Lin Feng waved a hand. "Can't do it."
Then he strode toward the exit.
Did they think a little money was enough to make him throw a match like this?
Chi Heng was left standing there, his smile frozen. After more than ten seconds, his expression darkened. "What an arrogant young man. Can't tell good from bad, can he?"
He paced in place for a few moments, then picked up his phone and called his son over.
"What is it, Dad?"
A boy holding a bottle of Otaku Happy Water walked in.
Seeing his son, Chi Heng's expression softened again. "In the final match, when you face that Snivy, have Lapras stop suppressing its energy. Let it fight at its strongest."
"That Snivy is highly skilled."
"Alright, alright." The short, chubby boy replied impatiently and turned to leave, muttering under his breath, "You said all I had to do this match was call out Water Gun..."
Yet the corners of his mouth were clearly raised.
╰(‵□′)╯: "Snivy!"
The moment they returned to the Competitor Seats,
Snivy indignantly complained to Lin Feng.
That human had looked down on it so much, saying it definitely could not defeat that Lapras!
Lin Feng smiled and patted its head, comforting it.
"Hey, look at it from another angle. They came looking for us specifically because we're too strong. They must be worried that we'll take the championship from them."
Snivy looked puzzled. "Snivy?" (Is that so?)
Lin Feng nodded solemnly. "Of course."
But inwardly, he found it even more amusing.
This little guy
was very smart, but it still understood far too little about the Human World.
It was normal that it could not see through these tricks.
"Snivy..."
Snivy also felt Lin Feng made sense. Its anger subsided somewhat, though a fierce determination remained in its heart.
Just then, the semifinals began.
This time, their opponent was a Trainer with a Spearow.
What was strange was that Qin Shu had drawn a bye again...
That was absurd.
Lin Feng even glanced up at Li Bing in the sky, then recalled what had happened earlier. He suspected they were rigging the matches.
Against a mere level fifteen Spearow, Snivy naturally won with ease.
At around four in the afternoon, the final officially began.
The winner would become the champion of this Baby Cup.
Three minutes before the final began,
a chubby boy holding a bag of chips came over to Lin Feng. His tiny, nearly invisible eyes stared at him. "Hey..."
"Hm?" Lin Feng looked surprised. "What is it?"
If he remembered correctly, this boy should have been Lapras's Trainer.
Why had he come looking for him at a time like this?
"I heard from my dad that you're really strong?" Chi Chang asked curiously.
"Uh, whether I'm strong or not, we'll only know after battling. Do you need something?"
Because of Chi Heng's earlier attempt to make a deal, Lin Feng did not have a favorable impression of the chubby boy.
But Chi Chang did not notice Lin Feng's dislike. "Then you must be really strong. Otherwise, my dad wouldn't have told Lapras to suppress its energy. Honestly, I never wanted to suppress Lapras's energy evolution like this."
Lin Feng was somewhat surprised. "Oh? Why not?"
Chi Chang picked up a chip. "Want one?"
Lin Feng looked at the trace of saliva on his fingers and shook his head.
"It's simple. It makes Lapras uncomfortable. But my dad has always wanted me to become a Trainer. I don't know which Breeder gave him this information, saying that temporarily suppressing Lapras's energy evolution could raise its potential. I think he got scammed without realizing it, and besides..."
A hint of helplessness appeared on his face. "Do I look like I'm cut out to be a Trainer?"
Clearly, he opposed the way his father had arranged his life.
Lin Feng answered honestly, "Um... not really, but you can train yourself into it."
Anyone could become a Trainer.
But not everyone was suited to becoming one.
Traveling, challenging opponents, taking on Gyms...
All of those were extremely dangerous activities.
If one truly wanted to become a Trainer, a healthy physique was essential. That also required a certain level of physical training.
Moreover, one thing was certain.
In this world, human physiques could, just like Fighting-type Pokémon, be greatly strengthened through training!
The boy in front of him was around five foot seven, but he probably weighed nearly two hundred pounds. The flesh on his body hung loose.
Rationally speaking, someone with such a physique truly was not suited to being a Trainer.
Chi Chang nodded in agreement and tossed the chips onto a nearby table. "Right? That's what I think too. Forget it, the battle's about to start. Just give it your all later. Winning or losing doesn't matter to me."
After saying that, he naturally headed toward the battlefield.
Yet he unconsciously quickened his pace, as though he could not wait to step onto the field.
This was the first time Lin Feng had seen him act like that after watching several of his matches.
He shook his head. His initial dislike had faded, and he followed Chi Chang onto the field.
The final match.
As Snivy and Lapras took the field, the audience seats finally grew a little more enthusiastic, and cheers rose up!
"It's the final! Finally, the final! This one's actually kind of exciting. One Lapras that has only needed a single Water Gun to win every match, and one Snivy that has only used Vine Whip and Leaf Blade. Both Pokémon have been hiding their moves!"
"If you ask me, Lapras should still have the better odds. Even with Type Advantage, Snivy is still only a starter-stage Pokémon..."
"Sigh, I like both Pokémon, but I prefer that Snivy. The way it battles feels so elegant..."
A C-Rank Water Stone, Lapras's Out-of-Control Breakthrough
"Wooo~!"
A long, joyous cry rang throughout the entire arena.
At the same time, a system notification sounded beside Lin Feng's ear.
Congratulations to the host for raising Lapras's Joy Value from 10% to 75%. Reward: ten bags of Golden Fertilizer, one Rare Candy, and one C-rank Water Stone.
The instant Lapras was released, its body was surrounded by the aura of flowing water.
No one could understand how it felt at that moment.
Suppressing its energy strength was like a plastic bag filled to the brim with water, with more and more water constantly being poured inside. The pressure the bag endured would only grow greater and greater.
The swelling pain inside its body would also become increasingly intense.
Now that it had finally been released, it even felt a measure of gratitude toward Lin Feng, its opponent.
During that time,
Lin Feng tactfully did not give Snivy an attack command.
Instead, he waited quietly for its opponent's evolution to finish.
But...
"Wooo~!"
The cry that had once been filled with excitement suddenly became tinged with pain. Lapras's body twisted restlessly.
This abnormality immediately drew the audience's attention.
"That's strange. What's wrong with Lapras? Why is it crying so miserably the moment it comes out? Hasn't the battle even started yet?"
"That's so strange..."
Their anticipation for the match turned into worry for Lapras.
"Requesting a pause! Requesting a pause!" Chi Chang's expression immediately turned panicked at the sight. He waved toward the sky and shouted.
Though he had only officially become a Trainer recently, Lapras had actually been with him for several months.
Above them, Li Bing reacted as well. With a frown, he immediately had Aegislash fly down to inspect Lapras's condition.
The water vapor swirling around it was clearly overflowing from within its body. Even the surrounding grass had become damp.
No wonder he had always felt that something was off about this Lapras.
During battles, it had never moved a step. Even when its opponent's attacks struck its body, it would not move, and it had never hesitated to expend the energy inside it.
Now it seemed this was because it had suppressed its breakthrough for too long.
Before you continue