Training on the other side had already fallen into rhythm.
Guo Yi walked over to where Hou Xi and Huang Zining were.
"Coach, my Reuniclus and Feraligatr have flawless teamwork!"
Still stinging from earlier embarrassment, Hou Xi was quick to find himself some confidence.
Guo Yi didn't deny it.
Indeed, the coordination between Feraligatr and Reuniclus was far smoother than that between Sceptile and Ursaring.
So this time, the goal of Guo Yi's training was to push their teamwork even further.
"There are three kinds of tennis balls in this launcher—red, blue, and yellow."
"When the launcher fires a red ball, Reuniclus must slow the ball down, but Feraligatr must not return it."
"When it fires a blue ball, Reuniclus must slow the ball again, but Feraligatr can return it."
"As for yellow balls, Reuniclus must speed them up—and Feraligatr has to strike before they hit the ground."
"This will train Reuniclus's perception, and at the same time, it has to give Feraligatr real-time feedback."
"And of course, the most important part—Feraligatr will be wearing a blindfold."
The first part sounded fine, but when Guo Yi got to that last line—
Both of them froze.
"Blindfold?"
"Blindfolded?!"
Huang Zining frowned. "Coach, if Feraligatr can't see, how's it supposed to hit anything?"
Guo Yi pointed at Reuniclus. "Isn't that what he's for?"
"Reuniclus will provide Feraligatr with positional guidance, so it can land accurate returns."
Handling different ball colors with different strategies—
Not only did this train Reuniclus's awareness, it also honed its own control of psychic energy.
As for the blindfold—
That was to strengthen their mutual trust and synchrony.
True, Feraligatr and Reuniclus already worked better together than Ursaring and Sceptile,
but they were still far from a truly united doubles pair.
"As for you two," Guo Yi added, "you'll stay on the sidelines and record everything."
"Oh, and if the failure count's too high—there will be punishment."
At the mention of punishment, a strange smile crept onto Guo Yi's face.
Everyone on-site shivered.
They didn't know what kind of punishment he meant, but judging from that expression—definitely nothing pleasant.
"Coach, we'll work hard! We'll definitely do our best!"
Hou Xi and Huang Zining blurted at once.
Once that doubles drill was arranged, it was time to set up Si Bing'an's singles session.
Standing off to the side, Si Bing'an looked visibly eager.
"Teacher, how about letting my two Pokémon play a singles match first?"
"After all, you don't know their strength yet."
She suggested earnestly.
Yesterday, because it had gotten too late, Guo Yi hadn't stayed to watch her Electabuzz and Machoke duel.
To ensure her Pokémon could get targeted training today, she insisted on making up for that missed match.
Guo Yi nodded in agreement.
"A singles match is necessary."
"Only thing is—their opponent will be this guy."
He twirled the Poké Ball in his hand.
"Come on out—Kubfu!"
With a burst of red light, a small bear appeared before Si Bing'an—waist wrapped with a black belt, right paw resting on a thick, jet-black racket, a visor cap tilted on its head.
The Pokémon version of the Tennis Emperor—had arrived.
And honestly?
That unyielding, resolute expression on his face, paired with that outfit, made him look strikingly like Sanada Genichirō from The Prince of Tennis.
"Kubfu?"
"Teacher, what kind of Pokémon is that?"
Si Bing'an eyed the unfamiliar Pokémon curiously.
"Kubfu. Fighting-type Pokémon," Guo Yi explained calmly.
"He's one of my new captures—one of a kind in the entire world."
"A completely new species?"
Surprise flickered across Si Bing'an's face.
New Pokémon species were exceedingly rare these days.
Still, compared to how rare it was, she cared more about—its tennis ability.
"Teacher, your Kubfu looks like he's only at Advanced rank. I'm afraid he can't stand against my two."
Although Si Bing'an specialized in sports-style tennis,
that didn't mean her Pokémon were weak.
On the contrary—
Anyone capable of entering the national-level tournaments was no pushover.
In fact, for world-level matches, Pokémon were often Champion-tier or higher.
Otherwise—even a regular serve from your opponent might be enough to crush you!
Pokémon like Xiong Li's and Chu Tai's were already hovering near or at Elite tier.
So how could the club president herself possibly be any weaker?
Of her two Pokémon, Machoke was the stronger one, already at Gym Leader tier.
Electabuzz was slightly weaker—but still a solid veteran Elite.
And as for Kubfu's rapid growth—
his one-night leap from Outstanding to Advanced rank
had come from training against those two Pokémon's strength.
Facing her doubts, Guo Yi only smiled.
"Don't worry. Tell your Pokémon to go all out."
Kubfu might still be a bit below her Pokémon in raw power, but where strength falls short, skill makes up for it.
Guo Yi believed—his Kubfu, now armed with a multitude of tennis techniques, had enough to challenge far above his rank.
"Teacher, don't blame me if you lose then!"
Si Bing'an wrinkled her nose, half teasing, half annoyed.
She could admit she wasn't as strong as Guo Yi himself—but this little Advanced-level cub beating her Pokémon? Impossible.
So she decided—this time, she'd properly put this cocky bear in his place.
And maybe, let the teacher see her true strength too.
