"Yes. It seems he caught another Weedle. It has already evolved into a Beedrill. Its current strength isn't particularly high, but its talent is exceptional."
Luo Bingxue gave a brief explanation.
"He caught another Beedrill?"
Feng Yang was startled and blurted out instinctively, "Wasn't his Beedrill fine?"
Halfway through, he suddenly understood.
During their last battle, that Beedrill had been full of fighting spirit and looked stable, but its physical condition and reaction speed had already declined.
It had been old.
"…What a pity."
Feng Yang lowered his voice.
To him, Liang Feng was someone worthy of respect. Not only that, he believed Liang Feng was the perfect example to inspire and guide new trainers.
Too many beginners treated Pokémon carelessly. They would catch whatever they encountered without thought.
And most of their first Pokémon were Bug-types.
The problem was obvious. Bug-type Pokémon often had a low upper limit.
Many novice trainers, lacking strength and confidence, would abandon them early.
This led to displaced Pokémon appearing in the wrong habitats, disrupting ecosystems and causing long-term damage.
But Liang Feng's path had always been different.
Back then, when his Beedrill was on the brink of death, he had taken it everywhere, searching desperately for help.
Even Feng Yang himself had tried, but there was nothing he could do.
And yet now, not only had Liang Feng healed that Beedrill, he had even caught another one after it passed?
Feng Yang could not quite make sense of it.
Still, he shook his head.
"Alright. The matches are about to start. Let's go."
Ji Yan called out from the side.
"Got it."
Feng Yang steadied himself and followed.
…
Compared to the first day, the second day's matches had not even begun, yet the atmosphere was already electric.
As Feng Yang took his place, the second round quickly began.
"Good morning, everyone! After yesterday's matches, today we officially enter the second round!"
The commentator, Li Bing, spoke with his usual enthusiasm.
"Yesterday gave us a glimpse of most trainers' Pokémon, but many of them only revealed part of their teams. Over the next two days, we'll see everything they've been holding back!"
"Let's kick things off!"
Instead of calling every participant to the stage, a massive screen lit up in the center of the arena. The remaining contestants' avatars spun rapidly.
Soon, match numbers and pairings appeared one by one.
The tension was palpable.
Many trainers chose to stay seated, watching the draw unfold.
Some smiled in relief when they saw their opponent.
Others grew tense.
After all, while not every Pokémon had been revealed, enough had been shown to form a rough understanding.
If your opponent had a clear advantage in typing, level, or species, things would be difficult.
Lin Feng was no exception.
He had arrived early that morning and taken his seat.
To his surprise, his match was scheduled quite early.
The third match.
He glanced at his opponent, a middle-aged man whose battle he had watched yesterday.
The man had three Pokémon: Venusaur, Nidoqueen, and Magneton.
His style was steady and calculated, making full use of each Pokémon's strengths.
Their levels were fairly balanced.
Venusaur: Level 54 to 55
Nidoqueen: Level 51 to 52
Magneton: Level 52 to 54
Lin Feng already had a plan in mind.
He looked over.
The man had also recognized him.
For a moment, a helpless smile appeared on his face.
At his age, just making it through one round of the League Championship with his Pokémon had already fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Win or lose, he had no regrets.
This era belonged to the young.
"Now, for the first match of the day! Trainer Lucas versus Trainer Huni!"
Li Bing's voice rang out again.
"Yesterday, Lucas and his black Charizard impressed everyone with their calm, controlled fighting style. Even against a Ground-type Sandslash, Charizard stayed airborne the entire time!"
"But today, he faces Huni, a Water-type specialist. Can Charizard still dominate?"
The battle began.
The moment the black Charizard appeared, the crowd erupted.
"I saw that one yesterday! A black Charizard! It's amazing!"
"I want a shiny Pokémon too!"
"Sure, I'll give you a shiny Machamp, a shiny Dragonite, a shiny Muk…"
"Get lost! Though… shiny Dragonite doesn't sound bad…"
Lucas stepped onto the field.
He looked about twenty, dressed in a black coat, with neatly styled hair and sharp features. His appearance alone drew cheers from the audience.
Rumor had it he was a student at a well-known university.
Young, talented, handsome, with a powerful Pokémon.
Of course he was popular.
His opponent, Huni, was also in her early twenties. She wore a soft white sweater and a beret, giving her a gentle, almost delicate appearance.
Her Pokémon included Starmie and Shiftry.
For now, she sent out Starmie.
Lin Feng watched with mild interest.
The matchup was the same as their first-round choices.
Charizard versus Starmie.
Charizard hovered in the air, its black scales gleaming.
It was nearly perfect.
Starmie, on the other hand, was clearly well-trained, but still fell short in comparison.
Even so, its moveset told a different story.
Thunderbolt. Toxic. Blizzard. Substitute.
It had clearly been trained with care and creativity.
"Battle start!"
"Flamethrower!"
"Toxic!"
A stream of blazing fire erupted from Charizard's mouth, fanning out like a burning wave.
At the same time, Starmie fired a sphere of toxic sludge into the air.
The result was immediate.
The poison was incinerated almost instantly.
But a few droplets splashed back.
One landed on Starmie.
A purple bubble rose above its body.
It was poisoned.
The crowd gasped.
It had failed to poison Charizard and instead poisoned itself.
Yet Huni showed no panic.
"Starmie, use Double Team!"
Dozens of identical Starmie illusions spread across the battlefield, scattering in every direction.
Charizard's flames swept through them, destroying most, but several slipped away.
Lucas frowned slightly.
Then Huni's next command came.
"Thunder!"
Electric energy surged from Starmie's core, crackling through the air.
"Dodge!"
Charizard flapped its wings and easily evaded the attack.
Lucas prepared to counter.
But then he noticed something.
Starmie's core was flickering.
It looked weakened.
Without hesitation, he gave the order.
"Shadow Claw!"
Charizard dove, claws wrapped in dark energy.
It was a decisive strike.
But at that exact moment, Huni spoke calmly.
"Starmie, Facade."
The flickering stopped.
Starmie faced the attack head-on.
Boom!
The two moves collided.
Charizard struck first, its claws slamming into Starmie.
But at the same time, Starmie's attack landed.
The damage was amplified.
Lucas's expression changed.
"Scald!"
"Dragon Breath!"
The two Pokémon separated.
Charizard rose back into the air.
A stream of boiling water shot upward, but Dragon Breath overwhelmed it, striking Starmie directly.
Starmie collapsed.
Huni rushed forward, checking on it before letting out a small sigh.
"The gap is still too big…"
Then she smiled at Lucas.
"Looks like you'll have to add me to your little notebook."
Lucas's face stiffened.
After a brief silence, he nodded.
That "notebook" was his personal record of failure.
Whenever his Charizard was injured by a weaker opponent, he would write down the trainer's name, Pokémon, and battle details.
A reminder.
A way to push himself forward.
Unfortunately, his classmates had discovered it.
It had spread across campus, turning into a running joke.
Now, it was practically a public record.
Huni chuckled softly.
Then, without giving him a chance to retaliate, she forfeited the match.
…
Many in the audience did not understand what had just happened.
Why would she go out of her way to land a single hit while clearly at a disadvantage?
But one thing was clear.
There was a noticeable gap between the two trainers.
The match ended quickly.
The second match followed, less remarkable, ending in about ten minutes.
Then came the third match.
Excitement flickered in the crowd's eyes.
"Next up… Lin Feng!"
------------------------------
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