"Gardevoir is incredible! First, she controlled the Sludge Bomb with Confusion, and then she withstood Seismitoad's powerful Gigaton Impact using pure psychic strength!"
Another standout trainer emerged. Trainer Lin Feng's Gardevoir, alongside Serpent King, had proven his skill with sheer power.
Let's look forward to his performance in the upcoming matches!
The tenth match ended under Li Bing's commentary.
Yet the audience's faces were still lit with excitement.
"Gardevoir, sob… she's amazing…"
"A trainer that strong, I can't even begin to figure out the full extent of her power…"
"Watching Lin Feng's Gardevoir battle was so thrilling! Honestly, it reminded me of the Sky Challenge, when all those Pidgeots were being chased down by a single Gardevoir… haha… and in the end, they lined up one by one to be defeated."
Compared to the first nine matches, excluding breaks, this one had been exceptionally fast-paced.
Serpent King versus Blaziken, one minute.
Meowscarada versus Lucario, under a minute.
Gardevoir versus Seismitoad, less than a minute.
But unlike the previous matches, all the trainers were utterly exhausted, yet they displayed astonishingly sharp reflexes.
This match could only be described in a few words:
Fast.
Clean, precise, and decisive.
Full of contrast.
Serpent King's Grass Terrain had its unique flair. Meowscarada and its trainer resonated with an aura of agility.
Gardevoir delivered absolute dominance.
This left most of the audience who didn't know Lin Feng guessing.
How strong is Gardevoir really?
How many other Pokémon does this trainer have?
But at this moment, Lin Feng wasn't concerned with any of that.
He recalled Gardevoir and returned to the trainer's bench.
This time, dozens of trainers on the field watched him with cautious, serious eyes.
There was no other way; the presence Gardevoir projected was overwhelming.
Controlling hundreds of charging targets alone that visual impact was terrifying!
Yet despite so many eyes on him, Lin Feng remained calm.
Because at that moment, he was having a "conversation" with Gardevoir.
As he left the field, Gardevoir suddenly sent a telepathic message.
"Gardevoir?" (Did we win?)
Lin Feng froze for a moment. Yes, they had won.
But he wasn't sure which "win" she meant, so he replied through their psychic link: "We won this match, but there are still many battles ahead."
"Gardevoir?" (And after we win?)
After winning… then what?
Lin Feng was more confused.
After a victory, isn't it just waiting for the next match? What else could there be?
"Gardevoir…"
Gardevoir remained silent.
Lin Feng glanced around, feeling a bit flustered.
It's easy to calm down other upset people, but if Gardevoir got upset, it would really feel like the end of the world.
The first round of matches was over. The next round had over fifty battles, which would continue into the evening, maybe even until tomorrow.
In other words, he had nothing else to do right now.
Lin Feng thought for a moment and decided not to linger, heading instead to his temporary quarters.
After he left, the trainer benches gradually buzzed with activity again.
"That Gardevoir… so strong…"
The first voices were like ripples across still water, slowly spreading, connecting the dozens of trainers in the stands who had never met before.
"Is there a psychic trainer here? Someone who can explain what just happened?"
"Ms. Sally, aren't you a Psychic-type trainer? Don't you have a Brimble?"
All eyes turned to Sally, who had not left and was the most popular and distinguished trainer present.
"So solid," little Sally said, pointing at a lollipop on the ground. "Look, my lollipop even fell off."
She too had been shocked by the display.
"I'm really curious how this trainer raised such an amazing Gardevoir. I want to ask him about it."
With that, she vanished from the bench.
At the Zongheng Tournament, everyone was a trainer; at the root, they were all competitors. Even if she could see Gardevoir's power, there was no need to share it with anyone else.
…
Inside the room.
After returning, Lin Feng immediately released most of his Pokémon.
The first to appear was Gardevoir.
Her expression was as gentle as ever.
Yet Lin Feng felt a bit flustered.
He hadn't even had time to celebrate their first victory when he ran to Gardevoir's side.
"Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir looked at him, slightly confused.
"Um, what did you mean just now by 'after we win'?"
He could guess what Meowscarada and Serpent King would think; having grown up with him, their personalities were familiar.
But Gardevoir…
Lin Feng felt like she could read his mind completely.
As he suspected, she could.
"Gardevoir~"
Her eyes curved into a soft arc, a faint smile on her lips.
"Gardevoir…" (Think about what you always say to your Pokémon after a victory.)
"What did you say?"
Lin Feng froze, recalling what he usually said to praise his other Pokémon after a battle.
Fortunately, it wasn't hard to guess. One thought quickly flashed through his mind.
Praise.
Every time he won a battle with his Pokémon, he praised them, acknowledging what they had done well.
But… when he praised them, he often felt they were still growing, so he would give encouragement suited to their progress.
Recently, Gardevoir had appeared on the battlefield.
Subconsciously, he considered her victory as expected, right?
And she had grown now…
Would giving her further praise make her feel awkward?
But in reality, that wasn't the case.
He hadn't expected that Gardevoir actually wanted… praise.
Lin Feng asked tentatively, "Gardevoir, do you want praise?"
"Gardevoir?" (What, not really?)
A spark of anticipation gleamed in her eyes.