The final showdown

"W-what just happened?"

Stunned by his defeat, Lei Jing stared wide-eyed at the unconscious Growlithe on the field. All he could do was recall Growlithe into his Poké Ball.

"Why wasn't your Dratini affected by paralysis?"

Lei Jing was utterly bewildered. At that distance, Thunder Wave should have hurt both monsters, but Dratini's resistance was far higher than he had imagined. He had assumed Dratini would only hold out briefly before stopping Thunder Wave, allowing Growlithe to use flames to escape Dratini's Bind.

That mistaken judgment had cost Lei Jing his best chance to escape Bind. Xiao Wu had kept Growlithe tightly wrapped up and subjected Growlithe to a prolonged Thunder Wave. Even after finally breaking free, Growlithe had been left severely paralyzed, without even the strength to move, and Xiao Wu had finished the battle outright.

Chu Xin understood Lei Jing's confusion perfectly. He smiled and stroked Xiao Wu's head.

"We did special training specifically to beat Growlithe. Xiao Wu has a very strong resistance to paralysis."

"Wu, wu!" (That's right! That's right!)

Lei Jing lowered his head and stared at his Poké Ball, bitterly unwilling to accept the loss. It was all his fault. He was too weak, and his wrong commands to Growlithe had cost them the match.

Lei Jing raised his head and glared at Chu Xin.

"This time, it was my fault. Growlithe did great. But next time, I'll bring Growlithe back and beat you again. My Growlithe is the best!"

Chu Xin curled his lip and gave no reply. He wouldn't stoop to something as childish as getting revenge.

Chu Xin unconsciously ignored his own reason for entering the tournament. Hadn't he done it precisely to avenge Xiao Wu? It was only Growlithe. He would beat Growlithe every time.

Chu Xin left the arena with Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu needed a good rest now-their opponent in the final would be Bai Le.

Meanwhile, Lei Jing stared dejectedly at Growlithe's Poké Ball in his hand. Beside him, Lei Xiao sighed helplessly at the sight of her downcast nephew.

"Auntie, if you were commanding Growlithe, could you beat Chu Xin's Dratini?"

Lei Xiao hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"I understand. I'm just too weak. Next time, I'll definitely beat Chu Xin's Dratini-with my Growlithe!"

Lei Xiao stroked Lei Jing's head, comforting him after his defeat.

"I've already signed you up for the Police Academy. You'll learn a lot there. Study hard, and once you graduate, you'll be able to beat Chu Xin."

"Okay."

Chu Xin walked out of the arena with Dratini. He had no time for anything else now. Making sure Xiao Wu got a good rest mattered most.

Just as Chu Xin decided to return to the hotel, someone nearby suddenly called out to him.

"Chu Xin? Is that you?"

Chu Xin turned to look. It was Bai Yuan, whom he had defeated.

"Bai Yuan? What are you doing here?"

Bai Yuan walked up to Chu Xin with a broad smile.

"I'm waiting for someone. I watched your match, too. Xiao Wu is really impressive. Losing to you wasn't such a bad showing after all."

"Of course. My Xiao Wu is really strong."

While Chu Xin and Bai Yuan were chatting, a familiar figure approached them.

"Bai Yuan, there you are. I was wondering why I couldn't find you."

Chu Xin could never mistake the person before him. It was Bai Le, his opponent in the final.

Bai Le noticed Chu Xin as well and reached out to shake his hand.

"Hello. You're Chu Xin, right? Bai Yuan told me about you. He was unlucky to face you. I'm looking forward to battling you, too."

Chu Xin looked at Bai Le with an equally serious expression.

"Tomorrow, I'll show you what we're capable of."

After exchanging greetings, Chu Xin left with Xiao Wu.

Back at the hotel, Chu Xin no longer had the confidence he had shown in front of Bai Le. Bai Le's Scyther was simply too powerful. Even with Xiao Wu using Dynamax Energy, Chu Xin couldn't guarantee a victory. Besides, Dynamax Energy had a time limit, so he could only use it at a crucial moment.

"Aier, do you think I can beat Bai Le?"

Chu Xin asked Aier with a hint of hesitation in his voice. Beside him, Aier watched him lie despondently on the bed.

"You've already done wonderfully. You've worked hard to make it this far. Don't forget, you only set out to beat Growlithe. Facing an opponent like Bai Le was something you never expected."

That's right. Bai Le was really strong. Even his semifinal opponent had gone down in a single hit. Could Xiao Wu and I last even one round against him?

Chu Xin didn't know. But he had already come this far, and he had even boasted in front of Zhuo Yuan. He couldn't stomach losing just like this.

"No! I've come this far. I can't accept losing like this!"

Chu Xin sprang off the bed and picked up Aier's video camera again. He would study Bai Le some more. He was determined to find out what weaknesses that Scyther had.

Aier watched speechlessly as Chu Xin regained his energy, all traces of his earlier dejection gone. All that concern spent comforting him had been wasted. Aier hadn't expected him to recover so quickly.

The next morning, Chu Xin got Xiao Wu up bright and early.

"Xiao Wu, today's the final showdown! Are you ready?"

Chu Xin headed to the arena early with Xiao Wu.

From the judges' seats, Zhuo Yuan nodded as he watched Chu Xin enter the arena.

"This boy really is strong. I've decided to have him join Jindu Academy, whatever it costs in the end. With him on our side, we won't keep finishing dead last in the academy competitions."

Lei Xiao looked at Zhuo Yuan in surprise. She hadn't expected the old man to have already made up his mind.

"There's no rush. The boy might even become the champion. If he does, the terms you agreed to at the hotel still stand. I was a witness, after all."

Zhuo Yuan smiled, watching with interest as Bai Le began making his way toward the field.

"If Bai Le really loses, I'll honor those terms. But if a boy trained by an Elite Four member actually gets defeated, the look on Elite Four Bai's face should be hilarious."

Bai Le stepped onto the field and calmly regarded his opponent. This match was no different from the others. He had already seen what his opponent could do. Though strong, Chu Xin still fell short of him.

Bai Le shook his head. He was simply too strong. After all, the master who had trained him was an Elite Four member. If he actually lost in a small tournament like this, even he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"You're strong, but unfortunately, you're facing me. Give up."

Chu Xin raised an eyebrow as he looked at Bai Le across the field.

"Are you that sure you'll win? We won't know who wins until we've battled."