There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [52]
"That was a great battle," Ding Chong approached A-Le with an outstretched hand, smiling. "Your Pelipper is impressive!"
Seeing Ding Chong's offered hand, despite the disappointment, A-Le still reached out to shake hands in good sportsmanship. Sigh. It really was just a first-round exit. Yet, for some reason, A-Le smiled with relief. This match had exposed his shortcomings as a trainer, and at the same time, he had learned many new things.
"Yay! Big brother won!" From the audience, a few small figures suddenly darted forward. A group of children, dressed identically, ran up onto the stage and crowded around Ding Chong.
"Big brother, you made it to the top 64!" A boy who was in the middle of losing his baby teeth exclaimed, as Ding Chong squatted down and patted the boy's head, smiling, "Yeah, later, I'll make you all something delicious to eat!"
Meanwhile, a little girl with pigtails widened her tear-filled eyes and suddenly wailed, "But big brother almost lost!"
"Alright, alright, but I didn't lose, did I?" Ding Chong laughed apologetically at A-Le while turning back to comfort the girl, "Let's wait until we're offstage before crying, okay?"
"Are they all your siblings?" A-Le stammered.
"Yeah." Ding Chong smiled warmly, his eyes filled not with any shadows, but with a deep yearning for life. "These little rascals can be quite mischievous. Anyway, time to go." Ding Chong called out, "Zubat, come back!"
Zubat circled once in the air before landing on the girl's shoulder, folding its wings and making the girl burst into a smile. Ding Chong and his siblings disappeared backstage, leaving A-Le standing there, lost in thought.
"His tactics were very unusual," Su Xiangrou commented as she reflected on the battle. "All of Zubat's moves were weak, even Swift wasn't that strong. But through constant guerrilla tactics and evasion, in the end, he was able to—"
"A death by a thousand cuts," Lu Cheng interrupted.
Su Xiangrou, her mouth still open, closed it and nodded. Lu Cheng furrowed his brow. "That Zubat is indeed small in size, but its compact body makes its movements extremely difficult to track. Even when you manage to hit it, it can slowly recover through Leech Life."
"It's a tough opponent," Lu Cheng concluded.
Su Xiangrou looked at him, surprised at how sharp his analysis was.
"You forgot one thing," Su Xiangrou pushed her glasses up and added, "His family isn't well-off."
"Even in such circumstances, he was able to train such an impressive fighter," Lu Cheng remarked with admiration. He then stood up slowly, smiling at Su Xiangrou. "Anyway, we'll eventually face off. You better get ready."
As Lu Cheng flashed a confident smile, Su Xiangrou blinked in surprise. "Eventually face off?" she thought. Was his goal to win the entire championship? Interesting.
Watching Lu Cheng walk away, Su Xiangrou suddenly smiled faintly and whispered, "AE, activate camera mode..."
---
Pokémon Forum. Tournament Discussion Board.
"Dragonite Knight: Damn, this Wang Yingjie is really something. One move! Another one-hit knockout!"
"Want to Raise a Garchomp: Chill, Squirtle fans. Please go watch the Gym Leader's son's match. Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch—he's got all the punches!"
"Raising a Gardevoir as a Waifu: Did no one watch the match with that Vulpix? It can already use Flamethrower at this level. If it gets the championship prize Fire Stone, it's going to be unstoppable!"
"Power Plant's 3rd Electivire: Hard to say, man. There are so many strong contenders this year, it's gonna be an exciting watch!"
"Left Holding an Arcanine, Right Gripping a Pidgeot: Holy crap, don't even start. I was betting on that chubby kid all the way, raked in so much cash, then lost it all in today's match. Sigh."
"Gothic Miss's Panties Color Today: Gamblers, get lost!"
"Left Holding an Arcanine, Right Gripping a Pidgeot: ? ? And a perv has the audacity to lecture me?"
...
The tournament section was already buzzing with discussions about the top 64 players. In the poll for the most likely champion, nearly 40% of people thought Wang Yingjie would win. To Lu Cheng's surprise, he himself had a 5% vote share.
"Not bad," Lu Cheng rubbed his chin, "I wonder if today's outfit caught anyone's attention."
Suddenly inspired, Lu Cheng logged in with his alt account and posted:
"Did Vulpix win today? Does anyone know where that kid with the last name Lu got his jacket? It looked amazing! Anyone got a link? Need it ASAP!"
---
The second round of the tournament was scheduled to take place three days later, giving Lu Cheng plenty of time to prepare and, of course, to comfort A-Le. Surprisingly, A-Le seemed even more optimistic than Lu Cheng. He patted Lu Cheng's shoulder, telling him to give his best shot and aim for the championship. Watching A-Le busily helping his dad move goods around, even with his Pelipper pitching in, Lu Cheng couldn't help but feel a wave of emotions.
"Oh yeah, Cheng, if you're free later, could you help me deliver a package to Ding Chong?" A-Le looked up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "The delivery guy dropped it off earlier, but I can't get away right now."
Taking the package, Lu Cheng nodded. "Sure, it's on my way anyway. But you..."
"Don't worry!" A-Le flashed a big smile. "I'm doing great!"
He then glanced around cautiously before lowering his voice and saying to Lu Cheng, "My dad finally agreed to let me apply to the Pokémon Trainer program. I've only told you, so don't let it slip to anyone in class!"
"Seriously?" Lu Cheng exclaimed in delight, but seeing A-Le's anxious expression, he raised his hands in surrender. "Don't worry, I'll keep it secret!"
"I thought about it and realized being a trainer sounds pretty good," A-Le mumbled, "though I'm not sure I can get into a good university..."
"You'll be fine," Lu Cheng reassured him, patting his shoulder with a smile. "We'll all work hard together!"
A-Le's eyes glistened with emotion, but he still chuckled and playfully scolded, "Now get lost and deliver that package!"
"You're not even paying me a delivery fee!" Lu Cheng joked.
"I'll buy you an ice-cold Coke next time!" A-Le laughed.
---
Ding Chong's house was located in a narrow alleyway. The alley was cramped, with residents on both sides hanging their wet clothes and sheets on the balconies, emitting a persistent musty smell. A girl with pigtails was standing on a plastic stool by the outdoor sink, washing vegetables. The sink was too high for her, so she had to stand on the stool to reach it. Water trickled down her arms as she rinsed a white radish, humming a little tune she had made up: "Brother Ding Chong wins the match, Brother Ding Chong takes the championship~"
"Is this Ding Chong's home?" Lu Cheng's voice startled the girl. She turned to him warily, her eyes full of suspicion.
"What do you need?"
"I'm here to deliver a package, just following the address," Lu Cheng said with an apologetic smile, holding up the parcel.
"Oh, okay! Wait a moment!" The girl hopped off the stool, almost tripping as she hurried inside, shouting as she ran, "Brother, your package!"
She nearly bumped into Ding Chong, who gently rubbed her head, soothing her teary eyes with a smile. "Ding Yi, how many times do I have to tell you? Be careful when you're walking."
Then he looked up at their visitor, surprised to see Lu Cheng standing at the door. After a brief pause, Ding Chong asked in surprise, "Lu Cheng?"
---
T/N: Haha! You thought there was only going to be one chapter but there was TWO!
If there are any mistakes let me know!
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