Advanced to the final round! Ibrahimovic's irrepressible charm.

"Battle ended! Congratulations to our contestant Tong Si and his Eevee on advancing to the next round of the battle!"

The moment Wang Zishan's contest score was reduced to zero, host Lilyann immediately announced the battle results.

At the judges' panel:
"Ah, what a glamorous battle~ I love it so much~"
Mr. Xu Muzhuo expressed his opinion.
"Indeed, it was very pleasing to the eye!"
Mr. Conkeldorr gave a round of applause.
"Contestant Tong Si has a remarkably thorough understanding of Pokémon battles. I am very much looking forward to his next match."
Duan Meng was also full of expectations for Tong Si.

From watching this battle, Duan Meng found that Tong Si possessed an exceptionally high talent for Pokémon combat. He utilized the battlefield and various move combinations to an almost flawless degree.

Amid everyone's praises, Tong Si left the stage.

Returning to the waiting room, Tong Si took out an Oran Berry and gave it to Eevee to restore its stamina.
Eevee ate it happily.
Was this what it felt like to win a Pokémon Contest Battle?
It was amazing!
Eevee was starting to grow fond of this feeling.

"Hmph! Winning just a single match, what's there to be so happy about? If you have the guts, make it to the finals, and I will crush you mercilessly!"

Nearby, the man wearing the green hat, Harley, was about to step onto the battle stage. Before leaving, he coldly threw a taunt at Tong Si.

"Huh?"
Tong Si glanced at him and didn't say anything in return.

He was prepared to observe Harley's upcoming performance. If this guy had any real substance, Tong Si planned to let Electivire participate in the finals and teach this arrogant fellow a lesson.

After Harley took the stage, Tong Si used his scanning vision to inspect the specific details of his Pokémon.

Cacturne
Level: 33
Potential: Gym Leader level
...

"A level 33 Cacturne with only Gym Leader level potential?"
Tong Si smiled indifferently.
He thought this guy was some big shot?
Turns out he was nothing special after all.
Electivire wouldn't even need to step in; Eevee alone would be more than enough!

"Speaking of types that have an advantage against Cacturne..."
Tong Si pondered. It seemed they were Fighting, Flying, Poison, Bug, Fire, Ice, and Fairy types.

Among them, the Bug type was the most devastating, dealing four times the damage.
Too bad he didn't have any Bug-type Pokémon yet.
Fighting, Flying, and Poison-type Pokémon hadn't been discovered in his roster either.
In other words, the types that held a favorable matchup against Cacturne were Flareon, Glaceon, and Sylveon.

Tong Si thought about it; among these three Eeveelutions, Eevee itself might lean a bit more toward becoming a Sylveon.

"Should I just let Eevee evolve?"
Tong Si contemplated for a moment and quickly dismissed the idea.
Once Eevee appeared in a certain evolved form, it would be officially registered in the Pokémon Association's records.
If Tong Si brought Eevee out in that state later on, it would only become awkward.

Since that was the case... there were only two methods left!
Tong Si had already figured out the strategy to defeat Harley if they met in the finals.

Next up, Tong Si's opponent was a quite pretty young girl.
Her Pokémon was a Jigglypuff.
Upon encountering Eevee, the Jigglypuff felt somewhat unconvinced.
Why was Eevee more popular than it? Weren't they both female Pokémon, for goodness' sake?
Eevee proved to Jigglypuff with its strength that it was truly the most charming female Pokémon.

After advancing to the finals, the venue began to buzz with excitement.
One had to know, this was Tong Si's very first time participating in a Pokémon Contest.
As a rookie Coordinator making his debut, being able to advance to the second round's Contest Battles was already an extraordinary feat.
And yet, Tong Si had his sights set on the championship victory?
This made many novice Coordinators feel deeply envious, as if they had just bitten into a lemon.
So sour!

The Final Stage.
The two battling opponents were Tong Si and Harley.
According to the introduction by host Lilyann, Tong Si learned that Harley wasn't actually a local of Linhai Province, but a Coordinator hailing from a certain city in Nanchuan Province.
In the contests of Nanchuan Province, he hadn't achieved particularly notable results, so he decided to come try his hand in Linhai Province.
This was his first contest since arriving in Linhai Province.
Being able to advance to the finals was sufficient proof that his strength was not to be underestimated.

Upon learning that Harley was from another province, the audience in the stands unanimously threw their support behind Tong Si.
Firstly: Tong Si was a local competitor. Secondly: From the first round's Performance Stage to the two Contest Battles in the second round, Tong Si had performed exceptionally brilliantly every single time.
With such dazzling performances, how could he not capture everyone's attention?
The audience members weren't blind; if they didn't support Tong Si, who else could they support?
Besides, wouldn't it be much better for one of their own people to win the championship rather than an outsider from another province?

After introducing the two finalists, Lilyann handed the floor over to the three judges.
"May the three judge mentors please offer some encouragement to our two contestants!"

Xu the Free-loader: "Ah~ I love Pokémon so much~ Both of you must work hard~ You are only one step away from victory~"
Official Kang: "Mm! Just give it your all."
Duan Meng, who was feeling a bit drowsy but forced to keep working: "I support Tong Si."

Hearing Duan Meng's declaration, Lilyann wiped away a sweat.
Weren't you being a bit too honest?
Even though she secretly supported Tong Si in her heart, saying it out loud so blatantly might cause dissatisfaction among the people from Nanchuan Province, wouldn't it?

Hearing Duan Meng's words, the audience in the stands became even more boisterous.
"Tong Si, defeat this green-hatted guy! Show those out-of-province folks the true power of Linhai Province!"
"Tong Si, go for it! You have to win... If you win, I'll strip naked and run a lap around Ruolan City!"
"Awesome! The guy above me is a legend, I don't admire walls, but I certainly admire you!"
"..."

Hearing the unanimous support from the audience for Tong Si, Harley gritted his teeth in displeasure.
"Hmph! These spectators are truly noisy! In a moment, I'll turn this contest stage into a library!"
"If you can actually do it, feel free to try."
Tong Si extended one hand, palm facing upward, and smiled slightly at Harley.
This gesture looked polite on the surface, but in reality, it carried a hint of mockery.

"Alright! Now, let's invite both contestants to send out the Pokémon they will use for the Contest Battle."
Sensing Harley was about to erupt, Lilyann hurriedly announced the next procedure.
If the battle didn't start soon, she feared these two Coordinators would start a physical brawl right then and there.

"Let's go, Eevee!"
Tong Si tossed his Poké Ball without hesitation.
Regardless of whether Harley used Cacturne or not, Tong Si was confident he could defeat him.

"Vee!"
Having gone through two Contest Battles, Eevee had clearly developed a genuine interest in Pokémon combat.
Especially dodging opponent moves to deduct their contest points—that thrilled Eevee immensely.
Don't let its cute appearance fool you; when it came to dodging enemy attacks, it really knew its stuff.

"Oh wow! My cute little Eevee, how did it get even cuter after just half an hour?"
"It must have been raised on cuteness; the more it eats, the cuter it gets."
"Miss, I swear I'm not lusting after your looks, but can I please join the Eevee Fan Club?"
"Ugh, pfft! You're not after her looks, you're after her, her, and her looks! You shameless scoundrel!"
"..."
(To be continued)