The two remained locked in a heated embrace for a long, long time. Their soft tongues tangled and swirled together, exchanging a shameless amount of saliva, perfectly illustrating the concept of being "fused at the mouth."
It wasn't until Li Yuan's next scheduled customer arrived that the couple finally, reluctantly, pulled their lips apart.
A thin, glistening thread of saliva stretched between them before snapping. Looking at it, the pure-hearted Sapphire buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of shame.
After a long moment, she finally untangled herself from the boy's lap. She hurriedly adjusted her disheveled clothing, but she was completely oblivious to the fact that her snowy-white shoulders, collarbones, and delicate neck were covered in vibrant, angry red hickeys. It looked as though she had been ravaged by a wild beast. Distraught and embarrassed to the point of tears, she grabbed her Blaziken and made a run for it.
As she dashed past Auntie Delia, Sapphire's face turned such a deep shade of crimson it looked like it might actually drip blood. She knew this beautiful woman was the "Auntie" Li Yuan had mentioned, and the realization that a senior had likely heard or seen the "foolish things" she and Li Yuan were doing in the training hall made her want to sink into the floor.
She was far too ashamed to face anyone. She didn't even have the courage to say hello to her potential "mother-in-law" and essentially fled the building with her hands over her face.
Who would have thought that a girl who had always been so independent and strong-willed could be kissed into such a submissive, girlish mess?
Unfortunately, despite the intensity of that encounter, Sapphire still hadn't lit up her entry in the System Encyclopedia. There were only two ways to unlock a trainer: either by maxing out her affection or by thoroughly taking possession of her body. Currently, Sapphire's affection sat at 80 points. It wasn't far from the cap, so Li Yuan wasn't worried. He was a patient man, and he enjoyed the slow burn.
Meanwhile, on her way back to the university, Sapphire first stopped at a nearby Pokémon Center. She had Nurse Joy carefully treat Zhizhi's injuries and restore her stamina.
After that, however, she didn't board the bus back to campus. Instead, after a series of transfers, she found herself standing before a place that felt both familiar and painfully foreign: the Celadon Gym.
Only a few hours ago, she had been crushed here by the Gym Leader, Erika, in a battle where she held the type advantage. The memory of that cold, hollow feeling of defeat was still fresh in her mind.
That loss had been a massive blow to her ego, making her question if all her years of hard work had even mattered. It was fortunate that she ran into the most important man in her life right after; otherwise, she didn't know how she would have crawled out of that pit of despair.
Now, though only a few hours had passed, she felt like a completely different person. The "cheat code" Li Yuan had given her gave her the distinct impression that she was now unstoppable. This time, I won't lose.
Sapphire hesitated at the entrance for a long time, wondering if it was too soon to challenge Erika again on the same day.
While she waited, the scrolling sign outside the gym changed from "Challenging" to "Available." A moment later, the previous challenger walked out, looking dejected and defeated—the exact same expression Sapphire had worn earlier.
It was clear that Gym Leader Erika didn't believe in taking it easy on challengers. She crushed them one by one, ensuring no one walked away thinking the Grass-type Gym was a pushover.
Oftentimes, Grass and Bug types were considered the weakest attributes—ironically, Grass was even weak to Bug. This led many trainers to target the Celadon Gym for their final eighth badge, thinking Erika would be an easy mark to finish their collection.
It was an unwritten rule of the Gym circuit: the first three badges were usually handed out relatively easily to build a rookie's confidence. But by the eighth badge, the Leader was expected to be serious. They would use Pokémon with higher levels and more advanced tactics. After all, once a trainer had eight badges, they qualified for the National Tournament. Sending a mediocre trainer there would not only lower the league's standards but would also result in that trainer getting brutally slaughtered by high-tier opponents.
To bypass this "difficulty spike," many "noobs" tried to take a shortcut by challenging the Grass or Bug gyms last. This strategy occasionally worked, but their mistake was thinking Erika was a soft target.
Even Li Yuan couldn't remember how many "cheats" he had helped Erika develop. Challenging her was basically asking for a beatdown.
Sapphire took a deep breath. Since she was already here, she would test Zhizhi's new strength. As a Trainer, she couldn't afford to run from a challenge.
