"Pika!"
Pikachu, who had long been longing for the [Light Ball], snatched it up in the blink of an eye.
Yet—before everyone's astonished eyes, it gulped down the orb, bigger than its own face, in a single swallow.
This action from Pikachu nearly scared Hu Yan'er out of her wits.
Won't that cause indigestion?
"Teacher, will Pikachu be okay?"
Even Guo Yi was surprised by such a crude display.
But as for Pikachu's safety—he had no doubt.
Since it was an exclusive item for Pikachu, Pikachu surely knew best how to use it.
So Guo Yi reassured:
"Don't worry, it'll be fine."
"From here, Pikachu will begin a new transformation."
At his words, everyone's eyes once again fixed on Pikachu.
They saw Pikachu, who had swallowed the [Light Ball], lying flat and motionless on the ground.
Meanwhile—arcs of electricity kept sparking across its body.
And its aura was steadily rising.
Lv31… Lv32…
Not only its level, but its potential too surged—from Pseudo–Elite Four straight up to Champion.
That—was the metamorphosis brought by Pikachu's [Light Ball].
"Pika!"
After about fifteen minutes, Pikachu finally stirred awake.
It stretched lazily, adorably.
Right now, its whole body felt a freedom it had never known before.
And with its awakening, its aura stabilized completely.
Lv40!
Just one step away from Ace-Tier.
Such speed of growth left Su Qingxue under heavy pressure.
She knew well—Teacher now had three disciples.
Aside from herself, there was He Yongsen, older and already a Pokémon firefighter, his strength far beyond hers.
That she could accept.
After all, their paths were different—He Yongsen's goal was rescue and disaster relief, while hers was to become a professional trainer.
But now—Hu Yan'er, who had only just entered, was already catching up.
As self-proclaimed senior disciple, Su Qingxue felt a sudden, fierce sense of urgency.
"Pikachu, test how strong you are now!"
Hu Yan'er could barely wait to see the extent of Pikachu's newfound power.
"Pika!"
Pikachu was eager as well.
But just as it gathered itself to burst forward—two knuckle flicks rapped down hard on the heads of girl and Pokémon alike.
The next moment—they heard Guo Yi's furious voice:
"Have you no sense of place? This is a villa! And you want to test power inside?"
"Do you want your Teacher living on the streets!?"
"Uh…"
Hu Yan'er and Pikachu exchanged a look, then stuck out their tongues in embarrassment, faces apologetic.
"As expected of Pikachu and someone with a protagonist's template—sometimes you really act without thinking."
"All hot blood, no brain!"
Guo Yi shook his head with a sigh.
"Testing Pikachu's strength can wait."
"For now, I'll be taking you both to a breeding house."
"Breeding house?"
The two girls spoke in unison.
Guo Yi explained:
"Your current Pokémon are now progressing steadily along their paths."
"It's time you each raised new ones."
New Pokémon.
Hearing she would soon get another partner, Hu Yan'er's heart leapt in anticipation.
After all—other than Pikachu, she had none.
Not because she didn't want to catch more.
But because she couldn't afford to raise them.
Without selling that [Perfect-Grade Thunder Stone], she simply didn't have the resources.
As for Su Qingxue, hearing that she too would raise a new Pokémon made her eager as well.
I wonder what Teacher will have me raise this time?
Her future path was something Guo Yi had already discussed and planned with her.
A sandstorm team—that would be the core of her roster.
So this time—would Teacher give her a weather setter?
Or something else?
…
The Southern District Mall of Shanghai—the largest trading market in the whole city.
Here you could find not only breeding houses, but also Pokémon fostering shops, Pokéblock vendors, and specialty item dealers.
Whatever you needed, you could buy it here.
At the entrance of the mall, a well-built young man was already waiting.
"Teacher, here!"
Spotting the distant figure, the youth waved excitedly.
"Yongsen, sorry to keep you waiting."
Guo Yi approached with the two girls, smiling.
He Yongsen replied, "Teacher, don't joke."
"For a student to wait for his Teacher—that's only natural."
Respecting one's teacher, honoring the Way—a traditional virtue of Dragon Country.
Since Guo Yi planned to help his students acquire new Pokémon, of course He Yongsen wouldn't be left behind.
By now—his application to study further at Shanghai Pokémon University had been approved by his squad.
