What she hadn't expected was how simple Lin Feng's final command would be.
A sweep. A complete, overwhelming sweep.
She had already seen Blaziken, Dragonite, and Meowscarada before. Those didn't surprise her anymore.
But this time… it was different.
The soft, fragrant-looking Alolan Ninetales. The aloof Serperior. The gentle Gardevoir.
Who would have thought they possessed such terrifying power?
Especially Alolan Ninetales. It left the deepest impression on her.
She could hardly believe that the same Ninetales she usually couldn't even get close to would perform so brilliantly in battle.
That blizzard had made her eyes widen in shock.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She hugged the yawning Noibat beside her and muttered,
"Next year… no, not next year. This year. This year, we have to step onto the stage of the Zenith Championship. We'll win… or at least place well…"
She had originally wanted to say she would take first place, but even she felt that might be unrealistic.
So she lowered her goal to simply achieving a strong ranking.
As for Noibat, it was still very young. During the day, Qin Shu had dragged it in front of the TV to watch matches all day long.
On the surface, it was for learning more now to win more in the future.
But at this moment, it was already getting sleepy.
Then Qin Shu tugged at it again, and its drowsiness instantly vanished.
Annoyed, it suddenly flew up, landed on her head, and grabbed a handful of her hair.
There was a kind of pain only girls truly understood. Qin Shu yelped and jumped to her feet, her face twisting in pain.
"Hey! Noibat, what are you doing? You pulled my hair again…"
She reached up, trying to grab it.
Her sudden shout startled Floragato, who had been lying nearby. Seeing that it was just Noibat causing trouble, it froze for a moment in confusion.
Then, as usual, it yawned and lay back down.
If it guessed correctly, Qin Shu would call for it any second now.
And sure enough, the next moment
"Floragato, help me catch Noibat!"
…
January 15th. Day three of the Zenith Championship.
The second day's matches, perhaps due to the matchmaking system, had very few truly exciting battles.
Although there were a few notable matches recorded, none could compare to Lin Feng's overwhelming performance. After witnessing something that intense, everything else felt dull by comparison.
But on the third day, things changed again.
Not only were the matches now 6v6, but to make things more dynamic, a new rule was introduced: battlefield variations.
This made battles more complex, but in Pokémon combat, terrain had always been a crucial factor.
There were six possible battlefields: lake, grassland, steep rock terrain, ice field, scorching rock, and sky.
These environments were controlled by specialized operators working alongside Pokémon, manipulating mechanical systems beneath the arena.
Each match would feature a changing battlefield.
Before a battle began, a random draw determined the terrain. That terrain would remain in effect for half the match, meaning until one side lost three Pokémon.
After that, the battlefield could change.
However, the sky, lake, and scorching rock terrains had special conditions.
If both trainers agreed, these terrains could be rerolled.
If a trainer's Pokémon were completely unable to fight in those environments, they could request a change.
In the sky battlefield, official Psychic-type Pokémon from the league would suspend large platforms in midair. Pokémon that couldn't fly had to remain on these platforms. If they fell, it counted as a loss.
The lake battlefield worked similarly, with floating platforms scattered across the water's surface.
As for scorching rock, while it appeared to be flat terrain, Fire-type Pokémon heated the ground from below, turning the entire field into something like a volcanic surface.
Compared to previous formats, this undoubtedly increased the environmental complexity.
And in terms of victory, it added new layers of unpredictability.
For example, if a Fire-type specialist drew the lake battlefield, it would be a nightmare.
The same logic applied to the sky field.
Of course, the league had clearly thought this through. That was why these terrains came with special rules.
After explaining everything, the commentator Leo Li stepped down.
Immediately, both the audience and the competitors erupted into discussion.
"I've never seen rules like this before!"
"It's a double-edged sword. If someone like Miss Sally draws the ice field, wouldn't she dominate instantly?"
"Haha, interesting. Very interesting. Imagine a Fire-type trainer getting the lake field. That would feel awful."
Everyone showed strong interest in the new rules.
In previous years, the Zenith Championship had never been this dynamic.
"This has to be Ethan Feng's idea."
Hearing the rules, Lin Feng's eyes lit up with interest.
He was almost certain this was Ethan Feng's doing.
Once the rules were fully explained and questions from competitors were answered, it was time to draw matchups.
After two rounds, the once-crowded display screen now looked much emptier.
Whether in the competitor area or the audience stands, everyone stared intently at the massive central screen.
No one wanted to face an overwhelmingly strong opponent.
Everyone hoped to draw someone whose Pokémon they could counter.
But for the audience, it was different.
They wanted to see powerful trainers clash.
The stronger the opponents, the more visually thrilling the battle.
One by one, virtual avatars locked into place.
Matchups were finalized.
"It's over…"
Someone who got paired with Tobias immediately felt like their world had gone dark.
Others matched with Ethan Li were already thinking frantically about how to win.
"Please don't match me with Lin Feng…"
"Anyone but Lin Feng…"
The avatars continued spinning.
Lin Feng's avatar appeared later than most, which only made the remaining unmatched competitors more anxious.
At this point, everyone understood one thing clearly.
Against other opponents, there was still a chance.
Against Lin Feng, there was none.
Then, the avatars stopped.
For some, the world went dark.
"It's over… it's over… Miss Sally got matched with him…"
"Are you blind? She just made top 32…"
On the giant screen, right next to Lin Feng's name, appeared a familiar figure.
Sally.
A hugely popular influencer with millions of followers.
And at that moment, her fans in the audience were already on the verge of tears.
------------------------------
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