Chapter 32: The Explosive Popularity of Wei Yeqin

The final battle inside the Dragon-type Gym took place without any live audience, and the television broadcast was abruptly cut off. Beyond the two participants, no one knows exactly what happened during that fight, yet rumors have spread like wildfire across the internet.

Some claim that Tan Yongsen emerged victorious, citing the massive Z-Move, "Oceanic Operetta," that soared into the sky from the gym that night—a display of power everyone could feel. (Though, every time I play *Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon*, I find the names and animations of Z-Moves rather embarrassing.)

Others insist that Lucario must have won, given the overwhelming strength it displayed—a prowess so visible that it crushed a Gym Leader-level Pokémon with ease.

In truth, the outcome mattered less than the recognition Wei Yeqin earned. He was a man who had suddenly appeared on everyone’s radar, possessing immense strength and accompanied by a Lucario that left an indelible impression on all who saw it. Wei Yeqin became an overnight sensation, exploding in popularity online. By the next day, nearly every headline was about him:

"The Mysterious Champion-Level Powerhouse"
"The King of Lucario, the Aura Guardian"
"The Mightiest Aura Warrior"
"Shocking! The Vagabond Returns as a Champion-Level Trainer, Battles Water-Type Gym Leader Tan Yongsen in a Fit of Rage"

The headlines grew increasingly sensational, and the discussion surrounding Wei Yeqin remained at a fever pitch. Many netizens claimed to have encountered him in the past, witnessing him and his Lucario performing acts of heroism. They dug up his history and shared old photos of the pair.

As Wei Yeqin rose to fame, the situation for the Xia family became delicate. Those who had previously coveted the priority acquisition rights for mysterious realms held by Xia Yong suddenly chose to forget the matter entirely, refusing to speak of it, and even retreating into their shells. Over the past few days, many people in Starlight City began treating Xia Yong with newfound warmth, while others subtly probed for information about Wei Yeqin.

Xia Yong, of course, would not reveal a single word, only smiling and replying, "He is my eldest son's closest friend."

Unable to glean anything useful, these people shifted their tone, inquiring instead about Xia Luo’s wedding date and the marriage prospects of Xia Yu.

Though he was in high spirits, Xia Yong knew that the Xia family’s current status was entirely due to Wei Yeqin. If any accident were to befall him, or if he were to fall out with his eldest son, the family would return to their previous state—or worse. Therefore, Xia Yong never abandoned his plans for an advantageous marriage; he simply raised his standards, determined to find a better wife for Xia Yu. In his mind, everything would wait until after Xia Yu’s college entrance exams. If Xia Yu could get into the nation’s top university and demonstrate talent in Pokémon research, even more prominent families would be eager to align themselves with the Xia family.

***

Amidst this complex atmosphere, the final day before the start of the school term arrived—the day Xia Yu and Wu Yaozu had scheduled their battle.

In the afternoon, Wu Yaozu arrived as promised. His face was beaming, his eyes filled with such confidence that he seemed to have victory already in his grasp, the dejection from his loss to Xia Yu the previous day completely wiped away. It seemed that after a night of preparation, he had surely readied a secret weapon.

"Xia Yu, today is the day I get my revenge," Wu Yaozu declared confidently as they stood on the small battlefield.

"Don't be so sure of yourself; you lost to me yesterday," Xia Yu replied with a smile.

"That was just me being careless," Wu Yaozu retorted stubbornly. "Today, I'm a different person. I’ve prepared a secret weapon just for you. You’re definitely no match for me."

"Is that so? Well, losing is just losing. Besides, I only got my first Pokémon this summer, unlike you, who has been training yours for years," Xia Yu said with feigned nonchalance, pouring salt into Wu Yaozu’s wounds.

"Stop!" Wu Yaozu cried out in exasperation. "Xia Yu, you're so cruel! You're stabbing your best friend right in the heart. I’m going to have my revenge today and show you what a veteran trainer can do."

The two traded barbs while releasing their Pokémon. Xia Yu stuck with his usual starter, Noibat, and Wu Yaozu followed suit with his Charmander.

"Fatty Wu, your Charmander has never once beaten my Noibat," Xia Yu teased, launching a psychological assault. It had to be said that the Charmander had it rough; having battled Xia Yu’s Noibat several times, it had lost every single encounter.

"Your Noibat is too cheap! Why does it have to know 'Supersonic,' such a disgusting move? It's unfair!" Fatty Wu couldn't help but protest loudly. Almost every time, his Charmander fell to the confusion caused by Noibat’s Supersonic before being finished off.

"That's called tactics. Enough talk—let me see what secret weapon you've prepared," Xia Yu said with a grin, signaling his Noibat to strike first. "The battle begins! Noibat, use Gust!"

Noibat took to the sky, flapping its small wings to whip up a series of gusts that swept toward Charmander. After these past few days of training, Noibat had become much more proficient with Gust; not only was it more powerful, but the speed of its execution had also improved significantly.

"Charmander, use Ember!"

Seeing Noibat fly into the air to dodge, Wu Yaozu did not hesitate to command Charmander to use Ember—the only long-range move Charmander had to counter Noibat. Small flames spewed from Charmander’s mouth, flying toward the Noibat.

"Noibat, fly up and dodge the Ember!"

The battle talent of a Noibat with Champion-level potential was already beginning to show. It was extremely agile in the air, unlike some Flying-type Pokémon at this early stage that struggled even to fly properly. Noibat could even execute complex changes in direction, easily evading Charmander's Ember. At the same time, Noibat's Gust successfully struck Charmander. In the first exchange, Noibat held a slight advantage.

"I knew I wouldn't hit you," Wu Yaozu muttered, having anticipated the Noibat's prowess. He knew that with Charmander’s current proficiency with Ember, it would be difficult to land a hit unless they closed the distance. "Let me show you my secret weapon. Charmander, use Smokescreen!"

Upon hearing the command, Charmander immediately spewed a large cloud of smoke, instantly filling the battlefield and concealing its body.

"Oh? Learned a new move?" Xia Yu was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Charmander to have learned a new technique; the Pokémon's progress was rapid, making the battle all the more interesting.

Wu Yaozu wore a smug expression as he looked at Xia Yu. "My Charmander and I are constantly growing stronger. I told you today would be my revenge."

Noibat hovered in the sky, looking down at the rolling thick smoke below, having lost track of Charmander and unsure of what to do.

"Ember!"

Suddenly, a small burst of flame erupted from the smoke, sweeping toward Noibat. The surprise attack left Noibat with no time to react, and it was hit directly. Fortunately, as a Dragon-type, Noibat had a natural resistance to Fire-type moves, so the injury was relatively minor.

"Noibat, are you okay? It’s just a small wound; you can persevere," Xia Yu said, showing concern. The newly hatched Noibat was still like a child, unlike his Treecko, which already possessed a firm resolve and a resilient character. This was precisely the time to nurture Noibat’s personality.

A powerful Pokémon required more than just raw strength; combat awareness and courage were equally vital. If one avoided battle or feared combat at the slightest injury, then even the greatest strength would be in vain. In this regard, he couldn't help but think of his Treecko, which possessed a nearly perfect, self-disciplined, and brave personality.

"Noi!"

Hearing Xia Yu’s encouragement, Noibat responded with a cry, its gaze fixed firmly on the smoke below.