When Guo Yi heard this news, a trace of surprise flashed in the corner of his eyes.
But in his heart, he wasn't overly concerned.
If an active Elite Four were causing trouble for him, Guo Yi would need to take it seriously.
After all, active Elite Four members wielded considerable authority within Dragon Country's Pokémon League.
If one of them were to use their influence against him, it would indeed be troublesome.
But...
A retired Elite Four?
Moreover, one who had been retired for many years? The threat level dropped dramatically.
But what puzzled Guo Yi was why exactly they kept targeting the Azure Dragon Society.
As far as he knew,
since Su Qingxue's father's disappearance, the Azure Dragon Society's strength had indeed waned greatly within the black market.
Yet, by any measure, it was definitely not the weakest faction.
At least four or five factions were even weaker than them.
If the Flying Eagle Gang only wanted entry into the black market, there was absolutely no need to relentlessly hammer away at the Azure Dragon Society.
Unless the Azure Dragon Society possessed something that the Flying Eagle Gang—or perhaps this retired Elite Four—coveted.
After pondering briefly, Guo Yi arrived at a simple conclusion.
As the old saying went—
"People hustle and bustle, always driven by profit."
Without sufficient benefits, the Flying Eagle Gang would never persistently battle with Azure Dragon Society and constantly drain their own resources.
To put it bluntly:
Even if the Flying Eagle Gang really defeated the Azure Dragon Society and took their place—
Their own losses would be disastrous.
By then, whether they could maintain their position surrounded by wolves on all sides would still be uncertain.
Of course—
Another reason Guo Yi had this suspicion was Ling Yun's senior apprentice-brother, Su La, and his identity as one of the Seven Sages.
Guo Yi didn't believe Su La would spare no effort helping Ling Yun simply for a trivial black market entrance.
What exactly would draw the attention of Su La, or even a retired Elite Four?
With this question lingering, Guo Yi asked Su Qingxue directly:
"Qingxue, does your family have any precious or extraordinarily rare items, like Pokémon tools or something?"
"Precious and rare?"
Su Qingxue lowered her head, muttering quietly.
"I don't think so..."
"To be blunt, Teacher, that Perfect-Grade Moon Stone you gave me earlier is probably one of the most precious things my family currently has."
After thinking carefully for some time, Su Qingxue shook her head helplessly.
Ever since her father disappeared, Ye Qing had given away or sold off many valuables to stabilize Azure Dragon Society's position.
That was how Azure Dragon Society barely avoided falling completely out of Shanghai's upper circles.
As a result, there really weren't any valuable items left in Azure Dragon Society.
"Then did your father leave behind anything particularly special?" Guo Yi asked again when he didn't receive the answer he wanted.
"My father?"
Su Qingxue once again sank into deep thought.
Because her father had disappeared five years ago, many memories about him were now vague.
Guo Yi didn't rush her and instead waited patiently.
Seven or eight minutes later, Su Qingxue suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now!"
Guo Yi immediately asked, "Qingxue, did you recall something?"
Su Qingxue nodded repeatedly, then continued:
"Teacher, back then, my father had a hobby of collecting stones."
"And among the stones he collected, there was one he treated especially seriously. Normally, he wouldn't even let me touch it."
Su Qingxue still vividly remembered:
Out of curiosity, she had secretly touched that stone once and was severely reprimanded by her father.
That was the first time she'd seen her father so furious—
Even when her mother tried to persuade him, it had no effect.
"A stone?"
Guo Yi furrowed his brows.
Could a mere stone have a connection to all this?
Wait a minute—
A stone… Su La… Seven Sages…
"Could it be...?"
A sudden possibility emerged clearly in Guo Yi's mind.
He quickly asked, "Qingxue, do you remember what that stone looked like?"
"Yes!"
Su Qingxue nodded vigorously, recalling, "Its shape was similar to a pebble, just quite a bit larger."
"Oh, and the stone was completely pitch-black—rather pretty, actually."
Su Qingxue described every detail of the stone she could remember.
Seven Sages… a pitch-black stone…
Connecting all these clues, Guo Yi's earlier speculation seemed confirmed.
If I'm not mistaken, the stone Qingxue mentioned should be the Dark Stone.
The Dark Stone—
The form taken by the legendary dragon Zekrom after its physical destruction.
When it met its destined Hero of Ideals, Zekrom would reawaken once more.
This also explained why the Flying Eagle Gang was recklessly attacking Azure Dragon Society.
The black market was likely just their excuse.
That Dark Stone might be their true goal all along.
"Teacher, is something wrong with this stone?"
Seeing Guo Yi fall silent, Su Qingxue asked curiously.
"Nothing," Guo Yi replied quickly, snapping out of his thoughts.
He wasn't intentionally hiding it.
It was simply that these ideas were currently only his own speculation.
To confirm this, they had to locate the stone Su Qingxue had mentioned first.
Thus, Guo Yi asked further:
"Qingxue, where's that stone now?"
"Can you take me to see it?"
Su Qingxue's face grew troubled.
She shook her head helplessly, explaining, "Teacher, I'm afraid I can't."
"Ever since my father disappeared, I've never seen that stone again."
"But once I get home, I can ask my mom about it."
"Maybe she knows something."
From Guo Yi's serious expression, Su Qingxue vaguely realized this stone wasn't as simple as it appeared.
But since Guo Yi didn't explain further, she didn't press the issue.
