The second day of the Round of Sixteen.
"Ah Hui, what's gotten into you today? Your battle style and pacing are completely different from before."
Chen Haoran looked at the young man before him, wanting to say something but hesitating.
The opening match of the day had been Ah Hui's Butterfree versus Xiao Sheng's Vigoroth.
As soon as the battle began, Ah Hui seized the initiative.
A Supersonic immediately threw Vigoroth into confusion.
Then, a match with almost no entertainment value was born.
Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Rage Powder...
Throughout the battle, Vigoroth was practically never free of status conditions.
When it finally managed to find an opening and attempted to break the oppressive rhythm with a Uproar, it was met by a Bug Buzz that Butterfree had already prepared.
Sound wave against sound wave.
A Butterfree in peak condition won decisively.
Likewise—
Xiao Sheng and his Vigoroth lost in an extremely frustrating fashion.
Afterward, Xiao Sheng didn't even stay for the customary handshake.
He simply left the battlefield with his battered Vigoroth, which still had at least two lingering status conditions.
From his expression alone, it was obvious—
He had been completely broken by the match.
Chen Haoran couldn't understand it.
In the past, Ah Hui had certainly relied on Butterfree's exceptional ability to inflict status conditions.
But he always left room for mercy.
There was always some restraint.
At the very least, he never kept his opponent trapped under nonstop status effects from beginning to end like this.
"Pretty underhanded, wasn't it?"
Ah Hui raised his head and gazed at the blue summer sky.
"But Haoran, I want to win."
"No matter what, I want to win this tournament."
"So I'll use any strategy, no matter how dirty it is."
"As long as it lets me win."
"Ah Hui..."
"If we both make it into the semifinals, we'll end up fighting each other."
Ah Hui stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze calm as he looked at Chen Haoran.
"Haoran."
"Even against you..."
"I won't lose."
"..."
Chen Haoran looked at him helplessly.
"I'm not blaming you."
"It's just..."
The battle between Gao Tianming's Charmeleon and Xiao Fan's Graveler had taught every trainer an important lesson.
The things Chen Mo had explained during his livestream about battle rhythm and pacing were still pinned prominently at the top of the Pokémon Battle Network's homepage for every new trainer to read.
At this point, even beginners understood:
During a battle, a Pokémon should avoid frequently switching between attacks of different attributes.
Yet in today's match—
Butterfree had used energy from six different types.
There was no question that the burden on Butterfree was enormous.
Even as a spectator, Chen Haoran could feel how terrifying the stamina consumption must have been.
"Ah Hui."
"With your usual style, Butterfree could've won much more comfortably."
"But today's battle..."
Chen Haoran exhaled slowly.
"Pokémon have limits too."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but honestly..."
"In that match, you were practically torturing Butterfree."
"..."
Chen Haoran left.
He still had a match in the afternoon.
And before every battle, Munchlax needed to consume a huge amount of energy.
He had preparations to make.
Ah Hui watched his departing figure in silence.
Then he took Butterfree's Poké Ball from his pocket and stared at it.
Even rookie trainers understood the importance of battle pacing.
As a Pikachu Cup Top Eight contestant, Ah Hui naturally understood it too.
And as Chen Haoran had said—
In that previous match, he truly had been pushing Butterfree to its limits.
But that decision had not been his alone.
It was something he and Butterfree had discussed together.
After all...
If you want to achieve something, you must pay a price.
The summer sky was clear and brilliant.
A cool breeze drifted in from somewhere unknown.
Looking up at the clouds floating across the blue heavens like wisps of smoke—
Ah Hui once again saw that tall, imposing figure in his mind.
"Elite Four..."
His fists slowly tightened.
Just then—
A wave of cheers erupted in the distance.
One after another.
Like crashing ocean waves.
Ah Hui froze for a moment.
After glancing at the time on his phone, he subconsciously headed toward the source of the noise.
Outside the arena, crowds packed the plaza.
The giant screen echoed with the host's passionate commentary.
"Contestant Xiao Fan made an incredibly accurate read!"
"He perfectly predicted Zhao Xue'er's command!"
"Graveler used Rollout to dodge Frosmoth's Ice Beam!"
"However, while Frosmoth isn't Flying-type, it's still a Pokémon capable of true flight!"
"It completely dominates the skies against a Ground-type Pokémon like Graveler!"
"Amazing!"
"Frosmoth is absolutely incredible!"
"Continuous Ice Beams have transformed the entire battlefield into a frozen domain!"
"The towering ice pillars surrounding the field have completely cut off Graveler's retreat!"
"It's a huge crisis!"
"A massive crisis for Xiao Fan and Graveler!"
"..."
The frozen battlefield itself wasn't impossible for Graveler to handle.
But the gigantic ice pillars created by repeated Ice Beams had completely sealed its movement.
The outcome had already been decided.
Another Ice Beam descended from above.
It struck Graveler directly.
The Pokémon collapsed onto the frozen ground and lost consciousness.
"This is the icy blizzard of the north!"
"Zhao Xue'er and her Frosmoth are unstoppable!!!"
As the host shouted at the top of his lungs, the plaza outside the arena exploded into deafening cheers.
Ah Hui raised his head.
On the giant screen stood a beautiful black-haired girl in an ice-themed battle uniform.
His body trembled.
Among all contestants in the tournament, Zhao Xue'er ranked second in popularity.
In terms of fan support alone—
Ten Ah Huis wouldn't compare to one Zhao Xue'er.
The frenzy of the surrounding crowd proved it.
But...
As a fellow competitor, what truly made Ah Hui tremble was not her popularity.
It was the overwhelming strength of Zhao Xue'er and Frosmoth.
Unlike Butterfree's status-condition suppression—
Zhao Xue'er had completely overwhelmed Xiao Fan through sheer power.
Watching those Ice Beams being fired as if they cost nothing at all, Ah Hui felt a chilling cold just standing before the screen.
Pressure.
An ocean of pressure crashed down upon him.
"Brother Mo..."
"Can someone like me really become the pillar of an era that you spoke of...?"
Looking at his trembling hands, Ah Hui forced a bitter smile.
Ah Hui considered himself a fortunate person.
His father was hardworking and honest.
He had started with small businesses and, through luck and help from benefactors, gradually became prosperous.
By the time Ah Hui was born, the family was already fairly well-off.
Because he had been born late in his father's life, he was doted upon endlessly.
Whatever Ah Hui wanted, his father bought for him.
As a result, Ah Hui grew up without much regard for money.
Sometimes, he wondered—
If things had continued that way, perhaps he would've become the stereotypical rich second-generation villain from some novel.
Which was why—
He was incredibly grateful that, during his childhood, he met a certain girl.
A girl who knocked him flat with a single punch.
Thanks to that punch, his life never veered too far off course.
Then came adolescence.
Like countless young people across Zhuxia, his days were filled with endless homework and crushing academic pressure.
At first, he worked hard.
But eventually, he realized something.
No matter how desperately he studied—
He could never catch up to those ahead of him.
Learning required talent.
It was then that he first understood there existed people known as geniuses.
The gap between ordinary people and geniuses could not be bridged through effort alone.
Because the truth was simple:
When you're working hard, geniuses are working hard too.
And the progress they gain from their effort far exceeds yours.
There are only twenty-four hours in a day.
No matter how desperately you chase them—
The gulf only grows wider.
Eventually, Ah Hui accepted reality.
He accepted that he was ordinary.
And rather than continue pursuing unreachable goals, he forced himself to focus on something else.
That was when camping entered his life.
Far from the noise of the city—
He felt freedom for the first time.
Fresh air.
Gentle winds.
Flowing streams.
Lush forests.
Simply existing in those places made him feel relaxed.
No assignments.
No parental expectations.
When camping—
He lived for himself.
Only for himself.
During that period, he went camping almost every week.
He ignored everything else.
Naturally, his real life gradually began to collapse.
His grades plummeted.
It was the most honest reflection of his self-indulgence.
Yet—
Faced with teachers' lectures and his father's criticism, he only became more rebellious.
Skipping class became routine.
Until one National Day holiday.
His father personally took him on a camping trip.
The destination was near a remote village.
Normally, Ah Hui's trips lasted no more than two days.
This time—
It lasted seven.
Without the villagers' help, he was fairly certain they would've starved in those beautiful mountains.
One night beside a campfire—
His father held a bowl of porridge gifted by the villagers and spoke softly.
"You've been able to camp without restraint because our family still has some money."
"But Ah Hui..."
"What if one day we don't?"
"I don't expect you to become some great person."
"But you need to understand something."
"Doing your best and indulging yourself are completely opposite concepts."
"Being ordinary is fine."
"Just remain kind."
"But you must act."
"You must do what you believe is right."
Ah Hui felt he would never forget that image.
His father's hunched figure by the fire.
His hair already turning white.
It was then that Ah Hui finally understood what his father wanted for him.
Accepting that you're ordinary isn't a bad thing.
What's important is keeping a kind heart and persisting in what you believe is right.
For many years, Ah Hui had lived by those words.
He believed he had found his place in the world.
But that certainty changed last night.
"Become a pillar of this era."
The person he admired most had suddenly told him that.
And Ah Hui was lost.
He didn't know what to do.
He thought he had already found his role.
To stand beside the person he admired.
To contribute his own strength.
That was enough.
But...
An Elite Four member?
A pillar of an era?
Could he really do something like that?
The cries of cicadas filled the summer air.
Walking down a quiet path outside the arena, Ah Hui felt heavy-hearted.
As embarrassing as it was—
He felt he was destined to disappoint that man's expectations.
After all...
Forget becoming an Elite Four member.
After watching Zhao Xue'er battle Xiao Fan—
He wasn't even confident he could defeat that giant snow moth.
Only Xiao You's Banette could handle a monster like that.
Just then—
A cold voice suddenly sounded ahead of him.
Like winter snow descending in midsummer.
"Do you like Bug-type Pokémon?"
In an instant—
Ah Hui was pulled back to reality.
He looked up.
At some point—
A black-haired girl in a battle uniform had appeared ahead of him.
She was gazing intently at a cicada perched on a tree branch, its cries ringing through the air.
"W-What?"
Seeing the very girl he'd been thinking about moments earlier standing before him, Ah Hui froze.
He could barely bring himself to meet her gaze.
Then—
The cicada spread its wings.
It took flight.
And vanished into the distance.
The girl watched its departure for a long time.
Finally, she lowered her gaze.
Looking calmly at Ah Hui, she spoke softly.
"As for me..."
"I really like Bug-type Pokémon."
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