Although Dragonite looked overwhelmingly powerful, someone from the crowd eventually stood up, unconvinced, and stepped into the ring.
He even called out Dragonite by name, demanding a direct challenge.
As the ring's current champion, Lin Feng had no right to refuse. According to the rules, the challenger must defeat all three of the champion's Pokémon in order to claim victory.
Meanwhile, the champion was required to reveal all three of their Pokémon in advance, giving the challenger the chance to plan counters based on type advantages.
It was one of the few perks granted to challengers.
Unfortunately, that meant Blaziken's turn in the spotlight was once again pushed aside.
The challenger was a young man, probably around twenty-three or twenty-four looked like a recent college graduate.
His first Pokémon: Venusaur.
Pokémon: Venusaur
Gender: Male
Ability: Overgrow
Potential: Blue Tier
Individual Values: ...
Level: 37–39
Moves: Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Grassy Terrain, Toxic, Substitute, Protect...
Ah, a hot-blooded college kid.
After a quick glance at Venusaur's stats, Lin Feng more or less guessed the guy's battle strategy.
Still, he looked over at Dragonite and said, "Go easy on them, alright? Just aim to win, no need to go all out."
Although Lin Feng could view Dragonite's full stat panel and move set, he had never tried commanding it in battle. He was worried it might not respond well to orders.
So, this match would be entirely up to Dragonite.
Before the battle began, though, Lin Feng cast a glance down at Gardevoir.
It was a silent signal if anything went wrong, be ready to intervene.
Gardevoir gave a gentle nod, her voice echoing softly in his mind through telepathy.
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on things."
Something about the way she said it made Lin Feng feel unexpectedly moved.
Her tone was like she was telling him, "Go ahead and take risks I'll be here to catch you if you fall."
Ever since Gardevoir had arrived at the orchard, Lin Feng had genuinely felt like he was being looked after by her...
But Dragonite heard his words and interpreted them a little differently.
"Roo?"
Them?
Dragonite gave Venusaur a curious look wasn't there only one opponent?
Then it glanced around at the other Pokémon standing with their Trainers below the ring. Ah, now it got it.
So the mission was: defeat everyone.
Got it.
"Let's go, buddy!" the challenger shouted, barely able to contain his excitement. The moment the match began, he commanded, "Use Grassy Terrain!"
Even on a rocky battlefield, lush green grass began to sprout and spread across the surface.
"Nice!" The challenger cheered as the setup succeeded. "Now hit it with Toxi—"
But before he could even finish the word, Dragonite's claw was already ablaze with fiery energy. It slammed into the ground like a meteor crashing to earth.
Fire Punch.
The Grassy Terrain burst into flames in an instant, burning up in crackling embers.
In the next moment, Dragonite launched into the sky. Its form shimmered with raw energy as it blurred through the air.
It landed beside Venusaur in the blink of an eye, its tail glowing as it lashed out with staggering force.
Extreme Speed. Dragon Tail.
Smack
The heavy hit left Venusaur stunned, its eyes barely open.
The joy on the challenger's face froze into shock.
He had hoped to rely on Grassy Terrain to lay a foundation, follow up with Toxic, and hide behind a Substitute to drag things out.
But in the end...
Venusaur didn't even get the chance to use Protect or Substitute.
This Dragonite was way too strong!
The young man looked at Lin Feng in disbelief this kid was younger than him, and yet... was he already at an Elite Four level?
Terrifying...
With no other choice, he returned his fainted Venusaur to its Poké Ball and stepped down in defeat.
"Roo!"
(Who's next?)
As the Trainer turned away, Dragonite casually scanned the remaining Trainers, then raised one claw and beckoned them with a smug expression.
Lin Feng blinked in surprise.
In his memory, Dragonite had always been a gentle, kind Pokémon especially during delivery runs.
Since when did it become such a show-off?
Still...
That arrogant look instantly ignited the crowd.
"What's with that attitude?! I don't believe it can beat all of us!"
"Let's go, everyone!"
One hour later.
Only five Trainers remained.
Dragonite stood tall and smug in the ring still full of energy.
None of the challengers' Pokémon had lasted more than two moves.
Only one Galarian Mr. Rime had managed to block a Dragon Breath using a combo of Misty Terrain and Light Screen.
But it too fell moments later to a blast of Flamethrower.
Now, no one dared to step into the ring again.
Dragonite looked utterly satisfied, like a long-sought vengeance had finally been achieved.
For reasons Lin Feng couldn't explain,
It just looked... very pleased.
Maybe it had spent too much time around Mewtwo lately he suspected Dragonite had started doubting its own strength.
"Phew…"
Watching the defeated crowd below shaking their heads, Lin Feng couldn't help but feel a little bad for them.
He had envisioned several potential outcomes for this match maybe a close fight where Blaziken eked out a win, followed by Serperior and Gardevoir cleaning up the rest.
What he hadn't expected...
Was for Dragonite to descend from the skies and crush every single challenger.
The biggest factor? Dragonite's sheer fighting spirit.
Why it was so fired up, Lin Feng still didn't know.
When Orchard Master Susan finally announced the result, Lin Feng awkwardly led Dragonite and Gardevoir over to her.
"Sorry... looks like the match ended a bit early."
But to his surprise, she laughed, her face lit with admiration.
"No need to apologize, dear. In fact, I should thank you. I've hosted this ring challenge for years now, and it's always been lukewarm at best. But with a Trainer like you around, I'm sure next year will draw even stronger competitors."
"Really?" Lin Feng looked slightly surprised.
Susan nodded again with a warm smile.
"It's just hard to believe you're an orchard keeper. In all these years of hosting this event, I've never met one as skilled as you."
She paused, then asked, "So... for your prize the one-third share of the honeyberries do you want us to sell them for you, or would you prefer to take the harvest directly?"
Lin Feng scratched his head sheepishly. After all, Dragonite wasn't his original Pokémon.
Still, he smiled and answered, "I want them fresh no need to sell."
"All right. If you want them picked, we'll need to charge some labor costs. But if you choose to sell them, there's no fee."
"Yeah, that's fine," Lin Feng replied without hesitation. He wasn't surprised after all, even a third of a hundred-acre orchard was a massive amount.
She nodded. "Three days from now, you can come pick them up. Just be mindful: if the honeyberries aren't stored in a cold environment after harvest, you'll need to ferment them into wine within ten days."
"Got it." At the mention of winemaking, Lin Feng perked up, remembering another reason he'd come here.
Looking at her with hopeful eyes, he asked, "By the way... Uncle Mu told me you have some Shuckle here, right?"
A warm, gentle smile spread across Susan's face.
But her next words made Lin Feng's heart sink.
"Of course we have Shuckle. How could we make wine without them? But from the way you ask, sounds like you want to raise one?"
"That's a shame, dear. I don't have many Shuckle left, and the ones I do have... they've been with me for years, helping with the winemaking. They're old friends I can't part with them."
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