Everything was as Xia Huanao had predicted. Although Guo Da had lost the match in a muddled fashion, they did not file a complaint with the League Tournament Committee. Therefore, in the subsequent matches, it would still be Liu Ling Da versus Ming Yi Da.
The round of thirty-two elimination matches featured two games per day, meaning the match between Liu Ling Da and Ming Yi Da would not begin for another week. This week would be a time for Xia Huanao and his team to strengthen themselves.
The very next morning, at seven o'clock, Gongsun Xue arrived at the entrance of Liu Ling Da’s villa.
Xia Huanao was startled when he opened the door. "Huh? Sister Xue, why are you here?"
Gongsun Xue patted the door. "What, do you want me to stand out here and talk?"
Xia Huanao quickly stepped aside. "Please, come in."
Leading Gongsun Xue inside, she said, "You played well in yesterday's match."
Xia Huanao poured two cups of water. "Thank you for your praise, Sister Xue. But you probably wouldn't have come all this way just for something so small, right?"
"I watched the afternoon match too."
"Don't worry, they won't encounter you," Xia Huanao said with a slight smile. "Their little tricks won't fool many people, and I don't have no countermeasures."
Gongsun Xue picked up a cup. "Of course, I know you have your own ways of dealing with things, but you still need to be careful. The outcome of a match is never solely determined on the field."
Xia Huanao nodded. "Don't worry, Sister Xue. I've already reminded them to be careful, and I'll accompany them for all their outings."
Gongsun Xue drained her cup. "That's a good idea. Within Linglong City, there’s no one safer than you regarding anything related to the Pokémon League tournament."
"Yeah, if they dare to make a move, I'll dare to cause trouble. As long as I say they made the first move, the League will investigate them to death. It's making me want to stir up some trouble just to frame them."
Seeing Gongsun Xue’s murderous glare, Xia Huanao quickly calmed down. "I… I was just kidding."
They chatted for a few more minutes, and Gongsun Xue asked, "What was that device you had yesterday?"
Xia Huanao chuckled. "What, Sister Xue, are you suddenly interested in that kind of thing?"
Gongsun Xue leaned in and whispered, "Is it a new device for you Awakened ones? Tell me about it."
Xia Huanao took out the chassis from his backpack. "Let me tell you, this is still a device in the experimental stage. You absolutely cannot tell anyone..."
As Xia Huanao was explaining the device to Gongsun Xue, Tong Ruo and Qing Piaopiao came out of the house one after another. That girl was truly obedient, staying at Xia Huanao's villa.
Seeing Qing Piaopiao's exhausted expression, Xia Huanao understood. "Poor girl. I advised you to go back and rest last night, but you wouldn't listen. Now look."
Qing Piaopiao approached Xia Huanao. "Coach Xia, I'm going back now to discuss practice matches with my coach. I'll see you at the practice match."
With that, she turned and ran out of Liu Ling Da’s villa. Xia Huanao turned to look at Tong Ruo, using his eyes to ask: Sister Ruo, what did you do last night?
Tong Ruo shook her head, indicating she had done nothing last night. Gongsun Xue, standing nearby, waved at Tong Ruo. "Good morning! Did you bully that young girl last night?"
Tong Ruo stomped her foot. "Why do you all think the same way? Stop right there, see if I don't deal with you!"
Eventually, Tong Ruo, who was forced to sign a peace treaty, agreed to Gongsun Xue's request to watch the practice match... Yes, that's right. The imposing Tong Ruo was no match for Gongsun Xue. After a few exchanges, she was defeated and, under duress, compromised.
The two school teams had agreed to a practice match for the afternoon, two days later. On the very day the practice match was to begin, Gongsun Xue brought Huang Tianxiao and a large group of students from Ling Ling Da to observe. This displeased Tong Ruo greatly. "It's fine if you come alone, but why did you bring the whole team?"
"To cheer you on! You must perform to your best in the practice match, and let me see what strategies you've prepared."
Xia Huanao turned and waved at Gongsun Xue, then struck a pose flexing his muscles. "My best move is one that overcomes ten thousand using sheer strength."
Everyone laughed at the scrawny Xia Huanao insisting on showing off his muscles. Lu Bingming even came over and poked Xia Huanao's arm. "Coach Xia, how does it benefit you, the ace second-year, to make me laugh? Have you been bribed?"
Xia Huanao slapped Lu Bingming's hand away. "Bribed? At my current value, how much money would it take to buy me off? Besides, I'm a coach with professional ethics. I won't harm you for any bribe from some shabby team. This is my bottom line as a person, understand?"
