't be the kind of anxiety and uncertainty that people crave, because there's simply no need for it.

If Xiaozhi only had one girlfriend, the girls who were flirted with later would become anxious and insecure, worrying about whether the other person liked them or not, and then, after becoming hopelessly infatuated, would rush to pursue him.

If he has several girlfriends, many people will call him a scumbag. Xiaozhi also went through this stage.

Those who can't get together will simply stay away from each other.

Even after he maintains ambiguous relationships with more than a dozen girls and establishes romantic relationships with a significant number of them, he will still be called a scumbag, but the situation will be different.

If any girl he meets during this period doesn't actively distance herself from him, then there are only two possibilities... either she wants to become sworn sisters with him, or she wants to marry him.

The former is interesting, the latter is dramatic, both are good~

Turning the camera back from the stands to the competition venue, after a chaotic battle, the sixteen finalists are about to be confirmed.

The remaining trainers have mostly stopped fighting. Those who have secured their advancement based on their strength, like Ash, have casually found a place to rest.

Xiao Zhi also took the opportunity to observe his surroundings for a while.

Natsume is still with the two main characters, and basically no one dares to mess with them; Marin is also with Mamane and Kachi, so it's basically a situation where all three of them advance at the same time.

Hapoo and Jasmine huddled together, facing off against Acerola and another elegant young man... Ash took a closer look and realized it was Ilima, whom he hadn't seen before.

Those who have survived until now clearly have some skills.

Among the lone wolves, Guzma stood with his hands in his pockets, looking like a big shot, while Kashiri had already started wiping her cue.

There are already thirteen people, and there are still three spots left to advance... but there are five trainers left!

Lillie, Mallow, Lana, the lone Gladion, and another second-generation islander—Hau, the grandson of Hala.

If we only consider ability, the final two eliminated contestants can only be among them!

Chapter 824 The Round of 16... and the Green Flash!

The sixteen finalists for the Manaro tournament have finally been determined.

Besides the thirteen people mentioned earlier, Lillie, Lana, and Gladio advanced, Hau was eliminated, and Mao withdrew…

That's why Ha'u is such an honest man~

This seemingly carefree kid is actually quite strong; he played around in the previous chaotic battles.

While munching on an Alola specialty, Malasada, he didn't miss giving instructions to the Sniper Devilow, leisurely making it to the very end.

But when the situation reached a stalemate, he was at a loss.

Ultimately, following the principle of picking on the weakest link, Haw decisively made his move against Lillie's trio.

In his mind, as long as he used the sniper tree owl's special move to cause some trouble, he should have a chance to separate the three of them and then launch a sneak attack.

This action directly angered Gladion, and as a result, before the Sniper Deviljho could even draw its arrow, it was ambushed from behind by the Flying Disc Silver Companion.

After the fight ended with Hau, Gladion naturally couldn't lay a hand on Lillie and the others, so he set his sights on the four people who were currently facing off against each other.

In his view, the four were definitely wary of each other, and if he could take down just one of them, the preliminary round would be over.

That was a good idea... and then he got kicked out of the group.

When he excitedly changed the fighting disc and was about to deliver a fatal blow to Ilima's Eevee, the latter suddenly disregarded all martial ethics and stepped aside, watching Gladion charge into the encirclement!

Immediately afterwards, Hapuu, Molly, and Acerola simultaneously commanded their partners to attack, and Ilima's Eevee also unleashed its ultimate move, showing a completely all-out attack strategy.

It can only be said that Gladio planned everything meticulously, except for one thing: he didn't anticipate that Jasmine was Ilima's senior... otherwise, why haven't they fought yet?

In addition, his strength is too great.

With the help of Silvally, Gladion barely managed to cross the threshold of the Elite Four. He was certainly not good enough compared to the elites, but he was definitely a nemesis to elite trainers.

In order for everyone to go further in the future, they naturally need to kick this guy out of the game first.

