Elves: Angler's Rainy Day Team

Chapter 902, Little Ai's Potential
Day 154 since leaving the Orange Islands, sunny.

The weather was sunny, and the morning sun shone brightly into the cafeteria, making the white floor almost blindingly bright.

Yu Hai walked out of the athletes' village's main canteen, squinting slightly as he adjusted to the bright outdoor light.

Today he was wearing a simple black trainer T-shirt, paired with dark blue jeans and white sneakers, looking both capable and energetic.

Umbreon perched obediently on his shoulder, its soft fur gleaming gently in the sunlight. He couldn't resist touching it, just like petting a cat.

Three days have passed since the group stage ended, and today is the crucial day for the start of the knockout stage. The sixteen contestants who emerged from the group stage will soon engage in fierce competition at the main venue, vying for the ultimate championship.

According to the competition rules, in the round of 16 to 8 elimination stage, all participants have one last chance for a 3-on-3 battle. Once they reach the quarterfinals, the competition format will change to a 6-on-6 all-player battle.

He walked towards the main venue, glancing back at the Umbreon on his shoulder, his hands still kneading it. He was secretly thinking that his little guys might not be able to hold out for the next few high-intensity all-out battles.

In fact, with his current strength, it wouldn't be difficult for him to form a team of Elite Four level Pokémon to compete and win the championship. However, he felt that it was unnecessary to do this for the sake of this baby. To put it simply, he didn't want to bully newcomers and didn't want to become too famous.

At the main venue, the opening ceremony had already begun, and the atmosphere was lively. He didn't care about missing the opening ceremony and walked towards the players' lounge at the main venue.

Last night, the information about his opponent in the elimination round was announced, and his opponent was another trainer he was not very familiar with.

However, he had a vague impression of this person because in the anime from his previous life, this was the person who won the Silver Tournament.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown. He really couldn't understand why the production team would so carelessly award the championship title to a trainer whose Rhydon hadn't even evolved.

In his view, the armored rhinoceros hadn't even evolved, its level at most around 40 or 50, far from reaching the level of a near-elite king. A contestant like that probably wouldn't even make it to the finals, let alone win the championship; it was just wishful thinking.

He genuinely couldn't understand how this guy won the championship. It was as if the production team had completely abandoned all sense of shame in their attempt to prevent Ash from winning; it was utterly disgusting…

Soon after, he arrived at the athletes' lounge in the main venue. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a cacophony of voices. The lounge was as lively as a market.

Many people greeted him with smiles when they saw him come in. Most of them were acquaintances, such as Xiao Mao, Xiao Shun, Xiao Mai, and Xiao Yu.

The lively Xiao Ai's eyes lit up, and she quickly stepped forward, affectionately taking his arm, and said with a smile, "Brother Hai, you've finally arrived..."

Yu Hai felt a little embarrassed being watched by so many people, so he could only smile and respond to everyone's greetings. He glanced around the lounge, trying to find an empty seat to watch the game.

"Brother Hai, I miss you so much!" Xiao Ai's clear and sweet voice rang out, like a cheerful little bird, as she rushed towards Yu Hai, chattering incessantly. This immediately drew angry stares from a large group of people, who were probably all Xiao Ai's die-hard fans.

With a gentle smile on his face, Yu Hai reached out and gently pinched Xiao Ai's nose in front of this group of brainless fans, teasingly saying, "Xiao Ai is also very capable. She has improved a lot during this period and has even made it to the elimination rounds. That's really amazing!"

After saying that, amidst the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of these brainless fans, he led Xiao Ai to the balcony of the lounge to watch the game.

At this moment, a gentle breeze swept across the balcony, bringing a touch of coolness, and the sunlight shone on everyone, but it was not scorching.

From the distant stadium, cheers and shouts of encouragement could be faintly heard, making the atmosphere here lively as well.

His gaze fell on the arena, and he discovered that the first one to enter the arena was Ash. Ash's opponent was a completely unfamiliar face, and he had no recollection of this person.

