"Look! It's Elite Four Jin Peng!"
"No way—it really is him!"
"Am I seeing things? That person beside him looks like Teacher Guo!"
"Teacher Guo? Didn't the internet say Teacher Guo and Elite Four Jin have beef?"
"It's just engagement bait. Look at them—laughing and talking. They're clearly on great terms!"
"Oh my god! My two idols together on the same screen! Ah—I can't handle this!"
As Guo Yi and Jin Peng appeared, excited shouts rippled through Yunlong Dam.
If the Pokémon Corps hadn't held back the crowd of enthusiastic fans, the two probably wouldn't have been able to take a single step forward.
"Jin Peng, your popularity is pretty wild," Guo Yi teased, watching the young fans wave frantically.
Jin Peng rolled his eyes, responding with faint bitterness, "Popularity? How can I compare to you?"
"Douyin's official numbers—you've got way more followers than me."
Jin Peng was still hung up on this.
He'd been an Elite Four for so long, and only recently reached thirty million followers.
But Guo Yi?
One open lecture and he gained thirty million overnight.
A single day of Guo Yi's follower growth beat Jin Peng's entire career.
Yet now he had the nerve to compliment Jin Peng's popularity.
Wasn't this the peak of shameless humblebragging?
Uh…
Hearing the grievance in Jin Peng's tone, Guo Yi felt slightly awkward.
Could he really admit his Douyin account was managed entirely by Lilligant?
Probably not.
Better not twist the knife in Jin Peng's wounded pride.
Just then, members of the Shanghai Pokémon University team in the crowd also noticed Guo Yi.
Beside Hu Yan'er, a petite girl asked excitedly, "Yan'er, look—isn't that Teacher Guo?"
"It really is," Hu Yan'er said, surprise flashing briefly in her eyes.
She hadn't expected her teacher to come to Yunlong Dam.
"Yan'er, aren't you going to say hi?" another girl urged.
With their relationship to Teacher Guo, they might get brushed off if they approached.
But Hu Yan'er was different.
She was Teacher Guo's disciple—
Would he refuse her?
And if Hu Yan'er went, they could also get close to Elite Four Jin Peng—someone they usually saw only on TV.
"I heard the Dragon-type Elite Four is still single," the girl added dreamily.
Hu Yan'er shook her head, dismissing the suggestion.
She knew her teacher.
If he wanted to see her, he would've mentioned beforehand that he'd be coming.
Since he hadn't said anything, it meant he wanted her to handle this mission independently.
At the same time, Hu Yan'er didn't feel excitement at her teacher's presence.
Rather, her expression turned even more serious.
Her hand reached up to the Poké Ball hanging from her neck.
That Poké Ball held the trump card Guo Yi had given her.
If Teacher's here, yet he still left Ninetales with me as protection…
Then this support mission might be far more dangerous than it appeared.
Thinking that, Hu Yan'er's grip on the Poké Ball tightened.
...
"Guo Yi, isn't that your university's team?" Jin Peng pointed out, noticing the Shanghai Pokémon University insignia. "Aren't you going to greet them?"
Guo Yi glanced toward Hu Yan'er briefly, then shook his head.
"No need."
Jin Peng smiled. "Your disciple's among them too."
"Are you still not going over?"
Guo Yi shook his head again.
"Fledglings eventually have to fly on their own."
"Besides, I left her a contingency. No matter the danger, she'll be able to protect herself."
Jin Peng's eyes widened slightly.
"Guo Yi… you didn't lend your teacher's Zapdos to your student, did you?"
In Jin Peng's mind, the only Pokémon strong enough to make Guo Yi this confident were Beedrill and Zapdos.
And Beedrill was still clearly with Guo Yi.
Aside from Zapdos, Jin Peng couldn't imagine what else it could be.
Could it really be Guo Yi's Ninetales? Jin Peng briefly considered—then dismissed—the idea.
Impossible.
Ninetales was merely Elite Four Tier. It wasn't sufficient for such a critical role.
It wasn't that Jin Peng underestimated Elite Four Tier Pokémon.
But a single Elite Four Pokémon was no guarantee of absolute safety.
If the enemy had even one Elite Four Tier Pokémon, what could Hu Yan'er do against multiple opponents?
Guo Yi merely smiled, saying nothing.
Fine.
Teacher and disciple—they both love playing mysterious, Jin Peng grumbled silently.
