The Angry Utopian Player
—Oh, I knew it. —Maxwell looked at the fallen Meganium, with an expression that already showed he had seen it all, and said lightly.
"The familiar instant death in one hit," murmured Mariana.
Immediately, she turned her gaze to Katsuragi, who appeared to be full of doubts about her life, and added, "Familiarity makes the Rival's mindset explode."
Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.
"Fortunately, Bruce isn't my rival this time," Luka complained, crossing his arms.
"That's right, this time he's the nightmare for the other players," Liam said with a slight smile.
After a brief silence, cheers and applause erupted like a tsunami both inside and outside the arena, as the audience stared in shock.
"Is this the strength of the strongest player from Avalon…?" someone exclaimed, staring wide-eyed.
"One hit kill! Meganium didn't even survive a single hit!" another shouted.
"Damn it, this exchange match won't be dominated by players from Avalon, will it?"
"We need to reassess the strength of this Avalon player!"
Mikazuki stood outside the arena, watching Gardevoir standing in front of Meganium with bright red pupils, and murmured, "This kind of power..."
Although Katsuragi's Meganium isn't a main Pokemon, it isn't weak and usually performs brilliantly.
But even so, it lasted no more than five seconds against Gardevoir.
With just a single [Mystical Fire] attack, Meganium fell to the ground.
Mikazuki suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing they had greatly underestimated the strength of this Avalon player.
This was just the tip of the iceberg revealed by Gardevoir, and its total strength must be even more terrifying.
And what about Bruce's other two Pokemon?
For a moment, several thoughts raced through Mikazuki's mind, converging into a single conclusion.
"I need to inform Mr. Kusakabe about this right away!"
Meanwhile, the protagonist of this battle, Katsuragi, had been staring at her Meganium, looking at its unconscious form, still dazed by the competition.
She didn't know how much time passed before she snapped back to reality, looking down and lightly biting her lower lip, rendered speechless for a moment.
She didn't know what to say or how to face the situation before her.
She had been full of confidence, wanting to warm up before the games through the battle, but who would have thought she'd face this formidable opponent?
To be crushed under the gaze of countless people was a first for her, and it felt overwhelmingly embarrassing.
Mikazuki noticed Katsuragi's strangeness, cleared his throat lightly, and said quietly, "Miss Katsuragi, recall your Pokemon."
Katsuragi, who had been pampered and cherished growing up, faced a situation like this for the first time.
As a trainer supported by the Katsuragi Foundation, she had come to Hearthstone this time with an important purpose: to take good care of this young lady.
Hearing Mikazuki's reminder, Katsuragi nodded subconsciously and replied in a voice barely above a whisper, "Alright."
She immediately returned Meganium to its Poke Ball.
Seeing this, the referee directly announced the result of the competition, stating that Bruce had successfully qualified for the exemption.
Bruce nodded slightly, turned around, and walked back to join Liam and the others.
When Katsuragi saw Bruce walking away, it seemed as if he had never taken it seriously from the beginning to the end. Her nose turned bitter, and her eyes filled with mist.
"Miss Katsuragi, let's head back first."
Noticing Katsuragi's reaction, Mikazuki realized they couldn't stay there any longer, so he reflected for a moment and suggested.
"Yes." Katsuragi hummed softly, then turned and left with Mikazuki.
"This Katsuragi has a poor mindset." Observing her reaction from a distance, Maxwell clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Liam smiled slightly and speculated, "Katsuragi is the young lady of the Katsuragi Foundation from Utopia. It seems that although she has good strength, she hasn't experienced much tempering."
"Her situation is a bit special," Luka continued.
Under the curious gazes of everyone, Luka spoke for a moment and then explained slowly, "Initially, her parents didn't want her to become a trainer; they thought being a trainer was too exhausting.
"It's just that Katsuragi is very interested in training. When she was in university, she applied directly to the combat department. No one expected her talent to be so good."
"Due to her special status, Rivals usually have scruples when fighting against her, so her mindset might be..."
"Well, the influence of the consortium in Utopia is too great. If Katsuragi gets angry during a battle, the consequences could be severe," Luka added.
"No wonder, no wonder." Upon hearing this, Maxwell nodded suddenly.
On the other hand, Mariana looked at Luka in surprise and asked hesitantly, "Do you know all this so clearly?"
Luka coughed dryly and explained, "My father knew Katsuragi's father, and I found out through him."
Liam nodded slightly and said with a smile, "In Avalon, we won't hold back just because of our rival status."
How many people are present? Who has a simple identity?