Su Qingxue trusted him; she believed that when the timing was right, her teacher would tell her everything clearly.
At the same moment—
At the headquarters of the Flying Eagle Gang.
The gang leader, "Eagle Head" Ling Si, stood at the entrance awaiting someone alongside key members.
Ling Yun and Su La stood obediently on either side of him.
"What's the identity of the visitor? The boss actually came out to greet him personally."
"I heard it's apparently the young master's teacher!"
"Young master's teacher? Doesn't that mean it's the retired Elite Four?"
"He's coming here to settle accounts for his disciple?"
...
Behind him, the gang members whispered quietly among themselves as they watched their boss set up such a grand welcoming formation.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
At this moment, the distant sound of a car horn instantly brought everyone to attention.
As the car slowly came to a stop before the gathered crowd, an elderly man in his sixties stepped leisurely out of the back seat.
Ling Yun and Su La immediately went forward.
"Disciple Ling Yun (Su La) greets Teacher!" the two spoke in perfect unison.
Lie Ke gave a gentle nod, signaling there was no need for excessive formality.
He then shifted his gaze toward Eagle Head Ling Si, standing respectfully behind the two. Smiling faintly, Lie Ke spoke:
"Xiao Si, you've had a tough time recently."
Ling Si quickly lowered his head, respectfully replying, "Elite Four must be joking. Not only have I failed to take down the Azure Dragon Society so far, but the Flying Eagle Gang has also suffered heavy losses. I've truly let you down."
Outsiders perhaps only knew that Ling Si's son was Lie Ke's disciple.
But what they likely didn't realize was that Eagle Head Ling Si had actually known Lie Ke for a very long time.
Even the founding of the Flying Eagle Gang itself carried Lie Ke's influence behind the scenes.
Facing Ling Si's expression of guilt, Lie Ke didn't mind at all and smiled warmly, saying:
"Xiao Si, I've long since ceased being an Elite Four. Just call me Elder Lie. As for matters concerning the Azure Dragon Society, we can discuss them once we're inside."
Ling Si respectfully nodded again and immediately led the way inside.
Naturally, the Flying Eagle Gang's massive welcoming formation didn't escape the eyes of the other influential factions in Shanghai.
Thus, the news of Lie Ke's arrival rapidly spread to every faction throughout the city.
Azure Dragon Society.
Ye Qing furrowed her brow, listening to Ye Bo's report.
"Lie Ke—he's arrived so soon?"
Ye Qing had originally assumed Lie Ke would need several more days before reaching Shanghai. She never expected he'd show up this early.
As for his purpose in coming here—
Ye Qing was perfectly clear: he was here to reclaim his lost dignity.
"President, should we notify Teacher Guo about this, so he can make preparations?" Ye Bo asked carefully.
As someone directly involved in the recent black market incident, Ye Bo knew clearly why Lie Ke had come to Shanghai this time.
Of course, it was about avenging the Pokémon that Guo Yi had snatched away from him.
However—
Ye Qing's vision extended far beyond Ye Bo's.
The opponent's goal wasn't simply Teacher Guo alone; it was very likely to also include the Azure Dragon Society itself.
"I'll talk to Qingxue about this myself," Ye Qing replied after a moment's thought. "Let her inform Teacher Guo directly."
Ye Qing paused briefly, then instructed Ye Bo seriously, "Instruct everyone below to stay vigilant. The Flying Eagle Gang may soon rise again."
Ye Bo nodded solemnly.
"Yes, President. I'll go arrange it immediately."
Ye Qing walked out onto the balcony and gazed thoughtfully toward the direction of Shanghai Pokémon University.
Guo Yi, whether or not Azure Dragon Society can overcome this crisis—it all depends on you now.
Ye Qing was perfectly clear:
If Lie Ke chose to support the Flying Eagle Gang against the Azure Dragon Society, then their group absolutely wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Right now, all her hopes rested entirely upon Guo Yi's shoulders.
Truthfully—
To Ye Qing, Guo Yi had always been a mystery.
Previously, she'd had people thoroughly investigate Guo Yi's background.
But every bit of information obtained indicated he was nothing more than an ordinary Pokémon teacher.
Yet the more ordinary Guo Yi's background seemed, the more convinced Ye Qing became that there was something hidden behind it.
After all, personal information could be falsified—
but Pokémon strength was absolute.
It couldn't be faked.
When compared, the truth became immediately obvious.
Back during the incident with the Chimchar—
Ye Bo had once asked if she wanted to persuade Guo Yi to compromise a bit.
After all, once that incident occurred, Lie Ke would then have a legitimate reason to openly interfere in Flying Eagle Gang's matters.
This would be extremely unfavorable for the Azure Dragon Society.
Yet in the end, Ye Qing chose not to intervene.
Because she knew clearly that some troubles couldn't simply be avoided by retreating.
Only by fighting head-on until one side bled could true peace be won.
Now—
It would depend entirely on whether Guo Yi could withstand the pressure of this retired Elite Four.
If he withstood it—
then the Flying Eagle Gang's greatest trump card would be meaningless.
But if he couldn't withstand it—then the Azure Dragon Society would truly be in danger.
And even as Ye Qing placed all her bets on Guo Yi—Lie Ke and Ling Si were already deep in discussion.
They were planning their next move—how to crush the Azure Dragon Society, and reclaim the face Lie Ke had lost to Guo Yi.