Under everyone's watchful gaze, Guo Yi led his group out from the corridor.
"It's you?"
"Teacher Guo!"
"Young Miss!"
Old Ye, Ling Yun, and the others practically spoke in unison upon seeing Guo Yi's group.
"Old Ye, long time no see!" Su Qingxue waved casually toward Old Ye.
Old Ye shook his head helplessly. After all that fuss, it turned out to be their own people causing trouble.
But—this matter wasn't something they could easily settle just by talking.
Old Ye glanced warily at Lin Niu, his eyes serious.
This just got tricky.
Taking Pokémon reserved by the Flying Eagle Gang—so be it.
After all, the two sides were already mortal enemies.
But offending the Lin family was a different matter altogether.
Looks like I'll have to persuade Teacher Guo to return the Lin family's Pokémon.
Otherwise, the Chairwoman will face quite the headache later.
Although Old Ye knew Guo Yi's strength was extraordinary, the Lin family wasn't like ordinary clans.
If the Lin family chose to target the Azure Dragon Society, there were countless ways they could retaliate.
After all, underground factions like theirs rarely had clean records.
Just as Old Ye was about to speak up, He Yongsen suddenly stepped forward, greeting Lin Niu loudly:
"Uncle Niu! It's you who came today!"
"Uncle Niu?"
Everyone was stunned—no one expected that someone among Guo Yi's group knew Lin Niu.
Judging by his tone, their relationship seemed surprisingly close.
Lin Niu slowly opened his eyes upon hearing the familiar voice, then showed surprise when seeing He Yongsen clearly.
"Yongsen, it's you!"
Holding Abra in his arms, He Yongsen stepped directly in front of Lin Niu.
"Uncle Niu, it's been a long while since we last met."
Lin Niu, visibly moved, patted He Yongsen affectionately on the shoulder.
"Indeed."
"Ever since you joined the Pokémon firefighting squad, Uncle Niu hasn't seen you around much."
"But what brought you here today?"
He Yongsen replied somewhat awkwardly, "Uncle Niu, Teacher brought me here to buy Pokémon."
"It's just that... this Pokémon seems to have been reserved by the Lin family…"
"So…"
He Yongsen laughed sheepishly, clearly embarrassed.
After all, openly stealing from your own family was indeed awkward to admit.
"Oh, so it was you who wanted it!"
"You should've said so earlier!"
"You made Uncle Niu run here for nothing," Lin Niu joked, feigning irritation.
"Hehehe!"
Knowing Uncle Niu's temperament well, He Yongsen just laughed foolishly on the side.
Watching the two chat happily—Su Qingxue curiously turned to Guo Yi and quietly asked, "Teacher, what's Yongsen's background? He's chatting and laughing with the Lin family!"
Guo Yi shook his head lightly and replied, "I don't really know much about Yongsen's background myself."
"I only know he's a firefighter."
"Besides, someone's background is irrelevant to me—I accept disciples based purely on fate."
Guo Yi genuinely didn't know He Yongsen's origins.
After all, even his [Data Eye] provided only partial, not complete, information.
Furthermore, Guo Yi didn't care about such things, so he'd never asked Yongsen directly.
Rich or poor, it made no difference!
As long as they were his disciples, Guo Yi treated everyone equally.
From the current situation, it seemed the Lin family's issue had resolved itself.
Next up, of course, were the martial brothers Ling Yun and Su La.
Su La stepped forward and spoke calmly, "Teacher Guo, that Chimchar was reserved by my teacher. Please return it to us."
If He Yongsen's relationship with Lin Niu hadn't just been revealed, Su La definitely wouldn't have been so polite.
But now—if they acted too aggressively, it would be difficult to embarrass the other side.
Given the circumstances, Su La chose a more indirect approach.
From He Yongsen's earlier words, it wasn't difficult to see that Guo Yi had come specifically to secure Pokémon for his students.
Thus, Su La guessed he certainly wouldn't surrender them easily.
Of course—if Guo Yi did hand the Pokémon back, they'd suffer no loss.
And they could disgust Guo Yi a bit in passing.
Therefore, temporary compromise was most advantageous to Su La.
Things developed exactly as Su La had anticipated—the moment he voiced his request, Chimchar immediately hugged Hu Yan'er's leg anxiously, afraid he would be handed over.
He had finally found a suitable trainer; Chimchar absolutely refused to leave her.
Hu Yan'er also glanced worriedly toward her teacher.
If Teacher insisted, even if she didn't want to, she would obediently return Chimchar.
However, Hu Yan'er's worry was entirely unnecessary.
Guo Yi, surrendering a Pokémon?
Was that even possible?
Instead, Guo Yi's face twisted in exaggerated astonishment as he asked back innocently, "Ahh?"
"So your teacher's reserved Pokémon went missing?"
"Then hurry up and go find it—what are you bothering me for?"
"You're not seriously suggesting that just because my student has a Chimchar, it's automatically yours?"
Seeing Guo Yi shamelessly feign ignorance, Ling Yun immediately stepped forward and snapped angrily, "Guo Yi, quit playing dumb!"
"That Chimchar is exactly the one reserved by our teacher!"
Guo Yi remained utterly calm. "You say so? Where's your witness?"
"Where's your proof?"
Ling Yun laughed furiously, "Witness?"
"The boss of this shop herself is the witness."
However—as soon as Ling Yun finished speaking, Zhen Fei immediately waved her hands vigorously.
"I only informed you that the Pokémon went missing—I'm certainly no witness."
By now, Zhen Fei had seen through things clearly.
Guo Yi definitely wasn't as simple as outsiders imagined.
She absolutely didn't want to get involved in this mess now.
As for whether that retired Fire-type Elite Four might trouble her later—Zhen Fei genuinely didn't care at all.
First of all—she had promptly notified the client at the first sign of trouble, and they arrived in good time.
If they still lost the Pokémon afterward, how was that her fault?
Besides, as one of the Hunter's Guild High Seats—a retired Elite Four wasn't someone she feared in the slightest.
"…"
Hearing Zhen Fei's response, Ling Yun and Su La's faces both sank.
They finally understood clearly—the shopkeeper just wanted to avoid offending either side!
You want your Pokémon? Sure.
She'd call the customer here, and if you could still take it away right in front of them, fine.
As for whatever happened afterward?
Sorry! Not her problem.
Of course—whoever ultimately took the Pokémon still had to pay up.
Zhen Fei would never conduct business at a loss.
Sigh!
"Looks like we can't settle this peacefully," Su La sighed helplessly, shaking his head.
Immediately afterward, his gaze sharpened.
He pulled out an Ultra Ball from his waist, throwing it forward decisively.
Flash!
With a sharp, resonant cry—a Camerupt appeared imposingly in front of everyone.
[Camerupt (Fire/Ground)]
[Gender: ♂]
[Level: Lv75 (Elite Four)]
[Ability: Magma Armor (Covers itself with scorching magma, preventing it from freezing.)]
[Moves: Fissure, Eruption, Earthquake, Earth Power (commonly used)]
[Tutor Moves: Fire Blast, Flamethrower]
[Egg Move: Heat Wave]
[Held Item: Charcoal (Elite Four Tier)]
[Potential: Elite Four]
This Elite Four-level Camerupt was specially given to Su La by Lie Ke for protection and emergencies.
With Camerupt's appearance, the atmosphere immediately became tense.
"Su La, what exactly are you planning?"
"Are you going to snatch it by force?"
Old Ye immediately spoke up, questioning sharply:
"Su La, are you planning to rob them openly?"
Su La shook his head, replying calmly, "Not robbing, just retrieving the Pokémon reserved by my teacher."
Then—he turned his gaze toward Guo Yi and warned, "Teacher Guo, I know your background might be more complicated than we imagined."
"But a retired Elite Four's fury isn't something you can handle lightly."
"How about returning Chimchar, and we'll both take a step back?"
Since reason had failed, Su La was prepared to use force instead.
Besides, their side clearly had the moral high ground!
Even if things blew up, he wouldn't mind at all.
As for whether the Azure Dragon Society would get dragged into this mess, Su La couldn't care less. Actually, he hoped they would—because that would give his teacher a legitimate excuse to interfere in the Shanghai black market.
Even if it meant losing one talented Pokémon, it'd be more than worth it.
Unfortunately—Su La's plan had only one flaw: he had vastly underestimated Guo Yi's strength.
Thinking a mere Elite Four-level Pokémon could take down Guo Yi—he really was dreaming.
At this moment—
Lin Niu, seeing the Elite Four-level Camerupt appear, turned quietly to He Yongsen:
"Yongsen, your teacher seems to be in trouble."
"Does Uncle Niu need to step in?"
Given He Yongsen's family background, finding an experienced and powerful Pokémon instructor wasn't difficult at all.
Yet he'd ended up choosing a teacher who looked barely older than himself.
Lin Niu couldn't understand this at all.
However, despite his confusion, Guo Yi was now He Yongsen's teacher—and that meant he counted as family.
If his own people were threatened, Lin Niu would naturally step in to help.
To Lin Niu's surprise, though—He Yongsen actually stopped him.
"Don't worry, Uncle Niu."
"A mere Elite Four-level Pokémon isn't enough to trouble my teacher."
Knowing his teacher's true strength, He Yongsen was utterly calm about the unfolding scene.
Elite Four-level?
Impressive?
His teacher could easily smack it down without breaking a sweat.
Hearing the confident certainty in He Yongsen's voice, Lin Niu's eyes flashed with surprise.
He couldn't help but wonder...
Exactly what kind of ability did Guo Yi have to inspire such confidence from his nephew?
"Well then, since you say so, Yongsen—Uncle Niu will watch and see how strong your teacher really is."
Lin Niu folded his arms, ready to watch a good show.
At this moment, Guo Yi chuckled lightly, saying:
"I apologize—I'm very sorry your reserved Pokémon went missing."
"But..."