Lu Bingming shook his head. "I don't understand. With your nerdy appearance behind those glasses, it's hard for me to believe you're a good coach with a bottom line."
"Get lost!"
In the time that followed, the two sides engaged in a fierce practice match. Although the exchanges were intense, Ling Ling Da, who was observing from the side, was unsatisfied. They hadn't learned anything. They simply felt that Liu Ling Da's strength seemed to have increased again. Beyond that, there was nothing.
After the practice match concluded, Xia Huanao and his team left the battle arena. Gongsun Xue approached Xia Huanao. "Seriously, what was that practice match about?"
Xia Huanao took off his glasses and handed them to Gongsun Xue. "That's what we fought about. Ming Yi Da has truly become the biggest malignant tumor in the university league, just like their team."
After saying this, Xia Huanao led the Liu Ling Da team back to their villa. Gongsun Xue studied the glasses Xia Huanao had handed her and sighed. "You're right. They've truly become a malignant tumor."
Back at the villa, Xia Huanao hurried to call Zheng Xiaoxiao, who was theoretically still with Liu Ling Da, and asked her to come over. He then took out a notebook and began marking various items on it. "Damn it, I've never done such large-scale tactical planning, and most of it is outside the arena. I'm really not good at this kind of thing."
After a long period of drawing and marking, Xia Huanao looked at his notebook. "Hmm, all the preliminary arrangements I wanted to make have been completed. Now it depends on how they are implemented."
With his arrangements finalized and some free time, Xia Huanao was finally able to take a break the next day and visit the venue to watch other teams' matches. Upon arriving at the venue, Xia Huanao sat in the tent allocated to Liu Ling Da and looked around. "Well, quite a few teams have come to spectate."
Of course, even though they had been eliminated, these teams still hoped to watch the competitors currently in action up close, learn from the strong teams, and improve their students' abilities.
Xia Huanao soon spotted the Ming Yi Da tent. "Well, they're certainly confident, coming here to watch the matches."
The Ming Yi Da side also noticed the situation at Xia Huanao's tent. Soon, their vice-captain walked over. "Hello, Chairman Xia."
Xia Huanao was taken aback. Generally, other than Contest Trainers in Pokémon Showcases, very few people called him Chairman Xia. However, this person didn't look like a Contest Trainer.
Xia Huanao forced a smile. "Hello. Are you a Contest Trainer? There should be a Pokémon Showcase in Linglong City recently. Will you be participating?"
The vice-captain shook his head. "While I am interested in Pokémon Showcases, I prefer to improve my Pokémon's strength."
Xia Huanao sneered internally upon hearing this. His intention was quite clear. When someone has multiple different identities, they usually choose the one most relevant to the situation or the most interconnected one when conversing.
For example, right now, Xia Huanao was at the venue in his capacity as a coach. Most teams would address him as Coach Xia. Of course, it was not impossible for a Contest Trainer to call him Chairman Xia. He had encountered this before; a girl from Tianhai Pokémon University called him Chairman Xia and even proudly showed him her badge.
But why would you call him Chairman Xia now? Are you not acknowledging me as a coach?
Xia Huanao's mind raced. He extended his hand and began to clap. "As expected of a student from Ming Yi Da, striving to improve their abilities day and night. In this regard, our students truly pale in comparison."
"And what about your team's members? Surely you haven't brought Chairman Xia alone to watch the match?"
Xia Huanao spread his hands. "I can't help it. You know, our school sent two first-year students this time for practice. They are visiting Linglong City for the first time, so they've formed a group to tour universities in Linglong City, including excellent institutions like Guo Da, Ling Ling Da, and so on."
Upon hearing Xia Huanao's words, the vice-captain almost gritted his teeth. Xia Huanao had rattled off a long list of school names, like a crosstalk performer, covering all sorts of tiers, from top-tier to even lesser-known schools in Linglong City. However, Ming Yi Da was conspicuously absent.
Xia Huanao watched the vice-captain's changing expression and continued to twist the knife. "Originally, our first stop was to visit Ming Yi Da. But, you know, we need to avoid suspicion. If we visit Ming Yi Da and then immediately visit you, it wouldn't look good and might affect our relationship."
...
The two engaged in passive-aggressive verbal sparring for a while, with Xia Huanao ultimately emerging victorious. Watching the vice-captain’s retreating back, Xia Huanao scoffed, "Hmph, with such little skill, you dare to compete with me? I've seen enough in my previous life to teach you for several lifetimes."
Xia Huanao then changed his expression. "Feeling better, I need to find a place to have a good meal and reward myself."
In the following days, Xia Huanao and Ming Yi Da's war of words continued. Xia Huanao kept winning until the day the matches began.