Opponent: Something Dirty

After the three of them carefully and thoroughly worked through it, a battle plan that accounted for most situations was completed.

Xinhai looked at Shali and asked, "How is it? You understand everything, right?"

Shali nodded heavily, determination shining in her eyes. "No problem!"

He then turned his gaze to the Eevee in Shali's arms and smiled gently. "Eevee, what about you? Do you still have any questions?"

"Vee!"

Eevee shook its ears and nodded at Xinhai, indicating that it understood everything.

Seeing this, Xinhai nodded and smiled. "Alright, now we just have to wait for the battle to begin!"

As the match drew near, Shali unconsciously tightened her grip on her notebook. Yingnan smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. We've considered most of the possible situations. You'll definitely win this battle." As he spoke, the referee's voice rang out.

"Next match: Trainer Shimizu versus Trainer Matsumoto. Please take the field!"

Shali took a deep breath, said, "I'm going up!" to the two of them, then carried Eevee onto the arena.

Xinhai and Yingnan called out to Shali's retreating figure, "Good luck, Shali!"

When Shali arrived on the arena, she saw her opponent. The delicate-featured young man wore a faint smile at the corners of his lips, giving off a very comfortable feeling.

Seeing that his opponent's Pokémon was most likely Eevee, Yuta Matsumoto felt much more relaxed. It still isn't certain, but if it really is Eevee, this should be much easier.

Seeing that both contestants were in position, the referee raised his flags and announced, "The battle begins!" As he spoke, he swung both flags downward.

"Torchic, Growl!" "Eevee, Quick Attack!"

Torchic looked at Eevee and let out a cute cry, trying to lower Eevee's attack.

Eevee had long been prepared. It closed its eyes, white light glowing around its body as it shot toward Torchic like an arrow.

Torchic's trainer, Yuta Matsumoto, frowned and immediately shouted, "Torchic, Flame Charge!"

Orange-red flames ignited around Torchic's feet as it lunged forward, scorching air trailing behind it in a long streak.

The two Pokémon collided fiercely in the center of the arena. With the advantage of striking first, Eevee gained a slight upper hand and knocked Torchic back several steps.

Yuta Matsumoto quickly commanded, "Torchic, rapid-fire Ember!"

Torchic steadied itself, then fired nine Embers at Eevee in succession. Clusters of flames flew toward Eevee like blossoms.

"Double Team!" Shali commanded calmly.

Eevee sprinted toward Torchic. As its speed gradually increased, it instantly split into three identical Eevees. The Embers struck several of them and passed straight through their bodies.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Eevee's real body rapidly approached Torchic from the side while using Sand Attack.

Sand and dust flew up, blocking Torchic's vision and providing cover for Eevee.

Having seen his opponent's series of responses, Yuta Matsumoto realized that she was no simple opponent and swiftly ordered, "Torchic, Flame Charge to the right!"

Flames swirled around Torchic as it charged to the right, instantly breaking through the sandstorm and rushing toward the opponent's half of the field.

Shali's pupils contracted as she keenly caught Torchic's intention—this was to widen the distance and regain control of the rhythm! She immediately raised her arm. "Eevee, use Quick Attack to catch up! Swift, block its retreat!"

Eevee turned into a streak of white light and sped after Torchic. Golden starlight spread from its front half in a fan-shaped pattern, flying rapidly toward Torchic and weaving an impenetrable net of light through the air.

Watching this from the stands, Xinhai smiled. "The winner has been decided!"

Yingnan nodded. "If he had used Quick Attack, Eevee would have had a hard time catching up quickly, and this match could still have gone either way. But now... the winner has been decided!"

Xinhai shook his head and sighed. "He wanted to establish a speed advantage too badly, only to be held back by speed instead!"

Yuta Matsumoto frowned and reluctantly ordered, "Torchic, Fire Spin!"

Torchic abruptly stopped, its claws gripping the ground as it swung its head and opened its mouth. A ring of blazing fire one meter in diameter spiraled upward.

