Work Hard Only for Yourself, Not for Others
As night fell, a purple sky loomed over the Madison Square Garden in Metropolis.
The two-and-a-half-day elimination match had finally come to an end, and the top 32 players in the ranking had successfully advanced to the main event.
Among them were players like Bruce and Liam, who had won all their battles, and also lucky players who were on the brink of promotion.
But regardless of what happened, the elimination rounds of this university league had ended, and the "fat" players had been eliminated.
There were players with lonely faces looking at the battlefield, dejected; others were full of anticipation, waiting for the main match ahead.
Sadness, joy, depression, loneliness, and other emotions intertwined in the air of the venue.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one for many.
When the match reaches the main stage, there would only be one battlefield left, and the entire process would be broadcast live with commentators explaining it.
All eyes in the audience were focused on the two players on the field.
The first round of the competition, from thirty-two to sixteen, would adopt a random pairing mechanism.
That is, who would face whom, everything would be decided by the system.
Bruce and the others sat in the viewing area, looking at the large screen suspended in the center of the venue.
The screen displayed the battle list for the next day in sequence. "—"
The names of the contestants quickly passed by, and the hearts of the competitors beat strongly during this period.
Soon, two names appeared.
[Bruce Bayne vs Raul Gonzalez]
Upon seeing this, Bruce glanced at Professor Rodriguez, who touched his chin with his hand and immediately said, "Raul Gonzalez, a third-year student from Kandor University, one of the top 16 players in the first-year student exchange competition, uses Pokemon such as... .…
—Threat Level: Four and a half stars," he finally added.
Bruce nodded slightly, signaling his understanding.
At the same time,
In the viewing area of Kandor University,
A thin young man with a pale face, slightly fine hair, and a noticeable high hairline wore a pair of gold-framed glasses.
His name was Raul, and his opponent in this match was Bruce.
He had heard of Bruce for a long time, and when he first learned about Bruce's participation in the university league, his reaction had been relatively flat, with a casual attitude of just observing the excitement.
But as the competition continued, more and more people saw Bruce's performance in battle, and everyone gradually understood... Bruce could definitely be considered the favorite to win the championship.
The strength of this first-year student had shocked all the competitors.
The vast majority of players, like Raul, didn't want to face Bruce, the complete winner of the elimination round, too early, as it would greatly increase the difficulty of the match.
Luka noticed Raul's unease, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a relaxed tone, "It's nothing."
"When it comes to Pokemon strength, there's actually no obvious difference between the two of you."
"What matters is the competition condition and the trainer's orders."
"Go back tonight, and I'll help you come up with a way to deal with Blaziken."
When Raul heard this, his mood gradually stabilized. He turned to look at Luka and nodded firmly.
As Luka said, reaching the main event meant there was no obvious gap between the players, and it was almost impossible to have a one-sided situation.
Even Liam and Luka had to take every opponent seriously.
If you're not careful, you might flip the car.
In this case, the battle would test the tactical reserves, the competition condition, and the trainer's command.
"As long as you prepare carefully, you may not necessarily have hopes of winning," Raul clenched his fists silently, with battle burning in his eyes.
That night,
Reports about the main event of the university league quietly appeared on the trending searches on the internet, and countless college students had heated debates about it.
"Capital Metropolis University, hurry up!"
"Kunlun University, fight for it, they haven't reached the finals in three years!"
"Bruce is really amazing. As a first-year student, he has advanced to the main stage of the competition. Isn't this unprecedented?"
"Nothing to say, even if Bruce doesn't win this year, he'll definitely win next year."
At the same time,
Since the competition on the main stage was more exciting than the elimination matches, the 100,000 tickets for tomorrow were already sold out, and countless resellers were shouting.
At the campus of Metropolis University, the school team joined forces with various organizational departments to set up large screens across the campus for students to watch.
At the same time, the school team called on all students to pay attention to the competition and cheer for the contestants.
This competition had attracted a lot of attention.
December 23, in the morning.
In Madison Square Garden, the venue, which could hold 100,000 people, was packed with seats, flags waving in the venue, and beautiful fireworks blooming from time to time.
Looking down from the sky, dense figures appeared, and some students raised their school flags to cheer for their school's players.
