Strange!

"Congratulations on advancing from the group stage, everyone!"

Yan Wu's opening words dispelled the oppressive atmosphere in the battle arena.

More precisely, as he spoke, Dusknoir reined in the oppressive force of its Pressure Ability.

The students, unaware of what had happened, only felt their bodies relax and their breathing grow easier when Yan Wu began speaking.

"Relax, everyone. You're among the finest young Trainers in Songjiang City. There's no need to be so nervous," Yan Wu said.

After struggling for breath and then finding it easy again, the students relaxed a little. Their attention naturally turned to Yan Wu.

If Dusknoir hadn't been floating beside him, many of them might have thought he was a kindly middle-aged man.

After briefly reassuring them, Yan Wu explained the rules for selecting the final qualifiers.

It was simple: contestants would be paired by random draw. Winners stayed, losers were eliminated. No second chances, no round robin. One match decided everything.

It felt less like a selection for the Provincial Tournament and more like an attempt to finish quickly so everyone could go home.

Mu Yun found that a little regrettable. His task was only to secure a spot, but a few more matches would have earned him more Points. Still, those were the rules, and all he could do was sigh.

This time, there would be no drawing lots by hand. Headshots of the thirty students present flashed across a large high-definition screen, which would pair them at random.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman with a Chimecho following behind her entered the battle arena.

She was clearly the referee for the match.

Chimecho was a Psychic Type Pokémon.

Small and adorable, it was no slouch in battle.

Mu Yun glanced at Chimecho's stats. Level 49, Elite Level Peak. It was one of the