When Gu Yuan returned to the waiting room, the second battle had already begun.
To his surprise, the next participant was Ayako. And even more surprising was her Pokémon, a Magnezone.
Although it had "explosion"(自爆) in its name, Magnezone(自爆磁怪) could not learn Self-Destruct or Explosion.
Its opponent was a Pidgeot.
Against a Flying-type opponent, Magnezone showed no inferiority in agility or speed.
Ayako's Magnezone had the Magnet Pull ability.
In games, Magnet Pull only traps Steel-type Pokémon. But in reality, Magnezone could use it to enhance the accuracy of its Electric-type moves.
It was clear that Ayako had mastered this trait well, making her Magnezone's flight speed and flexibility almost equal to Pidgeot's.
To reach this stage, unless one had a strong type advantage, like Gu Yuan's Charizard against Hitmonlee, the gap between trainers would not be too wide.
That meant Ayako had to unleash Magnezone's full strength.
Watching closely, Gu Yuan began to think seriously about how to command Charizard if he were to face Ayako's Magnezone in battle.
Magnezone's typing was outstanding. It only took double damage from Fire and Fighting types, and quadruple damage from Ground-type moves. Ghost, Dark, and Water moves dealt neutral damage.
Everything else was resisted, and Poison-type attacks could not harm a Steel-type like Magnezone at all.
Fortunately, Charizard was a Fire type.
After observing Magnezone's power, Gu Yuan believed that if he ever faced Ayako, the odds were nine to one in his favor. His chances of losing were almost nonexistent.
Even though Charizard was weak to Electric-type moves because of its Flying type, that didn't matter.
This meant his only real rival now was Reima Mizutani.
Gu Yuan glanced at the ever-cold Reima, then at the others around him.
Who can say whether some of them are hiding their strength too?
Until the final victory was his, Gu Yuan would never let his guard down.
The battle soon reached its end.
Despite Pidgeot's efforts, it could not withstand Magnezone's offense and was ultimately defeated by Thunder.
The elimination matches continued. At this point, everyone was revealing their strongest cards.
After all, not everyone was as lucky as Gu Yuan, who had faced an opponent with a clear type disadvantage.
Under such circumstances, if anyone could still hide their true power, Gu Yuan thought, they must be quite talented.
Finally, Reima Mizutani entered the field for the last match of the morning. His opponent used a Magmar.
Flames and lightning collided, creating a dazzling display that stirred the blood of the spectators.
As the final battle of the morning session, its intensity was beyond doubt.
However, in terms of power, the pace was fully controlled by Reima Mizutani.
Compared to Magnezone, Electabuzz posed a much greater threat to Gu Yuan.
After all, Charizard was weak to Electric-type moves, but Electabuzz had no weakness to fire or flying-type moves.
Fortunately, this Electabuzz had the Static ability. Since Charizard could fly, their battle would mostly revolve around move exchanges, which actually gave Gu Yuan a better chance.
And with Charizard's Expert mastery of Flamethrower, Gu Yuan was confident he could win.
After Reima Mizutani's victory, the morning battles ended. Gu Yuan was the first to leave.
Back at the hotel, he continued training his Psychic powers.
After yesterday's attempts, Gu Yuan realized that practicing Psychic abilities helped him stay more energetic. It was the best preparation before a battle.
That afternoon, the elimination rounds resumed.
As expected, Gu Yuan, Reima Mizutani, and Ayako all advanced smoothly without facing each other early.
At that point, Gu Yuan understood what "random" matchmaking really meant.
After the top five were decided, the remaining trainers competed for the sixth spot.
Tomorrow, the final schedule would be completed in one go.
The morning would narrow six to three, then decide the fourth place.
In the afternoon, both the semifinals and finals would take place.
Even though the Silph Company had invested heavily, this was still a mid-level event. It was natural not to spend an entire extra day just for the final.
"Charizard, use Dragon Rush!"
Charizard turned into a blazing dragon and dove downward.
Ninetales tried to resist with Flamethrower, but it could not change the outcome.
An explosion rang out. When the smoke cleared, Ninetales had lost its ability to fight. Gu Yuan advanced smoothly.
Back in the waiting room, seeing that Ayako and Reima had also qualified, Gu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head.
Thinking back on the morning's matches, he realized this tournament was making things clear: the organizers wanted the three of them in the semifinals.
When the final battle ended, Gu Yuan was again the first to leave.
That afternoon, the semifinals began.
The first match was Reima Mizutani against Feli. With Reima's strength, the result was no surprise.
The next battle was Gu Yuan versus Ayako.
As both stepped onto the battlefield, their expressions grew serious.
When the referee gave the signal, they released their Pokémon at the same time.
"Magnezone, use Thunderbolt!"
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
The moment their Pokémon appeared, both trainers launched their attacks.
Flames and electricity collided and exploded, drawing cheers from the crowd.
But inside the arena, neither trainer looked away. They both attacked again.
Charizard flapped its wings and released Heat Wave, raising the temperature across the entire field.
Ayako reacted instantly, commanding Magnezone to use Thunder.
Because Charizard was concentrating on Heat Wave, it could not dodge as easily as usual. That made Thunder the best counterattack.
With no choice, Gu Yuan had Charizard stop its attack and dodge.
But in terms of energy consumption, Magnezone was taking the heavier toll.
Most importantly, after Magnezone used Thunder, the rhythm of battle shifted to Gu Yuan's favor.
"Charizard, use Ember!"
It was a move Charizard hadn't used in a long time, yet it performed it with greater skill than ever.
Fireballs shot out like arrows, covering Magnezone's position.
"Magnezone, use Thunderbolt!"
Orange-yellow electricity burst forth, shattering the fireballs easily thanks to its higher power.
But in that moment, Charizard suddenly switched tactics and unleashed Flamethrower.
Even though Magnezone dodged quickly, it still got caught in the blast.
"Charizard, use Flame Charge, then Ember!"
As Gu Yuan's command rang out, the fierce assault began.