Urban Pokémon

Five days later.

On the way to Binjiang Grand Hotel, He Yongsen suddenly spoke up.

"Teacher, I had no idea you were connected to the Azure Dragon Society!"

Today, the entire Binjiang Grand Hotel had been booked by the Azure Dragon Society, reportedly to host a grand birthday banquet for their president's daughter. Countless influential guests had been invited.

"Mhm." Guo Yi nodded lightly. "The Azure Dragon Society's president's daughter is actually my student. I'm heading over today to celebrate her birthday."

Thinking back to Su Qingxue's tone on yesterday's call, Guo Yi felt a headache coming on.

These past few days, he'd been so busy at the Pokémon Fire Brigade, instructing the team on Pokémon training, that he nearly forgot about everything else. Thankfully, Su Qingxue had called him yesterday.

Otherwise, if he'd missed her birthday banquet…

Who knows how that brat might have tormented him!

It's worth mentioning, Guo Yi had politely declined Captain Wang's proposal to stay permanently with the brigade.

Compared to the brigade, he preferred campus life.

Of course, he assured them they could always reach out to him if they encountered any difficulties in Pokémon training.

"Oh, right. Take this," Guo Yi said suddenly from the passenger seat, pulling out a small incense burner from his bag. A pale blue mist drifted from it, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

"Teacher, what's this?" He Yongsen glanced curiously at the burner, unable to recognize its origin.

"It's called [Wave Incense]," Guo Yi explained calmly. "This incense enhances Water-type moves by 20%. It's especially for your Wartortle."

"[Wave Incense]? First time I've heard of it." He Yongsen nodded eagerly. "Leave it there, Teacher. I'll equip it to Wartortle later."

If initially, He Yongsen still felt hesitant accepting Guo Yi's gifts, after these past few days, he no longer thought twice.

Teacher Guo's abilities were just too astonishing.

His own seemingly decent family resources were nothing compared to his teacher's casual generosity.

"Oh, by the way, Teacher," He Yongsen teased lightly, "Wartortle is only at Gym Leader Tier. Surely, this incense isn't Elite Four-Grade again, is it?"

Guo Yi shook his head casually, "Mm, you're right. It isn't Elite Four-Grade."

Hearing that, He Yongsen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness! That's a relief!"

These past days, the quality of items Guo Yi casually handed out had truly startled him.

Like the [Mystic Water] gifted to Captain Wang earlier—it had been Elite Four-Grade, making He Yongsen suspect his teacher had the ability to craft Pokémon items himself. Otherwise, how could these rare, high-quality items appear so effortlessly in his hands?

"You're right, it's not Elite Four-Grade. It's merely Champion-Grade," Guo Yi remarked lightly from the passenger seat.

Screeech!

The car jerked abruptly to a halt.

"Champion-Grade?! Another Champion-Grade Pokémon item?"

He Yongsen's face was a mask of disbelief.

"What's the big deal? It's just a Champion-Grade item," Guo Yi said dismissively. "No need to act like you've never seen the world."

He Yongsen shook his head helplessly, restarting the car and silently complaining in his heart, Teacher, I think you might have a misunderstanding about what it means to have 'seen the world.'

A Champion-Grade Pokémon item!

Those easily sell for one or two hundred million yuan on the market. Counting the [Charcoal] previously given to Arcanine—that makes two already!

My Pokémon are literally worth hundreds of millions! How am I supposed to casually bring them out now?!

But since he'd already accepted them, it would be rude to refuse now.

All he could do was train even harder, hoping to repay Teacher Guo's investment someday.

...

At the entrance of Binjiang Grand Hotel.

Dressed elegantly, Su Qingxue stood holding her shiny Metapod, with Nidorina lying at her feet. Her eyes anxiously searched the distant road.

"Hmph! Stupid Teacher, why isn't he here yet?" Su Qingxue checked her watch impatiently, softly grumbling.

She decided right then—if Teacher dared to arrive late…

She wouldn't talk to him for the next week… no, maybe a whole day!

"Young miss, perhaps you should wait inside," Uncle Ye advised gently. "Today you're the main character, after all. Let me wait here for Teacher Guo."

Su Qingxue pouted dismissively.

"What's the point of waiting inside? Most guests are just here out of courtesy to my mom. Seriously, why did Mom have to make such a big fuss? If it were up to me, we'd just invite Teacher and have a simple family dinner."

Originally, Su Qingxue wanted only a quiet birthday celebration, yet her mother had turned it into such an extravagant event, inviting nearly every influential power in Shanghai.

