"Elder Long, has any of our clan's junior gone over to Shanghai recently?"
After Guo Yi's livestream lecture ended, Jin Peng dialed another call.
A moment later.
An elderly, kind voice came through the communicator, with a hint of curiosity in their tone.
"Why are you asking about that?"
In Elder Long's memory, Jin Peng rarely bothered with clan affairs.
"It's like this, Elder Long—just now…"
...
After that, Jin Peng recounted Guo Yi's livestream content in full detail, from start to finish, to Elder Long.
"Dragon-Slaying Hero? Interesting!"
"Since he's that person's disciple, I'd say this information is probably true."
Elder Long was murmuring to himself.
That was the advantage of having a powerful background: even though what Guo Yi said about the Dragon-Slaying Art had no evidence at the moment…
There were still plenty of people who believed him.
After thinking for a bit, Elder Long spoke. "As for Shanghai, your cousin Jin Yu went there recently for an assessment."
Assessment?
Hearing that word, Jin Peng couldn't help but snort coldly!
"With all these flashy little games, don't those old fossils in the clan know that pushing things to the extreme backfires?"
"Those old geezers, just want to keep expanding their influence!"
Jin Peng had naturally heard about this so-called assessment.
It was just that unlike Jin Yu, Jin Peng had become the Dragon Envoy of his generation the moment he returned to the clan.
Who told Jin Peng to have awakened Dragon Mastery on his own!
Awakening Dragon Mastery without any assistance from the clan, means you have great potential. And even with help from the clan, Dragon Mastery still wasn't guaranteed to even awaken—its success rate was just as low.
So back in Jin Peng's generation, no one could compete with him.
Also.
Don't let the "cousin" part fool you—Jin Yu and Jin Peng's relationship wasn't as harmonious as people might imagine.
After all, though they were from the same branch, one was legitimate, and one was a bastard.
How could their relationship possibly be good?
Especially when that bastard's strength was far, far above the legitimate one.
Jin Yu had been mocked plenty within the clan.
So if the two of them got along, that would be the real miracle!
However these details were known only to members within the Jin family, and to people who were close to Jin Peng.
As for outsiders they only knew there was something complicated between the two!
Speaking of which…
This time, Jin Yu had chosen to take a dangerous gamble, trying to use the threat posed by an outsider like Guo Yi to completely subdue the Tang family.
Part of the reason why he made such a dangerous gamble was the pressure Jin Peng brought.
If Jin Yu didn't seize this chance to become the next Dragon Envoy, then the gap between him and Jin Peng would only widen from here on out.
That was why even though it was risky, he wanted to leverage Guo Yi's strength for his own benefit.
But who would've thought Guo Yi would see right through him, and he'd end up losing both the bait and the fish.
"..."
Sensing the contempt in Jin Peng's words, Elder Long could only sigh. "They're doing it for the family's growth."
Though Elder Long's seniority in the Jin family was extremely high, he never involved himself in clan matters.
He simply stood guard over the Secret Realm.
So there were things he wouldn't participate in too deeply.
Jin Peng also knew Elder Long had no interest in clan affairs, so he merely complained with some dissatisfaction. "Growth? They better not drag a powerful enemy down on the Jin family."
"Guo Yi's teacher—if I met him, I'd still have to respectfully call him 'Senior,' and yet Jin Yu actually has the gall to provoke the disciple of someone like that. I really don't know what he's thinking."
As he spoke, Jin Peng couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"I just hope Guo Yi's Dragon-Slaying Art is all talk. Otherwise, for the Jin family… this would be a pretty heavy blow."
Actually, with Jin Peng's level of strength, even if the other side really did have all kinds of Dragon-Slaying Arts, he wouldn't feel even the slightest fear.
Because at their level, "being countered" was only one part of winning.
If you thought you could beat them relying on type advantage alone, then the Elite Four would be worth way too little.
But just because it didn't affect Jin Peng, didn't mean it wouldn't affect the Jin family.
At the very least, the trainers in the Jin family's middle and lower tiers would be in for a massive headache.
Elder Long understood the deeper meaning behind his words.
On the other end of the call, there was silence for a moment.
"I'll talk to them about it. As for what the situation really is, I'm not too sure either."
After giving his reply, Elder Long hung up.
And Jin Peng rode on Dragonite as he left the Secret Realm.
...
Because Guo Yi's class had been on Friday, the news about the Dragon-Slaying Hero Azumarill got two full days to ferment.
And everyone had different opinions.
Some thought Guo Yi was just chasing attention—after all, even the official Pokémon League authorities of every country still hadn't figured out the knowledge around Egg Moves.
So where did he get it from?
But others thought: Guo Yi knew how to negate the side effects of Life Orb, and on top of that his teacher was the "Bug Master."
If it were fake, he had no reason to do this.
It was the kind of thing that only made work for yourself with no payoff.
For a time, both sides dug in, arguing nonstop.
There was no way around it!
Before there was solid proof, it was hard to make everyone believe what you said.
...
On the way to Tangcheng Yipin, a convoy was moving forward.
"Old Du, I didn't think this matter would actually get you involved!"
In the back seat, Sun Derong looked at the elderly man beside him in surprise.
He really hadn't expected this big shot to come personally.
Du Ruiguang.
A top dog in Dragon Country's Pokémon academic world.
Research on things like Abilities, Pokémon items, and move tutoring—his name showed up everywhere.
A true all-rounder.
