Detailed Preparation Work

That was too close! I almost flipped over right at the end!

"Great battle. My Arbok was still lacking in strength, but next time I'll definitely win against you."

Although Wang Xing lost the match, he still looked at Chu Xin with a wide grin, seeming not to mind his defeat at all.

"We won somewhat by luck this time, but next time we won't."

The two of them bumped fists with a smile and then left the arena. The entire match made Chu Xin see many of Xiao Wu's shortcomings, and he would have to train hard when they got back.

Zhuo Yuan frowned slightly from the referee's bench as he watched Chu Xin on the field.

"This kid is indeed outstanding, but if this is all he's got, there's still no way he can take the Champion title. After all, Bai Le is no ordinary person!"

This match had revealed a lot of things. Although that Dratini looked a bit battered, careful observation would reveal that every attack from the Arbok had failed to deal significant damage to it. On the other hand, even though Dratini's fighting spirit had fallen into a slump due to fear and every dodge looked quite flustered, its counterattacks inflicted considerable damage on the Arbok every single time. That Dratini's physical constitution was far superior to the Arbok's, and as long as it calmed down, securing victory would be easy.

"I didn't expect that kid to have grown to this stage already."

Lei Xiao looked at Chu Xin with a hint of emotion. Her feelings were vastly different from Zhuo Yuan's beside her, as she was someone who had truly battled Xiao Wu.

A few months ago, Xiao Wu couldn't even dodge Growlithe's attacks, and any hit meant severe injuries. But now, that Dratini was already not inferior to Growlithe!

Growlithe had undergone half a year of training under her own care, yet Xiao Wu had only been alive for half a year since birth. Just how was Chen Huan helping Chu Xin nurture it?

She would have to find Chen Huan for a chat another day. Given how dirt-poor he was, she should be able to swindle his nurturing methods away.

Back at the Jindu Gym, Chen Huan had just received this month's tuition fees, totaling a full 350 Pokéblocks. A delighted Chen Huan never imagined that someone was already plotting against him.

Chu Xin didn't rush back to the hotel after leaving the arena either. Instead, he sat down at a nearby bubble tea shop and ordered a cup of bubble tea to rest.

Now that most people had rushed to the competition venue, the bubble tea shop outside appeared rather quiet.

Chu Xin placed Xiao Wu on a nearby chair, took a sip of the bubble tea in his hand, and started playing with his phone.

The first match of the Top 16 was a bit difficult, but winning was still pretty effortless!

He attached a photo he had taken on the spot and posted it to his Moments, and his mom quickly sent a message over.

"Wow, Top 16! You're amazing, son. Back in the day, your mom only just managed to squeeze into the top fifty. You're really giving your old mom face!"

Chu Xin chuckled and replied to his mom.

"Of course! Look at whose son I am!"

Then, Sister Lei Xiao also left a few comments.

"That Dratini is very strong now. I truly can't believe it was just born a few months ago. Your nurturing methods are quite good."

Chu Xin also replied with a smiley face and expressed his thanks.

"Hmph, my Growlithe is invincible!!"

Wait, how is Lei Jing able to see my Moments? Didn't I block him?

Upon closer inspection, Chu Xin saw it was actually a burner account. He hadn't expected Lei Jing to specifically create a burner account just to taunt him.

Chu Xin didn't reply to Lei Jing, immediately sending him to the blacklist instead. There was nothing to discuss with a guy like that-their personalities clashed!

However, after waiting for a long time, he still didn't see any reply from his dad. Could his phone be out of battery?

He finally asked his mom and learned that his dad was just too embarrassed and pretended not to see it out of shame. In reality, his dad had seen it the instant Chu Xin posted it, crying and laughing with wildly fluctuating emotions.

Missing the chance to see his dad make a fool of himself was truly a pity.

Xiao Wu, sitting next to him, looked at the bubble tea placed on the table with a face full of curiosity.

Just now, Chu Xin and the bubble tea seemed very happy. Could this bubble tea be that delicious?

A puzzled Xiao Wu finally couldn't help but take a taste. The milky aroma swirled in its mouth, accompanied by a strange fragrance.

Σ(っ °Д °;)っU

This bubble tea is so delicious!

Have another sip.

Before he knew it, Xiao Wu drank the bubble tea in the cup clean down to the last drop.

Oh no, what do I do now? Chu Xin is going to want to drink some in a moment.

Right at that moment, Chu Xin picked up the cup in his hand and took a sip, but only swallowed air.

"Huh? How is it empty?"

Looking at the ashamed-looking Xiao Wu beside him, Chu Xin instantly guessed the identity of the little troublemaker.

"Do you like drinking bubble tea that much?"

Chu Xin reached out and stroked Xiao Wu's head. Hearing Chu Xin's words, Xiao Wu raised its head and nodded guiltily.

Chu Xin found Xiao Wu's embarrassed look quite amusing. It gave him the feeling of seeing his own child commit a wrongdoing and put on a aggrieved expression.

"It's fine, it's just a cup of bubble tea. If you want to drink more, I'll go buy another one."

"Wu!" (Really?)

Xiao Wu's eyes flashed with light, and it nodded vigorously.

A short while later, Chu Xin and Xiao Wu each had a cup of bubble tea placed in front of them. Xiao Wu happily bit down on the straw, drinking its bubble tea in bliss.

Chu Xin was in no mood to play with his phone now. He drank his bubble tea while looking around, clearly waiting for someone.

Before long, Aier entered the bubble tea shop holding a video camera. At the same time, the spectators outside were leaving one after another; it seemed today's matches had already concluded.

"Did you get it all?"

Aier placed the camera in her hand onto the table and looked at Chu Xin with a weary expression.

"Yeah, I got it all."

Chu Xin's matches were relatively late, but in order to understand his opponents' information, Chu Xin had specifically asked Aier to help record all the matches so he could review them later.

Through today's battle, Chu Xin grew increasingly aware of the importance of pre-match preparations. If he had known in advance that his opponent's Pokémon was an Arbok, he could have mentally prepared Xiao Wu, and things wouldn't have ended up as battered as they did today.

Not a single contestant who made it to the Top 16 was easy to deal with, and he still needed to make meticulous preparations.

Recording all the matches was a troublesome task after all. Although Aier had agreed, recording the entire process still exhausted her to the point of collapse. In order to capture good results, Aier really had to hold the camera with absolute concentration.

She should have bought a tripod back then; that way she wouldn't have had to hold it the whole time, and her two arms right now honestly had zero feeling left in them.

Seeing Aier's fatigue, Chu Xin felt a bit apologetic as he picked up his bubble tea and extended it toward Aier's mouth.

"Want a sip?"

Aier averted her gaze, ignored the bubble tea by her mouth, and stared at Chu Xin with a serious expression.

"If you don't take a good ranking, I'll teach you a very profound lesson!"