When Eichi and Jing Wu battled, the spectator stands held more than twice their usual number of viewers.
Privately, Eichi was considered the strongest among those below Jing Wu, Tian Cheng, and Miho.
Saito, Namo, Tian Cheng, and Miho had all come to watch.
Saito let out a breath and laughed. "Haha, I knew Eichi wasn't ordinary. I never expected him to actually defeat Jing Wu."
"Although it's a little unbelievable, thinking about it carefully, it was still within expectations."
"Namo, you're probably no longer Eichi's match now."
Namo, who was sitting beside him, changed expression before quickly recovering. "Who's stronger and who's weaker, we'll only know after a battle."
"As it happens, my next opponent is Eichi. I'd like to see just how strong he is."
Saito smiled without saying anything. He did not know whether Namo truly had the strength to back up those words or was merely saying them to save face.
At the other end, Tian Cheng had watched their battle with complete seriousness. Afterward, he said, "Eichi is a powerful Trainer. Everyone has underestimated him."
His friend asked in confusion, "Is he really that strong? That Eichi fellow only barely won, from what I saw."
Tian Cheng shook his head. "Those six Pokémon you saw are not all he has."
"I heard that Eichi still has even stronger Pokémon he hasn't used. He's only stronger than we imagined."
His friend was startled. "Really? He's already reached this level, yet he still wants to hide his strength? Isn't he afraid of overdoing it?"
Tian Cheng said with some admiration, "Perhaps he's very confident in his own strength and believes he can handle all of us with it."
"But we're no pushovers either. When the time comes, I'll have a proper battle with him and let him