Chen Kai returned to the rest area and immediately saw Teacher Xu standing nearby.
Teacher Xu's lips were tightly pursed, as if he was desperately trying to suppress his inner ecstasy, but his eyes and brows were full of unconcealable pride.
He stood with his arms crossed, casting a distant glance towards Teacher Shen, an expression full of showing off and smugness, as if saying, "Look how amazing my students are; yours can't compare."
At this moment, Teacher Shen's face was filled with disappointment, as he stared intently at Sun Songjin and Jolteon walking off the field, his eyes full of heartache and unwillingness.
He knew in his heart that Sun Songjin and Jolteon had done their best, but they still lost the match.
Just then, Teacher Shen also felt Teacher Xu's challenging gaze.
But he only frowned slightly, then turned his head away, pretending not to see, and completely ignored Teacher Xu.
At the same time, Teacher Shen quickly adjusted his emotions, walked quickly to Sun Songjin's side, gently patted his shoulder, and softly said:
"Child, don't be too sad. Although you lost this match, you all did an excellent job. Failure is the mother of success, and you are still young. If you can learn from this competition, you will definitely have a chance to win it back in the future."
Sun Songjin looked up, tears still glistening in his eyes, but he still nodded firmly.
Then, Teacher Shen walked towards Lu Liqiu, the Floatzel trainer who was about to enter the arena, trying his best to encourage him.
However, Lu Liqiu looked at the battle information on the big screen, his brows tightly furrowed, and a hint of worry in his eyes.
His opponent was Su Yuexi, and Su Yuexi's Pokemon was Gloom.
Although Floatzel was skilled at flexible combat in water, facing the Grass-type Gloom, the type disadvantage was even greater than that of the Electric-type Jolteon against Grass-types, which made him feel as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.
When Lu Liqiu led Floatzel onto the field and his gaze fell on Su Yuexi and her Pokemon on the opposite side, he couldn't help but be stunned.
This was no longer the Gloom he remembered; it was clearly a Bellossom!
Its body was a fresh green, like new sprouts in spring. Two round blue eyes were set on its small head, like deep blue sapphires, revealing agility and cunning.
On Bellossom's head, there was no longer that smelly flower bud, but two vibrant red flowers proudly blooming.
The petals were layered, delicate and vibrant, like burning flames, exuding a charming fragrance. Its body also became smaller, with the lower half resembling a skirt of green and yellow leaves, intertwined to form a fluffy, soft hem.
It used its grass-skirt-like leaves instead of feet, swaying lightly on the field, every movement full of rhythm. Sometimes it would gently shake its head, making the flowers on its head tremble slightly; other times it would twist its waist, causing its skirt-like leaves to rustle.
Its dance was so elegant, as if the entire arena had become its exclusive stage.
Seeing this scene, Lu Liqiu had only one thought: It's over; I don't know how to win.
Originally, Floatzel was at a type disadvantage against Gloom, but now facing this agile and powerful-looking Bellossom, the pressure came down on him like a mountain, almost suffocating him.
Floatzel sensed its trainer's tension, leaned against Lu Liqiu's feet, gently tugged at his pants with its small paw, and let out a low growl, seemingly comforting its trainer not to be afraid.
Lu Liqiu took a deep breath, trying to calm his panicked emotions. He knew that no matter how difficult this match was, he and Floatzel had to give their all.
"Alright, both sides in position, let the match begin."
Lu Liqiu immediately commanded: "Floatzel, Ice Fang!"
Upon receiving the order, Floatzel's body instantly tensed, and a chilling Ice Fang quickly condensed in its mouth.
It quickly charged towards the Bellossom on the opposite side, the Ice Fang gleaming with a cold light under the sunlight, full of power.
However, Su Yuexi on the opposite side was exceptionally calm, and slowly said: "Bellossom, perform Quiver Dance!"
It turned out that Teacher Xu had told Su Yuexi last night: "It's about time, let Gloom evolve."
Su Yuexi also felt the same way.
So, in the early morning, the first ray of sunlight gently fell on a quiet patch of grass, and dewdrops glistened on the blades of grass, like pearls left by nature.