"I wonder how Ash performed today," Yu Hai murmured to himself, watching Ash on the field.

The second elimination match was between Xiao Mao and his opponent. He silently calculated that if both of them advanced smoothly, they would meet in the quarterfinals. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What a small world. These two will eventually have to fight." His match was scheduled for tomorrow. The round of 16 consisted of eight matches, with only four matches scheduled each day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon.

He and Xiao Ai spent the entire morning in this lively atmosphere, watching the game and chatting happily.

Time flew by in the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime. The two found a restaurant together and had a delicious lunch. When they returned to the main venue, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that Xiao Ai was about to take the stage.

He smiled, waved goodbye to Xiao Ai, and shouted, "Xiao Ai, you can do it! Believe in yourself..."

"I will advance, Brother Hai," Xiao Ai replied with a bright smile, then turned and resolutely entered the contestant's passage.

Watching Xiao Ai's departing figure, Yu Hai smiled helplessly, turned around and left the main venue. He found a cold drink shop outside the venue, where a faint aroma of milk and fruit filled the air, making him feel happy.

He sat down by the window, ordered a lemonade, and stared at the TV screen hanging in the store, ready to watch Xiao Ai's game.

On the TV, the host's enthusiastic voice rang out: "Here it comes! It's Xiao Ai's Charizard! Charizard has a very strong temper and high fighting spirit!"

Yu Hai stared intently at the screen, where the fire-breathing dragon looked majestic, baring its fangs and claws as it spewed forth raging flames, its aura astounding.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but think of Xiao Ai's three resurrected starter Pokémon, and thought to himself, "I didn't expect them to have evolved."

Xiao Ai possesses the final forms of the three starter Pokémon, as well as powerful Pokémon such as the Magmar and Arcanine given by Blaine, and Gengar and Dragonite given by Akiko.

These are all Pokémon with great potential. He had secretly calculated that if they were properly nurtured, even the Elite Four would probably be no match for Xiao Ai.

After all, any one of these Pokémon is at the level of a seasoned Elite Four member, and some even have the potential to become Champions, with unlimited potential for future development.

During his lunch break, he secretly reached out and touched Xiao Ai's Poké Ball, witnessing the potential of her Pokémon. He was particularly struck by the three Pokémon: Gengar, Charizard, and Dragonite. These three had the potential to be near-champion!
There are also Xiao Ai's three starter Pokémon. He discovered that the potential of the starter Pokémon has reached around 70, 55, 67, and 70 respectively.

Based on his understanding of Pokémon breeding, with a little effort, these starter Pokémon could easily reach the level of a near-champion.

In contrast, it would be much more difficult to develop a player like Lucario, who only has a potential of 60, into a near-champion level.

At this moment, on the TV screen in the ice cream shop, Xiao Ai's match against her opponent was in full swing. As Xiao Ai's three starter Pokémon appeared one after another, the situation on the field suddenly became one-sided.

Charizard hovered in the air, spewing flames from its mouth like a raging sea of ​​fire, engulfing the opponent's Pokémon.

Venusaur takes root in the arena, its huge vines bursting from the ground, its steel-hard branches tightly binding its opponents.

Blastoise stood firmly in the center of the arena, its powerful water gun shooting out like a cannonball with astonishing force.

The outcome of the match was never in doubt; under the powerful offensive of Xiao Ai's elves, the opponent gradually found it difficult to cope.

Finally, the referee blew his whistle, announcing that Xiao Ai had successfully advanced to the next round of the knockout stage.

Looking at the jubilant Xiao Ai on the TV screen, if he didn't use Poliwrath and other Elite Four level Pokémon, relying only on Umbreon and other Pokémon that hadn't yet reached Elite Four level, he probably would have a hard time defeating Xiao Ai now.

He couldn't help but sigh softly, a hint of admiration in his eyes, "No wonder she's a disciple taught by Champion Kikuko, truly a case of a strict teacher producing an outstanding student!"

(End of this chapter)