He won!
Baimu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The biggest uncertainty in this match had not been Gao Mei bringing out a Pokémon absent from his notes. It had been whether Dragapult could fight with tens of thousands of eyes on him.
As it turned out, the little guy had come through. He had overcome his fear.
"That was hard on you."
Baimu stroked Dragapult's flat head with relief. The moment the referee had declared the match over, Dragapult had turned invisible. He had clearly been holding on by a thread.
The two Dreepy buzzed around Baimu like flies, crying out excitedly.
It was their first time experiencing a tournament like this. Though they were still getting used to it, hearing the crowd cheer after a victory felt wonderful.
Meanwhile,
Gao Mei came around from the other side.
"What a spectacular battle. I'm still no match for you."
She showed little frustration over her loss. Smiling faintly, she held out a fair-skinned hand.
Baimu shook it. "You're too kind. Your command of Pokémon moves is excellent too. I'm sure you'd achieve great things if you entered a Pokémon Contest."
"Really? I'm delighted to receive such high praise from a rising Pokémon Contest star." Gao Mei smiled warmly, her voice gentle. "Please keep winning for my sake too. I'll be cheering you on!"
He nodded. "Thank you! I will!"
Staying levelheaded after a defeat sounded simple, but it was anything but.
No one wanted to lose. Who could feel fine watching a year's hard work end in a single match?
That was why trainers who remained gracious in victory and defeat, who could speak amicably with their opponents and look forward to a rematch, deserved such respect.
Outside the arena,
Baimu rejoined the others.
Iris rushed up to him,