After informing Pidgeot, Wen Qi hurried over to the Poliwrath family's territory.
The moment Wen Qi mentioned the battle tournament to the Poliwrath leader, a hint of indifference flickered in its round, bulging eyes.
It crossed its burly arms over its chest, shook its head slightly, and said in a gruff voice:
"This kind of battle? Not interested. We're busy guarding our family day in and day out, no time for such nonsense."
With that, it turned around, seemingly unwilling to engage further with Wen Qi.
But Wen Qi remained unfazed, a smile on his face as he said:
"Leader, don't be so quick to refuse. This tournament comes with some generous rewards."
At the word "rewards," the Poliwrath leader paused slightly but still feigned composure, asking:
"What kind of reward could possibly sway us?"
Wen Qi cleared his throat and laid out the same rewards he had offered Pidgeot earlier, one by one.
Upon hearing this, the Poliwrath leader's eyes shot wide open. Its earlier indifference vanished without a trace, replaced by sheer excitement and delight.
It spun around abruptly and asked eagerly:
"Are the rewards really that good?"
Wen Qi nodded with a smile and affirmed:
"Of course. As long as you fight hard, you'll have a chance to earn them."
The Poliwrath leader could no longer contain its excitement and boomed:
"How could we miss out on such a great opportunity! I'm in, and I'll bring all the strong members of the clan to join too!"
Its usually calm tone rose with enthusiasm, and its thick arms waved wildly, as if it could already envision the glory of claiming the rewards.
"Leader, hold your excitement. Each group can only have three Pokémon participating," Wen Qi said.
The Poliwrath leader urged impatiently:
"Only three? Then we've got to secure those spots! With rewards this good, we have to get our hands on them!"
Wen Qi added:
"Also, your family's strength might not qualify for the level 41-50 group."
The Poliwrath leader was taken aback at first, then said firmly:
"No matter. We'll give it our all in the other groups and bring those rewards back!"
By now, its mind was consumed with desire for the prizes, and its earlier disinterest had been completely forgotten.
As for the Scyther squad, Wen Qi hadn't even mentioned the rewards before they were clamoring to sign up. He realized he shouldn't have bothered asking—these battle-hungry Pokémon would jump at any chance to fight.
Wen Qi also found the siblings Wenhua and Wen Hua, who were training their Pidgey.
After hearing about the tournament, the two exchanged conflicted looks.
Brother Wenhua frowned and said:
"We really want to join, but we're worried we're not strong enough. It might be a waste of time."
Sister Wen Hua nodded in agreement, biting her lip:
"Those rewards are tempting, but we're afraid we'll perform poorly in the matches."
The two glanced at each other, caught in indecision.
Seeing their hesitation, Wen Qi smiled and encouraged them:
"How will you know if you don't try? And even if you don't place high, there's a participation prize."
At that, a glimmer of hope lit up in their eyes. After a moment's hesitation, they finally decided to join.
Brother Wenhua said firmly:
"Alright, we'll do it. Let's give it our best shot!"
Sister Wen Hua clenched her fists, psyching herself up:
"Yeah, we can't just let this chance slip away!"
Wen Qi felt happy seeing their determination—this meant more participants.
Later, Wen Qi thought it over. Even with the Pidgeot family, Poliwrath family, and Scyther squad joining, their strength didn't seem too impressive. He figured the top three in each group would likely end up being his own Pokémon.
If that happened, with all winners being his own, it wouldn't be much fun.
Besides, Scizor had secretly told him earlier that it wanted to participate too, but Wen Qi had talked it out of it with the same reasoning, though Scizor was still a bit disappointed.
Wen Qi didn't want to let Scizor down. After some thought, he finally came up with an idea. He released Pidgeotto and explained the tournament in detail, telling it to hurry to Chunhua Forest.
He instructed it to find the Venusaur overlord and the Scyther leader, inviting them to come as spectators and bring along Pokémon of corresponding levels to compete. The Scyther at Wen Qi's farm wouldn't count toward the forest Scyther's quota.
He hoped they'd come in three days if they had time, and he also mentioned the rewards.
Wen Qi wasn't sure if they'd show up—he'd find out when Pidgeotto returned.
Upon receiving the mission, Pidgeotto spread its wings and shot off like an arrow toward Chunhua Forest.
Before long, it arrived deep in the forest.
The Venusaur overlord was basking lazily in the sun, its massive body like a green hill, while a group of Bulbasaur frolicked around it like cheerful little sprites.
Pidgeotto landed before Venusaur and respectfully delivered Wen Qi's invitation.
The Venusaur overlord showed little interest at first, saying lazily:
"This kind of competition? I've no mind for it."
Its voice was deep and heavy, like an echo from the earth.
Pidgeotto quickly added:
"Lord Venusaur, this tournament comes with generous rewards. Wen Qi said the top three will receive plenty of Energy Cubes, and the first-place winner gets a precious Attribute Essence Fragment."
Hearing about the Attribute Fragment, Venusaur slightly lifted its eyelids, but then thought it didn't need it anymore and said:
"I don't need such things."
Pidgeotto pressed on:
"You may not need it, but what about your Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur underlings? Besides, Wen Qi asked—don't you want to see your little grandchild and check on its growth?"
At that, Venusaur's heart stirred.
Indeed, it didn't need it, but its kin might, and it did want to see its grandchild.
After a moment's hesitation, it said:
"Alright, I'll go take a look."
Leaving Venusaur behind, Pidgeotto hurried off to find the Scyther leader.
The Scyther leader was leading its clan in rigorous training, its sharp blades glinting coldly in the sunlight. Upon hearing Pidgeotto's purpose, it crossed its arms and shook its head:
"We don't have time for such a competition."
Pidgeotto quickly detailed the rewards:
"Leader, the prizes are very generous. If you win first place, you'll get an Attribute Essence Fragment, which might even help you break through your strength bottleneck."
A flicker of desire passed through the Scyther leader's eyes, but it still hesitated:
"Are the rewards really that good?"
Pidgeotto nodded emphatically and vowed:
"Absolutely. Wen Qi sent me specifically to invite you and your clan."
The Scyther leader thought it over and finally made up its mind:
"Fine, we'll come in three days."
Having completed its mission, Pidgeotto flew back to Wen Qi's farm joyfully, eager to share the good news.