Afterward, the two circled Yunlong Dam, confirming nothing unusual, and Jin Peng proposed checking out the newly established market.
Guo Yi nodded.
...
"This market's bigger than I thought," Jin Peng said with a sigh as they reached the entrance.
The space was notably larger than an average Pokémon mall.
Guo Yi smiled. "Naturally."
"With reinforcements from so many universities and independent Trainers gathered, there are at least several thousand Trainers around Yunlong Dam now. Some small or mid-sized cities can't even match this number."
Small cities might have nearly ten thousand professional Trainers.
But don't forget how many malls those cities had.
In terms of foot traffic, this market easily surpassed them.
Still, since it had just opened, customers were sparse aside from vendors.
Guo Yi was certain that after today, this market would become Yunlong Dam's busiest area.
"True," Jin Peng agreed, nodding.
Then, side by side, they entered the market.
"Greetings, Elite Four Jin, Teacher Guo!"
"I'm responsible for managing the market. Just call me Xiao Zhou."
As they entered, the manager overseeing the market quickly approached.
He was average height, with thick, full-rimmed glasses—judging by their thickness, easily seven or eight hundred degrees.
"Xiao Zhou," Guo Yi greeted, noticing the Pokémon League badge on his clothes, then asked Jin Peng, "League?"
"More or less," Jin Peng replied calmly.
"His company has shares held by the League."
Aside from major Pokémon malls or Breeding Houses, the League participated in most businesses by holding shares—similar to state-owned enterprises in Guo Yi's original world.
They invested capital but didn't interfere much in company operations.
"I see." Guo Yi nodded.
Led by Xiao Zhou, they began strolling through the market.
Although visitors were few, vendors were numerous.
Tool shops, Breeding Houses, Evolution Stones, Pokéblocks—whatever you wanted, you could probably find it here.
"The variety is impressive," Guo Yi said appreciatively.
Xiao Zhou immediately agreed, "Exactly, Teacher Guo."
"With so many Trainers involved in the relief effort, our logistics have to keep up."
"Prices here are definitely below normal market rates."
"Of course, merchants still make a profit. As for why—"
Guo Yi interrupted gently. "I understand."
"Merchants pursue profit. Without it, this market wouldn't exist."
Some people mistakenly believed merchants profiting during crises was exploitative.
It wasn't.
Real profiteers were those who inflated prices to unreasonable levels.
Legitimate merchants earned money fairly through their services.
That was entirely justified.
Precisely because of merchants, resources remained plentiful and prices stable.
If society relied solely on goodwill…
No matter how strong that goodwill, it would eventually run out.
Whew.
Hearing Guo Yi's words, Xiao Zhou quietly exhaled in relief.
Honestly, he'd been worried Guo Yi might share the bias some people held.
Given Guo Yi's obvious close relationship with Elite Four Jin, if Guo Yi had criticized the market, operating here would become extremely difficult.
At that moment, Jin Peng added seriously, "That said, quality and pricing must be strictly regulated."
Merchants chased profits.
Without proper oversight, issues would inevitably arise.
Xiao Zhou repeatedly nodded.
"Rest assured, Elite Four Jin."
"All vendors here have signed contracts with our company. If anyone dares cut corners or sell counterfeit goods…"
"They'll be dealt with under League laws."
"Good," Jin Peng said approvingly.
After Xiao Zhou's repeated assurances, they continued walking.
"What's this?"
Suddenly, Guo Yi stopped in front of a stall piled high with rocks.
Xiao Zhou quickly explained, "Teacher Guo, this is stone gambling."
"These stones were mined from Secret Realm ore caves."
"Inside might be Pokémon fossils, Evolution stones, rare minerals… even Pokémon tools."
Guo Yi's interest rose immediately.
"Fossils and Evolution Stones, I understand."
"But Pokémon tools—how could they end up inside rocks?"
Xiao Zhou laughed. "No one knows exactly why."
"But finding Pokémon tools inside these rocks is confirmed."
Seeing Guo Yi's curiosity, Xiao Zhou quickly suggested, "Elite Four Jin, Teacher Guo—how about trying your luck? I'll cover the cost."
If he could build a connection with these two through this, it would be a huge gain.
"Stone gambling, huh?"
Looking at the stones, Guo Yi really did feel tempted.
As if sensing his thoughts, the [Fortune] panel suddenly popped up.
---
T/N: MEGA STONE TIME :SOB: MEGA BEEDRILL
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl