Chapter 350:
"Incredible, Gardevoir is just incredible! Using Confusion to halt the Sludge Bomb, and then Psychic to directly withstand Seismitoad's fierce Hyper Beam!"
"Another seeded contestant has emerged! Contestant Hayashi Kaede's Gardevoir and Serperior have both demonstrated his absolute strength. Let's look forward to his performance in the upcoming matches!"
The tenth match concluded with Satoshi's commentary.
But the audience's faces were filled with expressions of wanting more.
"Gardevoir, sob sob, Gardevoir is so amazing..."
"What a strong contestant. The power of this Gardevoir is simply unfathomable..."
"Watching Hayashi's Gardevoir battle was thrilling! But after seeing this match, it suddenly reminds me of that Sky Challenge, all the Pidgeot getting chased and beaten by Gardevoir... Hahaha... lining up to take their hits in the end."
Compared to the previous nine matches, aside from the pause in the middle, this match was actually extremely fast.
Serperior vs. Blaziken: one minute.
Meowscarada vs. Lucario: less than a minute.
Gardevoir vs. Seismitoad: less than a minute.
But unlike the earlier matches where trainers used their wits and showed excellent reflexes, this match could only be described with a few words:
Fast!
Clean and decisive!
Full of stark contrasts!
The uniqueness of Serperior's Grassy Terrain, the Aura resonance between Meowscarada and its trainer, Gardevoir's absolute dominance!
This sparked endless speculation among the vast majority of the audience who were unfamiliar with Contestant Hayashi Kaede.
Just how strong is Gardevoir?
How many more Pokémon does this trainer have?
But all this was unrelated to Hayashi Kaede at the moment.
He recalled Gardevoir and headed to the contestants' area.
This time, as he arrived, dozens of contestants present cast wary, cautious glances his way.
There was no helping it; the pressure Gardevoir had displayed was just too immense.
The ability to individually control hundreds of incoming targets—the visual impact was utterly terrifying!
But despite so many eyes on him, Hayashi Kaede remained unmoved.
Because he was currently "chatting" with Gardevoir?
During his walk off the field, Gardevoir suddenly initiated a telepathic connection.
"Gardevoir?" (We won?)
Hayashi Kaede was taken aback. Well, yes, they won.
But he wasn't sure exactly what Gardevoir was asking about winning, so he responded via Aura, "We won this match, but there are still many more to go."
"Gardevoir?" (And after we win?)
After winning?
Hayashi Kaede was even more confused.
After winning, isn't it just waiting to fight the next match?
What else is there?
"Gardevoir...."
Gardevoir fell silent.
Hayashi Kaede glanced around and started to panic.
It's fine if anyone else gets upset; they're easier to soothe. But if Gardevoir gets angry, that would truly feel like the sky falling.
His part in the first round was over. The next round would require over fifty more matches, likely stretching into the evening or even tomorrow.
Meaning, he had nothing else to do here for now.
After a moment's thought, Hayashi Kaede didn't stay. He headed towards his temporary room.
Shortly after he left, the contestants' area slowly grew lively again.
"That Gardevoir is so strong..."
The first comment was like a ripple disturbing still water, the ripples growing larger, gradually making the mostly unacquainted contestants familiar with each other.
"Are there any Psychic-type trainers here? Can anyone explain what that scene just now represented?"
"Miss Sally, aren't you a Psychic-type trainer? Don't you have a Hatterene?"
Someone looked towards one of the contestants who hadn't left yet, currently the most popular and highly-discussed participant.
"So strong," said Sally, who looked like a little girl, pointing at the lollipop she'd dropped on the floor. "See, I even dropped my lollipop."
Meaning, she was also shocked by what she saw.
"I wonder how that big brother managed to raise a Gardevoir like that. I need to go ask him for advice."
With that, she also disappeared from the contestants' area.
Everyone here was a competitor in the Pokémon League Conference, after all. Even if she could gauge Gardevoir's strength, why would she share it with everyone?
...
Inside the room.
The moment Hayashi Kaede returned, he released most of his Pokémon.
The first one he let out was Gardevoir.
Its expression was no different from usual, still appearing gentle.
But Hayashi Kaede was somewhat anxious.
He didn't even have time to celebrate the first victory with everyone before he went to Gardevoir's side.
"Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir looked at him, puzzled.
"Um, what did you mean earlier about 'after winning'?"
Guessing the thoughts of Meowscarada or Serperior felt easier; after all, they'd been with him since they were young, and he understood their personalities well.
But guessing Gardevoir's thoughts...
Hayashi Kaede felt like his own mind was being seen through completely.
And reality was just as Hayashi Kaede suspected.
"Gardevoir~"
A smile touched the corners of Gardevoir's eyes.
"Gardevoir..." (Think about what you say to the others after every battle victory.)
"What I say?"
Hayashi Kaede was stunned, his mind racing through what he usually said to his other Pokémon after wins.
Fortunately, it wasn't hard to guess, and a realization soon dawned on him.
It was "praise"!
Every time his Pokémon won a battle, he would praise them, complimenting what they did well.
But... when he praised them, Hayashi Kaede always thought they were still young, so he'd offer appropriate encouragement.
But in the last battle, it was Gardevoir who took the field.
He subconsciously assumed it was normal for Gardevoir to win?
And Gardevoir is mature...
So giving "praise" might make it feel embarrassed?
But that wasn't actually the case.
He never expected Gardevoir to want "praise" too...
Hayashi Kaede tentatively asked, "Gardevoir, do you... want praise??"
"Gardevoir?" (What, is that not allowed?)
A flicker of anticipation shone in Gardevoir's eyes.