Xia Huanao rubbed his arms as he called out, "It's getting colder. You guys can stop watching and let me freeze to death, can you?"
As he spoke, several figures emerged from the darkness. Leading them was Meng Tianya, the leader of the Minglong Kingdom.
This was what had happened: after Xia Huanao chased after the person, he had taken out his phone and started typing. While following Miao Longque, he had already notified Meng Tianya and Zheng Xiaoxiao, asking them to follow behind to give him some backing, but to only appear if Xia Huanao didn't actively request help.
Xia Huanao and these few people nodded to each other and went to the conference room. They all sat down in their chairs, and Meng Tianya asked, "Is this alright?"
Xia Huanao spread his hands. "I don't know. At least I don't plan to do anything to her. After all, I don't have substantial evidence to prove anything against her, and from her behavior, it's clear she's different from Miao Longque. I want to give someone like her a chance. However, I won't interfere with what you think, or what the Alliance thinks."
Meng Tianya clenched his fists, seemingly contemplating how to handle Su Xiaojiu's situation. Zheng Xiaoxiao, the coach, looked at the bracelet on Xia Huanao's arm and asked, "Why didn't you let us help you back then?"
Xia Huanao understood that Zheng Xiaoxiao was referring to the final exchange, and why he hadn't let them intervene when Kasviden launched his Z-move. If Zheng Xiaoxiao had acted, her Pokémon could have endured the Z-move, thus saving Xia Huanao one Z-move and reducing the variables in the subsequent matches.
Xia Huanao glanced in the direction of Su Xiaojiu's room outside the conference room. "How should I put it? If you had come out then, Su Xiaojiu's psychological defenses would have completely crumbled, and her performance in the match wouldn't have been as good. I think with her condition, she had a good chance of scoring points."
"And what about you? Her score was from a one-on-one match, but yours was a two-on-two. Don't you understand the importance of these two matches?"
Xia Huanao touched the bracelet on his wrist. "Don't worry. I did this to give them the illusion that I had already revealed my trump card. As for how to deal with Z-moves, I naturally have other trump cards. Moreover, even if she's a Lixian, she can only use a Z-move once a day. Rest assured, I know how to distinguish between personal affections and the greater good."
As he spoke, Xia Huanao glanced outside. "No, why isn't this silly boy asleep yet? Is it that hard to steal one of my Z-crystals?"
Hearing Xia Huanao's words, Meng Tianya and Zheng Xiaoxiao looked outside and saw Miao Longque emerge from Xia Huanao's room with a furrowed brow. It seemed he hadn't found the Z-crystal in Xia Huanao's room, and the blow Xia Huanao had dealt him was significant.
"I only have two Z-crystals. How could I leave something so important lying around carelessly? One is on my bracelet, and the other I carry with me. He found them in my room now..."
Xia Huanao paused here and then said, "He probably really thinks I went out to use the restroom and waited until now. I'm kind of impressed."
Zheng Xiaoxiao reached out and lightly tapped Xia Huanao's head. "What are you talking about? Have you thought about how to deal with him?"
Meng Tianya also looked over, wanting to seek his opinion on the matter. But who was Xia Huanao? He pointed at the lamp above. "What do you think, if I turn on the light right now, will it scare him to death?"
"Be a human, will you? If you scare him to death, what will happen in tomorrow's match? Being short-handed is a troublesome affair."
These three were truly acting like beasts, holding a meeting in the conference room in the middle of the night without even turning on a light. Not to mention lights, the entire conference room was dark. It was a wonder Xia Huanao could still see Zheng Xiaoxiao observing his wrist.
The three of them watched Miao Longque from the darkness for a while longer. After a brief discussion, they dispersed. Xia Huanao returned to his room, collapsed onto the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. As for whether Miao Longque would make a surprise return to try and steal something again, Xia Huanao declared that Z-crystals were also gems, and no Diancie could fail to collect any gem.
Hours passed with Xia Huanao's eyes closed. His sleep quality was decent. However, Miao Longque's state of mind was far from normal. Without stealing Xia Huanao's Z-crystal, he couldn't affect Xia Huanao's combat power. In that case, he could only be taken back to the Minglong Kingdom, and he dared not think any further.
Su Xiaojiu, like Miao Longque, also couldn't sleep. Although Xia Huanao had stated he wasn't going to pursue the matter, Su Xiaojiu knew very well that Xia Huanao wouldn't have come out alone to save her without backup.
And so, the three main characters of the night concluded their extraordinary night with their respective states of mind.
