At this moment.
Ye Qing paced restlessly outside the gates of the Azure Dragon Society's headquarters, anxiously awaiting someone's arrival.
Screech—!
With the harsh sound of braking tires,
Guo Yi's Aston Martin pulled smoothly into the courtyard before coming to a gentle halt.
Immediately afterward, Guo Yi stepped out of the car.
Seeing Guo Yi emerge, Ye Qing quickly rushed forward to meet him.
"Guo Yi, you're finally here!"
Seeing Ye Qing's anxious expression, curiosity flashed briefly across Guo Yi's face.
It was his first time seeing this strong-willed woman looking so worried.
"Qing-jie, what happened?"
"What's got you this worked up?"
Guo Yi asked bluntly.
Ye Qing didn't bother beating around the bush either, directly replying:
"In the past few days, the Flying Eagle Gang has launched aggressive attacks against our Azure Dragon Society."
"I'm reaching my limit here, so I had no choice but to ask you for help, Guo Yi."
Ever since Lie Ke arrived at the Flying Eagle Gang's base, the Eagle Head, Ling Si, had led his men on a series of assaults against various branches of the Azure Dragon Society.
Naturally, the Azure Dragon Society retaliated fiercely.
However—
This time, the Flying Eagle Gang's ranks unexpectedly contained several new quasi-Elite Four-level Pokémon, even occasionally deploying Elite Four-level Pokémon themselves.
Caught completely off-guard, the Azure Dragon Society nearly collapsed under the onslaught!
Only because Ye Qing promptly arrived at the battlefield with her Nidoqueen had the situation temporarily stabilized.
But even so, Ye Qing had a distinct feeling—
The opponent was intentionally holding back.
If they truly went all-out, even with her involvement, they'd likely be crushed by the now vastly strengthened Flying Eagle Gang.
Thus, to avoid catastrophe, Ye Qing had anxiously reached out to Guo Yi for a solution.
Hearing Ye Qing recount the past few days' events, Guo Yi's brows knitted together tightly.
"Qing-jie, how could the Flying Eagle Gang's strength increase so drastically in such a short period?"
"Did they receive help from someone else?"
After all—
Pokémon weren't like the firearms of his previous world, where simply having one in hand granted immediate power.
Especially Elite Four-level Pokémon—they required lengthy periods of dedicated training.
Without external assistance, there was no way the Flying Eagle Gang could have strengthened so dramatically in just a few days.
Ye Qing nodded seriously, explaining:
"As far as we know, those new Pokémon all came from the retired Elite Four member, Lie Ke."
"Lie Ke?"
Guo Yi had already learned from Su Qingxue that Lie Ke had arrived in Shanghai.
But he'd originally assumed Lie Ke was coming directly for him.
He never expected—
Lie Ke would instead target the Azure Dragon Society first.
"Lie Ke's making such aggressive moves; are the other factions in Shanghai not responding at all?"
Guo Yi asked in confusion.
Lie Ke had previously attempted something similar, but due to pressure from various factions, he had been forced to give up.
There was an old saying:
A powerful dragon cannot suppress the local snake.
Lie Ke was precisely that outside "dragon," loudly making trouble in Shanghai. Would the local snakes truly sit idly by and do nothing?
Ye Qing smiled bitterly upon hearing Guo Yi's question.
"Guo Yi, have you forgotten that incident—when you snatched away the Pokémon someone else had reserved?"
"Of course I haven't forgotten!"
"But every debt has its debtor. Shouldn't Lie Ke be coming straight for me?"
Guo Yi replied naturally, feeling perfectly justified.
After all, Lie Ke's Pokémon had been stolen by him, and Lie Ke's disciple had also been thoroughly beaten by him.
By all logic—
shouldn't Lie Ke's anger have been directed solely at himself?
At this moment, Ye Qing softly reminded him:
"But Guo Yi, don't forget: maintaining order in the Black Market is the Azure Dragon Society's responsibility."
"Ah—!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Yi immediately understood the issue.
Though he himself had been the one to steal the Pokémon, the Azure Dragon Society bore equal responsibility for the incident.
Putting it nicely, this was called negligence.
Putting it harshly, it was outright corruption!
They had allowed one of their own to disrupt Black Market order. Given that, Lie Ke targeting the Azure Dragon Society was perfectly justified, and no other faction could complain.
Moreover, many other factions in Shanghai also harbored resentment toward Guo Yi's blatant seizure of another faction's reserved Pokémon.
Even though none of their own reserved Pokémon had been stolen this time—
Once something happened once, there would inevitably be a second time.
Who could guarantee that next time wouldn't be their turn?
