Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 698 Self-limitation
That night.

Hoenn region, Saiyuu city.

After advancing to the final tournament and becoming the top 32 players of the Caiyou Conference, Xiaozhi and his group clearly felt that their treatment had been greatly improved.

"A well-equipped single queen room and unlimited buffet food paradise is nothing more than this, right?"

Wearing black-framed glasses with thick lenses, Xiaosheng was holding a plate filled with a variety of high-calorie but extremely delicious foods.

As Xiaozhi's companions who advanced to the top 32, they also enjoyed this luxurious treatment.

All I can say is that the structure of the Hoenn Alliance still exists.

On the other side, sister Xiaoyao stared at the delicious food on her brother Xiaosheng's plate.

He didn't even realize that there were sparkling water stains at the corners of his mouth.

But soon, the "grass food" on her plate and the vague tightness in her lower abdomen brought her back to reality.

No!

Xiaoyao shook her head frantically as if to wake herself up, and kept repeating in her mind "You have to wear performance clothes to participate in the gorgeous competition. Wearing performance clothes when you are fat is tantamount to public execution" in an attempt to firm her wavering will.

Xiaosheng wanted to tease her with the food on the plate, but when he thought of the authority his sister usually established, he backed off.

The two men who "returned with a full load" returned to their seats, where a high pile of food plates had already been piled up.

Each plate looked as if it had been licked carefully, and even looked somewhat clean.

The big eater who ate so much food was naturally their travel partner, Satoshi from Pallet Town.

Even though they have been traveling together for several months, Xiaoyao still occasionally sighs like she does now.

"Where did all the food you ate go, Xiaozhi?"

Xiaoyao didn't want to admit that she was indeed a little envious of Xiaozhi, who could eat a lot and make his belly so big, but still be the same size the next day.

But Xiaoyao was just asking. She knew that Xiaozhi was now "accumulating strength" for tomorrow's battle. Even Pikachu, who was standing on the table next to him, added two servings of ketchup to the Pokémon food.

Even though she didn't get a response from Xiaozhi, it didn't stop her from sitting down, picking up the fork, and chewing the grass with a look of agony on her face.

Like a mother, Xiao Gang helped Xiaozhi to deal with some food that needed to be cracked manually. The busy Xiao Gang took a moment to look at the siblings and immediately frowned and said, "You should eat some meat. You are at the age of growing up."

Maybe because he was taken care of more by his younger brothers and sisters at home, Xiaogang would occasionally show concern for Xiaoyao, who is about the same age as his younger sister Sizi, from the perspective of an older brother.

It’s just that younger sisters are always unpredictable, not to mention that Xiaoyao is not Xiaogang’s sister.

Xiaogang's concern was only met with Xiaoyao's response: "In order to maintain your figure, you have to have this awareness."

Xiaogang was tactful enough not to mention the matter again and continued to concentrate on feeding Xiaozhi who was accumulating strength through eating.

But he didn't expect that the situation of strong rivals threatening each other, which had already happened twice before, would happen in front of him for the third time.

Xiao Zhi was devouring the steak on the plate that Xiao Gang had carefully cut into eatable strips. But at a certain moment, he seemed to sense something, and his head suddenly turned, his eyes subconsciously towards the door of the restaurant.

There were three familiar figures communicating with the waiters who came forward to greet them.

With Xiaozhi's eyes, he immediately spotted Shinji, who was sandwiched between three girls with a very cocky expression.

Under the surprised expressions of Brock, Haruka, Clement, and Pikachu who was almost choking, Satoshi stood up.

On the other side, Shinji, who was just keeping his innate expressionless expression, politely said to the waitress: "It's better to keep it the same as before."

"Okay, I'll notify the kitchen to prepare."

The waitress nodded with a smile.

Although the restaurant is basically self-service, for some customers, especially Shinji, Shizuka and Nemo, who are the focus of attention and reminded to be taken care of, there are ordering services that are more in line with their eating habits.

The waitress turned and left, and when the three of them were about to go to the seats they usually sat at recently, a black shadow suddenly appeared in front of them.

It was accompanied by the boy's voice full of fighting spirit.

"You're here too, Shinji!"

"Masamune and Tetsuya just came to challenge me. You really came here specially as well!"

The person who spoke was naturally Xiaozhi, who was holding Pikachu in his hand, who looked a little confused about the situation and had ketchup on the corner of his mouth.

