"Jirachi~ Do you like them?"
Jirachi asked eagerly, watching as the Pokémon came forward to receive their gifts.
"Xiuxiu~" (Yes, yes…)
"Bu Yi, Bu Yi!" (Wow, we all got one!)
"Ying Ying Ying…" (Hehe, I'll give it a little red scarf, too. That way, it'll be my Six-Tailed Hero's signature!)
It was clear that everyone loved the gifts Jirachi had prepared.
Goodra, however, hesitated slightly. Its hands were covered in sticky slime, and it worried that it might dirty its doll. In the end, Lin Feng's Mew quietly added a layer of psychic energy around the toy, protecting it from the slime.
"Bu Yi, Bu Yi~" (Thank you, Jirachi.)
"Ying Ying Ying~" (I love it!)
"Jirachi, Jirachi~" (I'm glad you all like them… too bad I didn't have one for Lin Feng,) Jirachi said with a hint of regret.
Lin Feng could only smile inwardly. He wasn't famous enough to have dolls made in his own likeness. And if he were to make one, it would probably start as a figurine first.
"Alright, the match is about to start. I'll come back after I finish this one…"
Glancing at the time and the filling audience seats, Lin Feng gathered all his Pokémon and brought them close to the contestant area.
By now, all eight competitors had a solid understanding of each other's strengths. Each knew what Pokémon their opponents were likely to use. Every participant was strong, and the differences in their abilities were subtle.
At this point, victory would hinge on type matchups, move strategies, and the quick thinking of both trainer and Pokémon in battle. In cases where the matchup naturally countered a trainer's Pokémon, one might look grim, while the opponent remained relaxed.
Lin Feng didn't mind at all. The Eevee trio had no chance of being used here. Fireblaze Chicken would handle things efficiently. As for Glaceon's reluctance to aim for first place, Lin Feng already understood why it didn't care to leave a name for itself in the records.
Just then, a girl approached, and Lin Feng instinctively tensed.
"Uh… hello, Lin Feng…"
"Hmm? Yes? What is it?"
Hearing the familiar title, Lin Feng looked up. The girl was petite, about 1.55 meters tall, with her hair tied in a bun. Her face held a mix of nervousness and awkwardness as she tried to speak.
Lin Feng remembered her. She had left a strong impression. Her Pokémon was a Mystical Fire Fox, quite capable in battle. What made her memorable was that from the first round until now, she had only ever used that one Pokémon, unlike the other trainers who had deployed two or three Pokémon by this stage.
The girl fidgeted and spoke softly, "I'm your opponent for this round…"
"Hmm…" Lin Feng's mind stirred slightly, but he said nothing.
"I wanted to ask… Lin Feng, which Pokémon will you use later?"
Su Luolo sighed quietly but couldn't help asking.
"Ah? Why do you want to know that?" Lin Feng's curiosity piqued. Asking a competitor about their lineup before a match was often considered a sign of weakness.
Su Luolo's cheeks reddened as she stammered, "Because if you use Goodra, I'll just surrender…"
Lin Feng tilted his head, intrigued. He had no intention of using Goodra in this battle, but her reasoning seemed incomplete.
"I… want to raise my other Pokémon…"
"It… it eats a lot…"
"If you use anything else, I feel I might still have a chance…"
Su Luolo's face flushed even deeper as she spoke.
"Eats a lot?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, curious. Pokémon with insatiable appetites weren't uncommon for him. The clearest example was Fireblaze Chicken. Then there was Luan Ming's Snorlax, another famously voracious eater. Usually, however, such Pokémon didn't require excessive spending. Luan Ming earned barely over a hundred thousand a month and still managed to raise his Snorlax properly. Only Pokémon that needed special foods could truly strain a trainer's resources.
"What Pokémon eats that much? More than my Fireblaze Chicken?" Lin Feng asked teasingly, noting Su Luolo's nervous expression.
"Chah?" Fireblaze Chicken looked on curiously, clearly intrigued to see if there was another Pokémon with an appetite like its own.
"It… it's this one…"
The girl clearly had seen Lin Feng's videos and knew about Fireblaze Chicken. She remembered a clip where Lin Feng had placed a mound of rice balls as tall as Fireblaze Chicken. The pile, meant for most of the plantation Pokémon, had been devoured by Fireblaze Chicken alone about a third of it. Seeing that scene had amazed her, and now seeing Fireblaze Chicken in person brought the memory back, making her giggle.
Feeling slightly shy, she finally sent out her second Pokémon.
It was a small but impressive creature, its head adorned with a pointed horn, exuding a fierce gaze despite its size. Its skin was brown, with small hands and feet, and red scales on its belly.
"Baby Ji?"
It immediately nuzzled her trainer as it appeared.
"Baby Tyranitar?"
At the sight of this Pokémon, Lin Feng's eyes widened slightly.
"Yes… it's this one," Su Luolo confirmed with a nod.
Lin Feng looked at the tiny Tyranitar in surprise. "This… how did you get it?"
"It hatched from a Lucky Egg," she replied.
Looking at the round, small Baby Tyranitar, Lin Feng finally understood which Pokémon could rival Fireblaze Chicken's legendary appetite.