Elf: Starts with small diamonds, then mutates into Diancie.

With this combination, Bai Ziyu didn't know how she could possibly lose.

It's like a game-changer, a complete defeat.

He does have professional-level Pokémon, but those were raised from a young age and are not allowed to participate in competitions.

Su Hao covered a distance in half a year that others might take two or three years to complete, which is terrifying.

................

Sichuan Province specially booked an entire floor of a five-star hotel in the capital.

Each of the four contestants has a suite.

The suites are so spacious that, unless it's a giant Pokémon like Onix, Steelix, or Wailord, a trainer's entire team can usually fit in the room.

In addition, the facilities are well-equipped, and the accompanying staff ensures that the players and their Pokémon are in optimal condition.

This opportunity to win the championship has been given great importance by the top leaders of Sichuan Province, who have invested heavily in it.

The opening ceremony has concluded, and the preliminary rounds will be held tomorrow.

After the rules of the competition were announced at the opening ceremony, Su Hao and his three teammates, the new team leader, and the tactical analyst held an emergency pre-match meeting in the hotel's spacious conference room.

The new team leader is a seasoned male gym leader named Rosson.

Luo Song rested his hands on the conference table, his brow furrowed: "Unlike previous years, the preliminary and semi-final rounds will be 2vs2 doubles matches, which is a bit troublesome."

Analyst Zhao Ci agreed, saying, "The students haven't had any relevant training in teamwork, so I'm afraid it might turn into a case of 1+1=1.5."

Sitting to the side, Su Hao, who was not under any pressure, enlightened the two adults who were somewhat troubled: "Since this rule was just announced today, although neither of us has ever cooperated in a doubles match, other players may not have relevant experience either."

Bai Ziyu, sitting opposite Su Hao, agreed with his idea: "Teachers, I think Su Hao is right. Since everyone is on the same starting line, lack of experience is not so important."

Luo Song and Zhao Ci exchanged a glance, their pressure lessening slightly, clearly having been persuaded by the two.

Analyst Zhao Ci glanced at the large stack of documents his subordinates had hastily printed out: "Alright, next is the team formation arrangement."

"As previously discussed, Li Hua and Jiang Chengcheng have a familiar relationship and are easier to work together because their abilities are similar and they can cooperate more easily."

“Su Hao and Bai Ziyu fought not long ago. Although Su Hao is also familiar with Li Hua and Jiang Chengcheng, this arrangement is the most reasonable.”

"After all, your training focuses and specializations are different, so a proper doubles team system cannot be formed, therefore—"

"Su Hao and Bai Ziyu are in the same group."

"Li Hua and Jiang Chengcheng are in the same group."

Zhao Ci summarized that there was another important factor in deciding on this team arrangement that he did not explicitly state, but several students had more or less noticed it.

Not long ago, he received a call from the provincial government...

Li Hua and Jiang Chengcheng exchanged a glance, their faces showing neither anger nor resentment, and said in unison, "We have no objections."

It's perfectly normal for the tactical analysis teacher to make such a decision, after all, Su Hao gave the province confidence this time, and they came with a huge investment, aiming to win the championship and runner-up positions.

------------

Ega Charizard X.

Chapter 271 The Seeds

After Su Hao and Bai Ziyu nodded in confirmation, Zhao Ci, who had been cautious, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The province required him to use the safest arrangement to get Su Hao into the singles elimination round of the main tournament.

However, Li Hua and Jiang Chengcheng also have a very good relationship with Su Hao, putting him in a very difficult position.

Fortunately, this genius, who had just arrived and dismissed the bureaucratic team leader, was surprisingly reasonable and didn't lash out.

With a weight lifted from his shoulders, Zhao Ci began to analyze the situation with even greater effort.

Information on noteworthy players, or rather, seeded players, was listed.

As the data was projected onto the forms on the screen, Su Hao couldn't help but admire the high quality of this year's contestants.

This is much better than previous years.

The ranking table compiled by Zhao Ci is not much different from the ranking most widely accepted by the outside world.

[Favorites to Win]

The number one ranked player is undoubtedly Ning Ling, a championship favorite who recently emerged in the capital region and possesses professional-level combat power.

Her Pokémon are all Ghost-type Pokémon, and the key to her ace Pokémon Chandelure's rapid advancement to professional level lies in an unrevealed adventure.

Su Hao guessed that this woman was probably related to the existing secret realm of the spirit world.

Like Su Hao, she has a full team of six Pokémon. However, considering that many students have not yet completed their teams, the official decision is that even in the finals, it will only be a 3vs3 singles battle.

