"Now that we've placed our bets, what are we betting on?" Director Liu asked.
The middle-aged man said, "We'll bet on how far Eichi can go. I'm betting that he'll qualify and earn twenty points in the following Selection Match."
"What?!"
Director Liu exclaimed in surprise, "You think that highly of Eichi? How could he possibly earn twenty points?"
"You have to understand, no one who can participate in the Elite Four Selection Match is weak."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the smug smile on the middle-aged man beside him.
He immediately said, "In that case, I'll bet that Eichi can earn thirty points."
The middle-aged man: "??"
His expression changed at once. "What's going on? Liu Shengho, are you setting me up?"
Director Liu said, "How is that setting you up? We both think highly of Eichi. I just think even more highly of him."
"After all, he used to be my student. I know his strength fairly well."
The middle-aged man shook his head with a wry smile. "Forget it. I still think twenty points is his limit. Thirty points is a little exaggerated."
"Eichi is still too young. He hasn't been a Trainer for very long."
"If he participated in the next Elite Four Selection Match, he might be able to earn thirty points. But not now."
Director Liu did not argue. He merely smiled and said, "Then let's wait and see."
Naturally, Eichi knew nothing about the wager between Director Liu and the middle-aged man.
The days that followed were relatively leisurely for him. Every day, aside from watching matches, he trained.
For the first few days, he watched at the venue, but later he changed his routine. He trained his Pokémon during the day and watched match replays at night.
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