Tangcheng Yipin.
Inside Guo Yi's villa.
Su Qingxue listened with disbelief as her teacher laid out her task.
"No way!"
"Teacher, you're saying I'm going to battle Lie Ke tonight?"
Tonight—
Tonight was supposed to be the day Guo Yi himself faced off against Lie Ke.
And yet—instead of stepping onto the battlefield himself, her teacher was actually sending her in his place.
For a moment, Su Qingxue wondered if she'd heard him wrong.
Lie Ke was a genuine Elite Four-level trainer.
Could sending a rookie like her to face him really be considered appropriate?
"What, scared?"
Guo Yi chuckled lightly before continuing, "With Beedrill and Zapdos in your hands, do you think Lie Ke requires me to personally step in?"
Since Guo Yi wanted to humiliate Lie Ke thoroughly, the simplest way was to send someone Lie Ke would never even take seriously—
Then utterly crush him with overwhelming force.
This kind of humiliation would definitely stay with Lie Ke for life.
As for why he'd chosen Su Qingxue—
Mainly because anyone else stepping up would directly expose his own identity.
Plus, Su Qingxue was the heiress of the Azure Dragon Society. Having her step forward was perfectly logical.
After all, the wager in this battle concerned the very existence of the Azure Dragon Society.
"Teacher, even if you say that…"
Holding the two Poké Balls in her hand, Su Qingxue momentarily didn't know how to respond.
Although she already knew the outcome of this battle, the thought of standing alone against a veteran Elite Four trainer still made her heart waver a little.
Seeing her hesitation—Guo Yi immediately resorted to provocation.
"Since you're unwilling, I'll ask Hu Yan'er instead."
"With that fearless little girl's personality, there's no way she'd refuse."
Saying this, Guo Yi stretched out a hand to take back the two Poké Balls.
At this—Su Qingxue immediately stepped back, dodging his hand, and hurriedly explained, "Teacher, I'm just… a bit worried, that's all!"
"I never said I wasn't going!"
Truth be told—
The thought of defeating a famous Elite Four trainer was actually kind of exciting.
With an opportunity like this, how could Su Qingxue possibly let it slip away?
Besides—as her teacher's favorite student, how could she allow anyone else to steal her limelight?
Seeing her reaction, Guo Yi smiled faintly.
"Then hurry up and go. Don't be late."
"Oh, and use Beedrill for the first five matches. Save Zapdos for the final round."
Having stated the order clearly, Guo Yi waved a hand to signal that she could leave.
As for actually going to watch the battle in person—
He couldn't even be bothered.
Because he knew that after today, his life would never again be as peaceful as it was before.
"Understood, Teacher."
Su Qingxue nodded obediently.
Even though she was replacing her teacher on the battlefield, the specific Pokémon and strategies naturally remained entirely under his control.
Although she didn't quite understand his reasoning for this arrangement—
For her, it didn't really matter.
After all, this time, her only role was to show off!
...
Black Market.
Pokémon Battle Arena.
Even on normal days, this was one of the most bustling places in the Shanghai black market.
Compared to televised Pokémon battles, the fights here were far more brutal.
Pokémon casualties, even trainer injuries or deaths, weren't unusual at all.
The fact that such a bloody and brutal place could exist within Shanghai—
Was thanks entirely to cooperation among various factions within the city.
Of course—
The Pokémon Alliance's tolerance of such an arena wasn't only due to powerful local backers.
More importantly, every participant in these matches entered willingly.
As for whether anyone was coerced—that was unknown.
At least, unlike ancient gladiatorial arenas, there weren't any specifically raised slaves forced into battle here.
Precisely because of this, the Pokémon Alliance chose to turn a blind eye.
Even in Guo Yi's previous world, where no extraordinary powers existed, a proverb persisted:
"Heroes break rules through martial might; scholars subvert laws through words."
In a world like this, with extraordinary beings like Pokémon, conflict and fighting naturally became unavoidable.
This Pokémon Battle Arena provided a controlled outlet for these conflicts.
