Kōmei, the longest-serving member of the current Elite Four, was also a powerful Psychic user. Even past the age of fifty, his imposing presence still radiated powerful pressure.
But Sato chose him…
With full determination!
At the Elite Four level, type matchups still played a major role in deciding the outcome of battles.
Dark-type was immune to Psychic. Not taking advantage of such a huge edge… Sato would have to be a fool.
Most people thought Sato's choice was logical and sound. But not everyone agreed.
'You really think you can go toe-to-toe with an Elite Four? Bah! Ridiculous.'
Siegfried wore a calm smile as he watched Sato calmly walk behind Elite Four Kōmei, but inside he was full of disdain.
The tournament rules were clear: the top two in each group would advance to the quarterfinals, and the current Elite Four were obviously going to claim one of those spots.
So the real competition for the rest of them, the "Challengers", was over the second slot.
Going head-to-head against an Elite Four right out the gate? That was just foolish.
Lose, and at best your combat strength is diminished. At worst, your entire mental state crumbles.
Win… could you even win? You think the current Elite Four got their titles just by sitting around? That you could beat them so easily?
'Pffft! Go dream on. Anything's possible in a dream!'
Still, on the surface, Siegfried kept up his friendly demeanor. His "handsome and kind uncle" persona had charmed more than a few fangirls over the past month.
---◓---
After Sato made his choice, second-ranked Shuto was up next.
He stepped forward, glanced briefly at the Elite Four. When he saw Sato, Shuto nodded slightly in acknowledgment, but didn't linger.
In the end, Shuto looked toward the third Elite Four member, Sen.
"Officer Sen, I look forward to working with you."
Shuto gave the Investigator's formal salute. Normally cheerful, Sen straightened up and returned the salute with uncharacteristic seriousness.
Both had started their careers as League Investigators, and their time in the same department had made them close. The choice reflected a deep mutual respect.
Next up, third-ranked Edward and fourth place followed quickly with their choices, both picked Lance.
Lance greeted them with a bright smile and a casual "looking forward to 'having fun' together" kind of expression, but inside he wasn't pleased.
'So… I'm ranked fourth now and suddenly I look like the easiest target? Hn. Just wait… you'll be crying when the time comes.'
Heh.
At this point, the top four competitors, including Sato, had all made their choices.
And not a single one had picked the top-ranked Elite Four, Pryce!
Fifth place, Siegfried, now stepped onto the stage.
As Siegfried walked up, the atmosphere in the audience grew more intense and a little strange.
Siegfried, Lance's third uncle, was a long-established and well-known former Elite Four.
Now his nephew had become an Elite Four, and the Dragon Tamer clan sent Siegfried to compete again?
Were they trying to claim two seats on the Elite Four?
Even if Siegfried had the strength, there was no way Charles Goodshow and Riku Kitamura would allow the Dragon Tamer clan to hold that much power.
The clan couldn't possibly be unaware of that.
Which was why a certain rumor had been spreading ever since the tournament began…
And as Siegfried's performance improved, the rumors only grew louder.
The Dragon Tamer clan was allegedly dissatisfied with Lance's performance during his tenure and had sent Siegfried specifically to replace him and reclaim control over the Elite Four seat.
As for why they were dissatisfied… Lance was known to be overly rigid and overly principled in certain matters.
Though many respected and admired him wholeheartedly, Lance had also made plenty of enemies.
Just recently, he personally sent a younger relative who had broken the law straight to prison.
So… would Siegfried choose his nephew?
In the next moment, he looked toward Pryce, then walked over with a wide smile…
◓---
"Eh… is he crazy? Pryce is ranked number one, the strongest Elite Four, and he specializes in Ice-types!"
"Pfft! Dragons are weak to Ice. Is Siegfried just overconfident? Arrogant? Or just plain dumb?" In the stands, Mark exclaimed loudly, eyes wide as if saying, "I can't believe there's someone dumber than me~"
"No, it's the opposite. He actually made a smart decision," Joseph shook his head and continued, "In his match against Pryce, he can just play it safe or even forfeit outright."
---
"So he's giving up on the group's first place and going all-in on second?"
Elsewhere, White and the others quickly realized Siegfried's strategy and couldn't help sneering in disdain.
Naturally, they were all in Lance's camp.
---◓
On the field, as Siegfried walked past Lance, he suddenly stopped.
He gave Lance a pat on the shoulder with a pleased expression and said in that smug elder tone, "Lance-kun, you've done well these past few years. The family's taken notice, so they sent me here to help you out."
Lance's eyes turned icy cold. He wanted nothing more than to punch this so-called third uncle right in the face!
But his expression turned into a beaming smile instead.
"Oh, that's wonderful! With your strength, uncle, you'll surely defeat Pryce and qualify as the group's first seed!
Tahahha~ You heard that, Pryce? My uncle here is incredibly strong, so you better watch out!"
Pryce looked on at the Dragon Tamer duo's clown act without saying a word. After all, it was their embarrassment, not his. He was just here for the show…
Lance's comment had effectively thrown Siegfried straight onto the grill.
Didn't you say you came to help? Then at the very least, go secure yourself an Elite Four seat first.
In the end, Siegfried could only laugh awkwardly, refusing to engage, and turned away to stride toward Pryce.
"…I didn't agree" = 'I didn't hear it' 'I didn't hear it = I don't know about it.'
And beating the number one Elite Four? If you're so great, then you do it!
When Siegfried finally reached Pryce's side, Pryce didn't even spare him a glance.
He had no respect for someone like Siegfried!
In the audience, though they couldn't hear the words exchanged between Lance and the others, it was obvious from their expressions that something entertaining was going on.
Those who understood a bit of lip reading started guessing wildly, piecing together the gist and loudly spreading the story.
That only made the stands even more chaotic…
---◓---
The rest of the competitors continued with their selections. Perhaps because Siegfried's intentions were too obvious, many of the others quickly caught on.
Soon, sixth and seventh place both picked Pryce's group without hesitation.
Clearly, they shared Siegfried's idea, to fight for second place!
That made Siegfried's expression turn a little sour.
With ranks five, six, and seven crammed into one group, it was obvious those matches weren't going to be easy.
---◓---
Ten minutes later, all twelve finalists had completed their selections.
Sato glanced at Charlotte and the twelfth-ranked Aruta beside him, his heart perfectly calm.
Reputation precedes the person, and his "first placed" status in the prelims carried serious weight. It was clear Charlotte and Aruta had only joined Kōmei's group because they were out of other options.
Aruta didn't look too pleased either, but what no one noticed was… he didn't seem all that nervous.