His voice shifted abruptly, eyes suddenly sharp:
"You trying to snatch away my student's Pokémon… now that's just not right."
"Elite Four-level? Is that really something special?"
Ling Yun snorted mockingly, "If Elite Four-level Pokémon aren't special, why don't you release one yourself?"
Guo Yi smiled faintly.
"As you wish."
Then—a Pokéball swiftly flew from his hand.
"Come out!"
"Ninetales."
Bathed in brilliant red light, Ninetales emerged gracefully onto the scene.
Zhen Fei's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of Ninetales.
"It's actually a Shiny Ninetales…"
As a Pokémon hunter, the rarer the Pokémon, the stronger their appeal.
And Shiny Pokémon, naturally, were among the rarest of all.
Even an ordinary Shiny Magikarp—would fetch prices at least comparable to high-potential Starter Pokémon.
And this was Ninetales—a Pokémon already rare even without being Shiny.
But more surprising to Zhen Fei was—she couldn't perceive the strength of this Ninetales at all.
As a Pokémon hunter, keen perception was essential.
After all in the wild, hunters rarely had time or equipment to fully appraise Pokémon's potential and abilities.
They relied mainly on experience and instinct.
Thus, accurately gauging a Pokémon's power was a core skill for any competent hunter.
Yet...
The feeling this Ninetales gave Zhen Fei was simply unfathomable!
"Camerupt, [Flamethrower]!"
Seeing Guo Yi release a Pokémon, Su La instantly commanded Camerupt to attack without another word.
This wasn't some official match.
Who would politely wait for a formal start?
Strike first, gain the upper hand; strike second, suffer losses!
"Roar!"
Camerupt's humps immediately began charging energy.
Then—like volcanic eruption, an immense blazing fireball burst forth.
Boom!
The fireball descended sharply from the sky, landing squarely on Ninetales.
In a flash, scorching flames completely enveloped Ninetales.
Watching Ninetales disappear into the flames, the observers frowned one by one.
Zhen Fei: Did I misjudge? Was this Ninetales just all show?
Lin Niu: Yongsen, your teacher doesn't seem very reliable after all…
Su Qingxue: Teacher hasn't overdone it this time, has he?
Hu Yan'er: Waaa… It's all my fault that Teacher lost a Pokémon!
For a brief moment, everyone's thoughts drifted differently.
Ling Yun, staring at Ninetales consumed by flames, laughed uncontrollably:
"Hahaha!"
"It can't even dodge! And you dare call yourself a teacher?"
"Quickly hand over that Chimchar!"
Right now, Ling Yun felt supremely satisfied. Finally, he could vent his frustrations from the last few days.
Though he couldn't harm Su Qingxue directly, causing her teacher to lose a Pokémon was just as satisfying.
But—just then, Guo Yi calmly chuckled, speaking lightly:
"Isn't your celebration a bit premature?"
"I just let Ninetales take a quick hot bath first."
"Ninetales, come out."
Immediately after—a sharp cry echoed clearly from within the raging flames.
Then—as though encountering its natural enemy, the flames rapidly weakened…
…Until finally vanishing altogether.
"[Flash Fire]?"
Zhen Fei frowned in confusion.
Watching Ninetales calmly devour those flames seemed explainable only by the ability [Flash Fire].
Yet, looking carefully, something felt off.
If it was really [Flash Fire]—
Shouldn't Ninetales' aura have grown more powerful after absorbing flames?
Yet right now, its aura remained utterly unchanged.
"It's like…like it simply enjoyed a nice meal…"
A strange thought suddenly crossed Zhen Fei's mind.
Exactly—just like enjoying a good meal… No, more accurately, like a small snack.
Though this Ninetales actually possessed the [Drought] ability rather than [Flash Fire]—
Living for centuries within volcanic regions had granted it extreme resistance to flame attacks.
A mere Elite Four-level fire attack to Ninetales, it was little more than an appetizer.
While Zhen Fei remained baffled, Guo Yi had already commanded a counterattack:
"Ninetales, [Hypnosis]!"
"Awooo~~"
With Ninetales' melodious cry, psychic energy rapidly surged forth.
Immediately—a strange, imperceptible wave spread swiftly toward Camerupt.
Snort!
Moments later—Camerupt's massive body began wobbling back and forth.
Seeing this, Su La panicked instantly, shouting desperately to wake Camerupt's consciousness:
"Camerupt! Wake up now!"
However—how could a mere Elite Four-level Camerupt possibly resist [Hypnosis] from a thousand-year-old Ninetales?
Within moments, Camerupt fell into a deep sleep, heavy snores echoing loudly.
"It's over," Guo Yi chuckled lightly.
"Ninetales, [Dream Eater]."
[Hypnosis] + [Dream Eater]—
—The perfect combo for instantly knocking out weaker Pokémon.
Ninetales elegantly stepped forward, moving gracefully toward Camerupt.
Then, with a delicate, silent bite—the previously peaceful Camerupt suddenly let out a shrill, anguished roar.
In the very next instant—its limbs sprawled out weakly as it collapsed helplessly onto the ground.