So recently, he hadn't been with the Pokémon Firefighting Team, but instead was at home, preparing for the new term.
After all, the university would officially open in just a few days.
"Teacher, isn't raising another Pokémon a bit too much for me?"
"After all, I'm not aiming to become a professional trainer."
On the way through the mall, He Yongsen asked in puzzlement.
Normally—for Pokémon firefighters like him, they only had two or three partners at most.
Because their main mission wasn't combat, but rescue.
The more Pokémon you had, the harder it was to manage them in emergencies.
But to this, Guo Yi shook his head.
"Yongsen, not everything can be generalized."
"For others, commanding two or three Pokémon at once might already be their limit."
"But you're different. With your potential, commanding six wouldn't be so hard."
He Yongsen scratched his head.
"Teacher, you're overestimating me. Even with two, I get flustered sometimes."
Guo Yi laughed.
"Command ability can be trained."
"And sometimes, commanding six Pokémon is easier than commanding three."
At this, none of the three—Yongsen, Su Qingxue, or Hu Yan'er—could understand.
"Teacher, why would commanding more be easier?"
Su Qingxue asked, frowning.
Everyone knew—more Pokémon meant more pressure.
How could Teacher say the opposite?
Guo Yi explained patiently:
"It all depends on your team composition."
"If your six Pokémon have no connection and just fight independently—then yes, the trainer's burden is immense."
"But if your Pokémon form a complete system—then with one attack, the others naturally coordinate."
"So you give a command to one, but the effect surpasses two or three."
"Tell me, which is easier?"
Hearing this, the three bowed their heads, sinking into thought.
"We're here!"
After ten minutes, Guo Yi suddenly stopped in front of a small storefront.
"Yuanfen Breeding House."
"Teacher, you're sure we're buying here?"
Su Qingxue looked at the modest shopfront, doubt flashing in her eyes.
Such a tiny store—could it really have good Pokémon?
Guo Yi smiled faintly.
"Don't be fooled by its size. Inside, there's plenty worth seeing."
He knew.
To find the right Pokémon, he had even spent Teacher Points on the [Opportunity] panel to buy intel.
And he'd discovered—this shop had just received a special shipment.
[Shanghai Black Market: a batch of high-quality Pokémon has arrived.]
[Tip: Entry through Yuanfen Breeding House.]
Yes, he had [Data Eye], able to judge aptitude.
But going shop by shop would take forever.
So he had sought out targeted information.
Following him, the others entered the breeding house.
Inside was small.
The Pokémon on display were few—mostly Rattata, Bellsprout, Oddish. Common things.
Forget good aptitude—they probably didn't even have what they were looking for.
"Teacher, did we come to the wrong place?"
"Are there really good Pokémon here?"
Even Hu Yan'er, inexperienced as she was, looked doubtful.
Su Qingxue shook her head.
"Not sure. But Teacher never speaks empty words. If he says they're here, then they must be."
Soon they reached the counter.
Behind it, a young man lay sprawled, napping.
"Boss, we want to buy Pokémon."
He Yongsen stepped forward and tapped him.
Without lifting his head, the youth just pointed lazily at a shelf.
"They're all there, price tags attached. Scan the code, take what you want."
Then he turned over, even faking a snore.
It was clear—they weren't welcome.
"Tch!"
Su Qingxue's temper flared.
She was about to storm forward and give him a piece of her mind.
But Guo Yi stopped her.
He stepped closer, and softly uttered two words:
"Hunter's Guild."
The youth jolted awake at once, eyes wary on Guo Yi.
But Guo Yi only smiled.
"Boss, now can you show us the real stock?"
After staring a long while, the youth finally nodded.
"Of course. Follow me."
He tapped on the counter.
Clack!
With the sound of hidden mechanisms, a secret door swung open at the side.
"Guests, this way."
"At the end, someone will meet you."
"Oh, and—would you like masks?"
From under the counter, he pulled out several cheap plastic masks.
"One mask, ten thousand yuan."
"What!"
Hu Yan'er gaped.
"These masks—ten thousand apiece? Are they made of gold?"
The youth chuckled.
"Not gold. But here, far more useful than gold."
"With one, you'll avoid a lot of trouble."
Hearing this—the three students all felt like they'd walked into a scam.
