"To think that even after Wartortle evolved, we still lost!"
He Yongsen sighed helplessly as he recalled his unconscious Blastoise into its Poké Ball.
When Wartortle evolved, he'd briefly considered forfeiting the match.
After all, he'd already held a slight advantage overall.
Now, with Wartortle's evolution into Blastoise fully pushing it into Ace Tier, He Yongsen felt that advantage had grown even greater.
But then, recalling how Wartortle had evolved in response to Arcanine's fighting spirit, he knew that forfeiting now would dishonor Blastoise's determination.
Thus, he ultimately chose to keep battling.
However...
He'd still underestimated how terrifying a Beedrill backed by the Power of Viridian could be.
A reckless enemy might fail—but a desperate enemy was another story!
Beedrill, boosted by the Power of Viridian, completely abandoned defense in her attacks.
Since Blastoise was naturally inclined toward defense, it couldn't deliver a decisive blow to such an aggressive opponent.
In the end, Beedrill seized an opening and ended the battle in one strike.
Of course even though Beedrill had won, Su Qingxue's condition wasn't great either.
Her face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat covered her forehead.
She looked utterly drained, clearly pushed beyond her limits.
This was the first time she'd used such a large amount of her Power of Viridian.
Right now Su Qingxue felt like her entire body had been emptied out.
Good thing Teacher Guo insisted I train my body recently.
Otherwise, I probably wouldn't even be conscious after finishing this match.
Su Qingxue sighed inwardly.
Previously, she'd felt somewhat annoyed when Guo Yi forced her to join Hu Yan'er's morning jogs and fitness training.
She'd believed trainers didn't need martial-artist physiques.
But now she felt nothing but gratitude for those sessions.
"Qingxue, careful!"
Seeing Su Qingxue struggle to walk, Hu Yan'er immediately ran over to support her.
"Qingxue, are you alright?"
Noticing Su Qingxue's pale face, Hu Yan'er asked worriedly.
Su Qingxue forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just exhaustion."
"I'll be fine after resting a bit."
"Then let me help you sit down over there."
"Okay."
Supported by Hu Yan'er, Su Qingxue sat down on a nearby chair.
At this moment He Yongsen also came over to check on her.
"Senior Sister, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just drained, nothing serious."
Taking the water bottle Hu Yan'er handed her, Su Qingxue smiled, "Yongsen, I really didn't expect your Wartortle to suddenly evolve like that."
"I nearly lost this match!"
Remembering her confident declaration earlier, a slight blush spread across her cheeks.
Thank goodness she'd won otherwise, she'd have lost so much face!
"Yeah," He Yongsen nodded. "I didn't think Arcanine's sacrifice would push Wartortle into evolving either."
Wartortle's sudden evolution was indeed beyond He Yongsen's expectations.
In the games, with Wartortle's level, it would've evolved into Blastoise long ago.
But reality wasn't like games.
Evolution depended not just on levels, but also on timing and emotional triggers.
When the timing was right, Pokémon could evolve even if they hadn't fully met the usual level requirements.
However—Guo Yi disapproved of such premature evolutions.
Because evolving prematurely typically drained the Pokémon's potential.
Once potential was lost, recovering it later wasn't easy at all.
"Unfortunately, Wartortle evolved just slightly too late. Otherwise, you'd probably have won this battle."
At this moment, Guo Yi's voice came from behind them.
"Teacher!"
All three greeted him simultaneously.
Guo Yi stepped forward and noticed Su Qingxue's pale face. A hint of heartache flashed across his eyes.
Why does this silly girl push herself so hard?
He quickly bought a bottle of Jinshuang Soda from the System store.
"Here, drink this and recover your strength."
"It was just a match between classmates—why go so far?"
"Hehe!"
Su Qingxue smiled and took a few gulps of the soda.
A warm current immediately spread throughout her body, restoring some color to her pale face.
"Since this was a test arranged by you, Teacher, of course I had to give it my all!"
Having recovered slightly, Su Qingxue smiled as she explained.
"You…!"
Guo Yi could only helplessly shake his head.
How could he not know Su Qingxue's personality by now?
A test was just an excuse...
She was fighting so desperately just to uphold her position as his senior disciple.
She wanted to prove the value of Guo Yi as their teacher.
"Alright, get some proper rest."
"Now that Yongsen, your biggest competitor, is out, you're practically guaranteed to win the championship."
Guo Yi stated this frankly, not hiding anything.
At present among the freshmen, only He Yongsen could truly pressure Su Qingxue.
The others, even Hu Yan'er—couldn't manage it.
There was no other way!
Su Qingxue's Nidoqueen was just too great a counter for Hu Yan'er's current lineup.
Unless Su Qingxue deliberately threw the match, Hu Yan'er had no chance at all.
"Understood, Teacher!"
Just as Guo Yi said, having defeated He Yongsen, Su Qingxue now felt virtually no pressure about her remaining matches.
Beep, beep, beep!