Su Yuexi arrived early at this patch of grass and handed a Sun Stone, radiating a warm glow, which she held tightly in her hand, to Gloom.
As soon as Gloom touched the Sun Stone, its body began to tremble slightly. A bright Radiance burst forth from it, enveloping it entirely.
As the sun slowly rose, golden Radiance covered the entire grassland, as if gilding the world, reflecting the light of Gloom's evolution.
As the two lights grew stronger, Gloom's form gradually changed.
And after the light gradually dissipated, a Bellossom dancing lightly on the grass appeared before Su Yuexi's eyes.
The evolved Bellossom brought this innate dancing talent to the arena. Its current Quiver Dance was different from its morning dance, revealing a mysterious and beautiful feeling, as if containing endless power.
As it danced, the surrounding air seemed to be dyed with a dreamy color, and petals drifted from its body, like a splendid rain of petals.
During the dance, Bellossom's body gradually emitted a soft Radiance, and its special attack, special defense, and speed were significantly boosted in this light.
Its already agile posture became even lighter, and its eyes revealed a more confident glow.
Just as Floatzel was about to rush in front of Bellossom, Bellossom skillfully danced Quiver Dance, easily dodging the Ice Fang attack.
Lu Liqiu's brows furrowed, feeling a bit anxious, but he still commanded: "Floatzel, continue Ice Fang!"
He gave the command again, and Floatzel did not hesitate at all. It gathered power in its mouth again, and another Ice Fang appeared.
It charged towards Bellossom again, this time with a more determined look, as if to make up for the previous mistake.
However, Bellossom remained immersed in its world of dance. It danced lightly while flexibly dodging. Just as Floatzel was about to attack it, Bellossom cleverly turned, like a gracefully dancing butterfly, and easily avoided the Ice Fang again.
Floatzel missed again.
Lu Liqiu watched this scene, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He couldn't help but think: This Ice Fang might indeed miss, but this Bellossom is too good at dodging, isn't it?
"Floatzel, change strategy, use Swift!" Lu Liqiu shouted loudly, with a hint of urgency in his voice.
Floatzel heard the command, and its eyes instantly sharpened. It squatted slightly, flicked its tail, and countless glittering stars appeared around its tail. These stars shot rapidly towards Bellossom, streaking through the air of the arena like meteors.
Lu Liqiu thought that Swift was a guaranteed hit, and Bellossom definitely wouldn't be able to dodge it like before this time.
Su Yuexi just gently said: "Bellossom, change your dance, Petal Dance!"
Bellossom twisted its waist, changed its posture, and began to dance again.
This time, its dance style was completely different. As it danced, the surrounding air suddenly filled with a large amount of colorful petals.
These petals looked soft, but in reality, they were like sharp blades, sweeping towards the Swift with powerful force.
The Swift hit the petals one after another, but they were all blocked by those sharp petals. The petals collided with the Swift, and the Swift made a "crackle" sound, like firecrackers going off.
And Bellossom continued to dance gracefully surrounded by the petals, as if the Swift's attack was just an insignificant interlude for it.
Then, Bellossom immersed itself in its world of dance, an instinctive, rhythmic movement, as if pulled by a mysterious force, it had to keep dancing.
At the same time, Bellossom danced with increasing vigor, and the petals on the field grew more and more numerous.
Above the arena, a sudden storm of flowers erupted. Millions of petals fluttered in the wind, like the strings of a harp plucked by an invisible hand, trembling with a clear, murderous sound.
Each petal was like a frost-tempered blade, its cold light reflecting a winter-like sharp edge as it spun.
They intertwined into an elegant and deadly waltz, pouring down on Floatzel with overwhelming force.
Floatzel's figure in this overwhelming floral frenzy was like a lone boat, liable to be swallowed at any moment by this splendid yet cruel storm.
The entire arena seemed to fall into a dream, the audience holding their breath, fearing to disturb this magnificent and dangerous spectacle. Beauty and killing intent were one at this moment, playing a breathtaking symphony of nature.
A few minutes later, as the last petal gently fell, this splendid yet deadly storm finally subsided.
