Chương 237: Reggie's Disheartenment
Reggie's upcoming matches were comparatively easier. Yuga could tell that among the top eight, aside from Flint, Volkner, and Cynthia, the others were slightly below Reggie in terms of skill. As long as Reggie didn't make any fatal mistakes, reaching the semi-finals was well within his reach.
Cynthia continued her dominant performance in the quarter-finals, using only her Garchomp to achieve the remarkable feat of defeating six opponents single-handedly, causing quite a sensation in the stadium. Cynthia gained numerous admirers as a result.
After the morning matches concluded and the semi-finalists were decided, only Flint, Reggie, Cynthia, and a boy Yuga didn't know remained.
During lunch, Yuga could clearly sense that both Flint and Reggie were somewhat nervous. However, Yuga and Volkner, who was no longer in the competition, didn't know how to help them relax. All they could do was silently root for them in their hearts.
The afternoon match-ups were announced just before the games began: Flint versus an unknown opponent, Reggie versus Cynthia.
Sitting in the audience, Paul expressed his concern to Yuga, "Is my brother going to be okay?"
Yuga patted his head and replied with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, your brother will do his best."
Paul nodded but couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.
In the first match, Flint won quite easily. Among their peers, Flint's strength was exceptional, and except for opponents like Cynthia, there were few obstacles to his progress, even in the top four of the current Lily of the Valley Conference.
In contrast, Reggie experienced one of the biggest setbacks of his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. Cynthia, just like in the quarter-finals, used only her Garchomp. Reggie sent out Bibarel, Drapion, Froslass, and Lickilicky consecutively, and they were all ruthlessly defeated by Cynthia's Garchomp.
At this point, Reggie's spirit had sunk to its lowest. He couldn't believe that he could defeat Cynthia's six Pokémon with only his two remaining. Even worse, he felt it was an uphill battle to defeat the Garchomp right in front of him.
As the match progressed, Reggie was covered in cold sweat, his hands trembling. He recalled his incapacitated Lickilicky with a trembling hand and sent out his Honchkrow.
Reggie's Honchkrow was exceptionally powerful, much stronger than the four Pokémon he had used earlier. It engaged in a fierce battle with Cynthia's Garchomp, but it was eventually defeated, leaving Reggie with only his last Pokémon, Staraptor.
Reggie stared at Cynthia with her beautiful yet composed face, feeling as though she was a towering mountain that he couldn't possibly conquer. After releasing Staraptor, Reggie had lost all his will to fight. He couldn't even give proper commands to his Pokémon.
Staraptor kept calling out to its Trainer on the battlefield, but Reggie remained unresponsive. Finally, Staraptor's gaze turned resolute, and it took matters into its own wings, launching an attack against Cynthia's Garchomp.
Reggie's Staraptor, his starter Pokémon and strongest companion, possessed an indomitable spirit. Even when its Trainer had lost all hope, it refused to give up.
Reggie's Staraptor, despite the injuries it had sustained, put up an impressive fight against Cynthia's Garchomp, receiving thunderous applause from the audience. However, both Pokémon eventually succumbed to their injuries.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak. Staraptor's courageous performance earned a standing ovation and cheers from the entire audience, including Cynthia.
"The battle between Staraptor and Garchomp has ended in a double knockout! Considering that Reggie has lost all six of his Pokémon, Cynthia wins this match!"
Yuga and Paul watched Reggie, who seemed lifeless, with concern. Despite Staraptor's valiant effort, Reggie's spirit had been shattered by the overwhelming strength of Cynthia's team.
The referee's voice snapped Reggie back to reality. He looked at his fainted Staraptor on the battlefield, a swirl of mixed emotions in his heart. He recalled Staraptor into its Poké Ball and left the arena without looking back.
Reggie neither acknowledged Staraptor's valiant effort nor noticed the cheers and admiration it received from the audience.
In the spectator seats, Yuga said to Paul, "Paul, stay here and don't wander around. I'll be back in a moment."
Paul obediently nodded.
Then, Yuga turned to Volkner and said, "Can you watch over Paul for a while? I'll be right back."
After seeing Volkner's agreement, Yuga left the spectator seats.
Yuga found Reggie sitting on the grass behind the venue, gazing at the clouds in the sky, and he seemed unaware of Yuga's arrival.
It was autumn, and the sky was an exceptionally deep blue with few clouds.
"Feeling down?" Yuga asked as he sat down beside Reggie.
Upon hearing Yuga's voice, Reggie turned his head slightly, then turned back to the sky. It took him a while to respond, his voice filled with dejection. "Am I useless?"
"Why would you say that? Just because you lost to Cynthia?" Yuga inquired.
"But I used six Pokémon just to defeat one of hers," Reggie replied with a hint of despair, burying his head in his arms, his voice quivering.
"But that doesn't determine whether you're useful or not. Many have been defeated one-on-six by her; it's not just you!" Yuga reassured him.
"But..."
Reggie wanted to say more, but Yuga interrupted him.
"You've known for a long time that Cynthia is very strong, right? So why be disheartened now?"
"She's strong, extremely strong. But in the end, it doesn't make much of a difference to you," Yuga continued.
"I haven't participated in any serious competitions, and I don't quite understand the feelings of frustration, anger, and helplessness after losing a match.
So, I won't tell you things like 'keep working hard' or 'cheer up.' I know these words mean a lot to you, and that's why you're feeling so upset.
But what I want to say is, you can't ignore your Pokémon's efforts just because you're feeling down.
Did you see the last match where Staraptor fought with all its might? Did you witness its victory? What about the Pokémon that gave their all earlier for you? Even though they lost, they still gave their best for you."
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