"For the first round, let's go with Electabuzz."
To save her teacher a little face, Si Bing'an didn't start with her strongest Machoke, but instead sent out her Electabuzz.
"Eiluu~!"
Electabuzz slammed its fists together, sparks crackling across its body.
It looked utterly confident about taking on Kubfu.
With a pale yellow racket slung over its shoulder,
Electabuzz stepped onto the court, then curled one finger toward Kubfu—
the gesture bold, almost taunting.
"Kub!"
Electabuzz's attitude, of course, instantly provoked Kubfu's displeasure.
He decided—he would have to properly teach this arrogant Pokémon a lesson.
"Eiluu~~" (You serve first!)
The overconfident Electabuzz tossed the ball lightly and, with casual arrogance, handed over the right to serve.
Kubfu didn't decline.
He gripped his racket in his right paw, tossing the ball up and down with practiced rhythm—
his form textbook-perfect.
The next second—he threw the ball high, his body arching in the air with a fluid, graceful motion.
Bang!
The tennis ball shot out like a cannon shell, streaking toward Electabuzz with deadly precision.
But Electabuzz's swagger wasn't baseless—he had the strength to back it.
Electric arcs crackled across his body as his legs moved with lightning speed.
In a blink, he'd already reached the drop point.
However—to his surprise, just as his racket was about to meet the ball, the spinning shot suddenly curved upward, whipping toward his face.
That was the infamous outside-spin serve!
In that instant of danger, Electabuzz could only catch the ball directly with his bare hand.
"15–0."
Serving as the temporary referee, Si Bing'an announced the score—and a hint of astonishment crossed her face.
She hadn't expected it.
Kubfu—whose raw strength was clearly below her Pokémon's—had ball control that was frighteningly good.
Could this bear actually beat my Pokémon?
The absurd thought flickered through her mind—but a second later, Si Bing'an shook it away.
"No way."
"Even with great technique, power gaps like that can't be bridged just by skill."
She silently comforted herself.
Yet—as the match went on,
Bear Apprentice began revealing techniques she'd never even seen before.
Using Fire Punch as a medium, he unleashed Blazing Assault.
Using Ice Punch, he summoned Frozen World.
Using Brick Break, he performed the aerial smash known as Vertical Drop Kill.
Each stroke was sharper, more impossible than the last.
Gradually—Si Bing'an's confidence began to waver.
Finally, Kubfu finished the match with Bullet Punch Serve—an ultra–high-speed attack that scored four consecutive aces, ending the game outright.
The final score: 6–1.
Electabuzz, relying purely on its higher level, barely managed to claim a single point.
At that moment—Machoke, watching from the sidelines, grew visibly solemn.
It wasn't only Kubfu's technique that unnerved him—it was the way his power was rising.
Unbelievable as it sounded, Machoke could feel it clearly—with every ball Kubfu struck, his strength was growing.
He hadn't yet reached the Elite tier, not quite—but the gap was closing fast.
"Xiao'an, have your Machoke step up next."
Barely minutes after the Electabuzz match ended, Guo Yi was already urging her strongest Pokémon onto the court.
"Teacher, shouldn't he rest a little first?"
Si Bing'an hesitated.
But—
Guo Yi simply shook his head, glancing at Kubfu.
"Right now, he's savoring the joy of growing stronger."
With such high potential—and as a Pokémon of legendary template origin—the energy granted by that Template was being absorbed and digested at astonishing speed.
What Kubfu needed now—was a powerful opponent.
Seeing her teacher's insistence, Si Bing'an didn't argue further.
She called softly,
"Machoke—your turn! Be careful out there."
Machoke gave a grave nod and stepped onto the court.
Knowing Kubfu's terrifying tennis ability, he didn't dare give up the serve this time.
As the familiar thwack of a serve rang out, the match between the two Pokémon officially began.
And to be fair—
Machoke deserved his reputation as Si Bing'an's ace.
Even though Kubfu's tennis skills had reached near–superhuman levels, he could only hold Machoke to an even match.
But—that balance soon shattered.
Midway through the match, Kubfu, drawing on the remaining energy from his Template, finally broke through to Elite.
The moment he crossed that threshold, his playstyle turned ferocious, relentless—his every return sharper than the last.
In the end, he won the game 6–5, defeating Machoke outright.
At that instant—
Si Bing'an stood there, her mouth slightly open in disbelief.
"Kubfu's tennis... might not even lose to Teacher himself."
Now—she didn't dare underestimate him again.
With the match concluded, Guo Yi began Si Bing'an's own personalized training.
Her training, naturally, was guided directly by him.
As for Machoke and Electabuzz—their drills were now under Kubfu's command.
Trainer trained trainer;
Pokémon trained Pokémon.
Both sides, each fulfilling their role—without getting in each other's way.
After that day's battles, even though Kubfu's overall power still lagged behind theirs,
Machoke and Electabuzz no longer dared to look down on him in the slightest.
Whenever Kubfu assigned them tasks, they completed them without complaint—no slacking, no tricks.
And so—between the Tennis Club's practice sessions and Guo Yi's lectures, two days slipped by quietly.
The day of Guo Yi's long-awaited battle with Lie Ke—finally arrived.