It prevented hot-headed fights from spilling onto the streets whenever anger boiled over.
Though Pokémon ownership had become commonplace, not every household could produce a professional trainer.
Most ordinary families possessed Pokémon only around Outstanding-tier at best.
Against true experts, Pokémon of that strength simply weren't worth mentioning.
Due to these various factors—the Pokémon Battle Arena not only survived with the tacit acceptance of Dragon Country's Pokémon Alliance but even grew more prosperous with time.
But tonight—the arena was even more crowded and lively than usual.
Big names from every faction had gathered together.
The main reason—was obviously tonight's high-stakes Pokémon battle.
Lie Ke needed no further introduction.
His title alone—"retired Elite Four"—was enough to prove his worth.
As for Guo Yi—his name had dominated Shanghai's headlines recently, so naturally, the big shots weren't unfamiliar with him.
But of course—If it had just been Guo Yi alone, they wouldn't have taken things this seriously.
Geniuses were rare, true—but these influential figures had weathered countless storms.
A mere genius wasn't enough to excite them.
Only once a genius fully matured into greatness would these power brokers show him genuine respect.
And the reason they were paying Guo Yi so much attention this time—
Was precisely because Guo Yi had deliberately leaked word beforehand that his mysterious teacher would also make an appearance.
A teacher capable of producing such a phenomenal disciple naturally piqued everyone's curiosity.
Especially—
When, up to now, they still didn't have the slightest clue about this mysterious teacher's true identity.
...
"Old Tang, didn't expect to see you here personally this time."
"Old Bai, aren't you the same?"
"Of course! Today's battle might involve two veteran Elite Four trainers. How could I miss it?"
"Oh? Old Zhao, you're here too?"
"What, you're allowed here, but I'm not?"
For a while—
Many rarely-seen family heads and influential figures made their appearances, one after another.
Perhaps because this battle had nothing directly to do with their own interests,
they were all smiles, chatting amicably despite past grievances.
However, just as they were loudly exchanging banter—
Two silhouettes appeared, instantly silencing everyone present.
Only after these two entered their private room did the chatter slowly resume.
"How come even these two big shots are here?" Elder Tang muttered quietly, puzzled.
The two "big shots" he spoke of were none other than Bing Dehai, the Ice King, and Elder Shu—Shu Chengyi.
Bing Dehai's position went without saying.
The title "Former Champion" was leagues beyond Lie Ke's mere status as a retired Elite Four member.
As for Shu Chengyi—with his own strength, he had single-handedly propelled Shanghai Pokémon Technology Corp into becoming the strongest company in Shanghai.
Who would believe he had no substantial backing?
Besides—even if Shu Chengyi's personal strength were ordinary, no one would dare underestimate him.
A company ranked within Dragon Country's top 500 enterprises enjoyed special protection from the Pokémon Alliance itself.
Most of these big shots had built their fortunes through methods not entirely aboveboard, and none wanted to risk offending the Pokémon Alliance unnecessarily.
Perhaps due to the presence of these two figures—
After a few more casual exchanges, the other families quietly retreated to their own VIP rooms, calmly awaiting the upcoming battle.
At the same time—
There was another strikingly beautiful sight within the Pokémon Battle Arena, instantly attracting attention.
Three stunning young women wandered through the crowd.
But oddly enough—wherever these three went, whether passing ruthless black-market thugs or powerful dignitaries, everyone stepped aside, quietly making way.
This was extremely rare within the black market.
Considering the temperament of trainers frequenting this place, beauties of this caliber would normally attract trouble, not respectful avoidance.
Yet today—the reason for this peculiar phenomenon was simple:
These three were Leng Yue, Bai Cai, and Shu Xinni—the granddaughter of Shu Chengyi himself.
None dared provoke them.
Besides—trailing not far behind them were several bodyguards clad in black suits.
Even those unfamiliar with the women's identities were deterred by the intimidating aura alone.
Still—right now, Shu Xinni's face held a hint of displeasure.