With renewed resolve, Sapphire stepped through the challenger's tunnel and once again stood before the famous, high-status "Goddess" Gym Leader.
Gym battles were usually livestreamed, and Erika, being one of the most beautiful Leaders, had a massive following. When the fans saw the challenger's face on their screens, they immediately began to buzz. Another beauty!
Wait, she looked familiar. Wasn't this the girl Erika just beat a few hours ago? That battle had been quite popular; it had showcased a Speed Boost Blaziken at its peak, and if Erika's Tsareena hadn't been so technically superior, the outcome might have been different.
"Miss Sapphire, I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Erika said with a graceful smile. She wore a stunning traditional kimono, looking every bit the refined lady. "Have you found a way to counter me already?"
"To be honest, Erika, you are incredibly strong. In such a short time, I couldn't have thought of a way to beat you... until I met him," Sapphire said. She tossed her Poké Ball, summoning Blaziken once more.
"Oh? And who is this person who has given you such confidence?" Erika's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. A suspicion began to form in her mind.
"You'll see soon enough," Sapphire said flatly.
"Very well. Then show me your performance." Erika had a feeling she might actually be handing over a badge today. No one returned for a rematch this quickly unless they were absolutely certain of victory.
Still, a Leader's job wasn't just to win, but to scout and nurture talent for the League. If someone could truly best her, it was a good thing. Erika called out her "Mangosteen Maiden," Tsareena, to accept the challenge.
"Be careful, Erika. This time, I'm ending this in one shot," Sapphire said with dead serious intensity.
As soon as she said it, the livestream chat exploded. You just lost a few hours ago, and now you're talking about a one-shot? Where does she get the balls? If Sapphire weren't so pretty, the comments would have been far more toxic.
Erika, however, became more serious. Her intuition was screaming at her. When Blaziken began its performance, Erika could only let out a bitter, knowing laugh.
"Blaziken, Blaze Mode!"
At Sapphire's command, Blaziken let out a piercing roar. Violent heat began to erupt from every pore of its body, coalescing into a swirling pillar of fire that completely enveloped it. The temperature in the arena skyrocketed, leaving the audience breathless.
[What the hell... is that Blaze?] [Activating Blaze at full health? What kind of hack is this?] [It's a visual effect! The stream must be using filters!]
The chat went wild. Everyone watching the figure standing amidst the towering flames was dumbfounded. They had never seen Blaze manifest with such raw, destructive power. It looked less like an ability and more like a combination of Flare Blitz and Fire Spin.
How had she done this in just a few hours? Even if she had used an Ability Capsule to switch to Blaze, she shouldn't have been able to master it this quickly—let alone trigger it at full health.
And why was her "Full Health Blaze" more intense than a normal "Near-Death Blaze"? It felt like everyone else had been using a fake version of the ability!
"You really did go see him. He really does dote on you, doesn't he? To help you awaken a 'Full Power' form like this..." Erika sighed. Her suspicion was confirmed. The person Sapphire met was undoubtedly Li Yuan.
Over the years, she had seen Li Yuan help many customers with dual abilities, but very few received a "Super Blaze" like this. Only those closest to him got that kind of treatment.
What is her relationship with Li Yuan? Erika wondered. How did she earn this?
[Who is 'him'? Who are you talking about, Goddess Erika?] [Is someone selling these hacks?!] [For real? Who can do that? Introduce us, Erika!]
Erika's offhand comment had set the internet on fire. People had assumed the Blaziken was some kind of mutant, but to hear it was "man-made"? That meant someone had given Sapphire a literal cheat.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I won't reveal his identity just yet. But what comes next will surprise you even more," Erika said to the camera, shaking her head. She knew that once this battle went viral, the entire Trainer community would be turned upside down.
If Li Yuan had helped Sapphire, he wouldn't have stopped at just one ability.
Sure enough, Sapphire didn't attack immediately. She had Zhizhi start running around the arena, keeping her distance from Tsareena. She was stalling. After a few moments, another surge of energy erupted from Blaziken. Its movement speed suddenly tripled.
The viewers lost their minds. They couldn't believe their eyes. They were seeing Speed Boost on a Pokémon that was already in a Blaze state!
That meant the Blaziken hadn't given up its hidden ability—it had added a second one.
Holy shit... Dual Abilities. It really is a hack!