"Ninetales is unable to battle. The winner of this match is—Chen Shi!"
The referee's flat announcement barely landed before the host's voice detonated through the arena:
"Ohhhh!! Delphox couldn't withstand Dragapult's relentless assault and has fainted!"
"Everyone—give a huge round of applause to Chen Shi!"
The crowd erupted instantly.
"Dragapult! Dragapult!!"
"Of course a pseudo-legendary swept two Pokémon—absolute monster!"
"HUSBAND! CHEN SHI IS MY HUSBAND!!"
"Girl—please get a grip."
The stands shook with the force of the cheering.
On the battlefield, Chen Shi glanced once at the dejected Yuuko. After recalling Dragapult, he turned and walked toward the tunnel without looking back.
He had a goal.
He couldn't stop here—not even for Yuuko.
Bringing out Dragapult for her was already the highest respect he could give.
Hope she recovers quickly.
Back in the Rest Lounge
The moment Chen Shi stepped inside, he noticed someone missing.
"Where's Furong?"
Daiu replied, "Her match with Wu Song is starting."
That got Chen Shi's attention. Wu Song—the future Sinnoh Psychic-type Elite Four. Chen Shi had always been curious about his real strength.
Soon, the broadcast switched to their battlefield. Furong and Wu Song faced each other silently—no trash talk, no posturing. Just battle.
Furong sent out her early quasi-Elite Dusknoir.
Wu Song responded with a Kadabra—also quasi-Elite.
Chen Shi took one look and said calmly:
"Dusknoir has the type advantage. As long as Furong plays it properly, she should win."
Daiu nodded. "Kadabra's fragile. If it gets caught once, that's it."
The referee signaled the start.
Furong: "Dusknoir, Mean Look!"
Wu Song: "Kadabra, Reflect—!"
His expression changed mid-command.
"Kadabra—forget Reflect! Teleport!"
Too late.
Dusknoir's shadow spread like dark ink, trapping Kadabra's shadow and locking it down.
Furong followed instantly.
"Shadow Ball!"
Wu Song countered, "Psychic!"
The two moves collided, shaking the field.
Back in the lounge, Daiu chuckled.
"She's grown a lot these last few months—already a solid battler."
Chen Shi didn't comment.
He didn't need to—once Mean Look landed, Kadabra's odds dropped to almost zero.
As expected: while the two special attacks clashed, Dusknoir phased forward and slammed a Shadow Punch into Kadabra. Already strained, Kadabra went down hard.
Wu Song sent out a Gym-peak Girafarig, but it also fell to Furong.
His journey ended at the Top 64.
Moments later, Furong bounced back into the lounge—
—froze when her eyes met Chen Shi's—
"Humph!"
She puffed up her cheeks and plopped onto the sofa, pretending he was invisible.
Daiu stood.
"My turn. Back soon."
He straightened his collar like he was posing for a magazine cover… and swaggered out.
Chen Shi's eyebrow twitched.
Does he HAVE to act cool every time?
Furong asked, "Who's Daiu up against again?"
"Mikuri's girlfriend. You saw her—Nachi."
"Ohhh, her."
Furong blinked.
"But didn't you say she's super insecure? If she loses to Daiu… won't that make her even more insecure?"
Chen Shi side-eyed her.
"How is that our problem?"
"I was just asking…" Furong shrank like a scolded Pidgey.
Cynthia sighed.
"Both of you, quiet. Watch the match."
They obeyed.
Daiu vs. Nachi
On screen, Daiu entered the arena without hesitation.
His first Pokémon: a quasi-Elite Skarmory.
Nachi bit her lip and sent out her partner—Altaria, Gym-peak.
Chen Shi exhaled softly.
That Altaria is definitely her strongest. But against Skarmory? She can't win.
The match unfolded exactly as expected.
Skarmory opened with Icy Wind.
Altaria couldn't endure the type and level suppression. After a brief struggle, it fainted.
Nachi recalled her partner with trembling fingers, then sent out her next Pokémon.
A Swellow appeared—
—but its feathers shimmered dark green.
A shiny Swellow.
Even Daiu raised a brow.
Shiny Pokémon were rare—even for someone of his status.
But sentimentality didn't change the battlefield.
Skarmory unleashed another Icy Wind.
Beautiful as it was, Swellow stood no chance.
"Swellow is unable to battle," the referee declared.
"Winner—Daiu."
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