"Complete domination, huh~"
Liuqia remarked, then immediately noticed the silence in the preparation room.
Puzzled, she turned her head to see the contestants around her, their expressions varied, seemingly shocked by the terrifying power of the Mega Mawile on TV.
Even Xiaoguang and Xiaogang looked surprised, while the little penguin, Piplup, was as if petrified standing in place.
"Piplup, pip~"
Is it really that strange?
A trainer aiming to be a Regional Champion having this kind of power should be normal, right?
Didn't Baimu tell them?
Liuqia tilted her head, suddenly remembered it was her turn next, and quickly waved goodbye to everyone, "Guys, I'll be going now!"
"Ah!"
The two snapped back as if waking from a dream, with Xiaoguang even chasing after to cheer for Liuqia.
A moment later.
Baimu returned with Mawile and Blissey, naturally drawing direct glances from the other contestants. Mawile felt uneasy under these slightly hostile and competitive gazes—
Mainly because it couldn't fight them.
"Mawile~"
It greeted Piplup, then instructed Baimu to return it to the Pokeball.
"Piplup, pip?"
Piplup went up to try and keep it, but unfortunately, Mawile had made up its mind, so it could only watch helplessly as Mawile returned to the Pokeball to rest.
The little penguin showed a disappointed face.
The nearby Blissey lovingly embraced this poor child into its arms.
"Happy~"
It certainly didn't understand what love was, but could feel Piplup's gloom, habitually showing a gentle side to comfort the latter.
"Piplup~"
Feeling warmth, Piplup's emotions broke instantly, tears gushing like fountains from its eyes.
It's not easy being a simp penguin.
The object of its crush is too strong, simping is really tiring~
Xiaoguang squatted awkwardly next to it, whispering, "Piplup~ are you okay?"
"Unrequited love, I know that feeling!"
Xiaogang had a face full of empathy.
Baimu asked, "Dr. Neimu?"
"How do you know?"
Xiaogang turned around in shock, trying hard to widen his eyes to show his emotions, but they still looked like thin lines.
Baimu repeated in slight surprise, "It really was Dr. Neimu!"
"Please don't ask anymore..."
Xiaogang cried cartoonish tears, curling up on the ground hugging his knees, as if he had lost his soul.
Xiaoguang curiously looked at Baimu, "Who is Dr. Neimu?"
"Wuuup!"
Xiaogang shuddered as if hit by an arrow, mumbling repeatedly, "Don't ask anymore... don't ask anymore..."
Baimu said, "Dr. Neimu is an expert studying Pokémon regional form differences in the Orange Islands. I think Xiaogang probably had a crush on Dr. Neimu but got friendzoned?"
His eyes were constantly observing Xiaogang, and every time he mentioned the name Dr. Neimu, Xiaogang's demeanor darkened even more.
Clearly, Dr. Neimu gave Xiaogang an unforgettable experience.
First love?
Hmm...
Getting friendzoned doesn't really count as first love, does it?
In any case, picking on anime characters is really too amusing.
"Hahahaha... sorry, sorry! Why don't you punch me?"
Baimu laughed heartily while pulling Xiaogang up, the latter looking at him with deep resentment, understanding that this guy had brought it up on purpose.
But who told him about Dr. Neimu?
Xiaogang was baffled.
Everyone turned their attention back to the TV, just as Liuqia's match ended.
She also didn't need the full five minutes; the combination of Altaria and Galarian Rapidash took just two and a half minutes to completely deplete the opponent's score.
"Xiaoguang! Piplup! You're up next!"
He said to Piplup, who couldn't see forward, and Xiaoguang, who didn't know how to console.
Piplup was stunned.
It quickly emerged from Blissey's warm embrace, shaking its head like wringing water and looked up at Xiaoguang beside it.
"Piplup!"
"Piplup~"
Xiaoguang saw Piplup's eyes filled with determination and fighting spirit, unsure whether to be relieved or concerned.
Baimu could be sure this little penguin clearly separated "romance" and "career".
It would not tolerate the trainer losing at such an important event because of it, much like his own Pokémon.
"Piplup~"
Piplup called out again.
"As long as you're okay, then I'm okay too!"
Xiaoguang hesitated no more, setting off with Piplup.
As expected.
Piplup, just as he thought, wasn't impacted by the previous incident during the match, even regaining confidence from the victory.
"Piplup!"
It returned, proud and confident.
Baimu couldn't help but want to give it a big thumbs-up.
The afternoon arrived.
The first round of the contest battle ended perfectly.
Those who advanced were all within Baimu's expectations, including Wula La, Ge Mann, Mira, and two new Coordinator Trainers who scored above 90 in the first review.
No dark horse contestants emerged.
Among the familiar faces, Ling Juan lost to Wula La and didn't advance.
He felt fortunate yet inexplicably a bit regretful.
Regret about what?
No Divine Beast Man appeared to beat him up?
Truly a strange thought.
Baimu shook his head, realizing that after achieving a perfect score in the contest and a smooth battle in the morning, his mindset was getting a bit too cocky.
He no longer even considered Liuqia and Xiaoguang as challengers.
This wasn't a good thing.
All along, his victories weren't just due to the hard work of his Pokémon but also his emphasis on tactical planning.
Whether fighting stronger or weaker opponents, he would devise strategies.
The same applied to street battles.