Trainers returning from the Kingdom of Roc

Chapter 31: Refund

"Ugh, we lost again..."

Seeing that everything had settled down, He Wenwen felt a little uncomfortable, even though she had expected it.

I thought I could force out the opponent's Ponyta, but I didn't expect that I couldn't even get past Eevee, and I even made a basic mistake like miscommanding.

If I hadn't panicked and told the vine monster to "get out of the way," but instead let it retract its vines supporting the ground and freefall using gravity, I definitely wouldn't have lost so badly.

Just as He Wenwen was reflecting on her actions, Luo Yan arrived in front of her. "Your vine monster has gotten stronger again; you can even use the vine whips as legs now."

"That didn't defeat Ibrahimovic either. I was saving that move for your Pygmalion." He Wenwen smiled. "Good luck in the semifinals. I believe you can definitely win the championship."

"Haha, thanks for your kind words. Let's go, I'll treat you to milk tea when we get back to the preparation area."

The two returned to the players' rest area side by side.

Not long after, Hou Hao's match also ended.

He was also taken aback when he saw He Wenwen. "He Wenwen? Oh my god, don't tell me you were Luo Ge's opponent in the last match?"

"That's me," He Wenwen said, raising her milk tea cup.

"Hahaha, so you're useless now?" Hou Hao burst out laughing. "Your and Brother Luo's Pony has a record of three losses in three games, oh no, now it's probably four losses."

"Another three losses. I lost to Shiny Eevee this time," He Wenwen replied, then shook her head dejectedly. "Too bad, that little cutie wouldn't even let me hold her..."

"Ibu is quite shy; no one but me can hold her, not even Hou Hao." Luo Yan shrugged innocently, then turned to Hou Hao. "How's it going on your end? Did you manage to get her?"

"Absolutely! We were lucky this time, we ran into a small rock and took it easy."

"Little Geodude, that opponent is really unlucky. Wait a minute, something's not right. If your opponent is countered by you, why have you been fighting for so long?"

"Sigh, I've had a miserable journey, and I've finally found someone easy to bully, so why don't I have some fun with them a little longer?"

"Are you even human?"

The three chatted and laughed, and then went to have lunch together.

The semi-finals were held in the afternoon, while the finals were scheduled for the evening, followed by the awards ceremony and closing ceremony.

Since there aren't many players left, it's still somewhat helpful to assume that the opponent is the best opponent to target with specific tactics. All afternoon, Luo Yan was helping Hou Hao think about what to do when they encounter certain opponents, and even He Wenwen started to offer suggestions.

However, things are always full of surprises.

When Hou Hao stood on the semi-final stage looking at Luo Yan on the other side, he felt like cursing.

"Referee, I concede." Hou Hao raised his hand to signal the referee as he was about to speak.

This move stunned everyone.

Even the referee was somewhat unsure. "Hou Hao, are you sure you want to concede and forfeit the match?"

The rules of the beginner competition do include the option to concede, and the referees have encountered cases where contestants voluntarily concede, but those all happened in the first two days of the competition. This is the first time someone has conceded in the semi-finals.

"I'm absolutely certain!" Hou Hao waved his hand.

"No, monkey, you really won't fight?" Luo Yan was amused. "Since you're already here, why not have a match? Don't you want to have a fight with me?"

"I'm better than your grandpa..." Hou Hao felt a bitter taste on his tongue. "Are you crazy? What kind of conditions are these, a competition? Do you think I'd fight you with my head?"

"You need to consider the viewers in the live stream. They really want to see battles between shiny Pokémon," Luo Yan said sarcastically.

"Get lost." Hou Hao raised his head, speechless. "Why would I bother fighting you? They may not know your fighting strength, but I do. My Poliwag is already missing two arms, and it can't keep up with Eevee's speed. Going up there would be embarrassing. I'm not fighting anymore."

After saying that, Hou Hao pulled Luo Yan off the competition field.

As the two left the arena, the audience couldn't sit still any longer. They all stood up to express their dissatisfaction and hoped that the event staff would bring the two guys back for a proper fight. But they could only dream about it, as the staff did nothing about it.

The referee could only announce the result amidst the chorus of complaints from the audience.

"Because Hou Hao voluntarily conceded defeat, the winner of this match is Luo Yan!"

This result was naturally unacceptable to many people, especially the viewers in the live stream, whose comments flooded the screen, all saying "refund".

Of course, they were just making a joke, since the audience for this competition doesn't need to buy tickets, and those who watch the live stream don't need to spend any money either.

However, Hou Hao's last-minute surrender deprived many of the opportunity to witness the battle between two Shiny Pokémon, drawing considerable criticism. Even the leaders on the podium couldn't help but chuckle at Hou Zhi, saying, "Old Hou, your son has quite the character."

Hou Zhi could only smile wryly. "Those two brats have probably sparred a lot in private. There's still a competition coming up, so he probably doesn't want to reveal his trump card."

Hou Zhi knew his son's level very well. Before evolving, Poliwag was no match for Eevee and Iris. Fortunately, Poliwag was about to evolve. Hou Hao's reluctance to fight probably meant he wanted to focus his true strength on the provincial beginner league.

The provincial competition is a true contest for beginners, with participants being the top three from each city and district. In a sense, this competition has determined the strongest contestant of the year. Although Hou Hao conceded defeat, he can still conserve his energy and focus on competing for third place.

As the other group finished their battle, night quickly fell.

Hou Hao greeted everyone and walked through the contestant entrance onto the battlefield. He and the loser from another group would first compete for third place, followed by the main event of the night.

Luo Yan didn't go to watch the game, but from the cheers coming from outside, he could tell that Hou Hao was basically guaranteed to win this round.

His opponent was a strongman, but unfortunately, he lacked speed and had no ranged attacks. Even a mosquito coil or tadpole kite could easily kill him.

As Luo Yan had predicted, the host quickly declared Hou Hao the winner, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

As the cheers gradually subsided, Luo Yan knew it was time for him to take the stage.

...