I believed Feebas could now withstand and evade Sannigone's attacks, even after its abilities had risen several levels.
I would plan more carefully the next time we fought.
"Yuri."
"Huh!?"
At the sudden voice, I reacted instinctively and turned my attention toward the stands. There, I saw the person I admired. The stands were a considerable distance from the battlefield. Ordinary speech, and even loud shouting, should never have reached the competitors' ears. In fact, probably very few people had heard Furia's scream. Yet I heard this perfectly clearly. And-
"Don't give up."
"Xuan."
When I looked into Filia's eyes, encouragement from both her and Feebas reached me.
That's right. What am I doing?
Feebas had not even fought yet. And still, I was already thinking about the next challenge.
I had already given up on this battle.
That was the worst thing I could have done. It was one thing to give up on myself, but I was sorry that I had not even believed in my precious Pokémon.
The atmosphere in the stands had shaken me, my opponent's strength had swallowed me whole, and, most importantly, I had accepted everyone else's assessment of Feebas instead of believing in my Pokémon. I could not forgive myself. I was so frustrated, so bitterly frustrated that I could hardly stand it.
The battle isn't over yet! It might already be too late. But if Feebas says he'll do it, I have to believe. If it were Furia, that's exactly what I'd do. Because that's what I would do.
I did not want to show such an ugly side of myself in front of the person I admired. To become a Trainer who could proudly tell her that I admired her, I could not give up here.
"Sannigone, Dragon Energy!"
I had