Into the Final Four!

Time flew by as everyone wrestled with their own emotions.

Before long, the list of sixteen contestants advancing to the knockout round was announced.

After lunch, the round of sixteen began.

Mu Yun was up first.

His opponent was none other than Black Cotton—the Whimsicott that had eliminated Wu Tu in the first round.

Whimsicott had enjoyed itself against Onix. Against Mu Yun's Bingbing, though, it had a miserable time.

However much Prankster boosted its speed, it could not match Bingbing, who needed only to activate her Ability.

As Frozen Domain spread across the field, every one of Whimsicott's tactics failed before the merciless snow and ice.

The outcome was inevitable: another little ice sculpture appeared on the battlefield.

[Ding! Alolan Vulpix (20) defeated Whimsicott (25). Permanent Quest 1 complete. Opponent's level exceeds your Pokémon's. Congratulations, host! Rewards doubled: Points ×20!]

...

[Ding! Target identified as an objective of Short-Term Task 8: Provincial Joint Exam II. Extra Points ×50 awarded!]

Liu Hesheng fought in the second match.

His opponent was the Gyarados that had thrashed Liu Jianhao's Arcanine during the group stage.

It was also one of only two contestants from Group A still in the tournament.

Gyarados had a type advantage against Ceruledge, but unfortunately, that meant little against the sheer stat bonuses from his equipment. The disadvantage was no more than a passing breeze!

Under Ceruledge's merciless Bitter Blade strikes, Gyarados went down.

After that came the matches for Chi Duoduo, Lü Jiayi, Lin Youqi, and the others.

One after another, they secured their places in the final eight.

About two hours later, the final-eight lineup was set.

"Congratulations to these eight contestants for making it into the Provincial Tournament's final eight! Please take a short break and prepare for the quarterfinals!" Seventeen announced.