This battle was divided into five groups, and the victorious Pokémon for each group were as follows:
**Beginner Group (Levels 11-20):** - Champion: Scyther - Runner-up: Bulbasaur - Third Place: Rhyhorn, Ivysaur
**Intermediate Group (Levels 21-30):** - Champion: Growlithe - Runner-up: Sandslash (small) - Third Place: Pidgeotto, Scyther
**Advanced Group (Levels 31-40):** - Champion: Torterra (forest turtle) - Runner-up: Venomoth - Third Place: Dragonair, Poliwrath Leader
**Elite Group (Levels 41-50):** - Champion: Venusaur - Runner-up: Scyther - Third Place: Gogoat, Venusaur
**Gym Group (Levels 51-60):** - Champion: Scyther Leader - Runner-up: Venusaur - Third Place: Scizor, Scyther
Wen Qi didn’t plan to reveal the attribute essence fragments in front of all the Pokémon, as they were too precious and it wouldn’t be wise for too many to know about them. So, he only awarded a trophy and energy cubes to the first-place winner of each group.
For the Beginner Group, the first-place prize was 300 perfect beginner energy cubes, second-place 200, and third-place 100. The Intermediate and Advanced Groups followed the same pattern, but with perfect intermediate energy cubes. Finally, the Elite and Gym Groups received perfect advanced-quality energy cubes. Wen Qi also thoughtfully prepared energy cubes matching each Pokémon’s attribute.
Wen Qi’s own Pokémon seemed indifferent to the prizes. They thought to themselves that while these energy cubes were nice, they were already used to eating them daily, so they weren’t particularly excited or expectant. They were simply happy that their trainer could host such a lively competition and didn’t care much about the prizes themselves.
But the other Pokémon were a completely different story. When they learned they’d receive energy cubes as prizes, their hearts nearly leaped out of their chests with excitement. Their eyes sparkled with surprise, and their hearts brimmed with uncontrollable joy. Their minds kept replaying the wonderful sensation of tasting energy cubes a couple of days ago—the sweet flavor still seemed to linger on their tongues, each bite brimming with energy that filled them with strength. Now, having so many energy cubes about to belong to them was an incredible surprise.
Some Pokémon bounced around excitedly, muttering nonstop: “Awesome, so many energy cubes—I’m going to get stronger!” Others trembled slightly with emotion, their eyes fixed on the prizes as if they were the most precious treasures in the world. Still others had already begun fantasizing about how, after enjoying the energy cubes, their strength would skyrocket, allowing them to dominate the forest. Their hearts were filled with anticipation and hope for the future, eager to immediately possess these energy cubes and embark on their journey to power.
After the awards ceremony, Wen Qi signaled for the first-place winners of each group to follow him. So, the Beginner Group’s Scyther, Intermediate Group’s Growlithe, Advanced Group’s Torterra, Elite Group’s Venusaur, and Gym Group’s Scyther Leader all came along. Looking at this, the Scyther family had the most gains in this competition, taking two first-place spots. This was actually normal—Scyther had a significant advantage over most Pokémon before level 20, with a relatively high base stat total.
Wen Qi led them to a spot far from the arena and brought out five boxes. Though the boxes weren’t opened yet, every Pokémon could sense the energy inside. The ones who felt it most keenly were the Scyther Leader and Torterra, both of whom had a strong grasp of energy. In fact, the Scyther Leader was a bit surprised that it could sense this energy so easily—after all, it was just one step away from the Champion level and was familiar with attribute energy. But this Torterra, only in its thirties, had a stronger energy perception than the Elite Group’s Venusaur—truly remarkable. Still, thinking it was Wen Qi’s Pokémon, it didn’t seem so strange.
Wen Qi handed each of the five boxes to the five Pokémon. The others carefully stowed theirs away. But the Beginner Group’s Scyther barely had its box in hand before the Scyther Leader snatched it away. The young Scyther wanted to protest, but a glare from the leader silenced it immediately. Wen Qi noticed this but didn’t intervene. After all, once he gave the items to them, how they handled them was their own business. Besides, the young Scyther was too low-level to use this now—it would be wasteful. It was better to give it to the Scyther Leader, who might break through to the Champion level with it.
With that, all the Pokémon’s prizes were distributed. Oh, right—there were also participation awards. Thinking of this, Wen Qi hurried back and gave ten perfect-quality energy cubes to every Pokémon that had participated in the battles. The competition finally came to a perfect close.
All the Pokémon left in an orderly fashion. The members of the Pidgeot family all hung their heads, utterly dejected. Their performance in this competition was far from ideal. Especially seeing the winners from other groups so overjoyed, they felt even more disheartened. They silently walked together, not a word spoken, and returned directly to the orchard. They secretly vowed to train harder when they got back and achieve better results next time.
The Poliwrath family members also wore serious expressions, marching with heavy but determined steps back to the small lake. Their performance this time hadn’t met expectations, putting them under immense pressure. They resolved to double their efforts and keep improving their strength.
The Scyther Leader was overjoyed, clutching two attribute fragments tightly, eager to return and break through. After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with the farm’s Scyther, it bid Wen Qi farewell and hurried off. As for the young Scyther whose fragment was taken, though reluctant, it knew its level was too low and had to follow its group back. In its heart, it hoped that one day it too would become strong.
The other members of the Venusaur family gradually left, only the Venusaur leader choosing to stay a few more days to spend time with its grandchild.
As each group departed in an orderly manner, the lively farm quickly returned to its usual quiet and peace. The once bustling and noisy scene vanished, leaving only the soft rustle of wind brushing through the grass. Without the presence of other Pokémon families, the farm settled back into its calm state, as if the fierce and exciting battles had just been a brief, beautiful dream.