"Miss, the president is doing this for your sake," Uncle Ye patiently explained. "After all, you'll inherit the Azure Dragon Society one day. Making your presence known early will help you in the future."

As the sole heiress, Ye Qing naturally held high expectations for her daughter. With the current surge in reputation brought about by her Nidoqueen's overwhelming strength, Ye Qing took this chance to gradually shift Su Qingxue into the public eye.

Su Qingxue understood her mother's intentions clearly. That's why she merely grumbled without truly opposing it. If she genuinely didn't want a lavish party, Ye Qing would never force her.

Soon, a plain-looking SUV appeared in Su Qingxue's view. Recognizing the familiar license plate, a bright smile instantly blossomed on her face.

"Metapod, Nidorina, Teacher's here!"

At the words "Teacher's here," both Pokémon immediately perked up, eyes shining.

Ever since the recording of Guo Yi commanding Beedrill against Zapdos had been released, these two Pokémon watched it obsessively every single day, acting like total fanatics.

As the car stopped, Guo Yi stepped out from the passenger side.

Su Qingxue immediately rushed forward eagerly.

Her enthusiastic greeting startled nearby guests.

Earlier, when influential guests had arrived, Su Qingxue had merely nodded politely. Never had she shown such excitement.

Who was this newcomer to evoke such warmth from the Azure Dragon Society's heiress?

On closer look, he wore ordinary clothes, with a common watch you could find anywhere. Apart from his strikingly handsome face, there was nothing extraordinary about him.

"Don't tell me… he's the president's pretty boy?"

A few guests maliciously speculated inwardly.

Ye Qing was a famously beautiful widow in Shanghai, and gossip about her circulated constantly…

"Teacher! You're finally here!"

Su Qingxue hurried up to Guo Yi, her face lit up with pure delight.

Though it had only been a month or so since she'd formally become his disciple, Su Qingxue already found herself deeply dependent on Guo Yi. Without his guidance, even training Pokémon felt dull and uninspiring.

"Sorry about that," Guo Yi apologized sincerely. "I've been so busy lately, I almost forgot about your birthday."

After all, who could have imagined encountering two Secret Realms in less than half a month—each bringing a crisis more severe than the last?

Talk about unlucky.

"Hmph!" Su Qingxue pretended to pout, playfully scolding him. "So, Teacher, how do you plan to make it up to me?"

Smiling gently, Guo Yi reached into his pocket and took out a carefully wrapped gift box.

"Here, your birthday present. Open it."

Su Qingxue eagerly unwrapped the box, revealing a dark golden stone inside.

"A [Moon Stone]!"

Naturally, Su Qingxue recognized it at once. This was precisely what she needed for her Nidorina's next evolution.

She gave Guo Yi a knowing look, suspicion growing.

"Teacher, this [Moon Stone]… What grade is it?"

Knowing her teacher's habits, she doubted it would be anything ordinary.

Sure enough, Guo Yi replied calmly:

"It's Perfect-Grade."

His answer made Su Qingxue's imagination run wild.

So that's why Teacher suddenly appeared at such a distant Secret Realm. He must have gone there specifically to find this Perfect-Grade [Moon Stone] for me.

Earlier, she had wondered why Teacher Guo had randomly appeared so far from Yangliu Village—it took days just to reach that location. It couldn't have been mere coincidence.

Furthermore, back in the village, Teacher had asked her to look for a perfect-grade Moon Stone. Clearly, at that point, he didn't have one yet.

It was obvious now where it came from.

"Teacher, thank you!"

"I love your gift!"

Su Qingxue bowed deeply, genuinely touched.

"You silly girl." Guo Yi chuckled softly, patting her head. "Since when do we need thanks between us?"

Of course, Guo Yi had no idea about her imaginative assumptions.

"Oh, right—let me introduce you to my new student. This is He Yongsen. He's a Pokémon firefighter."

Stepping forward from behind Guo Yi, He Yongsen greeted Su Qingxue politely.

"Miss Su, happy birthday. My gift isn't that valuable, so please don't mind."

Though Su Qingxue had joined Guo Yi first, it still felt awkward for He Yongsen to call someone three or four years younger "shijie."

Su Qingxue opened his gift box, revealing an elegant crystal necklace worth a few hundred thousand yuan. Considering He Yongsen's relatively comfortable family background, the gift was respectable, though incomparable to Guo Yi's extravagant [Moon Stone].