Guo Yi's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that the caller was Ye Qing.
"Sister Qing, what's up?"
Guo Yi asked curiously, "Has someone from Flying Eagle Gang finally made their move?"
He'd previously instructed that if a strong enemy appeared, Ye Qing should call him immediately.
Ye Qing explained, "It is related to Flying Eagle Gang, but they're not causing trouble."
"They're here to make peace."
Make peace?
Guo Yi laughed.
They want to make peace now? Isn't it a little too late?
Just as he was about to flatly reject their offer, Ye Qing spoke again:
"Guo Yi, you may need to come here personally this time."
"The leader of their group is someone who came directly from Kyoto."
"Kyoto!"
Hearing that name, a sharp glint flashed in Guo Yi's eyes.
So—the force backing Flying Eagle Gang is finally making their move?
After waiting so many days, he'd almost thought Flying Eagle Gang had been abandoned!
Now, the power behind them was finally surfacing.
"Alright, Sister Qing, wait a moment," Guo Yi responded.
"I'll head there right now."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Guo Yi hung up and turned toward his disciples.
"I have some business to handle. I'll step out for a while."
"Good luck, all of you."
After a brief reminder to his students, Guo Yi walked directly toward the exit of the stadium.
...
Azure Dragon Society.
After ending the call, Ye Qing turned and walked back into the reception hall.
At this moment, many people were gathered inside.
Ling Si and Ling Yun from the Flying Eagle Gang, Tang Hu and Tang Rong from the Tang family, Jin Yu, and an old man standing silently at his side.
"President Ye, regarding the Flying Eagle Gang issue—can we consider this matter settled now?"
As Jin Yu spoke, his eyes greedily swept over Ye Qing's figure.
Not bad, this woman's got a rockin bod!
His tone implied that the Azure Dragon Society should feel honored to even discuss terms with him.
Sensing Jin Yu's gaze, Ye Qing's brows knit together tightly.
Although deeply displeased, considering the young man's background, she politely replied, "I'm afraid we'll need to wait for Teacher Guo's arrival before deciding."
"My apologies, Young Master Jin, but please wait just a moment longer."
"Hmph!"
Jin Yu snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with her response.
At this moment, Tang Hu stepped forward first, saying harshly, "Ye Qing, aren't you the President of the Azure Dragon Society?"
"Do you really need an outsider's permission for a matter like this?"
From Tang Hu's perspective Young Master Jin personally showing up was already giving great face to the Azure Dragon Society.
They shouldn't push their luck!
Yet Ye Qing remained completely unmoved.
"My apologies, Elder Tang."
"Since this matter concerns Teacher Guo, naturally Teacher Guo should have the final say."
"Additionally, Teacher Guo is my daughter's teacher—hardly an outsider—so Elder Tang, please mind your words."
Facing Jin Yu, Ye Qing still had to restrain herself due to his background.
But Tang Hu?
Sorry...
If he wanted her respect, he should wait until he actually gained power in the Tang family first!
"You—!"
Tang Hu, sensing Ye Qing's dismissive tone, was about to angrily reprimand her, but Jin Yu raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough, Xiao Tang."
"If President Ye wants to wait, then we'll wait a little longer."
As soon as Jin Yu spoke, Tang Hu's demeanor instantly changed. With a flattering smile, he hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! Young Master Jin is right."
"Waiting a bit more will also give Guo Yi the honor of admiring Young Master Jin's noble presence."
Standing nearby, Tang Rong saw Tang Hu's fawning attitude and felt disgusted, quietly sneering in her heart:
You're truly throwing away the Tang family's dignity!
Perhaps sensing Tang Rong's disdainful gaze, Tang Hu's expression changed again. Suddenly adopting a senior's demeanor, he scolded her sharply, "Tang Rong, what are you standing around for?"
"Quickly come over and serve Young Master Jin tea, and massage his shoulders and legs!"
Hearing this, Tang Rong coldly retorted, "My grandfather merely asked me to show Young Master Jin around Shanghai, not to serve anyone like a maid."
"If Elder Tang wishes to be a servant himself, that's your business—just don't drag me into it."
Facing Elder Tang Hu, Tang Rong didn't give any face at all.
If her grandfather hadn't explicitly asked, she wouldn't even bother staying close to Jin Yu.
Moreover, although her grandfather hadn't said it outright, he had hinted that the Grand Elder wanted Tang Rong and Jin Yu to marry.
Thus she was even less inclined to be courteous to Tang Hu!
Being repeatedly humiliated, Tang Hu's face reddened with suppressed fury.
"Hmph!"
"Just wait, Tang Rong—there'll be plenty of 'happy days' for you in the future!"
Aware of Tang Rong's potential role in the family's plans, Tang Hu forcibly swallowed his anger for now.
He'd settle the score later, when opportunities arose.
Thus, the tense silence lasted around fifteen more minutes until finally, Guo Yi's figure appeared at the Azure Dragon Society once more.
---
T/N: ROCKIN BOD!