"Confidence?"
"Not much. Just ten out of ten."
Guo Yi's calm, utterly confident answer echoed through the command post.
Seeing how unshaken he was, Lin Feng and Jin Peng traded a look—and could only manage bitter smiles.
Jin Peng stepped forward. "Guo Yi—be serious."
"If Lie Ke dares to invite you to a solo fight, that means he's absolutely confident."
"You can't afford to be careless."
Guo Yi smiled faintly. "He's got a trump card. You think I don't?"
"Don't forget."
"When my teacher first showed up, it wasn't with just one Pokémon."
Jin Peng froze.
First showed up?
When was that?
Beedrill… wait—
At the same time, realization flashed across both Jin Peng and Lin Feng's eyes.
They remembered.
Back when Beedrill fought Zapdos, there had been another Pokémon—one that appeared for only an instant.
Because it was on-screen for a split second—and because Beedrill was undeniably the real star of that battle—most people had forgotten it entirely.
But—that Pokémon's strength was absolutely not inferior to Beedrill's.
After all, when Beedrill first faced Zapdos, it had been at a disadvantage.
Yet that other Pokémon had easily blocked Zapdos's attacks and forced it back.
The name that surfaced in both their minds was the strongest artificial Major Legendary Pokémon: Mewtwo.
If Guo Yi truly had that Pokémon at his disposal, then yes—he really did have every reason to be confident.
After weighing it again and again, Jin Peng and Lin Feng finally agreed to let Guo Yi face Lie Ke alone to rescue the captives.
Meanwhile, the two of them would keep constant watch on the Seven Sages' leader, Yang Yong.
Of course—to ensure Guo Yi's safety, each of them also lent him one of their Pokémon.
Guo Yi held an absolute advantage in top-end power.
But in terms of numbers, he was still short-handed.
And with rescuing the captured people on top of that, his roster really would be stretched thin.
This time, Guo Yi didn't refuse their help.
It was true—right now, Zapdos and Ninetales were with his disciple for protection.
On his side, Elite Four Tier combat power really was lacking.
Their support arrived at exactly the right moment.
After that, they refined the plan in far more detail.
How long they'd wait without word from Guo Yi before forcing their way into the Secret Realm to support him.
How to respond if they ran into the Seven Sages.
Tomorrow's personnel arrangements, and so on.
All of it.
They discussed for around three hours before finally adjourning and starting preparations.
Dawn peeled away the night's veil, spilling bright morning light and ushering in a new day.
"Guo Yi—be careful," Jin Peng warned again before he left.
"If it's truly impossible, you can abandon the rescue."
"Your safety comes first."
If Guo Yi were League personnel, Jin Peng, as an Elite Four, would never say something like that.
But Guo Yi was only an invited helper—and behind him stood a mysterious, powerful teacher.
If, because of them, that "master" lost his precious disciple…
Jin Peng and Lin Feng couldn't guarantee the man wouldn't do something reckless.
Guo Yi patted Jin Peng's shoulder and smiled. "Relax. I know what I'm doing."
Then, as if remembering something, Guo Yi leaned close to Jin Peng's ear and spoke in a low voice.
"If you run into something you can't solve, go find my disciple."
"She might have a way."
If the Seven Sages' leader was willing to let Lie Ke use a Pokémon like Thundurus, there was no guarantee he didn't have something even stronger in reserve.
And the Ninetales in Hu Yan'er's hands— was the final insurance.
But Guo Yi's words left Jin Peng completely dumbstruck.
Wait—seriously?
Ask your disciple for help?
Wouldn't that be humiliating?
Guo Yi ignored the confusion in Jin Peng's eyes, waved to everyone, and headed for the Secret Realm.
When Guo Yi's back finally disappeared from view...
"Did Teacher Guo say something to you just now? You look… different," Lin Feng asked, stepping up beside Jin Peng.
"Huh?" Jin Peng snapped back to reality and answered vaguely, "Nothing. Guo Yi just told us to be careful."
"Is that so?" Lin Feng eyed him. The evasiveness made it feel like Jin Peng was hiding something.
But he wasn't in the mood for gossip, so he didn't press.
As for why Jin Peng didn't tell the truth—
Jin Peng: Was he supposed to admit that, in Guo Yi's eyes, he wasn't even as reliable as Guo Yi's disciple?
In Jin Peng's view, Guo Yi had to be joking.
...
Crackle—splatter!
The moment Guo Yi stepped into the Secret Realm, raindrops fell like firecrackers, lashing the leaves in rapid bursts.
"This rain's way heavier than outside," Guo Yi said, looking up with a faint smile.