Who could guarantee the Pokémon stolen next wouldn't be their own reserved Pokémon?
Therefore—
Regarding Lie Ke's actions this time, most factions chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, they knew clearly Lie Ke's real purpose in coming to Shanghai was reclaiming his lost face.
At a delicate time like this, none wished to get on Lie Ke's bad side.
Realizing the underlying reasons, Guo Yi wore an awkward expression.
Quickly recovering, he spoke decisively to Ye Qing:
"In that case, Qing-jie, just tell me clearly—what do you need me to do?"
"Well…"
Just as Ye Qing was about to speak, her expression abruptly changed.
Ye Bo suddenly came rushing in from outside, panic on his face.
"President, we have trouble!"
"The Flying Eagle Gang has shown up at our doorstep!"
Ye Qing's brows tightened sharply.
"At our doorstep?"
"Is the Flying Eagle Gang truly so brazen now?"
Ye Bo quickly added:
"But the leader isn't Ling Si. It's that Elite Four, Lie Ke himself."
"I'm afraid they've come specifically for Teacher Guo!"
As he spoke, Ye Bo quietly glanced in Guo Yi's direction.
"For me?"
Guo Yi chuckled lightly.
"Their intel sure travels fast!"
Even Guo Yi hadn't expected the Flying Eagle Gang would appear so quickly upon his arrival.
Apparently, they'd been closely monitoring his every move!
"Well then, Qing-jie—since they've come knocking, it'd be rude to shut them out, wouldn't it?"
"How about we go meet them?"
"Agreed."
Ye Qing had no objections to this suggestion.
After all, the whole reason she had urgently invited Guo Yi was precisely to deal with Lie Ke.
Since their enemy had come straight to their doorstep, there was certainly no reason for them to hide from the confrontation now.
...
Outside the Azure Dragon Society headquarters.
Lie Ke stood quietly amidst the gathered crowd, eyes closed calmly.
As for the Eagle Head, Ling Si, he obediently remained just behind him.
"Lie-lao, they're here," Ling Si whispered softly into Lie Ke's ear upon seeing Guo Yi and the others approach.
"Hm."
Lie Ke's closed eyes slowly opened.
Though advanced in years, Lie Ke's gaze still carried the piercing sharpness of an eagle.
With just one glance, he had locked onto his target—Guo Yi.
Then, he spoke directly.
"Truly a talented young genius!"
As Guo Yi stepped forward, he immediately heard Lie Ke's praise.
But in the very next breath—
Lie Ke's tone turned sharply.
"Too bad you're reckless and arrogant, failing to recognize your limits, offending those you shouldn't offend."
Guo Yi paused momentarily, then smiled faintly, walking directly to face Lie Ke.
"Apologies."
"As for how high the sky is or how deep the earth lies—I probably know far better than you."
"I'm afraid you're not quite qualified to lecture me yet, old man."
Their very first exchange was already swords clashing.
"Hahaha!"
Lie Ke laughed, anger boiling behind his eyes.
At once, his gaze sharpened drastically.
The powerful aura accumulated through years as an Elite Four erupted from him all at once.
"Youngster, didn't your elders teach you to respect your seniors?"
In all his life, this was Lie Ke's first time seeing a youth arrogant enough to ignore him completely.
Even though he was retired now, he was still once an Elite Four-level powerhouse.
"Respect seniors? I respect those who follow the rules."
"For an elder who disregards rules, what's the point in respecting him?"
"Wouldn't you agree, old man?"
Faced with Lie Ke's oppressive aura, Guo Yi appeared utterly unaffected, still wearing that faint, provocative smile.
Aura?
Could Lie Ke's aura possibly surpass that of Zapdos, a legendary Pokémon?
Could it be sharper than his Master-level Beedrill?
Could it rival the dominance of the artificially created strongest Pokémon, Mewtwo?
Absolutely nothing.
And yet he still wanted to compare aura?
Lie Ke, unaware of these hidden thoughts, was briefly taken aback by Guo Yi's calm indifference.
After all, the intimidating presence cultivated by veteran Elite Four members like him was enough to make most trainers speechless, barely able to remain standing.
Yet, Guo Yi stood before him, unflinching, talking back effortlessly.
For a moment, Lie Ke became even more convinced that Guo Yi had an extraordinary background. Surely, someone equally formidable had trained him, regularly subjecting him to similar pressures—only then could he remain composed under such circumstances!
But even so—
Even if a hidden Elite Four supported him, so what?
Lie Ke feared no one!
Sneering coldly, Lie Ke responded sharply:
"Young man, quite the silver tongue you have!"
"I'll cut straight to the point today."
