Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

You think you're worthy of being my equal?!

Anger transforms into power, and the power of the Fist of Wrath surges once again in an instant!

As the Infernape pressed down hard, its empty fist also delivered a powerful punch to the Azure Flame Blade Demon!

Two punches thrown simultaneously!

The Azure Flame Blade Demon's attack was instantly blasted away!

Immediately afterwards, the fist was unstoppable and landed solidly on the chest of the Azure Flame Blade Demon.

Dual-wielding?

Hmph, all flashy and fancy!

"puff--!"

Azure Flame Blade Demon's eyes widened as its entire body flew backward.

It plowed a furrow in the hard ground, sending stones flying and dust billowing, before finally coming to a stop after crashing into the protective wall at the edge of the field.

"boom!"

The protective wall is cracked, revealing spiderweb-like patterns.

Smoke and dust billowed up, obscuring everyone's view.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the cloud of smoke.

Xiaoxia was so nervous that her nails dug into her palms, Pikachu's two ears stood up straight, and even Xiaogang subconsciously clenched his fists.

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

The Azure Flame Blade Demon remained motionless, embedded in the cracked wall.

Only the fist wound on his chest was still emitting wisps of smoke.

Its eyes were tightly closed.

They have lost their ability to fight.

In the arena, Infernape slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

It lowered its head and glanced at its fist.

Then, he suppressed his anger once again.

The anger in his eyes receded like the tide, and he regained his composure.

The boy stared blankly at the scene.

Knowing he had lost his chance to cheat, he recalled his Pokémon.

"……Been taught a lesson."

Can you tell me your name?

"My name is Xiaozhi."

The boy nodded.

He didn't say anything more.

He simply turned around and walked off the field.

Those guys from Padiya can afford to lose!

Only after the boy's figure disappeared at the end of the passage did the referee belatedly slap his thigh in realization.

"Oh no! My salary!"

His face turned deathly pale. Group B qualifying rounds! This is the Group B qualifying rounds!

The top four will be selected to advance to the main competition!

He said that while watching the game, he felt like he had forgotten something and was too busy watching the excitement!

I completely forgot about that!

"Wait a minute—!"

"Come back! Don't go! Don't go!"

The referee swung his leg and chased after them.

But the boy never returned.

It's not that I don't want to come back, but the vehicles in the Parthian region are just too fast.

The referee couldn't catch up with a motorcycle lizard at all.

The referee, clutching his knee, gasped for breath, on the verge of tears.

"It's all over, it ......"

He walked back to the field, looking dejected.

“Um… Mr. Referee?” A young man stepped forward and tentatively asked, “I saw that the trainer from Padia left, so what about this qualifying spot…”

The referee's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"Are you applying to be a substitute? According to the rules, if a player who has qualified voluntarily withdraws—"

"That's not it!"

He quickly waved his hand and took a step back.

"What I'm trying to say is that we people from Northeast China can't lose face! Since that guy lost so gracefully, we shouldn't take advantage of him."

"Correct!"

"We're the same! We can afford to lose!"

"Me too!"

The referee turned to look at the Hoenn lad who had complained.

The other person straightened their back and looked righteous.

"We Hoenn are too!"

referee:"……"

No?

Now you're getting hard?!

......

the next day.

Training Course.

Ash and his two friends were carrying out their daily training.

"Beep beep!"

"Is Ash's next opponent about to be announced?"

Misty, who was unusually training her Pokémon, immediately ran over, beads of sweat still on her forehead.

Ash took out his Pokédex and opened the notification.

The three of them huddled together, staring at the text that popped up on the screen.

[Important Notice]

[Explanation Regarding Adjustments to the Round of 16 Schedule for the League Conference]

[Due to unforeseen circumstances in the Group B qualifying rounds, only one trainer ultimately qualified. Following an emergency meeting, the organizing committee has decided as follows:]

[1. Players advancing from Group B will directly enter the semifinals.]

2. The originally scheduled Round of 16 matches have been cancelled.

[3. The match schedule after the challenge is detailed in the attachment.]

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

[Note: The organizing committee has criticized and educated the relevant referees to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.]

Xiao Zhi stared at the announcement and blinked.

She blinked again.

"Directly into the semifinals?"

Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and slapped Xiaozhi on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Xiaozhi! You got a bye and advanced directly to the semifinals!"

"Um……"

Xiao Zhi, however, frowned, looking unhappy.

Xiaoxia was stunned.

"What's wrong? Isn't it better to go straight to the semifinals? It saves us two games and makes things much easier!"

"But I came to participate in the competition to compete, didn't I?"

Xiao Zhi raised his head.

"If I do this, won't I lose two opportunities to fight?!"

Xiaoxia: "......"

"How about... I help you analyze it?"

......

After finishing their morning training, the three of them went to the public dining hall in the athletes' village.

The restaurant was bustling with activity.

The aromas and Pokémon calls mingled together, creating a festive atmosphere.