Chapter 30: Advancing to the Main Tournament

"Roar!"
A burst of orange flame gathered in Agumon's mouth, and just as the vines sprang from the earth, a quick fireball shot forth from its jaws.
Crackle!
The flame clung to the vine, burning fiercely. Agumon deftly slipped through these now powerless obstacles, racing toward Barumon's position.
"Quick fireball!"
Another fireball erupted from Agumon's mouth. Barumon wrenched its hands free from the ground, but before it could dodge, the flame appeared before it.
Bang!
The fire struck, and Barumon was hurled through the air, landing on the ground with a heavy thud, unable to continue the fight.
"Agumon wins."
The referee overseeing this arena cast a glance at Agumon. Besides its remarkable speed, this Agumon had mastered instant special attacks—a rare feat indeed.
"Hmph."
The woman in office attire snorted coldly at Zhao Jie, then led Barumon away for treatment.
She had believed Barumon could easily make it to the main competition, but unexpectedly, she ran into a tough opponent here. Beyond blaming her luck, she could find no other words to describe her predicament.
"Take care, ma'am."
Just a few steps out, Zhao Jie's voice sounded again from behind.
"Take care, your sister! Your whole family is ma'am!"
She muttered silently at Zhao Jie, but her steps were lighter than before.
...
The Digimon Tamer with Barumon was the most formidable opponent Zhao Jie had encountered in the preliminary rounds. On the second day, he faced a Miner Beast and a Parrot Hawk Beast.
Against them, Agumon easily secured victory; clearly, the encounter with Barumon was pure chance.
"Congratulations, you've made it to the main competition."
After defeating the flying Parrot Hawk Beast, the referee in charge of the arena smiled at Zhao Jie.
He believed Zhao Jie could easily be a seeded player in a group.
Of course, that was just his opinion—the final decision depended on those above.
"Thank you, thank you."

A smiling face never invites a slap; Zhao Jie responded with a smile as well.
"Agumon, we'll need to keep up the good work tomorrow."
Lying on his bed, Zhao Jie watched Agumon nearby, locked in battle with snacks. Hearing Zhao Jie's words, Agumon merely nodded.
Seeing Agumon's behavior, Zhao Jie sighed, feeling a sudden weariness. In an avalanche, no single snowflake is innocent.
Likewise, as Agumon went further down the road of gluttony, Father Zhao and Mother Zhao had to bear some responsibility.
The main competition began at eight o'clock the next morning; 128 participants divided into sixteen groups, eight per group, battling to determine the group champion—the top sixteen.
On the first day, the main competition narrowed the field to sixty-four, meaning each group played four matches; winners advanced, losers left.
Groups were sorted alphabetically, and Zhao Jie, with decent luck, was placed in Group F, number eight. His opponent was number seven in Group F.
Odd-numbered groups competed on Arena One, even-numbered groups on Arena Two.
Group F was assigned to Arena Two. If nothing changed, Zhao Jie would take the stage in the twelfth match on Arena Two—a fairly early slot.
Night passed swiftly. After a simple breakfast, Zhao Jie led Agumon toward the competition grounds. Unlike the crowded days before, today the numbers had dwindled to just a sparse few.
Only when the final sixteen were determined would the Newcomer's Cup lift its restrictions on spectators. At that point, the crowd would likely be immense.
For now, aside from staff, only the 128 contestants and a handful of lingering Tamers remained.
"The main competition is about to begin. Players from Groups A and B, please sign in at Arena One and Arena Two respectively."
"Repeating: The main competition is about to begin. Players from Groups A and B, please..."
Soon, Zhao Jie and Agumon arrived at Arena Two, where Zhao Jie again spotted the Impmon he had encountered during registration.
"Huh?"
Impmon noticed Zhao Jie and Agumon as well. After all, an Agumon munching on human snacks while walking was hard to ignore.
"What's wrong, Impmon?"
Its Tamer noticed the change and turned to ask.
"Roar."
Impmon shook its head; it hadn't expected that Agumon would survive the preliminaries.
"Group B's seeded player is Hu Lin, partnered with Impmon!"
The area was now crowded with competitors. Seeing the eight Group B players on the stage, those in the know began to discuss.
"How do you know he's a seeded player?"
Zhao Jie tapped the person in front of him, curious.

"You don't know? The Newcomer's Cup in Shashi has a rule: every group's seeded player is number one. Hu Tian's number is one."
So that's it!
Upon hearing this explanation, Yang Dong suddenly understood.
"Doesn't that mean being number two is unlucky?"
"Of course it's unlucky. If you don't run into a seeded player, you might actually make it to the top sixty-four."
"Stop talking. I'm number two."
As Zhao Jie and his companion chatted, a chubby fellow nearby spoke up with a mournful expression.
He was number two in Group D. If things went as discussed, he was doomed.
"Don't lose heart, brother. Seeded player or not, keep fighting. Believe in yourself; you can win."
Hearing these words, the chubby fellow nodded, his mood lifting a bit.
That's right—believe in yourself.
The harder you work, the luckier you get.
"Yes, yes, since we're going to lose anyway, might as well be confident. Like a pig unafraid of hot water!"
The chubby guy was stunned, as was Zhao Jie's companion.
Is that supposed to be comforting?
Bah!
Who are you calling a pig? And a dead pig, no less.
I know I'm a bit bulky, but there's no need for personal attacks.
"What, did I say something wrong?"
Zhao Jie scratched his head, confused as he looked at the chubby guy.
"Heh heh..."
The chubby fellow chuckled awkwardly, then quietly led his Miner Beast away.
There was no talking to him today.