"Stealing the initiative? Alright, you're a prominent figure. Don't lose face in front of so many people."
Only then did Xiao Li notice that all the spectators were looking at him, especially the cameras pointed directly at him.
He didn't need to think to know that his earlier expression had been broadcast live.
And his family, the Li family, had probably seen it too...
"It's over, it's all over."
Cold sweat beaded on Xiao Li's forehead.
He had specifically asked his family to arrange for him to face Ye Feng.
If he won, it would be fine, but if he lost, his position as the family heir would be in jeopardy.
After all, he chose his opponent and still lost; who could tolerate that?
Wasn't he deliberately making a fool of the family?
More importantly, he was the family heir, the face of the family. This act was like making a monkey out of them in front of all the noble families.
He had disgraced himself immensely.
Others might not know why the rules for the Indigo League selection suddenly changed, but the prominent families would?
He had shot himself in the foot; it was simply laughable.
At this moment.
He looked up, his eyes filled with terror, at his ace, Jynx.
Jynx was strong and had been meticulously trained by him, its strength having advanced by several levels.
Yet, it had lost so easily, which could only mean one thing.
That the opponent's Pikachu was already unfathomably powerful!!
"Jynx excels in Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Of course, its weaknesses are also obvious: Physical Attack and Physical Defense are its greatest flaws. Against ordinary Pokémon, if you can't land a decisive blow first, you'll be in for a tough fight."
Ye Feng stated Jynx's characteristics.
Hearing this, Xiao Li felt as if a sharp knife was piercing his heart.
He had no time to pay attention to Ye Feng now; he was contemplating his next move.
He had three Pokémon in total.
Two were already out.
Especially since his ace, Jynx, had also lost.
How could he possibly win with his weakest remaining Pokémon?
After all, his last Pokémon was a Squirtle.
Normally, a starter Pokémon was not weak; it was quite strong.
But a Water-type Squirtle was at a severe disadvantage against an Electric-type Pikachu.
Could he win against the type advantage?
His sweat continued to flow.
If he lost, if he lost.
He was doomed.
His philandering father had more than a dozen sons, all eyeing his position!
Once his heir status was taken, he would never get it back in this lifetime!
If it was taken, he would surely face endless suppression, and there would be no chance of recovery.
He kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Slowly, he looked up.
Fear spread through his heart.
He trembled as he looked at Ye Feng.
He was contemplating a countermeasure.
Finally.
"Ye, Ye Feng, can I discuss something with you?"
His voice was very low, just like that of Little Jie back then.
"What is it?"
Ye Feng asked, puzzled, "Are you going to try to bribe me too?"
Hearing Ye Feng's words, Xiao Li nodded, "One million. Lose to me, how about it?"
"One million..."
This offer was much more generous than that of Little Jie; he truly was a noble who could afford to attend the Pokémon school.
"No, it's too little."
Ye Feng replied.
Xiao Li became anxious, "Then how much do you want? As long as I can afford it, anything is possible."
Ye Feng smiled slightly, "For your sake, just like with Little Jie, I'll only ask for three billion."
"Th-thirty billion?!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Li stood there dumbfounded, utterly stunned.
Thirty billion, what kind of concept was that?
That sum wasn't even a small amount for his family.
That amount was enough to train how many powerful trainers?
And now, it was just to buy victory in the second match of the Indigo League?
"Can... can it be a little less?"
Xiao Li's lips were dry, all the arrogance from earlier gone.
Ye Feng shook his head, "That won't do. I'm not like you nobles; I've suffered from poverty."
"But, but thirty billion, I really don't have that much money."
"Do you know who I am?"
Xiao Li suddenly asked.
Ye Feng replied, "Rich."
Xiao Li placed his right hand on his relatively firm chest.
"Besides being rich, my deeper identity is the heir of the Kanto region's Li family. Do you know the Li family? A first-rate noble family. Once I gain control of the Li family, you will enjoy the protection and benefits of the Li family."