The swirling rain of petals gradually dispersed, revealing Floatzel in the center of the arena. It lay there quietly, covered in a layer of fine petals, its eyes tightly closed, its breathing faint and even, clearly having lost consciousness in the baptism of the floral frenzy.
A gentle breeze swept by, and a few remaining petals gently slid from its body, like the final curtain call at the end of a grand performance.
The referee breathed a sigh of relief, blew his whistle, and declared the end of the duel.
Seeing this, Lu Liqiu's face instantly turned pale. He didn't care about anything else, rushing to Floatzel's side in one stride, carefully picking it up, his eyes full of heartache and self-reproach.
He didn't dare to delay for a moment, quickly holding Floatzel and running towards the treatment room, his steps hurried, his back appearing somewhat flustered.
And at this moment, Bellossom, due to the side effects of Petal Dance, was already dizzy. Su Yuexi walked forward and gently held Bellossom in her arms, and Bellossom weakly shook its head in her embrace.
Su Yuexi gently comforted it:
"You did great, Bellossom."
Then she carried it and slowly walked off the competition stage.
The audience at the edge of the arena witnessed this scene, all stunned with wide eyes. The venue was completely silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
This was almost a one-hit knockout. In the history of Qu County High School's competitions, such a one-sided and shocking scene had never occurred.
Teacher Xu, seeing Su Yuexi win, was filled with uncontrollable excitement, his eyes narrowed into slits from smiling.
Teacher Shen looked at Lu Liqiu's appearance, and his heart ached, but he could only sigh softly, really not knowing how to comfort him.
As the subsequent matches concluded, the results were astonishing. The remaining several participating students from Zining High School eliminated all the students from the other high schools in Qu County.
In the entire top eight teams, besides the students from Zining High School, there was only one other student of Teacher Shen. His advancement was largely due to good luck, not encountering Chen Kai and his peers, which gave him a chance to advance.
This made the entire competition almost a class match for Chen Kai's second-year class.
After the top eight were determined, everyone had lunch at noon, and the competition continued in the afternoon to determine the final rankings.
In the cafeteria, Teacher Xu ate with his students, continuously praising everyone. He excitedly recounted each student's brilliant performance on the field, his expression as if showing off his most precious treasures.
Chen Kai and his classmates were also infected by the teacher's mood, and laughter echoed in the corner of the cafeteria.
However, when lunch was almost finished, Teacher Xu received a message notification.
He frowned for a moment, and finally said: "The afternoon match will be a doubles format!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the lively atmosphere instantly quieted down, and Chen Kai and the others were all stunned.
Bai Jin and Qin Ying only had one Pokemon each!
Although Chen Kai had many Pokemon, his Xiao Mei and Hydrapple couldn't participate, and Chen Kai glanced at the Exeggcute next to him, which was probably only level 2-3, and couldn't help but complain: This is simply unrealistic! We can't just send Grovyle in to fight two, can we?
"Hmph!" Teacher Xu cleared his throat. He also knew his students' situation and stood up, saying: "Don't worry, I'll go communicate with the schedule committee."
With that, he hurriedly walked towards the schedule committee office.
After a long while, Teacher Xu returned with his head down, looking disheartened. He walked among the students and said helplessly:
"Sorry, it really can't be changed. I argued with the schedule committee until I was hoarse, but they said it's always been arranged this way in previous years, because they never expected second-year students to make it into the top eight. Although they discussed it for a while, they still decided they couldn't just change the format for our sake."
After listening to Teacher Xu, Chen Kai appeared exceptionally calm. He had an excellent mindset and said with a faint smile:
"It's just a competition, it should be fun, there's no need to force ourselves. At worst, I just won't play, that's all."
Chen Kai's words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, creating ripples.
Bai Jin was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then stood up as well, and said with determined eyes: "Then I'll forfeit too."
Qin Ying also said casually: "I'll give up too."
Yelena also followed, saying: "Then I'll forfeit too."
"Huh? Yelena, you have more than one Pokemon." Teacher Xu said somewhat anxiously.
Yelena said indifferently: "No need."