"The last time I saw such a lively scene was five years ago." In a corner of the auditorium, the figures of William and Emma emerged.
"Yes, but at that time it was the Avalon Conference, and it was much more lively than now," William said excitedly, looking at the battlefield.
"What match is Bruce in?" Emma asked, ignoring William's excitement.
William looked at his phone and answered, "The last match of the morning."
Emma nodded thoughtfully and then whispered, "Okay, we'll just have dinner after the match."
William didn't comment, only looking around with a strange light in his eyes.
On the other side,
The trio of Bin and Oliver sat in the first row of the audience, silently waiting for the match to begin.
Neron looked at the battle list in his hand and murmured softly: "The first player to compete is Eliza, she's the second player of the morning."
"The second player to play is Liam's team. It's the fourth match of the morning."
"The fourth is Bruce, the last match of the morning."
Bin nodded slightly when he heard this and said with a smile, "I'm going to make a blind guess. Bruce's first Pokemon today should be Gardevoir."
"How do you know?" Oliver asked, puzzled.
Bin gave a mysterious smile and answered slowly, "Intuition."
Azalea looked at him from the side but didn't make a sound.
Oliver was thoughtful, his eyes flashing, he patted Bin on the shoulder and said with a playful smile, "Brother Bin, what's the plan after watching today's match?"
Bin removed Oliver's hand and replied seriously, "I'm not going to the bar."
"Huh?" Oliver was a little surprised.
Bin stared at the battlefield and said softly, "He's already standing there..."
"But I can only sit here as a spectator."
"I'm too far from him, and even if I can't reach his progress, I can't be decadent."
Oliver was speechless for a moment, and after a long time, he sighed heavily, "Uncle Lance knows, and Riding is very happy."
Bin shook his head and said quietly, "Work hard only for yourself, not for others."
While everyone was discussing, the venue gradually quieted down. Huge spotlights illuminated the center of the battlefield, and white points fluttered. The host, dressed in formal attire, smiled and shouted.
"Dear audience, welcome to the main stage of the university league. I hope you enjoy the wonderful games at Metropolis Square Garden."
"Today, there will be eight matches in the morning, and in the afternoon, there will be a total of 16 matches to determine the top 16 players."
"Tomorrow, there will be a total of eight matches to determine the top eight players."
"There are many matches, please be patient."
"Next, is the first match of today, which will be played by the University of…..."
After a while, the first contestants entered the battlefield and began the match amidst the cheers of the crowd.
The massive venue was filled with cheers.
Time passed, and the second match began. Eliza entered the battlefield amidst the crowd's cheers. She was tall, wearing a coat, and her face was calm, exuding a strong feminine aura.
In the end, Eliza won with a clear advantage, giving a boost to those who had not yet played.
The game continued in an orderly manner, and soon, Liam appeared on stage. He was the favorite to win this year's university league, and his immense strength made all the players nervous.
After some tough battles, Liam finally won with a 3-1 record!
The audience had been sitting there for an hour or two, their throats almost hoarse, but they still waved their flags and cheered for the players.
Match after match ended with thunderous applause, and soon it was noon, with the sun high overhead.
But it was the warm sun of winter, with no sense of dryness or heat. The sun shone on the body, but there was a sense of warmth.
The seventh game was coming to an end...
Bruce left the viewing area under the guidance of the staff and entered the court to wait.
"Next, let's welcome the two contestants of the last match of the morning with a warm round of applause!"
"Raul Gonzalez from Kandor University!"
"And Bruce Bayne from Metropolis University!"
Bruce was in the player's hallway, the walls on both sides trembling, narrowing his eyes, and stepping forward.
Leaving the shadow of the player's hallway, he entered the battlefield under the sun, and the warm applause from all directions hit him like a tide, surrounding him.
Bruce was no stranger to the scene before him after the first-year student exchange competition last time, but when he heard his name echoing in the venue, he still felt a surge of excitement.
With a smile on his face, he gestured with his hand and slowly walked toward the command seat.
In front of him, Raul, who looked like a skinny monkey, rubbed his hands. He looked up at Bruce, who was not far away, and his mood gradually calmed down.
To face Bruce, he had made enough preparations.
Now, it was time to test the results of that preparation.