Ye Feng just smiled and shook his head.
"That's not how you make empty promises."
Then, he suddenly shouted, "Hey, on the other side, are you going to battle or not!"
He deliberately spoke loudly so that everyone could hear him.
This was intended to force Xiao Li to stop thinking about bribes and release his third Pokémon.
Seeing this, Xiao Li's face broke out in a cold sweat.
Especially when:
"Yeah, Xiao Li! Are you going to battle or not?! What are you dawdling for?!"
The audience was also getting impatient.
Xiao Li kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. More than losing to Ye Feng, he feared losing his position as heir even more.
He took out his third Pokémon.
Feebly, he tossed it forward:
"Come out, Squirtle."
After tossing it.
For some reason.
Sweat poured down Xiao Li's forehead like raindrops.
He stared at the sun above.
It was very gentle, and he could look directly at it, but now, as he looked, it became increasingly dazzling.
Finally, his vision went black.
With a thud, he fell to the ground.
"Squirtle!"
The Squirtle that had just appeared was about to showcase its skills when it heard the sound behind it. Turning around, it saw its trainer had collapsed.
This left it utterly bewildered.
If the trainer collapsed, who would command it in battle? How could it battle?
Seeing Xiao Li suddenly collapse.
Not only the announcer, the audience in the stadium, the viewers in front of their televisions, but even Ye Feng was stunned.
Why did Xiao Li suddenly faint?
Was it faking, or did he faint from fear?
Faking seemed unlikely, as the consequences of faking would be far more embarrassing than losing the match.
If it was fainting from fear.
Ye Feng felt that Xiao Li's psychological resilience shouldn't be so low!
He should have, like Little Jie, thought Ye Feng was asking for too much and given him a harsh lesson?
Why did he faint?
Medical staff quickly rushed onto the stage and examined Xiao Li. They were relieved to find that he had simply fainted.
They tried to wake him up, but for some reason, Xiao Li's teeth were clenched, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and he refused to wake up.
There was nothing they could do, so the announcer finally announced:
"Due to the sudden situation of contestant Xiao Li, this match! Ye Feng wins!!!"
Ye Feng once again triumphed amidst the cheers of the crowd.
However, he himself was also quite confused.
He ruffled his hair, recalled his Red-striped Pikachu, and stepped off the battle stage.
The cameras and reporters still focused on him.
But this time, he only held up one finger.
Seeing this, the reporters discussed for a long time before finally deciding to ask the only question they could:
"Contestant Ye Feng, facing your opponent suddenly collapsing, what are your thoughts?"
Ye Feng replied, "True strength lies in a strong mind."
With this statement,
Ye Feng, just like yesterday, made a graceful exit amidst the awe-struck gazes of the crowd.
Xiao Mao watched Ye Feng's departing back, then looked at Xiao Li being carried away on a stretcher.
He frowned deeply:
"Ye Feng will be the biggest stumbling block on my path to the championship!"
"However, what did he and that Xiao Li discuss before Squirtle came out?"
Xiao Mao had watched yesterday's match and witnessed today's battle live.
He noticed that both Little Jie yesterday and Xiao Li today spoke with Ye Feng before their third Pokémon appeared.
After the conversation, one became visibly enraged, and the other directly fainted.
What exactly was going on?
...
ps: Fan titles can now be changed. I changed the fan titles Hall of Fame, True Love Fan, and Die-hard Fan to: Rayquaza, Kyogre, Groudon.
Why is Groudon last?
Because as a legendary Pokémon, it cannot fly.
Regarding updates:
I don't have many chapters saved. You all keep asking me to update more.
I also want to update more, but I write slowly, taking over an hour for one chapter, and the plot requires considerable thought. I also have to work daily.
However, I cannot resist feeling your fervent passion.
So, I've decided on three updates on Saturdays and Sundays, and I will guarantee two updates daily from Monday to Friday.
This will start this week.
For now, this is all I can do. Once I have more saved chapters, I will add more updates per week.