"Gardevoir, go!"
The elegant Gardevoir in her pure white gown appeared on the battlefield, instantly drawing gasps from the crowd.
Lin Yu hadn't used Gardevoir even once during the Hunan Provincial Tournament, so her first national-stage appearance sent the audience roaring.
It couldn't be helped — Gardevoir was breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly rare.
To many fans, she was the perfect Pokémon.
"I'm counting on you, Gardevoir."
Lin Yu shot a gentle glance at the affectionate Gardevoir, who was leaning toward him; there were far too many spectators.
Gardevoir pulled back and telepathically chirped:
"Gardev~ Leave it to me~"
"Damn it!"
Xie Bi'an froze on the spot.
Gardevoir? A Fairy- and Psychic-type Gardevoir…
"Sorry about this!" Lin Yu chuckled lightly.
Against a Dragon-type like Flygon, a Fairy-type Gardevoir held a crushing type advantage.
"Curse you! Flygon, Flamethrower!"
Neutralizing Flygon's Dragon-type moves was like crippling half its strength.
His trump card was rendered useless right away!
"Teleport!"
Lin Yu remained completely calm.
On such a vast battlefield, a Psychic-type could evade attacks with almost no effort.
"Toxic — accelerated with Psychic!"
Teleporting directly behind Flygon, Gardevoir unleashed a stream of purple venom, wrapped in sharp Psychic energy, that struck Flygon at blistering speed.
Xie Bi'an felt utterly helpless.
A Ground- and Dragon-type Flygon was completely outmatched by Gardevoir, and it was barely proficient with its non-STAB moves.
This was turning into another one-sided beatdown.
Purple toxic bubbles bubbled across Flygon's body.
[Rhythm Master] activated — the power of the toxic buildup intensified with every passing second.
"One more Psychic."
Showing no mercy to the suffering Flygon, Lin Yu gave the order.
A devastating Psychic blast slammed Flygon downward toward the arena floor.
No matter how loudly Xie Bi'an shouted "Hang in there!", it made no difference.
The commentator quickly announced:
"Flygon has touched the ground! Lin Yu wins the match and advances to the top 16!"
Amid thunderous applause, Lin Yu added Xie Bi'an on WeChat as promised.
Watching Lin Yu praise Gardevoir, Xie Bi'an shook his head bitterly.
"This feels awful."
The fight had been completely one-sided and humiliating.
In the stands, Qing Fei clenched his fists as he watched Lin Yu breeze through the third round.
Once again, he felt the vast gap between them.
He had also advanced, but his victory had been grueling compared to Lin Yu's effortless control.
This tournament gathered the nation's most talented Trainers — geniuses were everywhere.
Every contestant here would be a top contender for the provincial championship back home.
And the battlefield…
if the Flying Field was chosen, how could he possibly fight Lin Yu?
Arcanine? Sceptile? Neither stood a chance even against Lucario in the air, let alone Charizard, Gardevoir, or any new Pokémon Lin Yu might have caught.
It seemed he would have to unleash the power of the stone slab again…
Lin Yu had just returned to the stands, his Aura still active, when he immediately sensed malicious intent.
But once he saw it was Qing Fei, he brushed it off.
He would just beat him into submission on the battlefield later.
"Your Pokémon always manage to surprise us, junior."
"Brother, you were amazing~"
Praise like this from others might not have moved him, but coming from these two, Lin Yu couldn't help but feel a little smug.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Hah, it's your turn, senior. Good luck!"
The fourth round arrived.
Lin Yu faced another capital Trainer, one even weaker than Xie Bi'an.
The match ended without any surprises.
What shocked Lin Yu was that Xue Nai had lost — to Qing Fei.
In just a few days, Qing Fei's Arcanine and Sceptile had jumped from Level 40 to Level 43.
That kind of growth was terrifying.
The fifth round was even more shocking.
Arcanine and Sceptile hit Level 44, and in the top-eight 3v3 matches, Qing Fei revealed a new Pokémon:
Corviknight, Level 43.
Had he prepared this explosive power spike specifically to counter Lin Yu?
Either way, Lin Yu now had a strong suspicion about that mysterious stone slab.
In the new weekly Entry refresh, Lin Yu obtained an intriguing one:
[Blue Entry (Ability Capsule – Pickup) – When landing a hit in battle, there is a chance to knock off the opponent's held item. This Entry disintegrates after 3 uses.]
An interesting ability…
The [Wish Come True] Entry was now at 42/100 progress.
July 15th
Only one match remained before the national finals.
The semi-finalists were set:
Lin Yu, Qing Fei, Ye Qingxue, and a Trainer from Xizang.
So far, the Xizang Trainer had revealed Lycanroc, Chesnaught, and Tauros.
His remaining Pokémon were unknown, but with that team composition, he would almost certainly lose if the Water or Flying Field was selected.
In the first top-four match, the Water Field was drawn — and Ye Qingxue dominated without any suspense.
That left the main event:
Lin Yu vs. Qing Fei.
The stands were packed to capacity, waves of cheers rolling across the stadium like a tide.
Everyone was desperate to see who would fight for the championship.
Some muttered in amazement:
"Who would've thought? Besides Goddess Ye, the other three semi-finalists are all from other provinces!"
"Tell me about it. Thank goodness she's here, or the capital would be a laughingstock."
"But now the champion is really up in the air!"
"Both Qing Fei and Lin Yu are insanely strong!"
"Qing Fei looks stronger right now, but I'm betting on Lin Yu's Pokémon."
"Totally. Qing Fei's style is way too brutal… overly aggressive."
The speaker shrank back, nervous of Qing Fei's intense fanbase.
Only when no one reacted did he continue:
"Besides, Lin Yu's Pokémon are perfect. Gardevoir is stunning! I can't even imagine what it's like to hold her every day!"
Under the gaze of thousands, the semi-final match officially began.