The next second—his gaze sharpened, locking onto a distant mountain peak that stabbed straight into the clouds.
"Beedrill—this time, you can really cut loose."
This Secret Realm was far larger than the others, but Guo Yi still pinpointed Lie Ke's position immediately.
There was no helping it.
Thundurus's oppressive aura was like a lighthouse on a pitch-black sea—you'd have to be blind not to notice it.
"Bzz!" [Bring it on!]
Beedrill lightly scraped its twin lances together.
Between powerhouses, their sense for each other was razor-sharp. Even with miles between them, Beedrill could still feel how strong its opponent was.
This would be Beedrill's next true challenge—another powerful enemy after Zapdos.
In fact, Beedrill had a feeling this enemy might even be a notch stronger than Tapu Koko had been.
Maybe because it sensed that strength,
Beedrill didn't bother hiding its own aura.
Master Tier!
That terrifying presence speared into the sky, and the entire Secret Realm seemed to go still.
Nearby wild Pokémon lying in ambush felt as if they'd encountered their king.
They dropped to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Honestly—in this world, a Beedrill with power like this
really was the unquestioned monarch of every Beedrill swarm on the planet.
Their instinctive submission was only natural.
Then man and insect stepped through the mud, heading for the mountain.
And the moment Beedrill released its aura, Thundurus's expression shifted as well.
A powerhouse.
That was the first thought that rose in Thundurus's mind.
Even if the aura was slightly weaker than its own, it was still strong enough to threaten it.
"Ho—!" At that moment, Lie Ke's Blaziken began to tremble uneasily.
As if it had recalled a memory it wanted buried.
In truth, it wasn't just Blaziken.
Every Pokémon that had been defeated by Beedrill in that battle reacted more or less the same way.
Watching that, Lie Ke's hands clenched at his sides.
He understood perfectly.
That Beedrill wasn't only his nightmare—it was his Pokémon's nightmare as well.
If he didn't defeat it, he might never turn his life around again.
The captives—Gan Yun and the others, bound tight with ropes—noticed the reaction too.
"Gym Leader Gan, what's wrong with that old guy's Pokémon? They're all shaking."
"Maybe they're having seizures?"
"Hope so. If they are, we might actually get a chance to run."
"Dream on. Can't you see it? That Pokémon we've never seen before is the old man's real trump card."
"With that thing here, we've got no chance of escaping."
"Sigh… do you think Teacher Guo will come save us?"
"I'm not sure. This is obviously a trap."
"Teacher Guo… how could he—"
Before he could finish, Gan Yun cut in.
"No. He's here."
"This is a battle stress response—like a spooked animal."
"And the only thing that could make Lie Ke's Pokémon react like this… is that Beedrill that pulled off a one-versus-five."
Gan Yun had seen this kind of response before.
His main Pokémon, Swampert, had once lost to a Feraligatr.
That Feraligatr had even become Swampert's lifelong nightmare.
But in the end, through Gan Yun's relentless effort, Swampert not only overcame the nightmare—its strength rose to a new level.
Because Gan Yun had lived it himself, he understood exactly why those Pokémon were trembling.
Hearing his explanation, joy lit up the others' faces.
"So that means Teacher Guo came to rescue us!"
"Do you think Teacher Guo brought reinforcements?"
"Shh—lower your voice. You want to get silenced? That old man demanded Teacher Guo come alone."
"So what if he's alone? Don't forget—Beedrill beat Zapdos."
In an instant, everyone could barely contain their anticipation, waiting for Guo Yi to appear.
But unlike their excitement, a trace of worry crept onto Gan Yun's face.
"Zapdos…?"
"I'm afraid this Pokémon isn't inferior to Zapdos at all."
Because of the gap in strength, aside from Gan Yun, the others could only sense that Thundurus was "strong."
They didn't grasp the scale of it.
But Gan Yun didn't think it was that simple.
If Lie Ke dared to invite Guo Yi alone, he was probably relying on that very Pokémon.
As for the whispered chatter, Lie Ke didn't care.
They were merely bargaining chips—tokens to force Guo Yi to come alone.
Now that Guo Yi had arrived, they had no further value.
As the seconds ticked by, a figure came into view on the mountain path, growing closer and clearer.
It was—Guo Yi and his Beedrill.
With Beedrill's aura unleashed, not a single Pokémon dared to block their way.
So they arrived without resistance.
"Lie Ke. I'm here!"
When he was still a thousand meters away, Guo Yi stopped.
BOOM!
Thunder roared across the heavens.
The air turned razor-cold with killing intent.
---
T/N: AURAAAAAAA
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