"Oh! Xiaozhi-kun! Is everyone so passionate?"

Before Shinji could say anything, Nimo spoke first.

She first greeted him, then her face was full of longing.

It’s a pity that I didn’t sign up for the Caiyou Conference, otherwise I could have joined in the fun.

She loves this kind of passionate atmosphere the most!

Shinji's expression was slightly cold. He looked up at Xiaozhi, and the words of denial were stuck in his throat.

"Can you please wipe your mouth before you say something like that?"

Looking at the oil stains around Xiaozhi's mouth, Shinji's face was full of disgust.

"Also, don't take it for granted. We are all players who have advanced to the finals tournament, so we can naturally eat at the restaurant designated by the alliance. Not to mention that we have been eating at this restaurant since we came to Caiyou City."

"You're just a latecomer."

Perhaps it was the result of the incident on Mengs Island. After the three of them arrived in Caiyou City to register and confirm their participation in the conference, they were directly arranged to stay in a hotel that only the contestants who advanced to the top 32 could stay in. They also enjoyed the best treatment from the very beginning.

So the situation that Xiaozhi described does not exist at all.

He wouldn't be so idle as to run to Xiaozhi like a fool and make the ridiculous and time-wasting so-called "pre-war declaration".

So stupid.

But Xiaozhi was completely immune to Shinji's disgusted expression and voice. He just stubbornly believed in the fact and said, "Tomorrow I will only send out the companions I have captured and trained in the Hoenn region. This time I will make you admit defeat with conviction!"

As carefree as Xiaozhi is, he actually knows that his previous victories over Shinji were all due to the advantage that he became a trainer earlier.

So he keenly sensed that Shinji never thought that he had really lost to him.

For two people who repel each other in aura but can resonate with each other in some aspects, making the other person lose with conviction is also a kind of persistence.

So this time Xiaozhi made a decision that went against Luo Mu's teachings.

——He decided that apart from Pikachu, he would only send the companions that he had captured in the Hoenn region or had just started to train.

He would not send any of his companions from Kanto or Johto into battle.

If I can still win in this situation, I'm sure Shinji will be convinced, right?
Xiaozhi has an equally inexplicable obsession in this inexplicable place.

Xiaogang and the other two who were chasing from behind also heard Xiaozhi's explosive speech.

They looked at each other and saw incomprehension in each other's eyes.

You know, in the previous preliminaries and preliminary championships, Xiaozhi took the initiative to replace Pokémon as Luo Mu said, and won the game more easily with the foundation accumulated in Kanto and Johto regions, plus the results of training in Hoenn.

Even in news reports that are closely related to the Caiyou Conference, Xiaozhi is listed as one of the most likely seeded players to win the championship.

After all, there are very few trainers like Ash who have a backyard of Pokémon that he can choose to replace at any time, making it impossible to effectively target them.

"This completely wipes out your advantage." Shizuka's whisper was unanimously agreed by Xiaogang, Xiaoyao and Xiaosheng.

Even Shinji was stunned for a second, and then he cursed subconsciously: "You idiot, do you know what you are talking about?"

Before Shinji could finish his words, he met Xiaozhi's burning gaze.

The burning emotion contained in that gaze inexplicably made Shinji feel as if he was stabbed, and he turned his face away somewhat unnaturally.

"Hmph, whatever you want."

"If that's the case, then my victory is not the least bit unexpected."

"It's hard to say who will win or lose!"

Xiaozhi immediately retorted loudly.

At this time, Nemo also jumped out unwillingly.

"Would you like a sparring partner before the game? I can play with you guys all night long!"

“Please, please!”

Xiaozhi's eyes lit up, he just wanted to practice with a trainer of Neemo's level.

They both turned their gazes to Shinji and asked in the same tone, "Want to come?"

Shinji was silent for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said, "Come!"

Although he can now roughly predict Xiaozhi's lineup, how could he miss the opportunity to observe closely and formulate tactics?

Not to mention, even though sparring with Neemo is stressful, it’s still very effective in maintaining the competitive form of the Pokémon in the team.

His match with Xiaozhi was scheduled for the last game tomorrow afternoon, so he could be guaranteed adequate rest.

If this is the case, how can we just let Xiaozhi make progress alone?

Padiya region, on the outskirts of Pingdie Town.

