Lin Feng held a brush in his left hand and a bottle of body wash in his right, gently lathering Dragonite, who had been shrunk down to a third of its original size. At the same time, he scooped water over its body, careful and unhurried.
Soon, Dragonite was completely covered in soft foam.
Wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts, Lin Feng sat in front of it and began scrubbing slowly and thoroughly.
(^///^): "Wuu…"
Dragonite sat there quietly. With its smaller body leaning against Lin Feng's arm, its cheeks flushed slightly, looking completely content.
Among all his Pokémon, Dragonite, Salamence, and Goodra were the ones who loved bath time the most.
Every time Lin Feng heated water, they would wait outside like eager children, lining up to be scrubbed one by one. Salamence had been shy at first, but after a few baths, it had gotten used to it.
"Dragonite?"
Lin Feng gently stroked the two antennae on its head.
Honestly, at this reduced size, Dragonite did not look intimidating at all. If anything, it looked like a soft plush toy.
"Roo?"
Dragonite turned around, tilting its head in confusion.
Lin Feng did not really have anything important to say. He just felt like calling its name. Still, after a moment, he added, "You need to give it your all in the upcoming matches."
"Roar~"
Dragonite raised its small claw confidently, as if to show off its strength.
But at this size, its outstretched claw was even smaller than Lin Feng's hand, making the gesture look more adorable than fierce.
Lin Feng laughed and sped up his scrubbing.
Once he finished, he looked at the clean, gleaming Dragonite and nodded in satisfaction.
Maybe I should drag Serperior in here for a proper wash too.
So far, Alolan Ninetales, Growlithe, Dragonite, Salamence, Goodra, Mew, and Vaporeon had all been bathed. Aside from a few Pokémon that could not bathe, nearly everyone had gone through the routine.
Except Serperior.
Though, thinking about it, Serperior probably could bathe. It just hated getting into water during winter, no matter the temperature.
Maybe I will try again in summer.
As for Meowscarada…
Well, it was already grown. It could probably handle bathing on its own.
Shaking those thoughts away, Lin Feng said, "Alright, all done. Give yourself a shake."
He quickly stood up.
Dragonite flapped its short wings excitedly.
Water splashed everywhere, but Lin Feng dodged it easily. Once things settled, he wiped off the remaining droplets on his body, sent Dragonite off, and began washing himself.
A few minutes later, he got dressed and stepped out.
The other Pokémon had already found their spots, settling in for the night.
Alolan Ninetales and Serperior had finished their energy cubes after shrinking down and were lying comfortably on the bed and pillow.
Lin Feng picked up his phone, opened the screen, and pulled up recordings of his matches. As he reviewed the battles, he started transferring the footage.
Hearing the sounds of battle, the Pokémon who had participated earlier gathered around, watching their own performances with interest.
"This looks fun. Can I send these over and upload them to my channel?"
Lin Feng asked.
"Meow~"
Meowscarada nodded obediently. It did not fully understand, but it knew this helped Lin Feng sell more products.
"Showtime~"
Serperior had no objections. They had done this many times before. Gardevoir, naturally, had even less to say against it.
Lin Feng quickly sent the footage to his Rotom, which he had trained into a highly skilled editor.
After finishing, he picked up two small Pokémon in his arms, carried them to their spots, then climbed onto the bed, planning to watch videos before sleeping.
At some point, Alolan Ninetales and Meowscarada had quietly climbed up beside him. Serperior slid to the edge of the bed, coiling its body as it watched the screen with him.
It was only when Lin Feng started scrolling that he noticed.
Then he froze.
Recently, whenever he browsed short videos, eight out of ten were about the Zenith Championship.
Titles flashed past his eyes:
"My god! This Charizard is black! So what color is its fire?"
"A legendary Pokémon appears again! Could this be the next challenger to Champion Ethan?"
"The fastest Pokémon ever discovered!"
"Miss Sally! So cute…"
"That blue Gardevoir smile…"
"Trainer teaches you how to win despite a quadruple type disadvantage!"
Lin Feng frowned.
Clickbait.
Pure and simple.
Take the first one. A black Charizard still breathes orange flames. A shiny form only changes appearance, not its fire.
Or the second. Tobias was not even from this region. How could he become its champion?
Still…
The editing was undeniably good.
Each clip captured the most intense moments, paired with thrilling music that made your heart race.
For new trainers, it was more than enough to get their blood pumping.
Especially when they saw Pokémon with lower potential, like Beedrill or Butterfree, winning matches in the tournament. It made them dream of standing there one day themselves.
Lin Feng had even seen comments like that.
"No wonder they want younger participants in the tournament…"
he muttered.
Right now, the most popular topic was still the opening ceremony. After that came standout performances from top trainers.
His own Serperior, Meowscarada, and Gardevoir were already gaining attention.
So was he.
But in the early rounds, no one truly stood out yet. Not all Pokémon had even appeared.
The real surge of popularity would come later, once the top 32 began, when battles shifted to full six-on-six formats.
"I might actually get famous for a while."
Lin Feng was not surprised.
Every year, the tournament champion enjoyed a burst of popularity. But as the next year rolled in and life moved on, that fame would fade.
There was always a new champion.
However…
Finalists could participate in exhibition matches and champion showcases.
Those drew far more attention and lasted longer.
Just like what happened to Liang Feng back then.
Lin Feng did not think too much about it.
If there were exhibition matches, he would join.
If not, he would just head home early.
For now?
"Sleep first."
He put his phone aside, relaxed into the bed, and closed his eyes as the quiet night settled around him.
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