However, the Fire Spin only lasted a second or two before it was pierced through by the continuously flying stars and slowly dissipated.

The instant the Fire Spin collapsed, Eevee's Swift poured down like a torrential rain.

In its panic, Torchic fired Embers to meet the attack. The bright flames collided with the golden starlight, bursting into dazzling flashes.

Seizing the opportunity, Shali quickly ordered, "Eevee, charge in!"

Like an arrow released from the bowstring, Eevee rushed into the swirling Embers and starlight, a hazy white glow surrounding its body.

Yuta Matsumoto's pupils suddenly shrank as he shouted, "Torchic, Flame Charge! Meet it head-on!"

The flames around Torchic surged as it charged at Eevee with a blazing trail behind it. The instant they collided, the powerful shockwave blew away the dust that had been kicked up by the explosions of Ember and Swift.

After only a brief stalemate, Torchic was sent flying by Eevee, rolling three or four meters across the ground.

Yuta Matsumoto panicked slightly and called out, "Torchic, get up! Use Quick Attack to dodge!"

Torchic quickly got to its feet and tried to start running, only to find Eevee already in front of it. It was struck again and sent flying into the air.

Unwilling to give up, Torchic climbed back up, only to see a swarm of stars rushing toward it. Then it completely fainted, losing consciousness.

Seeing this, the referee began the count. Yuta Matsumoto stared blankly at his Torchic, only snapping out of it when the count ended amid the audience's enthusiastic cheers.

After checking Torchic's condition, he hurriedly stepped down from the arena and left the department store.

Shali picked up Eevee, whose fur was slightly dirty but whose spirits were high, and walked off the stage. She soon spotted Xinhai and Yingnan coming to greet them.

Xinhai smiled and said, "Shali, Eevee, that was a beautiful win!"

Eevee proudly cried, "Vee~" before jumping onto Xinhai's shoulder and patting him with its paw, roughly meaning, You're my personal strategist from now on!

Yingnan said excitedly, "Shali, that battle was excellent. You kept the rhythm of the entire battle firmly in your hands. Amazing."

Shali smiled and said somewhat embarrassedly, "That was all thanks to the tactics arranged by Xinhai and Yingnan, as well as Eevee's hard work. I just gave commands from the back!"

Xinhai laughed. "Alright, stop being so modest! Yingnan's battle is about to start too! Let's head to Arena One first!"

Shali looked at Yingnan and said, "Then let's hurry over! Otherwise, we'll be scrambling later."

Yingnan nodded. "Let's go, then!"

The three of them hurried toward Arena One. When they arrived outside the arena, a Makuhita and an Electrike were engaged in a fierce battle in the field.

Watching the battle, Shali seemed to think of something and asked, "Yingnan, you didn't record any information about your opponent. Are you confident about this battle?"

Yingnan smiled. "Don't worry. Even though I don't know anything about my opponent, I'm still very confident!"

Hearing that, Shali relaxed quite a bit, though she still asked worriedly, "But what about the matches after this? Without information on your opponents, you'll definitely be at a huge disadvantage."

Xinhai looked at the two of them and said, "No need to worry too much. After this round, someone will probably start selling information."

"Selling information? Information on the contestants?" Yingnan and Shali asked in confusion.

Xinhai smiled. "Of course. As long as there are matches, there are usually people who want to make some money from them. Each piece of information may not cost much, but there are plenty of contestants. That adds up to quite an income!"

Yingnan calculated it and said in surprise, "If someone starts selling information next round, then probably more than a hundred people will buy it. At one thousand League Coins per person, that would be a hundred thousand League Coins!"

Shali was also somewhat surprised. After thinking it over carefully, she said, "That sounds about right. It might even be more than that."

Xinhai said with a serious expression, "Alright, Yingnan, you'd better work hard! Don't get eliminated. Don't let Shali and me advance while you're the only one left behind!"

Hearing Xinhai's words, Yingnan smiled. "Don't worry. I haven't battled you yet, so how could I lose?"