Chapter 208: Results of the Four Divisions
By 5:00 pm, the battles in the losing bracket had concluded, each match as intense and thrilling as the last. Spectators were at the edge of their seats, witnessing some underdogs overturn expectations and clinch victories.
The first division's battle was particularly interesting. Friends Oh Jiwon and Choi Yerin, who had surprisingly ended up in the same division, and they also faced off against Tuan. Unfortunately for them, their Meowth struggled against Tuan's well-coordinated team of Poliwag and Squirtle.
In fact, with Tuan's ability, he could have easily qualified for the Top 12 earlier. He was merely held back by the fact that his Squirtle hadn't evolved yet. And despite having a type advantage with his Water-type Pokémon against Xiao Yun's Growlithe and Wartortle earlier, Tuan narrowly missed victory in that earlier match. But the battle with Xiao Yun was a close call, leaving many to speculate that a rematch could swing either way.
Floyd and Kanraku, observing the battles, had predicted Tuan's victory in this division. Despite the charm and appeal of Choi Yerin and Oh Jiwon's Squirtle and Eevee, Tuan's battle-hardened Pokémon proved to be too much for them. Their Pokémon, appearing more pampered than trained, struggled to keep pace with Tuan's experience.
Floyd noted something interesting about Oh Jiwon's Eevee and Meowth. These were the same Pokémon he had previously seen in the hands of a rich kid in Maharlika. The transfer of these Pokémon to Oh Jiwon was an unexpected turn of events that piqued a bit of his curiosity.
Following the conclusion of the first division's matches, the second division began, drawing significant attention from the audience and commentators alike. This division featured some of the strongest contenders who had only lost their previous battles due to unfortunate circumstances. They were competitors who had challenged the likes of Li Qin, and Ivan – one of the renowned big four.
(AN: Le Mai Linh and Kang Jihoon were also included)
The first battle in the second division was between Li Zhengui and Jeon Seungmin, and surprisingly, Li Zhengui, who had an advantage, almost lost against Jeon Seungmin's Vulpix. Li Zhengui didn't expect that Jeon Seungmin would dare to release it, knowing he has a Wartortle, a Water-type Pokémon. However, Jeon Seungmin outsmarted him, knowing that Li Zhengui would save it for last because the latter uses Butterfree.
Despite Jeon Seungmin's clever strategy against Li Zhengui, his efforts were ultimately not enough to secure victory. Although Jeon Seungmin's Vulpix and Rattata showcased impressive skill and tactics, they were still at a disadvantage against Li Zhengui's Wartortle. The battle was intensely close, and there were moments when it seemed Jeon Seungmin might pull off an upset, but ultimately, Wartortle's type advantage prevailed.
Following a 20-minute rest period, the next match commenced with Park Taeyang facing off against Jeon Seungmin. This battle, however, concluded much more swiftly. Park Taeyang's Growlithe, with its distinct type advantage, overpowered Jeon Seungmin's Pokémon with relative ease, leading to a rapid victory for Park Taeyang.
After another brief intermission of 10 minutes, the pivotal battle between Li Zhengui and Park Taeyang began. This match was crucial, as the victor would advance to the top 16. Li Zhengui's lineup, particularly his Wartortle, posed a significant challenge to Park Taeyang. Park Taeyang had hoped for a scenario where Li Zhengui would deploy Butterfree, allowing him to counter with Growlithe. However, but would be risky for him if Li Zhengui stabilized.
And he was right, as Li Zhengui didn't take a risk and just used Wartortle, while Park Taeyang used Meowth.
Seeing Meowth's appearance once again made everyone feel strange. It seemed that the people of Jo-a had many Meowths in their country, as there were only three contenders who had Meowths, and all of them were from Jo-a. Not only that, most of the contenders in the losing bracket were from the country of Jo-a, followed by those from Longdong.
Returning to the battle at hand, the commentators and audience anticipated the outcome between Wartortle and Meowth. The expectation was that Wartortle, with its stats advantage and battle experience, would emerge victorious. And indeed, as predicted, Wartortle triumphed.
