Semifinal.
Uncle Ranch faced his strongest opponent to date.
The opponent was clearly not a first-time participant in the tournament, with four Pokémon unique to the Unova Region in his team, showcasing the depth of a multi-region traveling Trainer.
Strictly speaking, this was Uncle Ranch's first time participating in the tournament, and there was a noticeable level gap between his Pokémon and the opponent's.
Fortunately, his other profession as a Breeder was able to make up for this shortcoming.
The factors influencing a Pokémon's combat power are never just about levels. Whether a Pokémon has been meticulously cared for is also a decisive factor.
The love Uncle Ranch poured into his Pokémon and the decades of understanding between them would never lose to any Trainer.
Turning both sides' advantages into cards to play, there's no reason to lose to the opponent.
But as his Pokémon were defeated one by one, the battle entered the final stage. The ace Rapidash had long been taken down with the opponent. Uncle Ranch had only one Tauros left, in a burned state, stumbling with every step.
Meanwhile, the opponent's Pokémon were still full of energy.
The outcome seemed decided.
[You seemed to see the end of the match; the fall of your old companion and new member tells you the road ahead is gone. At this moment, you heard voices]
[You heard your daughter's shout, you heard your wife's shout, you heard the breath of your Pokémon]
[You know the match isn't over yet]
The image seemed frozen in time.
The next moment.
'Stand up! Tauros!'
The exploding bubbles of sound echoed like a roar around Baimu's ears. The forelimbs of the kneeling Tauros glared, bursting out with unprecedented brute strength, surrounded by countless images of it being knocked down by Uncle Ranch and standing back up again.
There were even scenes of it leading many Tauros through a wild run on the plains.
It succeeded in getting up!
'Moo—!!'
Despite losing ninety-nine percent of its stamina to the burn, it still held on, and in the face of the opponent's last Pokémon, delivered its strongest move—
[Harden]!
Even from a game perspective, this move by Tauros was terrifying. A burned type-matching Harden, and the opponent wasn't a Ghost Attribute Pokémon.
But facing Tauros's all-out attack, the opponent's Pokémon didn't sit by idly either.
Unfortunately, the pixelated effects given by the simulator for Tauros's performance were too exaggerated. It was clearly the only one running wild, yet it seemed like countless Tauros were running together.
Under the overwhelming effects, the opponent's Pokémon was brought down in one hit, sending Uncle Ranch into the final.
Baimu, surging with emotion, couldn't help but breathe heavily.
Could the championship be within reach?
Unfortunately, it seemed to prove that humans have limits in strength and the importance of raising more than six Pokémon, as Tauros's severe injuries prevented it from participating in the final match.
It had to be replaced by a Dodrio that Uncle Ranch had later raised.
However, Uncle Ranch still put forward full effort to fight.
The final opponent was the same as the semifinal opponent, with experience from multiple tournaments and also equipped with something special—
Super Evolution.
This opponent had one more card in hand than the previous round's opponent, causing Uncle Ranch to be unable to completely suppress them, ultimately relying on the Three-word Truth to make up for it.
But the opponent clearly also had the preconditions to use the Three-word Truth, with bonds with Pokémon not much less than Uncle Ranch's. Otherwise, they couldn't use the power of Super Evolution.
So no matter how loudly Ranch Girl and her Ponyta shouted in this match.
Uncle Ranch still lost to the opponent.
Even though Rapidash's [Burning Out] took down the opponent's Pokémon capable of Super Evolution.
Uncle Ranch stopped at runner-up.
After the match.
He embraced his family. Although there was regret on his face, there was also the relief of fulfilling his dream. Amid the congratulations of the town's residents, a smile icon floated above Uncle Ranch's head.
[You completed your dream and did not disappoint your daughter. You and your Pokémon proved that even in mid-life, you could still shine in the tournament]
[Your story resonated with many middle-aged people, inspiring more to challenge the Gym]
[Not long after, you bid farewell to your wife, who set out to achieve her dream of a Gorgeous Competition three-peat]
[Simulation ends]
Chasing dreams in mid-life...
It's a pity, if he could have won the championship, it might have attracted more attention.
Baimu couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
He rubbed his face and then looked out the window at the scenery, squinting against the blazing sun.
"What kind of book are you reading? It's got you both gritting your teeth and excited?"
Terry's query suddenly came.
It seemed she had been observing Baimu for a while.
The latter didn't mind, telling her the name of the book. After all, only he could see the simulator, so it didn't matter what he said.
Then.
The simulator's reward appeared.
Baimu was somewhat looking forward to the reward this time. After all, Uncle Ranch was a talented Breeder and might bring him some good gains.
[Fixed Reward: Move Tutor ×3 (Attributes can be specified)]
[Fixed Reward: Uncle Ranch's Pokémon Breeding Memory - Health Management Chapter (Can be repeatedly read)]
...
[Choice Reward 1: Raise any Pokémon by three levels (lv.70 and below)]
[Choice Reward 2: Obtain clues for acquiring Pokémon (Attribute can be specified, excellent)]
[Choice Reward 3: Skill—Harden (Can be taught to Pokémon)]
[Choice Reward 4: Retain [Physically Strong] Talent for the next simulation round]
Woohoo!
Health management!
Baimu couldn't help but want to whistle. This is probably the most important aspect for a Breeder, right?
Only healthy Pokémon can perform at one hundred percent of their combat ability, and to ensure their Pokémon are healthy enough, most Trainers would regularly entrust their Pokémon to a professional Breeder for a few days.
The wealthy would even directly hire a Breeder to work for them.
With this memory, Baimu's upcoming journey would save a lot of money.
As for the choice rewards.
Baimu hesitated for a moment but finally chose one, two, and three. If reward four could leave the Blue Talent behind, he would surely choose reward four, but just being Physically Strong...
It couldn't significantly affect the outcome.
——
The Pokémon clue reward accumulated three times.
Previously, it was used once, bringing Baimu a Deino... and a rather mysterious background.
This time, there's another one.
He looked at the desolate plains ahead, wondering if he should use one.
Previously, he had been trying hard to recall the species values of those excellent Pokémon in his mind and managed to come up with several, but he wasn't confident they were correct.
This thing is like a math problem without a standard answer, needing verification through practice.
Pondering carefully, to fill the gap for the sixth Pokémon on the team, he decided to use the one he just obtained.
So, what attribute would be good to choose?