N stood there, a rare trace of bewilderment flashing through his emerald eyes.
With his long-held confidence, he had never imagined he would lose.
Even though he had heard Ghetsis and the Seven Sages discuss how formidable this man was, he had still never imagined he would lose.
It was confidence, but it was also that, without seeing it for himself, he simply did not believe anyone in the world could be so formidable, that a Pokémon Trainer could be so powerful.
But now...
The defeat lay clearly before his eyes. The powerful Zoroark he had carefully selected had been beaten cleanly in such a short time, without even managing to inflict any effective damage on that white, strangely shaped Zoroark.
For N, this was more than just losing a battle.
He slowly walked forward, his movements still carrying his innate elegance, but a careful observer would have noticed the slight trembling of his fingertips. When he reached his Zoroark, he knelt on one knee and reached out, gently stroking the brow that remained faintly furrowed even after Zoroark had lost consciousness. He murmured softly in a language only he and Pokémon could understand, then carefully recalled Zoroark into a Poké Ball.
The gesture looked less like putting away a tool and more like settling an injured friend.
Xia You watched without betraying anything.
Honestly, he found it hard to relate to N.
Even if his own Pokémon were injured or defeated, he would not recall them in such an "affected" manner as N did.
After all, his Pokémon... were nowhere near that delicate.
If they were beaten, it simply meant they were not strong enough. They just needed to work harder next time. What use was comforting them like that?
Of course, those were only Xia You's own thoughts,