"Xiao Yue, Bai Cai—you two heard about this but didn't tell me anything!"
"I only found out about it today!"
Due to Shu Chengyi's close friendship with Bing Dehai—
Even though Shu Xinni and Leng Yue were a few years apart in age, their relationship was also quite close.
As for Bai Cai—Shu Xinni's acquaintance with her was entirely thanks to Leng Yue.
Facing her best friend's complaints, Leng Yue smiled gently and explained:
"It's not like we had solid proof yet."
"With your personality, if you knew that Guo Yi might have connections to that 'Bug Master,' you'd have immediately rushed to him and started grilling him for answers."
Exactly.
The reason Shu Xinni was unhappy was precisely because these two best friends clearly knew she was searching everywhere for the "Bug Master," yet didn't share their findings with her.
At this moment, Bai Cai chimed in softly:
"Alright, Xinni, stop being angry already."
"I heard Guo Yi invited his teacher to handle things today. We'll soon know if the rumors are true or not."
"If it turns out to be true—I'll personally take you to meet Guo Yi."
"Hmm! That's more like it!"
Hearing Bai Cai's promise, Shu Xinni's face brightened immediately.
"Come on!"
"I specifically reserved a VIP room—let's see if your guess turns out to be correct!"
Among the three of them, Shu Xinni was the wealthiest by far.
To avoid any interruptions, she had specifically spent a large sum to reserve her own private VIP room.
Today, these VIP rooms could be described as priceless—
Shu Xinni herself only obtained one through personal connections.
Although the two elders already had their own VIP room—
Sitting with their elders, they wouldn't be able to speak freely or gossip comfortably.
...
Inside Azure Dragon Soceity's VIP room—
Tang Rong lounged comfortably on the sofa, looking relaxed.
"Sister Qing, it's only been a few days since I last saw you—how'd things get stirred up this badly?"
Tang Rong hadn't expected—the moment she emerged from closed-door training, she'd immediately hear news of Guo Yi's upcoming battle with Lie Ke.
Naturally—she'd rushed here at once.
Ye Qing replied calmly, "What's so strange about it?"
"With the relationship between Azure Dragon Society and the Flying Eagle Gang, Lie Ke was always a hurdle we couldn't avoid."
"Now that Guo Yi's teacher is stepping forward, this is the best possible outcome."
Previously, Ye Qing had perhaps held a bit of naive hope.
Under the joint restraints of various Shanghai factions, Lie Ke likely wouldn't dare act recklessly.
But the moment she learned the true value of the Dark Stone, all those illusions vanished.
If Guo Yi was correct—that Lie Ke's real goal was indeed the Dark Stone—
Then no matter how the local powers constrained him, eventually, an impatient Lie Ke would personally make his move.
As for the Flying Eagle Gang—they were nothing more than disposable pawns Lie Ke would discard without hesitation once their purpose was served.
If Lie Ke truly angered the other factions—he'd abandon the Flying Eagle Gang without a second thought.
At that point, two large pieces of territory—the Azure Dragon Society and Flying Eagle Gang—would become spoils of war, ripe for the taking.
Then, no faction would keep holding a grudge against Lie Ke forever.
After all, the real reason they opposed Lie Ke's involvement was the threat to their own interests.
But if tasty benefits fell directly into their laps, who among them wouldn't accept?
Therefore—
Today's battle between Guo Yi and Lie Ke had, indirectly, resolved Azure Dragon Society's greatest crisis.
"I only wonder who exactly Guo Yi's teacher might be."
"If we knew, at least we could have some peace of mind going into this fight."
Tang Rong got up and walked over to the window, looking down at the brightly-lit battlefield below.
Still—even if she didn't know exactly who Guo Yi's teacher was, she understood Guo Yi himself well enough.
Since he dared to accept this battle, he had to be at least 60–70% confident in victory.
Just as Tang Rong softly murmured to herself—a black shadow abruptly descended from high above, diving straight toward the arena.