Alongside that furious roar, a massive cloud of sand abruptly rose from a nearby dune, swiftly developing into a raging sandstorm. Within th
Alongside that furious roar, a massive cloud of sand abruptly rose from a nearby dune, swiftly developing into a raging sandstorm.
Within the sandstorm, a huge figure rapidly approached.
"Nidorina, use—"
Su Qingxue was about to order Nidorina to block it with [Ice Beam], but Guo Yi stopped her firmly.
"Qingxue, whatever's coming through that sandstorm isn't something Nidorina can handle."
"Recall Nidorina immediately."
Although curious about the Pokémon hidden in the storm, Su Qingxue trusted her teacher implicitly and called Nidorina back to her side without hesitation.
As the sandstorm drew nearer, the Pokémon within slowly became visible.
Emerging from the storm was a massive, light-brown hippopotamus Pokémon. Its snout, eyelids, feet, and back were black, and its back was dotted with six holes steadily spewing sand, fueling the raging storm. Its short, stubby tail constantly slapped against the ground, scattering sand around.
A Hippowdon—a Ground-type Pokémon.
Hippowdon was notoriously short-tempered and easily provoked. Once enraged, even a Drapion—known as the Demon of the Desert—would act submissively before it.
Its most fearsome trait was its enormous mouth, stretching up to two meters wide—strong enough to crush an automobile into scrap metal.
Its very presence made clear Hippowdon's status as an apex predator in the desert regions.
"GROAR!"
Hippowdon immediately rushed to the Silicobra's side, inspecting its child's wounds. Seeing the injuries covering its body, Hippowdon glared furiously at Guo Yi and Su Qingxue.
Its eyes clearly accused them of harming its offspring.
With her [Power of Virdian], Su Qingxue quickly sensed Hippowdon's emotions, prompting a strange expression on her face.
Quietly approaching Guo Yi, she whispered curiously:
"Teacher, doesn't this Hippowdon realize it's been cuckolded? Look closely—where does this Silicobra resemble it at all?"
"One's a snake, the other's a hippo—they're entirely different species!"
"Uh…"
Guo Yi found himself momentarily speechless.
Cuckolded?
Technically, no.
After all, Silicobra and Hippowdon belonged to the same Field Egg Group and could indeed produce offspring together.
But Pokémon breeding research, specifically Egg Groups, wasn't publicly understood yet—at least, no credible results had been officially released.
Explaining this to Su Qingxue would be quite complicated, so Guo Yi simply kept quiet, tacitly letting Su Qingxue assume the Hippowdon had been cheated on.
Besides, it's not my Pokémon getting mocked, Guo Yi thought, amused. Why bother explaining?
However—
Though Hippowdon hadn't heard their conversation, it immediately recognized the look in Su Qingxue's eyes.
Because every trainer it previously encountered made that same mocking expression upon seeing its child.
At first, Hippowdon hadn't understood why—
Until it defeated those trainers and learned from their Pokémon that they'd been ridiculing it as a cuckold.
From that day forward, anyone daring to mock it in that way soon had grass two feet high growing over their graves.
"GROAAAR!"
Forgetting even its injured child, Hippowdon was consumed by old grievances and new fury. Roaring furiously, it unleashed a raging torrent of sand from the holes on its back, merging with the sands below, swiftly engulfing Guo Yi and his student.
[Sand Tomb]
Fueled by an ongoing sandstorm, the [Sand Tomb] became even more devastating.
This Hippowdon's strength was impressive indeed:
[Hippowdon (Ground-type)]
[Gender: ♂]
[Level: Lv60 (Gym Leader Tier)]
[Ability: Sand Stream (creates a sandstorm upon entering battle)]
[Moves: Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Sand Tomb, Earthquake, Stone Edge (commonly used moves)]
[Egg Move: None]
[Held Item: Smooth Rock (Pseudo-Elite Four level)]
[Potential: pseudo-Elite Four]
A peak Gym Leader-tier Pokémon boosted by desert terrain—this Hippowdon was formidable enough that even pseudo-Elite Four Pokémon would struggle against it.
Unfortunately for Hippowdon, today would forever change how it viewed Beedrill.
"Beedrill, it's your turn."
Facing the encroaching sandstorm, Guo Yi gave his command casually.
"Zzzzt!"
Beedrill nodded once, then instantly disappeared into the swirling sandstorm.
Su Qingxue's eyes widened in alarm.
"Teacher, why aren't you releasing Nidoking instead?"
"With Beedrill's strength, it's probably not Hippowdon's… match…"
Before she could finish, the sandstorm abruptly vanished.
Blinking, she stared in disbelief at the scene revealed:
The Hippowdon—previously roaring furiously—had buried its head in the sand like an ostrich, trembling pitifully.
Standing calmly nearby, Beedrill held a small stone—Hippowdon's [Smooth Rock].
"Qingxue, let's go."
Guo Yi casually took the Smooth Rock from Beedrill, calling out gently to his stupefied student.
"Oh…"
"I'm coming."
Recovering from her shock, Su Qingxue hurriedly caught up, Nidorina trotting alongside.
Yet, even as she walked away, she couldn't resist repeatedly glancing back, curious if the Hippowdon had lifted its head yet.
But even as Hippowdon slowly vanished from view, it remained motionless, head buried stubbornly in the sand.
What exactly happened in that split second?
The Hippowdon not only stopped attacking, but also completely hid its face in terror.
Just how strong is Teacher's Beedrill?!
At this moment, Su Qingxue felt her teacher and his Beedrill were enveloped in a fog of mystery.
The rare glimpses she'd caught were enough to leave her utterly stunned.
Just wait, Teacher!
One day, I'll unravel all your secrets.
Boosting her determination quietly, Su Qingxue quickened her pace to catch up.
Meanwhile, after sensing Guo Yi's group had finally left, the Hippowdon slowly pulled its head from the sand, trembling slightly, still shaken by its encounter with Beedrill.