Returning to the topic, the result of the battle between Wartortle and Meowth was as expected by the commentators, and indeed, Wartortle won. Park Taeyang clenched his fist tightly, feeling reluctant. Like Hu Tianyi, he thought he was strong enough because he had many Pokémon, but this 2 vs 2 competition opened his eyes to the reality that his Pokémon's individual strengths were not as formidable as he believed. He had already accepted this, lowering his expectations to a top 4 finish, or at worst, rank 8. However, he didn't anticipate that he would struggle even to fight for the top 16, and there was a high chance he might not make it into the top 16.
Park Taeyang, facing off against a strong opponent like Huu Xuan Thao and Li Zhengui who had a type advantage over him, felt a deep sense of unfairness. He believed that if he had been matched against those who had no type of advantage, his chances of making it to the top 4 or even the top 8 would have been significantly higher. This thought lingered in his mind as he grappled with the harsh realities of the tournament.
However, the outcome of his battle was somewhat predictable, and reality struck hard. Li Zhengui only needed Wartortle to secure his victory over Park Taeyang.
The defeat was a bitter pill for Park Taeyang to swallow. He quickly exited the arena, his head hung low in shame, not wanting to face the multitude of eyes watching the livestream.
This experience was a crucial lesson for him: the true strength of a Pokémon lies not in their number, but in their individual training and capabilities. It was time for him to shift his focus from conquering more Pokémon to honing the skills of the ones he already had.
Following the intense battles of the second division, attention turned to the third division. Go Jisung, who was relatively new to Pokémon, was obviously defeated by Chu Weihao and Inoue.
The clash between Inoue and Chu Weihao was particularly nail-biting. The local villagers watched anxiously, their hopes pinned on Inoue. The match was close, but ultimately, Inoue's Butterfree, with its adept use of Sleep Powder, outmaneuvered Chu Weihao's Rattata and Squirtle, leaving the latter enraged and regretful that he hadn't taken Butterfree in his Poké Ball. He also had a Butterfree but had underestimated its capabilities, and now he regretted it.
The villagers erupted into cheers as Inoue secured his place in the top 16. Among all the participants, Nihon stood out with a 100% win rate.
Rong Xanh, with five victories out of seven participants, held a commendable win rate of 71.43%.
In contrast, Jo-a faced the most embarrassment because, out of 6 participants, only their ace Kang Jihoon managed to break into the top 16 out of six participants.
The focus then shifted to the performance of Longdong and Maharlika in the fourth division. Longdong's participants had already secured four victories out of seven, and a win in the final division would elevate their success rate to that of Rong Xanh.
Meanwhile, Maharlika faced a pivotal moment; a victory in this division would bring their win rate in line similar to Nihon's impressive 100% in the top 16.
So, expectations for the large round were high, especially for Longdong and Maharlika. Even Chen Yu, who was a referee, felt nervous. Although he didn't like Hu Tianyi, the latter had the highest chance of winning, so Chen Yu wanted him to win for the glory of their country.
Xin Yuexin also had a chance, but it wasn't high. Most members of Longdong wanted Xin Yuexin to win, though they knew the chances were slim. Ultimately, it still depended on the result.
Over on the Maharlika side, Ivan watched the unfolding events with a stoic expression. It was hard to discern whether he was rooting for Bianca in this crucial battle.
Floyd, on the other hand, naturally leaned towards supporting Bianca, but he maintained a more rational and impartial demeanor, given his role as a commentator.
Jonathan was the least restrained, openly displaying a 'Maharlika Pride' banner on the screen, to the embarrassment of Floyd, Ivan, and Bianca. They mentally scolded Jonathan countless times, each of them thinking, 'We don't know this guy.'
Contenders from other countries also felt embarrassed by Jonathan's actions and were relieved not to have someone like him on their side.
However, half an hour later, the result of the battle was surprising: Bianca won.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone