"That's Lin Feng! Have you heard? His Talonflame's speed is insane!"
"No way… that's him? How do we even fight that? A Dominator-class Talonflame… I don't even know if my Swampert can handle it!"
"No, no, no. Talonflame isn't the real problem. The bigger issue is, he also has a Goodra that acts like a kid. And that thing is supposed to be Elite Four level…"
"What? Elite Four level? This is the Youth Cup! How are we supposed to compete? Does the League even care?"
"You guys are seriously underestimating Lin Feng. His Pokémon aren't just Talonflame and Goodra. He's got plenty of other under-one-year-old Pokémon too…"
"I thought his Pokémon were mostly for show. Didn't expect them to be this strong…"
Hearing the murmured discussions around him, Lin Feng paused for a moment, taken aback. Then he realized: yesterday, his performance in the preliminaries had been shared across multiple short video channels.
He hadn't really thought about this yesterday, and he hadn't brought Rotom with him either. Otherwise, Rotom would have filmed a few clips and posted them to his video account.
It didn't really matter. The main tournament hadn't started yet, and he could always grab a few shots from the official broadcast later.
Lin Feng didn't pay much attention to the whispers and chatter around him. Instead, his eyes found Qin Shu.
The moment she entered, she scanned the audience and quickly spotted a familiar couple. Her face lit up in a bright smile as she ran over to them.
It was her parents.
Lin Feng walked over with Jirachi to greet them as well.
"Uncle Qin, Aunt Mei."
"Little Feng," they responded warmly. "You've grown so much in just a blink of an eye. Thanks to all your care for Shu."
The couple's eyes landed on Lin Feng, smiling in gratitude. Both worked in Wutong City her father as a training instructor at the local Gym, her mother as a nurse at a Pokémon Center.
They had heard about a famous breeding facility opening in Wutong Town. From their daughter's calls, they learned it was Lin Feng's place, and that he had helped her enormously. Naturally, they felt grateful.
As the saying goes, no one understands a child better than their own parents.
Qin Shu reaching this point in the Youth Cup in such a short time would have been impossible without help.
Lin Feng cleared his throat. "Shu Shu also helped me a lot at the beginning," he admitted honestly.
Without Qin Shu, managing the early stages of the breeding facility had been a headache. Finding ideal Pokémon was tricky, and he wasn't willing to entrust just anyone with the task.
Growing up together, though, made it different. He could trust her completely.
Qin Shu stuck out her tongue awkwardly but didn't speak. She remembered catching a Bulbasaur that had been sneaking out at night. Under her "verbal interrogation," she discovered that during their days in Wutong Town, the Bulbasaur would sneak into Lin Feng's garden through the water channels whenever it was mealtime.
Suddenly, she understood why her grandfather had said the Bulbasaur was getting fat despite eating so little at home. She should have been taking it running more often.
Lin Feng had known all along but had never mentioned it.
Blushing from the awkward memory, she quickly said, "Ah, ah, the matches are starting. Let's head down!" and practically dashed away.
Lin Feng, a bit puzzled at her sudden reaction, waved briefly before returning to the participant seating. The tournament was about to begin.
A dazzling flash lit up the arena as a familiar figure appeared at its center, riding a Doublade.
In a sharp suit, and with the familiar Pokémon, Lin Feng rubbed his eyes to make sure. Indeed, it was Li Bing, the commentator from the Wutong City Baby Cup. A small smile tugged at his lips.
So, Li Bing was commentating here too. From a small local Baby Cup to the official Youth Cup in Changsha City talk about a professional commentator!
But Li Bing looked a little nervous in the air. Lin Feng guessed why. After evolving his Doublade into Aegislash, Li Bing had earned his official commentator certification for economic reasons. On one hand, he loved traveling; on the other, he needed to support his family.
This was his first time commentating a provincial-level Youth Cup. And seeing the Fire-type Elite Four in the audience only added to his nerves.
He glanced at the participants' seats and spotted a familiar figure. As a professional commentator, Li Bing always researched the profiles of most of the top contenders before the tournament to engage the audience effectively.
The Baby Cup had been simple, but this Youth Cup was different. Everyone wanted to hide their skills before the main tournament.
Everyone except one boy: Lin Feng. He had openly displayed the strength of his Pokémon, drawing nearly all attention onto himself.
Excluding the Eevee team, his Talonflame, Goodra, and Alolan Vulpix each struck a sense of despair into the hearts of the other competitors.
Yet this boy had never revealed which school he attended or which Gym he trained under. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Thus, Lin Feng became the biggest dark horse of the Changsha City Youth Cup, and the darkness of that mystery only heightened his reputation.
Li Bing gathered himself, circling the arena on Aegislash. He took a deep breath and began his commentary.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's Youth Cup, hosted by the Changsha City Pokémon League Center. I am your commentator, Li Bing.
Today's judges include Changsha City League Branch President Chen Liang and Fire-type Elite Four Member Ji Yan.
I know you're eager to see the battles, so let's begin. Competitors number 1 and 2, please step onto the field."
"The match time limit is five minutes. After five minutes, the winner will be determined based on the condition of the Pokémon…"
The crowd hushed in anticipation. The tournament had officially begun.