"Thank you very much," Su Qingxue replied warmly. Then, with a playful smirk, she added, "But since you're Teacher's disciple, isn't calling me 'Miss Su' a bit inappropriate? I did become his student before you."

As Teacher Guo's first and foremost disciple, Su Qingxue felt compelled to secure her position clearly. After all, given Guo Yi's talent, she knew there'd inevitably be more disciples in the future. She absolutely couldn't allow her status as the senior disciple to be shaken.

He Yongsen hesitated briefly, then awkwardly murmured, "Shi...Shijie, happy birthday."

Hearing "Shijie," Su Qingxue beamed instantly.

"Mm! Good junior brother!"

Her excitement was short-lived, however, interrupted abruptly by Guo Yi's playful knock on her forehead.

"You little brat, plotting right in front of me!"

Turning to He Yongsen, he said gently, "Xiao He, don't mind her. There aren't so many formalities under me. Call her whatever you like."

Naturally, he saw right through Su Qingxue's antics.

"Ow!" Su Qingxue rubbed her forehead, putting on a pitiful expression. "Teacher, these are proper manners! I joined first, so naturally, I'm Shijie."

She had no intention of relinquishing this precious title.

"Teacher, Shijie has a point," He Yongsen interjected with a smile. "She joined first, so calling her Shijie makes sense. Age isn't important."

Though awkward initially, after saying it once, he felt no embarrassment. Besides, having already addressed her as such, it'd be a waste if the rules didn't apply now. Moreover, being Guo Yi's second disciple meant having just one senior disciple above him—hardly a bad deal.

"Alright, alright," Guo Yi relented with a chuckle. "Call each other whatever you prefer."

Since both disciples insisted, he had nothing more to say.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

As the three chatted, loud car honks suddenly interrupted their conversation. A flashy Bugatti had stopped behind He Yongsen's SUV, honking impatiently. A haughty voice shouted from inside:

"Whose junky car is that?! Don't you know it's blocking the way?"

Flustered, a hotel attendant hurried over to He Yongsen's side.

"Sir, please hand me your keys. I'll move your car to the parking lot."

Truthfully, the attendant didn't want to get involved, but helping guests park was his job. Now, he regretted not stepping forward immediately after they arrived. It could've prevented this awkward scene.

Fortunately, He Yongsen wasn't bothered. He knew the rude remarks came from the Bugatti's owner and weren't related to this attendant doing his job.

"Here you go," He Yongsen graciously handed over his keys.

"Thank you," the attendant breathed a relieved sigh.

He'd feared a confrontation, knowing the blame would fall squarely on his shoulders if something went wrong.

As the attendant drove the SUV away, the Bugatti pulled up in front of the hotel entrance. Two men stepped out; one, dressed lavishly and wearing sunglasses, walked arrogantly toward them.

"Su Qingxue, long time no see."

The young man removed his shades, smirking confidently.

"Ling Yun. So, it's you." Su Qingxue raised an eyebrow coolly. "Has your retired old teacher finally allowed you to come home?"

Su Qingxue recognized him immediately: Ling Yun, the son of the Flying Eagle Gang's leader. Although the Azure Dragon Society and Flying Eagle Gang were bitter rivals, basic courtesy still had to be maintained. Ling Yun being apprenticed to a retired Elite Four-Level trainer wasn't exactly a secret.

Ling Yun chuckled lightly. "It's thanks to my teacher that I wasn't around. Otherwise, your Azure Dragon Society wouldn't stand a chance against my Flying Eagle Gang. But you—holding such a grand birthday party yet welcoming these poor relatives?"

His disdainful glance slid contemptuously over Guo Yi and He Yongsen, clearly insinuating that simply standing near them was beneath him.

"Is that so?" Su Qingxue scoffed sharply. "You and your father are equally good at bragging, aren't you? Yet in the end, didn't my mother's Nidoqueen send you both scrambling home with your tails between your legs?"

"And who do you think you are anyway—just a worthless brat riding on someone else's coattails!"

Confronted by Ling Yun's mockery, Su Qingxue wasn't about to hold back—especially when he'd just insulted her beloved Teacher and junior disciple. If not for the crowd around them, she'd have already sent Nidorina to teach him a lesson.

"You—!"

Ling Yun hadn't expected her fierce retort.

These two must have quite a special relationship with Su Qingxue, he thought grimly.

Su Qingxue personally greeting them at the door had already raised his suspicion. His provocative remarks were intended as a test, but Su Qingxue hadn't even bothered with superficial courtesy, rebuffing him openly.

The tension thickened palpably as Ling Yun's expression turned sour.