After our diligent and hardworking classmate Xia Hanao's all-night vigil, Miao Longque was ultimately confined to his room, unable to leave for the entire night.
Of course, we felt it was a bit inhumane to have Xia Hanao guard Miao Longque alone for the whole night. So, just as Xia Hanao was feeling drowsy, the team leader Meng Tianya stepped up and took over Xia Hanao's duty.
Xia Hanao stretched his waist and legs as he left, leaving only Meng Tianya diligently on duty in the courtyard. Miao Longque, facing everyone's concern, was on the verge of tears.
Time passed, and the next morning arrived. Although Xia Hanao slept late, his biological clock prompted him to wake up early and head to Miao Longque's door, waiting for the day's protagonist, Miao Longque.
Miao Longque clearly hadn't slept well that night. He emerged with dark circles under his eyes, and the quality of those circles indicated how mentally exhausted he was.
"Good morning, Miao Longque."
Xia Hanao looked at Miao Longque with a beaming face. Although Miao Longque was utterly exhausted, he had to return the greeting since Xia Hanao addressed him. Xia Hanao could see Miao Longque was not in good spirits, but he couldn't foolishly ask about it; after all, it would be too stupid to dig his own grave.
Seeing Miao Longque emerge from his room, Xia Hanao pulled him to breakfast. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder, resembling a pair of inseparable pals. However, those in the know understood that Xia Hanao was acting this way to gauge Miao Longque's state of mind.
From waking up in the morning until they reached the competition venue, Xia Hanao single-handedly guarded Miao Longque. Not only that, but he also continued to provide psychological support to Miao Longque until they arrived at the arena.
Although this match held no bearing on the outcome, the spectators were still filled with anticipation. After all, it was the final match. Miao Longque felt the atmosphere and indeed sensed that this match determined everything.
Glancing at the opponents from Lixing, the trainers from Lixing were naturally big-hearted. Moreover, with the pressure of competing for first place gone, it seemed to Miao Longque as if Lixing was truly confident of victory.
Both teams were on the field. Miao Longque dared not speak casually, as more words could lead to more mistakes. It was best to get the match underway.
Miao Longque was now on the competition field, so where was Xia Hanao, who had been guarding him all along? From the moment they entered, he had been pestering the hosts in the Minglong official livestream. "So, I've listened to your commentary, and you both have a lot of room for improvement. Why don't we take over? It would also allow you to learn from a professional trainer's commentary."
The two official commentators really wanted to give Xia Hanao the commentary rights, seeing the flood of messages in the livestream urging him to speak. However, their positions didn't permit them to do so.
At this critical juncture, Meng Tianya once again played a crucial role, successfully securing a spot for Xia Hanao in the commentary booth.
"Minglong Television, Minglong Television, we are now bringing you live coverage of the final match of this tournament, a battle between Minglong's trainer Miao Longque and Lixing's Duweil."
As soon as Xia Hanao began speaking, it was evident he was a seasoned, professional commentator. His enunciation was clear and smooth, and the barrage of comments in the stream immediately shifted to messages of enjoyment. But it wouldn't be Xia Hanao if he didn't stir things up.
"Before the match officially begins, we would like to share a piece of news. To ensure that Miao Longque can perform better in this match, after collective discussion by our Minglong team, we have decided not to inform Miao Longque of the specific match score."
Mu Zhishui continued, "Yes, this will also allow the audience to appreciate our contestant giving their all in this match."
Xia Hanao and his companion were providing commentary from the booth. Yu Longdu, looking at his phone and the official feed, chuckled upon hearing Xia Hanao's statement. "He really dares to say that. His approach is completely different from yesterday's plan."
"This is his usual style. He deceives opponents, teammates, and even bystanders sometimes, and occasionally, he even deceives himself..."
As he was speaking, the match began, and Yu Longdu's phone once again displayed Xia Hanao's impassioned commentary. "Alright, as we can see, the first match between the two sides has now begun. The matchup is Miao Longque's Pidgeot against Electabuzz. This matchup is a bit disadvantageous. If it were BUG Swallow, it might have been a bit better."
Mu Zhishui, understanding the context, briefly explained BUG Swallow to the audience, but in terms of perseverance.
Xia Hanao and Mu Zhishui had intended to provide a serious commentary. However, the first round ended too quickly. Miao Longque directly unleashed his full power and defeated Duweil's Pokémon. Xia Hanao, sitting at the commentary desk, rested his chin on his hand. "So, when you confirm your team member's ability to handle pressure, a coach can occasionally apply some pressure."
