"That's him, I can't believe this guy actually collected eight badges to participate in the Indigo League. But then again, it makes sense, considering he's the man the top student fancies. He should have this kind of strength."
"But..."
It was a girl speaking.
If Ye Feng were present, he would surely recognize her.
The boy who spoke earlier was the same one he encountered in the elevator, the one who cursed him as a "damned commoner."
And the girl was the one who chimed in with the boy back then.
However, she didn't say anything bad about Ye Feng.
"But I have to say, this Ye Feng is really good-looking. I've seen many handsome guys, but none of them are even one percent as attractive as Ye Feng."
The girl kept gazing at Ye Feng on the television.
The TV cameras were also biased.
Back when Ye Feng battled Xiao Jie, knowing Ye Feng was a traffic magnet, most of the shots were given to him.
"One percent? That's an exaggeration, isn't it?!"
The boy was displeased.
"Heh, one percent, you say?"
His dark eyes emanated a chilling aura.
"Tomorrow, I will put an end to his Indigo League journey."
"Hmm? Xiao Li, what are you planning?"
The girl watched Xiao Li.
Not only Xiao Li, but also other boys and girls from the Pokémon School turned their attention to Xiao Li.
The Three Giants of the Pokémon School.
The first was the top student.
The second was this guy named Xiao Li.
The third was the girl named Zhen Zi, who was speaking to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li: "Nothing much, I'll face him personally tomorrow."
Zhen Zi: "But the battles in the venue are drawn randomly. You wouldn't..."
"That's right, you guessed correctly."
A cold smile flickered across Xiao Li's lips.
"Although You Deng is confined, she's surely watching the match."
"Tomorrow, I will defeat this Ye Feng with my own hands and show her that the man she fancies is nothing but a good-for-nothing, despite his looks!"
Xiao Li suddenly snapped the spoon in his hand.
Seeing this, Zhen Zi sighed.
Back at school.
Xiao Li had always been fond of the top student.
Unfortunately, despite Xiao Li's prominent family background, there were still levels among the elite families.
Xiao Li's family was at most first-rate, while the top student's family was top-tier.
Furthermore, it was common knowledge in elite circles that the top student's family and the Silph Co. were arranging a marriage between their heirs, so Xiao Li had never dared to confess his feelings.
But he never expected that.
In the end, the top student would be snatched away by a lowly commoner.
"You might not be his match. You might just be humiliating yourself."
Zhen Zi said with a smile.
Xiao Li sneered dismissively.
The next day.
Early morning.
The matches were scheduled to begin at eight o'clock.
Ye Feng woke up at seven, washed up, and ate breakfast.
He saw a crowd of reporters gathered below the dormitory building.
Ye Feng put on his hat and mask and slipped out stealthily.
He first went to the reporting hall.
"I'm here to draw for today's match venue."
Ye Feng looked at the beautiful staff member in front of him.
"Hmm, you don't need to draw for the venue. After the first draw, the system will automatically assign them."
"Let's see your second match venue... Ice Arena."
Having received his designated match venue, Ye Feng turned to leave, but the beautiful staff member grabbed his right hand.
The beautiful staff member, in a sweet voice, took out a piece of white paper and a black pen from her chest.
She handed them to Ye Feng:
"Ye Feng, I watched your match yesterday. It was very exciting! Could you please give me an autograph?"
Ye Feng did not refuse. After signing, the staff member also asked for a photo.
Ye Feng did not refuse that either. After finishing everything, he then proceeded to the Ice Arena.
Today, there were about twenty-four contestants in the Ice Arena.
This meant there would be twelve matches today.
Ye Feng went to the competitor's preparation area to draw his opponent for the day.
Unexpectedly, he received the same result as before.
Except for the first time, the system would automatically draw for you; you didn't need to do it yourself.
Hearing this, he frowned.
He was somewhat displeased.
While the system's draw matching seemed fair and reasonable, there were actually quite a few tricks involved, and it could be manipulated.
For instance, the opponents you would face and the match order could be interfered with manually.
The benefit of doing this was to let you encounter weaker opponents all the way, thus achieving a higher ranking in the end.
However,
Ye Feng didn't care about any of that.
In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and tricks were empty talk.
Upon learning that his opponent was someone named Xiao Li, he sat in the competitor's seating area with his eyes closed, calmly waiting.
The Ice Arena was bustling with activity. Ye Feng's entrance caused the atmosphere to reach a fever pitch. The cameras in the arena all turned their lenses, focusing on Ye Feng.
But Ye Feng remained completely unfazed, like a sculpture.
Finally, even the host couldn't stand it.
"Hey, hey, hey, please be professional and don't just film handsome guys, alright?!"
"The match is the main event!!"
Under the host's repeated urgings, the crew reluctantly turned their cameras towards the arena.
Ice Arena, Ice Field, the first match begins!
Xiao Li sat on one side of the competitor's seating area, his position allowing him a clear view of Ye Feng.
He observed Ye Feng.
A disdainful smile played on his lips.
"Putting on an act. You'll be crying by the sixth match."
Originally, contestants drew their own venues and opponents.
But later, it was changed to system draws.
All of this was, of course, done by Xiao Li.
With his family's considerable influence, this was not difficult to achieve.
However, it also cost a significant amount.
If Xiao Li were not the heir of their family.
And if the family didn't hope for him to become the next Daigo, they wouldn't have allowed him to meddle like this.
However, directly targeting a relatively strong opponent like Ye Feng.
His family was also somewhat concerned.
Apart from Xiao Li's overconfidence.
He had originally wanted to manipulate his and Ye Feng's match order, so that theirs would be the first.
Unfortunately, the tournament committee did not agree.
You could choose your opponent, and you could choose when to appear.
But, I'm sorry, regardless of who Ye Feng's opponent was.
His match must be in the middle.
Among the twelve matches in the Ice Arena, Ye Feng's was the sixth.
This was to ensure viewership.
If he appeared first, many who wanted to watch Ye Feng would leave after his match.
And if he were placed at the end, the audience who wanted to see him would estimate the time and watch only the last match, hence he was placed in the middle.
This was the best arrangement.
First match, second match, third match, fourth match, fifth match.
The five matches passed quickly.
Both trainers fought fiercely.
Especially the fifth match.
It was the match of Professor Oak's grandson, Shigeru.
It was undoubtedly a crushing victory.
After defeating his opponent, Shigeru stood on the stage, accepting the cheers from the audience.
However, his gaze occasionally drifted towards Ye Feng in the competitor's seating area.