"Liu Qing, thank you for your help!" Xun Chaoze composed himself and recalled Gyarados into his Poké Ball, then turned to Liu Qing with gratitude.
"It was nothing. I only did what I could!" Liu Qing gave a slight nod, his tone calm.
"Whatever the case, I'll remember what you've done for me today!" Xun Chaoze replied, then turned to Kurchi beside him. "Kurchi, I've lost this match. Announce the result!"
"Young Master Chaoze, the rules call for a full six-on-six battle. You..." At Xun Chaoze's concession, Kurchi's already pale face grew even whiter. He couldn't help crying out, but Xun Chaoze cut him off.
How could Xun Chaoze possibly want to lose? But what good did his reluctance do him? How could someone who couldn't even control his own Pokémon have any right to talk about winning? He sighed and tried to keep his voice steady. "Kurchi, you don't understand. Announce the result!"
"Young Master Chaoze..." Caught in a difficult position, Kurchi could only look toward the head of the Tide Family in the stands.
"Kurchi, Chaoze has lost this match!" Xunchao Yue, the head of the Tide Family, stood and spoke calmly. Kurchi sighed and was about to announce the result when Xunchao Yue's voice reached him again.
"Young man of the Wave Wind Family, that was a splendid match, and your performance was impeccable. But doesn't winning like this feel a little incomplete?" Xunchao Yue looked at Liu Qing, who was calmly recalling Blissey. His eyes flickered as he asked with a smile.
"What do you mean, Patriarch Xunchao...?" Liu Qing looked up at him. This battle had been about their interests from the start. With other factors mixed in, it was never a battle in the purest sense. Since he had won, he had achieved his