That was close! I almost messed it up!
"Great battle! My Gengar still needs more strength, but next time, I'll definitely win!"
Wang , despite losing the match, still wore a broad smile as he looked at Gabriel, completely unconcerned by the loss.
"This time, we were lucky to win, but next time, it won't be the same."
The two bumped fists playfully before walking off the field. The whole battle had shown Gabriel a lot of areas where Little Mu (Dratini) still needed improvement. He'd have to work hard on training when they got back.
Judge Roland furrowed his brow as he observed Gabriel on the field.
"This kid is really impressive, but if he only goes on like this, he won't win the championship. After all, Pat is no ordinary opponent!"
This match had revealed a lot. Though the Dratini appeared a little scruffy, a careful observer would notice that Gengar's every attack didn't seem to cause much damage. On the other hand, despite Dratini's fear and wavering fighting spirit, every one of its attacks dealt considerable damage to Gengar. Dratini's physical condition was far superior to Gengar's. If Dratini could just calm down, victory would be easy to achieve.
"I didn't expect that kid to have grown this much already."
Phoebe watched Gabriel with a mixture of admiration and concern. Her perspective was different from Roland's. After all, she was one of the few who had fought alongside Kier.
A few months ago, Dratini couldn't even dodge an attack from a Growlithe, taking heavy damage when hit, but now that Dratini was already on par with Growlithe!
Growlithe itself had been trained for six months, but Dratini had only been out for half a year! How had Everette helped Gabriel develop it?
One of these days, Phoebe would have to talk to Everette—she figured she could probably learn his training techniques, given how scrappy he looked.
Back at the Jindu Gym, Everette had just received his tuition for the month—350 Pokéblocks in total. He was so happy, not realizing someone was eyeing him for his methods.
Gabriel didn't rush back to the hotel, instead, she took a seat in a nearby milk tea shop and ordered a cup of milk tea to relax.
The area around the competition site was busy, but the milk tea shop was surprisingly quiet.
Gabriel placed Little Mu on a chair beside him and took a sip of his milk tea while playing with his phone.
"First match of the top 16 was tough, but we won easily in the end!"
he uploaded a selfie to his social media, and soon her mom sent a message.
"Wow, top 16! You're amazing, son! I barely made the top 50, but you've really made me proud!"
Gabriel smiled and replied, "Well, of course! Just look at who my mom is!"
Then, Phoebe commented on the post.
"That Dratini's really strong now! Hard to believe it just hatched a few months ago. Your training techniques are great."
Gabriel sent a smile emoji and thanked her.
"Hmph, my Growlithe is invincible!!"
Wait—how was Rafael still seeing my posts? I thought I blocked him?
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a fake account. Rafael had apparently made a new account just to taunt him.
Gabriel didn't bother responding, immediately blocking the account. No need to talk to him—his attitude just didn't match his.
However, after a while, he realized his dad hadn't replied. Maybe his phone had died?
Finally, he asked his mom, only to find out his dad had seen the post immediately after it was uploaded. He'd pretended not to see it, trying to act as though he wasn't embarrassed. He'd been crying and laughing at the same time, obviously quite emotional.
It was a shame she couldn't see his dad's embarrassed face.
Meanwhile, Little Mu, curious about the milk tea on the nearby table, looked at it with interest.
Gabriel had seemed so happy with it, maybe it was really delicious?
After a moment of hesitation, Little Mu couldn't resist and took a sip. The creamy taste lingered in his mouth, along with a strange, sweet fragrance.
Σ(っ °Д °;)っU
This milk tea is so good!
He took another sip.
Before long, Little Mu had finished the whole cup.
What should I do now? Gabriel still needs her drink!
Just then, Gabriel picked up his cup, only to find it was empty.
"Huh? There's none left?"
he glanced at Dratini, whose face was full of guilt.
"Did you drink it?" Gabriel asked with a playful smile.
Little Mu, feeling sheepish, nodded his head.
Gabriel chuckled at his embarrassed face, like seeing a child caught in the act.
"It's fine, it's just a cup of milk tea. If you want more, I'll get you another one."
"Muu!" (Really?)
Little Mu's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
Soon, both Gabriel and Dratini had a cup of milk tea in front of them. Dratini happily sipped his drink, completely content.
Gabriel, now in no mood to check her phone, sipped his own tea and glanced around, seemingly waiting for someone.
Before long, Elle walked into the shop, holding a camera. Outside, the spectators were slowly leaving the competition grounds, signaling the end of today's matches.
"Did you get everything?" Gabriel asked.
Elle set the camera down on the table, looking exhausted. "Yep, got it all."
Since Gabriel's match had been later, he asked Elle to record all the matches so he could review them later.
After today's battle, Gabriel became even more aware of the importance of preparation. If he had known his opponent was using a Gengar, he could have mentally prepared Little Mu and avoided the chaos they experienced in the match.
To make it to the top 16, every opponent was formidable. Gabriel knew he had to prepare carefully for the upcoming challenges.
However, recording the entire match was a hassle. Even though Elle had agreed to help, he had been exhausted by the end of it. To get the best shots, Elle had been totally focused, holding the camera the entire time.
"I really should've bought a tripod, so I wouldn't have to hold it the whole time. My arms are completely numb," Elle muttered to his self.
Gabriel noticed Elle's fatigue and, feeling a bit guilty, held out his milk tea to her.
"Want a sip?"
Elle shook her head, not taking the tea, still looking seriously at Gabriel.
"If you don't get good footage, you'll be in for a serious talk from me!"
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