And the Pokémon League of Dragon Country, in order to keep their nation from falling behind foreign countries in Pokémon inheritance and breeding… had specifically put this Du Ruiguang in charge of the field's research as a whole.
Du Ruiguang was basically a national-treasure-level figure in Dragon Country.
The fact that he came in person was enough to show how seriously he was taking Guo Yi.
Du Ruiguang smiled as he said, "There was no choice. Teacher Guo went and announced our just-finished research results directly."
"If I didn't come, I wouldn't be able to make excuses."
As for Guo Yi, Du Ruiguang had heard of him before because of the Life Orb incident.
It was just that his research focus right now was on Pokémon inheritance and breeding.
Otherwise, Du Ruiguang would've come to meet Guo Yi a long time ago.
Hearing that, Sun Derong's heart couldn't help but tremble.
"Old Du… you mean what Guo Yi said was all true."
"Azumarill really can learn Belly Drum through inheritance?"
Du Ruiguang slowly nodded. "Of course it's true. This was a result my disciple obtained from research not long ago."
"These days she's been organizing the data and getting ready to publish it. Who would've thought…"
Thinking of how gloomy his disciple had looked after hearing the news, Du Ruiguang could only feel helpless.
There was no way around it.
Having your own work announced by someone else would make anyone angry.
But the problem was what Guo Yi said was even more detailed than their research papers.
They'd only discovered that Azumarill and the Poliwag line had compatibility with eachother.
But Guo Yi had rattled off three different Pokémon in one breath—completely crushing them in sheer amount.
"Disciple?"
"It can't be that girl in the car behind us, right?"
Sun Derong couldn't help thinking of the girl following behind Du Ruiguang, her face full of anger…
"Yeah. It's that girl. After she found out yesterday, she was as dejected as you can get. And after she heard that I'm coming to see Guo Yi, she insisted on coming along."
Du Ruiguang shook his head with a helpless answer.
He only hoped she wouldn't cause any trouble later.
Sun Derong chuckled. "Don't worry. Teacher Guo is pretty easy to talk to."
"I hope that's true."
Du Ruiguang sighed.
As they talked, the convoy had already arrived at the entrance to the Tangcheng Yipin residential community.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
The security guard at the entrance stepped forward with a smile, his attitude humbler than it had ever been.
Well he had no choice but to be humble!
This was a Pokémon League convoy!
Even if the one to greet them was the community landlord, he'd still have to come forward and greet them respectfully.
If it weren't for protecting Tangcheng Yipin's reputation, the guard probably would've let them through without even asking.
"Hello. We're looking for Teacher Guo Yi."
"Please open the gate for us."
Sun Derong rolled down the window and answered with a smile.
"Pr-Pr-Pr-Professor Sun!"
Seeing Sun Derong's face, the guard got so excited he could barely speak.
He hadn't expected to run into someone he'd only ever seen in textbooks and on TV—standing right before him.
However, when his gaze flicked to the elderly man beside Sun Derong, he froze completely.
"Professor Du… he's here too!"
The guard couldn't believe that within a single day, he was seeing two big shots straight out of the textbooks!
Wait… these two are personally coming to Teacher Guo's door.
Could it be Teacher Guo isn't just the 'Bug Master's' disciple?
For a moment, the guard sank into thought.
"Is there a problem?"
Seeing the guard fall silent, Sun Derong asked again.
The guard jolted awake at once, shaking his head rapidly. "T-there's no problem. It's just... Do you need me to guide you to Teacher Guo Yi's villa?"
Sun Derong smiled. "Then I'll trouble you."
"No trouble at all. Not even a little."
As he spoke, the guard hopped onto his little electric scooter and led the way in front.
Very soon, the group arrived at the gate of Guo Yi's villa.
The moment they got out of the cars, the Pokémon in the courtyard instantly drew the two professors' eyes.
"Zapdos!"
The two cried out in unison.
They hadn't expected Zapdos to be here with Guo Yi!
"Looks like Guo Yi's teacher really values him, after the last match ended he actually just left Zapdos behind."
Sun Derong couldn't help but sigh.
Du Ruiguang at his side also spoke. "I just don't know if Guo Yi will agree to let us observe this Zapdos."
A legendary Pokémon!
What researcher wouldn't want to take a good, careful look?
At the same time, a tall, slender young woman stepped down from the car behind.
She wore a white dress, her waist tied with a ribbon sash. Her glossy hair fell over her shoulders, her generous curves all but impossible to ignore, and her dewy skin looked so soft it seemed like it would give way at a touch.
Not only was her figure eye-catching—her face was stunning too. The corners of her lips naturally curled, as if a faint smile was always resting there.
Her brows were like a beautiful new moon, and the slight upward tilt of her eyes made them look like a pair of bewitching fox eyes.
But even though she had a seductive, alluring appearance, her aura was bright and dignified—like a well-taught young lady from a scholarly family.
When the woman saw Zapdos, she too showed the same flash of surprise as the two professors.
And at the same time, she grew even more curious about Guo Yi.
---
T/N: 4 chapters since i was gonna update yesterday but didnt, bonus chaps are tomorrow and uhhh no character note for thisweek
heres my patreon (patreon.com/wisetl) theres also a 25% off discount for firsttime members until christmas ends and heres the powerstone rewardsss Every 100 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter. 100ps = 1 chp 200ps = 2 chp 300ps = 3 chp etc. uhhh for legal matters, my patreon is only there if you wanna support me yep yep with the added bonus of reading ahead OH OH also heres the discord link discord.gg/wisetl