The Bayne family behind Bruce Bayne, the Smith family behind Liam Smith, Mariana's father is also the founder of a major group, and the identities of Luka Modric and Maxwell Hayes are equally impressive.
For a trainer with a normal background to compete at their level, talent, luck, temperament, and opportunity are all indispensable.
"Hey, this will leave a deep impression," Maxwell said with a smile.
"Next time we encounter Avalon players, we'll still have to weigh the emperor first."
"Alright, let's watch Eliza's battle," Bruce interrupted abruptly.
Eliza's battle ended quickly, and she won the match successfully.
After that, the six of them, led by the referee, entered a restaurant and went to a private room to eat.
The location of this room was excellent, allowing them to watch the battles outside.
As they ate, everyone observed the battles outside and gathered information about players from other countries.
At the same time,
Utopians Team, Tactical Conference Room.
"In summary, the players mentioned above are the ones we need to pay special attention to in this competition." A handsome young man in formal attire was sitting on a stool, and the computer next to him contained information about various players.
The profile picture of Bruce Bayne stood out prominently among them.
—Yes, Mr. Kusakabe! —After a while, the other contestants nodded in response.
"Yes." Atsuya nodded slightly, then said seriously with a solemn expression, "Of course, the games haven't started yet, and we don't know which countries we will face, so we just need to prepare in advance; there's no need to be nervous."
He paused for a moment, narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing an inspiring aura, and said, "If the rival is Avalon, do your best, because the seniors will retaliate."
"Yes!"
When Atsuya Kusakabe mentioned Avalon, all the contestants stood up together, their faces filled with indignation.
In the last exchange match, Utopia had high hopes of reaching the finals but faced Avalon and was brutally eliminated.
After the match, a certain Avalon player even made wild claims, asserting that with the strength of the Utopian players, only one Avalon player could be sent to defeat the entire Utopian team.
As soon as this comment came out, all the young trainers in Utopia were furious and swore they would bathe Avalon in blood in the next exchange match and imprint the word failure on the faces of all Avalon players.
Now, the opportunity had arrived.
This group of players represented all the young trainers from Utopia. They encountered Avalon players from time to time, ready to wash away the shame of their predecessors.
"These three Avalon players are the ones we need to pay special attention to." Yu Junjie extended his hand and pointed to Bruce, Liam, and Luka respectively.
At that moment, the dormitory door suddenly opened, and everyone looked up in unison as Mikazuki and Katsuragi entered.
—Mikazuki-kun, Miss Katsuragi, why did you come back so soon? —Atsuya asked, somewhat surprised, and then smiled.
He was well aware that something was off in the expressions of the two. Mikazuki had a serious face, and Katsuragi looked down, biting her lip slightly.
Mikazuki took a deep breath, looked at Atsuya, and said in a deep voice, "Atsuya, I have something very important to tell you."
"Mikazuki-kun, please tell me." Atsuya smiled and spoke calmly.
Upon hearing Mikazuki's words, Katsuragi raised her eyebrows involuntarily and then noticed Bruce's profile picture on the computer screen.
In the next moment, she could no longer hold it in; all her grievances surged to her heart, her nose crinkled, her eyes turned red, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Miss Katsuragi, what happened?" Seeing this scene, Yu Junjie's face changed drastically; he stood up abruptly and asked loudly.
The others also rose, and a contestant quickly ran over to console Katsuragi.
Noticing this, Mikazuki sighed inwardly, looked Atsuya in the eyes, and slowly explained, "Mr. Yu, here's the situation..."
Then, Mikazuki fully informed Atsuya of what had just happened.
At that moment, Katsuragi gradually calmed down thanks to the comfort from the contestant. She sat on the stool, but her shoulders still trembled slightly.
"Meganium was taken out in one hit..." Atsuya frowned after hearing Mikazuki's description and murmured softly.
He lowered his head, stared at Bruce's profile picture on the computer screen, and fell silent for a while.
After an unknown amount of time, he forced a smile on his face and said to Katsuragi, "Miss Katsuragi, it's not your fault."
"This Bruce is very powerful and ranks among the best of all the players; it's nothing to be ashamed of to be defeated by him."
"But Meganium died in one hit..." Katsuragi said.
Yu Junjie's face froze; he thought for a moment and said, "Meganium is double weak to fire types, and this Gardevoir is no ordinary Pokemon; it's perfectly normal."
"And you lost because you didn't know the details on the other side."
"Next time, if you encounter Bruce Bayne, you'll be able to handle it freely."
"Believe in yourself, Miss Katsuragi."
p treon / Thenamealreadyexis
50 chapters ahead