His Opponents!

"Wow, why is your Dratini so strong? My Scyther's attacks are really powerful. Most Pokémon can't even take a single hit, but when it hit your Dratini, it was like it did no damage at all."

After the match ended, Bai Yuan stopped Chu Xin and asked his question, looking utterly puzzled.

"That's a secret."

Of course, Chu Xin wasn't about to reveal his trump card. This world had barely researched abilities, let alone Dratini's hidden ability.

During the battle against Scyther, Chu Xin had used the Flame Orb to inflict a burn on Xiao Wu, allowing Xiao Wu to activate Marvel Scale at any time and boost its defense.

Fortunately, Chu Xin had trained Xiao Wu's ability beforehand, which was why Xiao Wu could use it in battle like this.

"I never thought you'd be this strong. I was planning to beat a seeded contestant and become the dark horse of this Monster Handler assessment, but I ended up running straight into a brick wall."

"All right, I won't bother you anymore. Don't fall apart in your next matches."

Bai Yuan waved goodbye to Chu Xin and left the arena.

Watching Bai Yuan leave, Chu Xin rubbed his nose sheepishly. Bai Yuan really was a formidable opponent. The damage dealt by that Scyther with Technician was terrifying. Even with Marvel Scale activated, Xiao Wu had yelped under its blows. If Chu Xin hadn't prepared in advance, that Scyther really could have worn him down with hit-and-run attacks.

According to the information Aier had provided, now that he had beaten Bai Yuan, there were no opponents of that caliber left in his bracket, H.

Dark horses really were rarer than seeded contestants!

Watching Bai Yuan's retreating figure, Chu Xin shook his head regretfully. If Bai Yuan hadn't run into him, he might have placed much higher. What a shame!

What a shame!

Just as Chu Xin turned to leave the arena, a shifty-looking little old man jogged after Bai Yuan. Eager for talent, Zhuo Yuan certainly wasn't going to let a dark horse like Bai Yuan slip away. He had watched the entire match, and Jindu Academy needed talent like this!

If Bai Yuan had actually achieved a high ranking, Zhuo Yuan would have been a little unhappy. After all, the better his results, the more attention he would attract, and the more offers he would receive. By then, Bai Yuan might not even give Jindu Academy a second glance.

His current ranking was perfect. Surely not many people would be paying attention to a match like this, which meant Zhuo Yuan could become Bai Yuan's only hope. Talking a little brat into joining would be a piece of cake!

Chu Xin really is my lucky star!

The following battles went exactly as Aier had predicted. There were no dark horses like Bai Yuan, and Chu Xin quickly finished his remaining matches, becoming the first seeded contestant to advance.

Next, it was time to look into his other opponents. After his experience with Bai Yuan, Chu Xin realized that knowing both himself and his enemies really was the key to victory. Gathering information on his opponents was a good habit, so he sent Aier to collect information on the contestants who had advanced from the other brackets.

After reading the information Aier had gathered, Chu Xin couldn't help marveling. Seeded contestants certainly lived up to their reputation. Apparently, he wasn't the only one holding back. There were still powerful opponents out there.

In his room at the inn, Aier handed Chu Xin a dossier.

"This is Bai Le, the seeded contestant from Group A. His monster is also a Scyther. His battles are incredibly quick. He finishes every match within thirty seconds, and almost none of his opponents can withstand even one attack from his Scyther."

Chu Xin looked at the information in his hands, puzzled.

"Scyther? Bai Le? Is this guy related to Bai Yuan? Why do they seem so alike?"

Aier nodded.

"It's possible, but I haven't found any evidence to confirm it yet."

"It doesn't matter whether they are. I just need to beat them, not cozy up to them. Why is there so little information on this guy? That doesn't seem right!"

Chu Xin flipped through the dossier in his hands. It looked rather thin.

"He's revealed very little of what he can do. This is all I could find."

Chu Xin waved a hand. The number one seed certainly lived up to his ranking. Even after so many battles, he still had such an easy time of it. It felt like he hadn't used his full strength at all.

Then Aier handed over another dossier and placed it in front of Chu Xin.

"These are the seeded contestants from Groups B and C, Zhuo Xing and Tian Tiantian. Their monsters are Abra and Nidoran, respectively."

Chu Xin took the information on the two contestants.

"Abra, huh? Psychic-type Pokémon are pretty rare. How did he catch one?"

"His grandfather is Zhuo Yuan, the head of Jindu Academy and the host of this tournament."

"Hmm... got it."

Chu Xin put down the dossier. Apparently, he wasn't the only person in this world with a great father to rely on. Other people had some pretty capable elders too!

"Abra really will be a tricky opponent. I'll definitely need to prepare. Tian Tiantian has raised her Nidoran very well too! Anyone who can become the third seed with a Nidoran is no pushover!"

"This Nidoran's poison is very potent. In every battle, it wears the opposing monster down with Toxic until it falls. Its opponents can't do anything against it."

Chu Xin studied Nidoran's information carefully. Wow, this person plays dirty! She's already developed the beginnings of a Substitute, Protect, and Toxic strategy. Opponents like this are a real pain.

Although Tian Tiantian was only the third seed, Chu Xin silently raised her threat level to the highest possible rank. With such a nasty strategy at her disposal, she would absolutely trap him if he wasn't careful!

Aier continued handing Chu Xin information on the other opponents.

"These are the winners of Groups D, E, and F: Zhu Chang, Chu Anqi, and Chang Yuan. The contestant from Group D isn't a seeded contestant, but a dark horse who advanced. His monster is a Charmeleon that has already evolved. Chu Anqi's monster is a Gastly, a very powerful Ghost-type monster. Chang Yuan's monster is a Ralts, another Psychic-type monster."

Charmeleon! Starter Pokémon are powerful, and Ralts and Gastly are both very rare Pokémon. Looks like these opponents won't be easy!

Especially Zhu Chang. He actually beat Group D's seeded contestant. Another dark horse!

That had been the fourth seed. If Zhu Chang could defeat the fourth seed, he might be even stronger than Chu Xin.

This is going to be tough!

Aier continued handing Chu Xin information on his opponents.

"There's more? Whose is this?"

"Lei Jing's."

Chu Xin instantly clutched the dossier in his hands. His main purpose in entering this tournament was to