Xavier Baden.
The German Alliance's Grass-type Elite Four, who had crossed paths with Su Hao a few times.
However, those "few encounters" had produced little besides negative impressions.
During their first meeting in Olden City, as an Elite Four member of the German Alliance, he had tried to interfere with Queen Alistair's decision and stop Su Hao from taking Riolu away.
Li Luoyan had happened to be accompanying Su Hao to the appointment at the time. Unable to gain any advantage, Xavier Baden could only glare furiously at Su Hao when he talked back.
Their second meeting had been at the World Youth Championship. Representing the Divine Land Alliance, Su Hao had brought along a fully trained Lucario and crushed the German Alliance team led by Xavier Baden, which had tried to target Su Hao under his orders.
Su Hao had not paid attention to the other man's expression at the time, but it probably had not been pleasant.
Then came this third meeting.
Su Hao's gaze pierced through the crowd and locked precisely onto Xavier Baden, who stood among the German Alliance team.
The other man seemed to sense it as well. He instinctively looked up, and his gaze collided with Su Hao's.
How should one describe his expression? It looked both stunned and surprised.
He had never expected to encounter Su Hao in the first round.
In the past.
Whenever Xavier Baden saw Su Hao, he would definitely glare at him with undisguised displeasure, as though he wanted nothing more than to teach Su Hao a lesson personally.
But today, after his gaze flickered a few times, he awkwardly looked away.
Su Hao could roughly guess why he had done that.
After all, in countless international competitions over the past decade, he had been beaten so badly by