The six Pokémon are: Chandelure, Mismagius, Mimikyu, Decidueye, Saber, and Haunter.

The strength of the Pokémon in the Imperial Capital region is kept very secret. Only two Pokémon have appeared in the Imperial Capital region competitions and are known to the outside world.

The early-game professional-grade Crystal Chandelure and the late-game elite-grade Mimikyu.

She and Su Hao are consistently ranked first or second in various rankings, and are widely considered the favorites to win the championship.

Compared to her, Su Hao's team's strength has been largely exposed to the outside world.

Based on their performance in the Sichuan Provincial Competition, the following Pokémon were identified: Diamondback (unknown initial strength), Incineroar (early professional level), Braviary (late elite level), Milotic (mid elite level), and Dragapult (early elite level).

In terms of lineup, the two are on par on the surface.

However... some of Su Hao's supporters have put forward a different idea.

It is known that Su Hao's mother is Su Qing, a PhD in elf evolution, and her mother recently announced the existence of two evolved forms, Luna and Diancie.

Could it be that his starter Pokémon has already evolved into Diancie, and he also has a powerful Ground/Normal type Pokémon like Ursaring as a hidden sixth Pokémon?

This conjecture received a lot of "wow" responses, with some people seemingly agreeing with it.

Besides these two, there are many other strong players.

Shen Lingyun from the Shanghai region specializes in Electric-type Pokémon, and all three of her Pokémon so far are elite-level late-game Pokémon.

Ace Electabuzz, Main Force Magneton, and Vikavolt.

Zhuo Yan from the Xingcheng division has an elite late-game Floating Bubble as her ace, and elite late-game Desert Dragonfly and Elite late-game Sticky Beauty as her main players.

His team is well-suited for doubles battles, but unfortunately, pseudo-legendary Pokémon generally require a professional level to evolve to their final stage.

Xushan Zhenxun from the Suzhou division, whose mother from the Sakura Kingdom Alliance married into the Shenzhou Alliance, specializes in fairy-type skills.

The ace is Gardevoir, an elite-level late-game unit, while the main force consists of Altaria and Sylveon, both elite-level late-game units.

It's worth mentioning that his Gardevoir is Shiny.

Dongfang Hao from the Fujian Province division also has three elite-level late-stage Primarina, Emperor Naboo, and Crimson Knight.

In addition, there are many other noteworthy players, making it a gathering of strong competitors.

Countless geniuses have emerged like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and many people even feel that this year's College Cup may be no less impressive than the College Cup of more than ten years ago, when the current four champions gathered together.

.................

Shortly after the team assignments for the Sichuan region were submitted, the opponents for the preliminary rounds were determined.

The preliminary round will be allocated to 128 participants from 32 provincial competition areas.

Four players from each region are paired up into 64 teams for a 2vs2 doubles match. The winning team advances to the semi-finals.

Su Hao and Bai Ziyu's opponents were neither too strong nor too weak.

Tactical analyst Zhao Ci quickly retrieved the opponent's information and formulated a plan.

The competition was held as scheduled the following day.

One of the countless sub-arenas of the Imperial Capital Phoenix Arena, the fourteenth arena.

At this moment, the seats were packed.

In the internet age, information spreads extremely quickly, and anyone who does a little research can easily find out which contestants are the strongest.

Stronger capabilities mean greater attention.

The match between Su Hao and Bai Ziyu has undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention.

The audience, which was bustling with noise, was now abuzz with various opinions.

"The Sichuan region is really playing games. Putting two championship favorites in one team, aren't they afraid of accidentally crashing out and ending up with nothing?"

"Since none of us are skilled in doubles, wouldn't it be better to just play individually and overwhelm each other with sheer skill?"

On the battlefield, Su Hao and Bai Ziyu, completely undisturbed by the noisy environment and countless scorching gazes, looked at the other side.

The battle arena is a classic grassy field, with grass just above ankle height, and small ponds scattered around for water-type Pokémon to play in.

But their opponents were a man and a woman named He Qi and Xu Tingting.

Despite seeing a terrain that was advantageous to their Pokémon, He Qi and Xu Tingting were not only displeased, but their faces also turned slightly pale.

Why were they so unlucky in the first round, running into these two popular seeds whose Grass-type Pokémon are also very difficult to defeat?

The referee announced the start of the match, and both players simultaneously threw their Poké Balls.

With a flash of red light, both Pokémon appeared on the field.