But Guo Yi simply pointed at Su Qingxue.
"This here is the heiress of the Azure Dragon Society."
"Still have questions?"
"N-no, none at all."
At once, the youth's face flipped to a hundred-and-eighty-degree smile.
"Guests, please head inside."
And so, Guo Yi led the group through the secret passage.
Clack.
As the door closed behind them, the youth let out a long sigh.
"Sigh—these rich young lords and ladies, too much free time."
"Clearly there are easier ways in, but they still choose to bother us."
Shaking his head, he flopped back onto the counter to nap.
The little shop fell silent again.
Meanwhile, Guo Yi and the others walked for seven or eight minutes down the narrow path.
Suddenly, noise reached their ears ahead.
Emerging from the tunnel—all four were stunned.
Before them sprawled a market unlike any they had ever seen.
But here, every customer wore a cloak and a mask.
The four of them, bare-faced, stuck out like sore thumbs.
"Teacher, where are we?"
Su Qingxue had a guess, but she couldn't be sure.
Guo Yi shot her a glance, smirking.
"The black market your family runs—don't tell me you don't recognize it?"
Sure enough—the words "black market" lit up Su Qingxue's eyes.
As the Azure Dragon heiress, she had known of it.
But this was her first time seeing it herself.
Yet soon, a doubt crept into her.
Teacher's first time in Shanghai too, isn't it?
So how does he know the black market's location—and how to enter?
She was about to ask—but Guo Yi had already stepped toward a nearby shop.
And the Pokémon within were wholly different from those outside.
Each was spirited, healthy, robust.
Most were even starter-level Pokémon—their rarity worlds apart.
"Boss, buying Pokémon."
Guo Yi strode inside and called loudly.
At once—every customer turned to stare.
Because here—in the black market—you never called out.
You browsed silently, you chose silently.
Asking the boss out loud?
Unheard of.
Is he looking to waste money or what?
From their clothes alone, the people in the shop immediately saw it—these newcomers were absolute rookies.
At once, thoughts began to stir in the crowd.
But facing their strange looks, Guo Yi didn't care in the slightest.
He simply called out again:
"Boss!"
"No boss here?"
At that moment, a sharp rebuke rang out.
"What are you yelling for?"
"Don't you know the rules? If you want a Pokémon, pick it yourself!"
Out strode a woman—curves full, figure so striking it was almost explosive—cursing as she came.
[Zhen Fei]
[Age: 30]
[Background: One of the Five High Seats of the Hunter's Guild]
[Abilities: None]
[Template Adaptation: Hunter J]
"The reason I'm not picking, Boss Lady—is because I want today's fresh arrivals."
Guo Yi stepped forward with a smile, calmly explaining.
Hearing this, Zhen Fei's brows furrowed.
She began to scrutinize him carefully.
Because she knew.
That batch of Pokémon that had just come in—they had already long been divided up.
So how did this man know?
"Wait… why does he look familiar?"
Zhen Fei stared at Guo Yi's handsome face.
It was nagging her—she'd definitely seen him before.
"Hold on."
A sudden flash of memory crossed her mind.
"You… you're not that Su family's poor sap of a teacher, are you?"
Pitiful teacher.
Guo Yi's brows drew together. Since when did I have that kind of nickname?
So he asked directly:
"Beautiful Boss Lady, where exactly does this title of 'poor sap' come from?"
Stretching her alluring figure, Zhen Fei replied lazily:
"Giving your own student a [Perfect-Grade Moon Stone] as a gift—if that's not being a poor sap, then what is?"
"What—the [Perfect-Grade Moon Stone]?"
The moment her words landed—every cloaked customer nearby turned blazing eyes onto him.
A top-tier evolution stone.
Wasn't that the same as a walking pile of gold?
Guo Yi shook his head helplessly.
"Boss Lady, words like that could bring me no small amount of trouble."
Zhen Fei blinked mischievously, then leaned in close, her body pressing forward as she whispered:
"Big trouble, hmm? Want big sister to help you handle it?"
The scent of her perfume, the nearness of that pale curve before him—Guo Yi silently stepped back two paces.
And said slowly:
"Just now it wasn't big. Now it is."
Following his gaze, Zhen Fei looked down.
Her pretty face flushed crimson.
She spat softly, half-ashamed, half-amused:
"You rogue!"