Time passed slowly, and soon it was participant number 66 Lin Feng's turn.
Among the other trainers, the 65th participant glanced around the arena, curious to see which unlucky opponent he would face. He was ranked among the top students in the prestigious direct-track class of Changsha City's first high school. In the world of novels, he would be considered a legendary prodigy.
But as he observed, he noticed that only one person in the room had stood up and was walking forward.
That was… Lin Feng, standing beside the towering Serperior.
"What the…?"
His eyes widened as he took in Lin Feng rising to join him.
This was it. The prodigy's downfall had arrived. Facing this "overlord," what chance did he have?
He walked onto the battlefield slowly, weighed down by frustration and despair. According to his own strength, reaching the semifinals might have been challenging, but the top sixteen should have been secure. Yet now… a first-round elimination seemed inevitable.
Lin Feng, on the other hand, didn't concern himself with the other trainer's emotions. He was busy considering which Pokémon to use. Perhaps it was time to let the Eevee squad get some exercise. The rest of his Pokémon were far too strong for this stage; using them would be overkill.
But that consideration vanished the moment the opponent released his Rapidash.
Pokémon: Rapidash
Gender: Male
Ability: Run Away
Nature: Purple
Individual Values: HP 25, Attack 28, Special Attack 19, Defense 20, Special Defense 21, Speed 28
Level: 30–32
Moves: Tail Whip, Poison Sting, Ember, Flame Wheel, Stomp, Fire Spin, Agility, Toxic, Double Team, Strength, Charm, Play Rough…
Lin Feng couldn't help twitching at a glance at the move list. Ember, Flame Wheel, Stomp, Toxic, Double Team, Strength… and now moves like Charm and Play Rough?
No wonder this Rapidash had enthusiastically rushed to its trainer upon being released, licking his face with its tongue. The trainer's face reddened as he shouted, "Stop licking me! This is a battle arena!"
Rapidash ignored him, utterly carefree. Clearly, the bond between the trainer and Pokémon was strong, but public displays like this were a bit over the top. Lin Feng cast a quick glance at the audience above. Every face was a mixture of shock and amusement.
Since the Rapidash had Charm, Lin Feng decided not to send out Alolan Vulpix. That would have been too risky especially with a male Rapidash on the field.
Instead, he called out the Pokémon suited for this situation.
"Your turn, Blaziken!"
"Cha!"
The Blaziken's entry drew immediate attention. Initially, spectators assumed it was feeding time, but within moments, the cheering rose into a roar. Some even shouted its name.
"What a handsome Blaziken! Look at that physique…"
"I watched its battle yesterday it was insanely fast! The other trainer was like a slippery little rascal, darting around everywhere, but could never catch sight of Blaziken. So cool!"
"Yes! Someone even clipped that battle video… it's like teasing a little kid!"
Blaziken straightened its posture, adopting the confident air of the third squad captain of the Nine-Tailed Hero team. Though it currently had no subordinates, it believed they would come eventually. Just as its trainer had said: bread will come, milk will come, and even fried eggs will come.
Lin Feng blinked. He hadn't even checked any videos of the Youth Cup yesterday, so he didn't know how Blaziken's reputation had grown so suddenly. It had merely played a little trick on the opposing trainer the day before.
Glancing at Blaziken's stats:
Pokémon: Blaziken
Gender: Male
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Red
Level: 42–45
Moves: Ember, Peck, Quick Attack, Blaze Kick, Sand Attack, U-turn, Sucker Punch, Brick Break, Dig, Agility, Detect, Flamethrower…
Nothing had changed.
As Lin Feng pondered what yesterday's battle might have done to make Blaziken famous, the opposing trainer finally struggled to his feet from beneath Rapidash. Inspiration struck him. He called out toward Lin Feng:
"Hey, friend!"
There was about half a minute of prep time before the match officially began, so shouting now was acceptable.
"Hmm?" Lin Feng's thoughts were interrupted. He looked toward the opponent. "What is it?"
"Here's an idea," the trainer said. "You see, my Rapidash is a natural runner, and your Blaziken is also fast. How about we race? A straight sprint around the arena for five minutes the faster Pokémon wins!"
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "A race?"
"Yes! A footrace around the arena. Whoever covers the distance fastest in five minutes wins. Seems fair, right?"
The trainer reasoned that in a traditional battle, his chances were slim, but in a race, his Rapidash might have an advantage. Horses were renowned for endurance, after all. And his Rapidash had even earned a top-three finish in Changsha's Summer Horse Races. Speed was its specialty. Five minutes could be plenty of time.
Lin Feng's face twisted into a peculiar expression. "Are you serious?"
Blaziken, however, immediately lit up with excitement. A race? That sounded perfect! It wanted to emulate its trainer!
"Friend, I think this works," the opponent said earnestly, "after all, Pokémon aren't just for battles. Running is part of their nature."
Lin Feng looked toward Li Bing, who had been energetically commentating, then toward the referees above. After gaining permission from the judges and most of the audience, Blaziken and Rapidash lined up at the starting line.
Rapidash pawed at the ground, focused and determined.
At the signal, "Start!" both Pokémon surged forward, their powerful strides echoing across the arena.