Luo Mu sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the soft fur of the Sun Eevee who was a little sleepy at night with his right hand, and listened carefully to the voice on the other end of the phone.

After a moment, Luo Mu said, "Yeah, yeah, I see. Does that mean they are sparring with Nimo outside now?"

Hear the words.

Shizuka, who was making a phone call at the Pokémon Center, subconsciously looked behind her.

In the battle field outside, the battle between two people and one person is still going on.

It even attracted quite a few passers-by to watch.

Even though Luo Mu couldn't see it, Shizuka nodded and replied, "Yes, they have been fighting for two and a half hours after dinner."

"Is that so? Then just ignore them and let them be."

Luo Mu looked up at the ceiling, his voice a little lazy.

"what?"

Shizuka blinked, seemingly confused.

He could probably guess what she was struggling with, so Luo Muyu said seriously: "You are a few years older than me, so you probably can't understand the impulsive personalities of these young people."

"Just like Xiaozhi, winning the championship is important to him, but he not only wants to win the championship, but also wants Shinji to truly recognize his victory. There is no need to stop this obsession."

Shizuka: "."

Just talk, why are you deliberately bringing up the ten-year age difference between them and me? Is that a personal attack?
However, what Luo Mu said did make sense. Since Xiaozhi and Shinji had both accepted this form of competing for victory or defeat, it would be a bit nosy for her to continue to persuade them.

She is finding it increasingly difficult to understand today's young people.

At this time, Luo Mu's voice continued to sound on the other end of the phone.

"As for you, it's getting late now. It's important to get enough rest and deal with your opponent tomorrow morning with a calm mind, right?"

His words also reminded Shizuka that since the match was in the afternoon, Shinji and Satoshi would have plenty of rest time if they continued sparring.

On the contrary, although she was not the first to appear, her draw position was quite high.

If I don’t sleep now, it will be too late to regret if I lose in the round of 32 due to negligence.

Thinking of this, before hanging up the phone, Shizuka quickly stated the second purpose of her call.

"By the way, Shinji-kun and Satoshi-kun both asked me to pass on a message to you."

"What?"

".They all said, please watch carefully in front of the TV, the one who wins the game in the end will definitely be me/me."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Mu showed a sighing expression.

From a rational point of view, Luo Mu, like Shizuka, felt that this was a stupid move that would restrict himself.

But how can I put it? This choice is indeed very much in Xiaozhi's style.

Originally, in Luo Mu's own estimation, Xiaozhi should be able to rely on the time advantage and the variability of the lineup to overcome all obstacles and win the championship again.

In this regard, it is really difficult for Shinji to match the Pokémon that appear according to his lineup like in the animation.

After all, it is Shinji who has a relatively shallow "hero pool", rather than Xiaozhi who was unsealed under Luo Mu's advice.

Even though Shinji finally gained an advantage with his tactics, the probability of him winning in the end would still be that Shinji would still need some time to catch up with Xiaozhi in terms of hard power.

But Xiaozhi's "bad move" undoubtedly turned himself into a fish on the chopping board, waiting for Shinji to kill him.

But it is not yet possible to directly conclude that Shinji, who has the advantage in conditions, will be able to achieve the final victory.

After all, Xiaozhi's fighting style is too weird, and everything is possible before it's over.

"Indeed, it immediately makes people look forward to how this battle will turn out."

After murmured, Luo Mu closed his eyes and fell asleep with anticipation for tomorrow.

Time passed quickly and it was the next morning.

Orange Academy, inside the battle hall.

A large-screen TV hanging in the center was broadcasting the results of the game.

"The battle is over. Since Xiao Feng from Shuijing City lost all six Pokémon, Joey Shizuka from Table City in the Padiya region won!"

The referee's loud voice echoed through the speakers in the empty fighting hall.

He could hear the heartfelt and enthusiastic applause of Mudan and the others. Looking at the avatars of both sides displayed on the TV, Luo Mu saw the avatar of Shizuka's side, which had only four Pokémon that were blacked out, and a smile appeared on his face.

I was not only happy that I had just sat through the class.

Similarly, he was also happy that Shizuka defeated the opponent's six Pokémon with five Pokémon and advanced to the top sixteen.

".In this case, the main attraction today will be the fierce rivalry between Shinji and Satoshi in the afternoon."

(End of this chapter)