However, Gladio still advanced in the end because Mao couldn't bear to see Lillie's brother being ganged up on, so he voluntarily raised his hand to forfeit before Silvally fainted.

"I know my own strength very well. I've only managed to get this far because of Lillie and Mizuki... Even if I had made it to the top 16, I wouldn't have been able to go any further." Withdrawing from the competition voluntarily, Mao didn't have much regret.

She came to participate in the competition mainly for the sake of participation, or perhaps she only accompanied Shui Lian because Shui Lian wanted to participate.

Ash, observing from the sidelines, couldn't say whether this decision was good or bad; he could only say it was very much in line with Mallow's personality.

She's always thinking of others, and although she can sometimes be a bit too enthusiastic, she's definitely a good girl.

slap~

So he was the first to applaud.

Applause quickly spread throughout the venue. People who knew Ash clapped with beaming smiles, and even Guzma clapped twice as a symbolic gesture.

“Everyone…” Mao’s eyes were red as she excitedly hugged Shui Lian beside her.

"All the top 16 contestants, please line up in the field and prepare for the next round of the draw."

The organizers' announcement came over the loudspeaker, and Mao, though reluctant to leave her friends, had already returned to her usual cheerful self…

That's what makes Gladgio's face look a bit grumpy~

I somehow managed to snag a spot in the next round for free...

However, something even more shocking was yet to come!

The first group in the round of 16 draw is Ash vs. Gladion!

"How could this be..." Lillie covered her mouth in astonishment. She glanced at her brother and found that his face was ashen.

"Was Mao's withdrawal all for nothing?" Water Lily's quiet grumble only made Lillie even more confused.

"I suspect there's something fishy about this draw~" Ash chuckled and shrugged, not expecting the battles in the anime to be so far in advance.

It's quite a coincidence, though. The round of 16 is a three-on-three format, and the final match of the original novel is also a three-on-three format, so it won't hinder Gladio's performance.

After briefly marveling at someone's 'luck' in his mind, Ash stopped paying attention to his opponent's reaction.

The subsequent group selection process is still underway, and everyone quickly confirmed their opponents.

Sabrina vs. Mamane, Marien vs. Molly, Guzma vs. Ilima, Kashiri vs. Kachi, Hapuu vs. Lillie, Acerola vs. Suiren, and finally, the main battle between Musashi and Kojiro!

Some are happy, some are sad; that probably describes their current feelings.

Fortunately, there's still an afternoon and an evening to allow everyone time to digest the information.

Ash also plans to use this time to do something else.

After lunch, Xiaozhi mentioned the itinerary to his companions.

"You're leaving the arena?" Xiao Shige asked, somewhat puzzled. "You don't think you've got the match in the bag, so you're getting cocky, do you?"

"Don't mention it, I'm going to pick up an elder and a companion," Ash explained immediately.

"It's the long-haired dog and the fire-spotted cat, right?" Blue immediately understood what Ash meant.

Ash has already adopted Litten as his Pokémon, so he wants it to experience the atmosphere of a tournament.

However, the previous chaotic battle was too complicated and not suitable for it and the long-haired dog to watch. Starting from the round of 16, it would be just right to bring them in as spectators.

Riding on Dragonite, Ash quickly arrived at Melemele Island, only to discover that others had flown out of the artificial island.

It was Gladion, who, by sheer coincidence, also chose to land nearby, riding a Noivern.

"You..." Gladion's expression froze upon seeing Ash, and he immediately turned away.

Ash didn't care about his behavior and went to find the long-haired dog on his own.

He arrived at the other party's location, and as soon as he pushed open the door, a fireball came straight at him.

However, the daytime werewolf, who quickly released the ball, easily shattered the incoming attack.

"Meow?" A hint of displeasure flashed across the Litsea cat's face. It spat out another fireball, and then suddenly used its front paws to smash the fireball into a large "X" shape!

However, this change of tactics still couldn't defeat the werewolf. The latter laughed and stood up, transforming into a night wolf. With a casual slap, all the flames dissipated into nothingness.