There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [61]
"The next contestant, Lu Ning," the announcer called.
Lu Ning was tall and carried a gentle smile on her face. Her expression had the power to lift the spirits of anyone who saw it, making people smile instinctively. Because of this, Lu Ning had gathered a considerable fan base during the tournament, most of whom were male, creating a striking contrast with Kevin's fanbase.
Gracefully, Lu Ning stepped onto the stage and reached into a red box to draw a ball. Starting from the quarterfinals, the participants no longer relied on the system to randomly assign matches. Instead, the draw was done live on stage.
Sitting in the contestant's area, Lu Cheng sized up the other competitors. Gao Chi, still dressed in his crisp white karate uniform, sat with his eyes closed, seemingly detached from everything around him. Meanwhile, Wang Yingjie seemed to notice Lu Cheng's gaze and returned it, flashing a seemingly innocent smile. But there was something deeper behind his eyes that was difficult to interpret.
"The next contestant, Lu Cheng," the announcer called.
As Lu Cheng got up to draw his number, Wang Yingjie's eyes fixed on the two Poké Balls hanging from Lu Cheng's belt.
"Grovyle," Wang Yingjie muttered under his breath. "Revealing your trump card so early—are you trying to make a statement?"
"What do you think, Wartortle?" Wang Yingjie whispered, as the Poké Ball in his hand stirred slightly. The movement didn't last long before the sound of the announcer's voice rang out from the spectator stands.
"Lu Cheng has drawn the blue ball."
"Hey, it's your turn," Wang Yingjie said to Gao Chi beside him.
Gao Chi's eyes snapped open, giving Wang Yingjie a glance before heading up to the stage. He drew his lot and returned to his seat, all without a single wasted movement. Watching Gao Chi sit down and resume his calm meditation, Wang Yingjie began to feel a bit uneasy. Clutched in Gao Chi's hand was a yellow ball! This meant that Wang Yingjie was likely to face one of the remaining three contestants!
"Even though I didn't want to face them this early," Wang Yingjie muttered to himself, "there's no helping it."
"Next contestant, Wang Yingjie!" The crowd gave a scattered round of applause as Wang Yingjie stepped onto the stage, automatically positioning himself for the cameras before reaching into the box. There were only three balls left. A strong sense of intuition made him release the first ball he grabbed, and instead, he picked up another.
Whew, Wang Yingjie let out a sigh of relief, flashing a bright smile as he triumphantly raised his hand. But the next second, his expression turned sour. In the sunlight, it was clear—he was holding a blue ball!
Lu Cheng versus Wang Yingjie!
The venue immediately erupted into murmurs. The two had completely different battle styles but had both experienced an opponent's Pokémon evolving during their matches. Their contrasting approaches to those situations only added intrigue to the upcoming battle.
If Lu Cheng only had Vulpix, he might struggle against Wartortle, but Grovyle's impressive performance in the top sixteen gave him a solid advantage, especially with the type advantage over Wartortle. This match was shaping up to be an intense showdown!
Wang Yingjie returned to his seat in silence, deep in thought. Was his intuition wrong?
Lu Cheng was equally surprised. To face Wang Yingjie in the quarterfinals? But then again, they were bound to meet sooner or later. A surge of determination filled Lu Cheng. He couldn't quite explain where this intense desire to win came from, but there was no doubt—Wang Yingjie was an opponent he had to defeat, no matter what.
As Lu Cheng turned around, he noticed Wang Yingjie staring at him, lost in thought. Their gazes met in midair, and the atmosphere between them grew sharp and tense, much like when they first crossed paths during the qualifiers.
---
"Zuo Qian Feng Sudog Right Qing Pidgeot: Disaster! I just bet on Wang Yingjie making it to the semifinals, but now he's up against Lu Cheng! I like that kid too—what should I do?"
"Explosions are Art: You should probably worry about your account first. The mod just said if they see you post anything against the rules again, you're getting permanently banned!"
"Little Black Room User: Grass type versus Water type—what's there to say? How can you lose when the flying dragon smashes its face into the opponent?"
"Want to Raise a Garchomp: Don't jinx it, guys! Both of them are pretty strong—among the younger generation, they're considered top-notch. This match is going to be intense!"
"Doduo Takes to the Sky: Both of them had their opponent's Pokémon evolve during battle, but they handled it completely differently! I'm rooting for Lu Cheng; that dark-skinned guy is just too annoying."
"Bringing Talent to Akihabara: Wang Yingjie may have questionable character, but his strength is definitely a level above the other contestants…"
"Facts Only: Facts."
"Rocket Turtle: Facts."
"..."
Regardless of the discussions, the showdown between Lu Cheng and Wang Yingjie in the quarterfinals was now inevitable. Lu Cheng could only focus on training his two Pokémon as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Wang Yingjie rushed back to his hometown overnight, determined to dig up something he had kept hidden for a long time. Life for the fishermen was routine and repetitive, their schedules highly predictable. By eight or nine o'clock, the village was mostly deserted.
Wang Yingjie returned without informing anyone. The streetlight stretched his shadow long, and the dim light from a nearby window illuminated the dark locust tree beside the house.
"Woof!" A skinny, mangy black dog bared its teeth at Wang Yingjie. It wasn't a Pokémon, just a regular stray dog. Its fur was almost entirely gone, revealing festering wounds, and one of its eyes was diseased, clouded with a milky film. Wang Yingjie didn't mind, squatting down to greet it, "Hey, look closely. It's me, Wang Yingjie."
The dog sniffed at his shoes, whimpered for a bit, then wandered off. Before he even reached the door, the strong stench of alcohol hit him, followed by the sound of a beer bottle shattering. Wang Yingjie's expression darkened as he stormed inside.
"What are you doing?" A shirtless middle-aged man was yelling at the elderly woman lying on the bed. Not satisfied with just shouting, he smashed a beer bottle on the floor. The old woman, unable to speak, could only let two streams of cloudy tears roll down her face.
"You...you little brat?" The man squinted for a moment, finally recognizing Wang Yingjie, and burst into laughter. "You damn kid, you still know how to come back?"
"Realized being a Trainer isn't all it's cracked up to be? Come crawling back like a dog, huh?"
"Ha, what a joke! Do you think someone like you—trash like you—can be a Trainer?"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Wang Yingjie punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Wang Yingjie stepped forward and grabbed the old woman's hand. She continued to cry silently, unable to speak, using all her strength to gently pat his head. It took everything Wang Yingjie had to keep himself from crying.
He stood up, gave the man a hard kick, then pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and threw it in the man's face, coldly saying, "Here's the money. When the tournament's over, I'm taking Grandma to the hospital."
Without another glance at the man, Wang Yingjie walked into his dilapidated room. He grabbed a shovel and began digging into the dirt floor. Before long, he uncovered a small music box. This music box had been a gift from the man when Wang Yingjie was eight years old. He opened the box, and inside lay a crown-shaped metal piece that gleamed with a golden hue.
Wang Yingjie's eyes became as sharp as blades.
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