"You stole the Chimchar I had reserved earlier, publicly humiliating me. Tell me, how should we settle this matter?"
Guo Yi chuckled softly:
"Old man, aren't we already in the middle of settling it now?"
As he spoke, he glanced pointedly at Ling Si.
"I suppose all those sudden quasi-Elite Four and Elite Four-level Pokémon appearing in the Flying Eagle Gang recently are your doing as well, old man?"
Facing Lie Ke, Guo Yi couldn't be bothered to use subtle schemes as he had done previously against Su La and others.
For men like them—
No amount of talk mattered. Only sheer strength gave true authority.
"Old man, let's speak plainly."
"What exactly do you hope to achieve with this visit?"
Guo Yi had no patience for more indirect exchanges; whatever moves Lie Ke had, he could bring them openly.
He'd meet them head-on.
"Very well."
Lie Ke nodded slightly, continuing, "Then I'll be blunt."
"Since you cost me face, naturally, I must reclaim it."
"You defeated my disciple with your Pokémon before—my demand is simple. You will battle me."
"How about it?"
Guo Yi responded instantly, "Battle?"
"And what happens if I win or lose?"
"If you win, all grudges between us are settled. Also, any territory the Flying Eagle Gang captured recently will be returned to the Azure Dragon Society."
"But if you lose…"
Lie Ke sneered coldly, "You'll kneel down and apologize. And the Azure Dragon Society will no longer have a reason to exist."
Ye Qing and the others' faces changed immediately upon hearing these words.
Guo Yi's gaze also sharpened dangerously.
Kneel and apologize?
Then he'd ensure this retired Elite Four lost every shred of dignity he had left!
Just a retired Elite Four…
Did he really think himself unbeatable?
Guo Yi gave Lie Ke a meaningful glance before smiling gently and replying:
"Old man, I accept your terms."
"But since it was your disciple who embarrassed his teacher, and now the teacher himself comes seeking revenge—"
"Then naturally, the Pokémon I'll use should be my own teacher's Pokémon."
"So I ask you, old man—do you dare to accept?"
Guo Yi said this deliberately to solidify his disguise as a student of the famed "Bug Master."
He'd hidden this secret identity for far too long—now was finally the perfect time to flaunt it openly.
The moment he said this, the entire area fell into stunned silence.
Lie Ke narrowed his eyes slightly, observing Guo Yi carefully without revealing what he thought.
Everyone else also had their own silent speculations.
Ling Si thought: Teacher, huh? Seems Guo Yi truly has powerful backing. Even facing Lie-lao, he stays calm and composed.
Su La speculated: Master's suspicions were correct; perhaps Guo Yi's real target is indeed that stone.
Ye Qing wondered silently: Teacher Guo…just how powerful is your backing, exactly?
Though each had their own thoughts, only Guo Yi and Lie Ke held the right to speak at this moment.
Until they gave an answer, the others naturally didn't dare intervene.
"What's wrong? Scared?"
Seeing Lie Ke hesitate, Guo Yi mocked lightly.
Lie Ke laughed coldly: "Scared? In my entire life, I've feared no one!"
"Your teacher, huh?"
"Good, I've been wanting to meet the one who trained a rude disciple like you."
"In two days, we'll meet at the Black Market's Battle Arena. Don't disappoint me!"
Fear?
Utterly impossible!
Lie Ke had long expected Guo Yi to call upon his hidden supporter.
Just as well—
He also wanted to seize this chance to find out precisely who stood behind Guo Yi.
With that declaration made,
Lie Ke wasted no further words, immediately turning to lead the Flying Eagle Gang members away.
After they left, Ye Qing quickly approached Guo Yi, asking quietly:
"Guo Yi, is there anything we can do to assist?"
"And your teacher—does he have any specific requirements regarding accommodations?"
"We can begin preparations immediately."
Ye Qing wasn't concerned at all that Guo Yi had single-handedly decided the Azure Dragon Society's fate.
After all—
Without Guo Yi's intervention, the Azure Dragon Society was doomed anyway.
Right now, Ye Qing's top priority was making sure Guo Yi's mysterious teacher would be well received.
We absolutely must treat Teacher Guo's master properly. We cannot risk offending him, Ye Qing reminded herself firmly.
Unexpectedly,
Guo Yi casually waved a hand at Ye Qing, replying very lightly:
"Relax."
"To deal with someone like Lie Ke, my teacher's Pokémon alone are enough. He himself may not even come in person."
"So Qing-jie, there's no need for special preparations."
As he spoke, Guo Yi's eyes flashed coldly in the direction Lie Ke had left—
"I hope after this battle, you'll still have the courage to show your face in Shanghai!"