...
At 6:30 AM island time, Xia Huanao got out of bed, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at the alarm clock. "Well, that's good. Still time before breakfast. But only five hours of sleep is a bit taxing. Hope it doesn't affect my condition."
As he spoke, Xia Huanao walked towards the Minglong Kingdom's cafeteria. Inside, Yu Rui was preparing breakfast for everyone. Xia Huanao asked, "Yu Rui, what are we eating today? This is the most important match, so we need to eat something good."
Yu Rui pointed to the nearby dining table. "See, it's all there."
Xia Huanao walked over and circled the table twice, carefully examining each dish. Just then, Yu Longdu and Wang Zhen walked in. Seeing Xia Huanao's scholarly demeanor, Yu Longdu asked, "What are you doing? Is there something wrong with Little Rui's food?"
Xia Huanao shook his head and sat in his chair, waiting to eat with everyone. Shortly after, Su Xiaojiu arrived at the cafeteria. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Xia Huanao teased her, "Didn't sleep well? Are you so excited about potentially winning a championship?"
As he spoke, they heard Meng Tianya's voice from outside the cafeteria. The moment Su Xiaojiu heard Meng Tianya's voice, her body trembled. Seeing Meng Tianya sit down without saying anything, she finally relaxed and cautiously ate her breakfast. The last to arrive at the cafeteria was Miao Longque. Seeing the dark circles on top of Miao Longque's head, Xia Huanao suppressed a smile. "No way, why do you look like this too? Su Xiaojiu is one thing, but you, a grown man, are so disheveled. Is this what participating in a World Championship does to you? Yes, this might be your only chance to make a name for yourself, but you still need to maintain basic competitive form."
He knew that Miao Longque's current state was most likely due to him trying to steal a Z-crystal again in the morning, but to no avail. Xia Huanao thought, "Serves you right for being reckless."
Miao Longque, in a bad mood, didn't eat heartily like Xia Huanao. He simply ate a little, gulped down his milk, and then sat motionless at the table.
Halfway through the Minglong Kingdom's breakfast, Miao Longque clutched his stomach and got up to leave. Xia Huanao watched Miao Longque's retreating back with a frown. "What's wrong? Did he eat something bad? That shouldn't be it, we all ate the same thing. He must have caught a chill. Sometimes a cold stomach can cause such reactions."
Miao Longque returned to the cafeteria half an hour later. Seeing his pale face, resembling a giant panda, Xia Huanao stepped forward with concern. "Are you alright? Can you still compete looking like this?"
Miao Longque forced himself to say, "It's alright. I'll be fine after a short rest. I can still participate in the match."
Xia Huanao looked at his trembling legs. "Are you sure it's alright? You look like you're about to collapse. How about this, I'll report to the committee and see if your match today can be postponed. Xiaojiu, go find our team doctor... Did we bring a doctor with us?"
"We did. You two hurry back. We have a meeting later."
Xia Huanao nodded, grabbed Su Xiaojiu's hand, and pulled her out. Miao Longque wanted to protest, but Meng Tianya's words had settled the matter. Even if he was willing to disregard his health for Lixian, he couldn't refuse everyone's good intentions at this moment. Besides, his physical condition no longer allowed him to express any opinions. Because shortly after Xia Huanao left, Miao Longque struggled to get up from his chair and went to the restroom again.
As for Xia Huanao, he pulled Su Xiaojiu's hand and ran out, parting ways at the entrance. Their destinations were different. While Xia Huanao went to the Grand Competition Committee, Su Xiaojiu also went to find the Minglong Kingdom's doctor. Before leaving, Su Xiaojiu squeezed her hand and clearly felt Xia Huanao slip a relatively large piece of paper into her palm.
Su Xiaojiu opened Xia Huanao's note as she walked. There were two things written on Xia Huanao's note. One was to ask Su Xiaojiu to put aside her psychological burden and play the match well, without too many worries. The other was to instruct her on how to fool Miao Longque about his symptoms, and to walk slowly, ideally with a swaying gait.
It turned out that Miao Longque's current condition was a result of his actions. It was evident that Xia Huanao had not been sparing with the laxatives, and Miao Longque was now wishing he were dead.
Su Xiaojiu shivered with dread. Fortunately, Xia Huanao hadn't used such methods against her...
Meanwhile, Xia Huanao couldn't afford to walk towards the Grand Competition Committee as leisurely as Su Xiaojiu. He had to apply for a postponement of the match, and there might be a fierce battle of wits with the organizing committee.