Mu Zhishui added, "Duweil also provided quite a few opportunities. Although the outcome of the match has no impact, he still played a bit too casually. I believe Lixing's coach will make some targeted adjustments."
As expected, after the first match concluded, Kasweiding berated Duweil in his headset. "What are you doing? Even if the match is meaningless, you can't play like this!"
...
After a brief rest, the second round of the match was about to begin. Xia Hanao, taking advantage of the lull before the match, hummed a few lines, "I, who should have cooperated with your act, am pretending not to see..."
Mu Zhishui smiled. "You're not pretending not to see; you see it but can't continue the act. You must be frustrated that you can't go up and encourage him in this situation."
Xia Hanao spread his hands. "Can't be helped. I have my dear audience here. Alright, our second round has begun. I'll sing the rest after this round ends."
On the field, Miao Longque observed Duweil's expression, calculating how to approach this round. However, Duweil gave him no chance. His opening aggressive onslaught put immense pressure on Miao Longque. Although Miao Longque was already at a disadvantage, he couldn't just be defeated without putting up a fight. Just as he decided to offer a symbolic resistance, something unexpected happened.
Despite the initial aggressive attack that put pressure on Miao Longque, Duweil, after being berated by Kasweiding, made a crucial mistake amidst the intense back-and-forth. As a result, he squandered a good opportunity, and Miao Longque secured another round.
Miao Longque looked towards the Lixing side, only to hear Xia Hanao cheering him on from the sidelines. Miao Longque startled and turned around. "I didn't hear his voice in the last round; why is he suddenly here?"
Xia Hanao stood next to Gardevoir and shouted, "Go for it! It's the final round. If you win, you're the champion!"
As soon as Xia Hanao shouted this, Kasweiding overheard him. "What is he saying? Why don't I quite understand?"
Those in the livestream also didn't understand. "What kind of pressure is Boss Xia applying? He's not trying to fool Miao Longque into thinking he *must* win three-zero, is he? How much does he trust Miao Longque's ability to handle pressure?"
Xia Hanao shouted a couple more times, then said, "I need to get back to commentary. Keep fighting!"
With that, Xia Hanao took Gardevoir's hand and returned to the commentary booth. Sitting at the commentary desk, Xia Hanao ignored the comments and spoke on his own. "At the end of the last match, I promised everyone I'd sing. I'll continue now."
With that, Xia Hanao cleared his throat. "I, who should have cooperated with your act, am doing my best to perform... No, this third round started too quickly!"
Xia Hanao was only able to sing one line before the third round began, interrupting him. Mu Zhishui teased him again. "This time, what you're singing is fine, but you seemed to have wasted too much time going over to cheer. Let's watch the third round."
In Miao Longque's mind, the third round was a match where winning meant having the world, and losing meant being a stray dog. It was a match he was bound to lose. However, he still had to try his best. But when effort falls short, that's the most soul-crushing way to end.
Meanwhile, Kasweiding, having lost two consecutive rounds, began to exert pressure on Duweil. Duweil, burdened by this pressure, entered the arena, and his commands immediately faltered.
Xia Hanao, from the commentary booth, offered a sharp critique. "See? This is how athletes respond differently to pressure. Our Miao Longque converts pressure into motivation. But Duweil, perhaps because of Kasweiding's immense pressure, crumbled. The attack just now could have been dodged."
Miao Longque also noticed Duweil's unease. If things continued like this, losing this match would seem too unnatural. He had to find a way to adjust Duweil's mindset.
Thus, Miao Longque began to provoke Duweil. Xia Hanao watched Miao Longque's performance and shook his head. "While I can understand Miao Longque wanting to have a thrilling match, not everyone falls for provocation. Look, Duweil doesn't seem like the type... No, he actually fell for it!"
Miao Longque's provocation decisively caused Duweil to unleash his full power and launch a strong counterattack with his Pokémon. Seeing this, Miao Longque breathed a sigh of relief and began preparing to play along with Duweil. However, Duweil's sudden surge caught him off guard. The act had just begun, and he hadn't fully entered character before the curtain was prematurely drawn...
Xia Hanao, sitting at the commentary booth, sighed. "How should I put it? It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away. Miao Longque somewhat misjudged Duweil's power when he unleashed his full potential. This is something he needs to address later. However, what needs to be said now is that the match has officially ended. We congratulate our Minglong country on their victory. We're going to celebrate, and perhaps explain things to Miao Longque. Now, we'll hand the livestream back to our official commentators."
With that, Xia Hanao didn't even bother with Gardevoir standing beside him and rushed out of the commentary booth.