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After defeating three opponents, Lucario still had energy to spare and could obviously continue battling, but Roy decisively recalled him.
You can, but you don't have to.
It wasn't that he intentionally saved face for the opponent, but Roy knew that victory was already secure if he continued fighting.
The team position numbers basically represented strength, which was evident from the ranking system within their own school team. Elon and Anya, being seniors, were undoubtedly a level above the juniors.
Compared to exhausting all resources and eventually losing, leaving the stage with energy to spare carried a higher "style value" - definitely more impressive.
Roy made the gesture to withdraw.
Seeing Roy retreat after his display of dominance, the captain of the Eastbridge University team gritted his teeth in frustration.
Even as Roy left the battlefield, the audience at the venue and those watching the livestream remained captivated by the recent battle, discussing it enthusiastically.
"Is this his ace? Such a powerful Lucario..."
"To be honest, those Lucario brothers are worlds apart."
"It's incredibly rare for a trainer to defeat three opponents in a match between prestigious schools. It might not happen once in a decade, and this time it's a first-year student!"
"What was that special condition Lucario entered? Was that some kind of power-up?"
"Listen up, youngsters! If you paid attention to the news, you'd know Roy is the only trainer in China who possesses Aura Fusion..."
"Those who criticized him before the match are certainly eating their words now."
"A talented trainer becoming famous overnight."
Meanwhile, videos of the battles from the East China Division spread rapidly online. Various media reporters seized the opportunity to publish articles and relevant news as quickly as possible, aiming to capture the public's attention first.
People who normally were too busy with work and studies to follow sports news actively participated in discussing this grand event.
On this prestigious stage where elites gathered, the emergence of any talented trainer or dark horse team attracted significant attention.
Society placed great importance, unity, and expectations on young elites. No matter which world they lived in, this represented the key to a country's future prosperity.
In the player preparation room, Roy received an enthusiastic welcome upon his return.
"Brother Roy, are you tired? Sit down, sit down!"
Philip wiped a chair clean with his sleeve and said with a smile:
"Patrick, pour some tea!"
"Right away, brother!"
The two chubby brothers, always good at playing up situations, acted as devoted attendants, pouring tea for Roy, massaging his legs and shoulders. Their exaggerated fawning over their junior left Roy momentarily speechless.
"They're always like this, you'll get used to it."
Anya smiled and handed Cosmog back to Roy. She had looked after the little one during the competition. She praised sincerely: "Amazing, Roy. It's truly impressive to use Eastbridge University as your backdrop for your debut match. Indeed..."
She didn't finish the second part of her sentence, "the strongest prodigy since Capital University was established," but everyone present could more or less guess it.
No one knows which first-year student first uttered this compliment, but it had been acknowledged by many. However, in the eyes of some seniors, it had originally seemed quite exaggerated.
After all, Capital University only produced an 'Elite' trainer in the last generation.
Roy had just started his journey as a trainer, and his future remained unknown. Being praised as the strongest prodigy seemed somewhat excessive to be believable.
But now, after this battle, no one harbored any doubts.
As a first-year student, defeating three opponents wasn't against a weak team but against a prestigious school of equal strength, where the Eastbridge trainers averaged more than two years more experience than Roy.
The significance was staggering.
'When Henry and Caroline made their National College League debuts, they performed similarly. Give him another year...'
This thought lingered in many minds.
The reason those two prodigies were referred to as 'kings' wasn't just because of their dominance among young trainers, but primarily because the world recognized they had the potential to become Elites.
Roy, who shone with the same brilliance during his debut as those two had, undoubtedly proved one thing:
— Roy had Elite potential.
Anya suddenly remembered when Roy first enrolled, he had been targeted by online trolls. Those internet sailors definitely hadn't expected that the exaggerated boasts they'd made would now come true.
Were there actually great prophets in the world?
Hmm, no.
Roy had been placed on the Pokémon League's key training list, but that rumor hadn't been included...
Thankfully, otherwise it would be too outrageous, Anya thought with relief.
Elon patted Roy on the shoulder and said reassuringly: "Take a good rest. We'll handle the rest."
"Don't worry!" Philip smiled confidently. "The opponent only has two people left, and we still have four. If we can't win, what kind of trainers are we? We might as well go home and raise Spoink!"
"That's right," Patrick nodded repeatedly. "Sister Anya, maybe you won't even need to battle!"
Amidst the laughter, Philip in position 5 took the field.
Roy watched his teammates compete.
Philip had boasted well, but against Eastbridge University's No. 2 player, he only defeated one Pokémon and severely injured their second Pokémon. Patrick in position 4 came onto the field and easily finished off Eastbridge's No. 2 position Pokémon. Then he was defeated by the Eastbridge captain, unable to eliminate even one of the captain's Pokémon.
These brothers apparently weren't especially strong in singles.
However, their Pokémon choices were quite interesting.
Philip's three main fighters were Magneton, Politoed, and Raichu... the standard Rain Dance double Electric-type strategy.
And Patrick's main force included Houndoom, Muk, and Typhlosion... This combination clearly employed the classic fire-poison tactics.
Both used very traditional tactical systems that had been developed for decades, easily recognizable at first glance, relying on their Pokémon's coordination and fundamental tactical skills.
They probably demonstrated much better teamwork in double battles.
Anya played in position 2 and went back and forth with the team captain. With the advantage Patrick had secured earlier, she narrowly won.
Capital University successfully defeated Eastbridge University in individual battles without their strongest captain even participating.
Roy had undoubtedly contributed to this excellent outcome.
After the individual battles, team battles didn't begin immediately, as both Pokémon and Trainers needed rest. The opening match between the two powerhouse schools was over, followed by individual matches between other schools.
Roy and the team returned to the dugout, where they rested throughout the afternoon.
Team battles would be concentrated in the evening.
After discussing team battle strategies with his teammates, Roy found an excuse to visit the bathroom and went to a secluded corner. He rubbed his hands together excitedly and opened his system panel.
The lottery was drawn.
How much popularity has my account increased...