"Clap—clap—clap—"

The sudden applause made Su Sheng and Yue Eevee instinctively turn to see who was there.

“Well said!”

A man dressed in a black cloak with a white scarf draped over his shoulder, looking as if he had just stepped off the set of "God of Gamblers," approached with a smile while clapping.

Su Sheng's expression changed slightly.

He recognized who the man was.

After Joy Shaji helped him apply for his ID, Su Sheng was able to enter many public areas, including the library, where he learned a lot of information, including the current gym leaders in various league regions.

For example, this man in front of him—

The gym leader of 常磐市 (Chōban City) in the Kanto region, nicknamed "Sakaki of the Earth" and "the Unbeatable Gym Leader"!

But the reason Su Sheng frowned secretly was, of course, because of the man's hidden identity—the leader of Team Rocket!

Before long, Sakaki had walked up to Su Sheng and said with a smile:

“Every king has his talents, every chef has his talents, and Pokémon have no distinctions of high or low.”

“Well said, truly well said!”

Sakaki rarely displayed such excitement.

Once, when he traveled the world with his Beedrill as his starter Pokémon, he received many disparaging looks from elite members of the league.

Later, Sakaki defeated them one by one, proving to the world that even weak Pokémon could shine brilliantly!

And today, someone was finally able to express the feelings he had during his youth.

Every king has his talents, every chef has his talents!

Well said, indeed!

“So you are Mr. Sakaki, the strongest gym leader in the Kanto region.”

After all, having lived for three lifetimes, Su Sheng quickly concealed the trace of astonishment in his eyes, and his expression turned calm.

“What brings the Kanto gym leader to Johto?”

Sakaki's smile instantly faded, becoming somewhat gloomy.

He had come to look for his missing son, but after searching everywhere, there were no clues at all.

Mentioning this matter made his mood even worse!

However, Sakaki was also a seasoned man; he quickly hid his gloom and said with a smile,

“Even gym leaders need a break. I sometimes want to visit other regions.”

“Oh, did you see my battle just now, Sakaki? Haha, I really embarrassed myself.”

Su Sheng feigned humility.

But he didn’t believe Sakaki was really here for sightseeing.

He suspected that Sakaki was secretly developing his influence in Johto.

After all, in the future, the Johto region would be considered Team Rocket's second base.

“Your words have gotten this old man fired up. How about it? Do you want to battle?”

Sakaki asked with a smile.

On one hand, he wanted to use the battle to temporarily forget the pain of his son.

On the other hand, he wanted to personally test this young one's potential.

“Huh? I’m not a fan of soul games.”

“What?”

Sakaki didn’t quite understand Su Sheng's words for a moment.

“I mean, I don’t like to seek out suffering.”

Su Sheng shrugged.

Didn’t he have some self-awareness about whether he could win against Sakaki?

“Haha! What does it matter? It's just a friendly match, no stakes involved. Regardless of win or lose, uncle will treat you to dinner!”

Sakaki had a kind and amiable senior's attitude.

“Ehehe~ then I won't hold back.”

Su Sheng thought about it and realized that there was no harm in having a battle.

But he still needed to be a bit cautious.

After all, this man in front of him had an extraordinary identity.

And he still didn’t know what he had come all the way to Johto for.

Sigh, the downside of crossing over early is that the motivations of the original characters aren’t so easy to guess.

……

……

“Young man, is that new breed of Eevee your starter Pokémon?”

Standing opposite each other on the beach in Zhanlan City, Sakaki spoke first.

“Yeah, it's called Yue Eevee, but it seems the league hasn't officially recognized it yet, and many people still don't know about the ‘Dark’ attribute.”

“Oh? Dark type... sounds really nice. Did you come up with its name?”

“Uh... let’s say I did. I’m pretty good at naming things.”

Then, Sakaki put his left hand in his pocket and took out a Poké Ball with his right hand.

“Then, as a sign of respect, I'll also bring out an old partner that has accompanied me for a long time.”

Upon hearing the words "old partner," Su Sheng was slightly stunned.

Could it be...

Immediately after, Sakaki flipped his hand and threw the Poké Ball.

The ball opened with a pop, and a burst of white light flashed.

A sturdy, imposing Nidoking landed heavily on the beach.

“This guy has been my old partner since I started traveling in Kanto.”

Sakaki's lips curled up slightly, “Very strong, you know~”

“Well then—why don’t you make the first move, young man?”

Sakaki opened his palm, making a gesture of invitation.

“I used to be bad at fighting personally, but I’m quite good at directing others in battle.”

“Let me see the gap between myself and a top-tier expert in this regard.”

After Su Sheng said this with a smile, his pupils suddenly constricted.

“Go, Yue Eevee.”

Yue Eevee dashed out like a black blur, charging straight at Nidoking.

Sakaki's eyes shifted, and he thought to himself:

“Oh? He’s only had this Eevee from that old lady for less than ten days, yet he’s made such progress. It seems this kid is quite skilled at training.”

In an instant, Yue Eevee had already rushed to Nidoking’s front.

“Going for a close-range move?”

Sakaki raised an eyebrow and waved his finger lightly.

“My Nidoking is quite adept in this area.”

Despite its large size, its movements were surprisingly agile.

Nidoking clenched its fist, electricity crackling as it struck, and the sound of the punch resonated like thunder.

Thunder Punch!

Boom—

The sound of the punch hitting was like muffled thunder.

The enormous size difference was like a tiger striking a mere plush cat.

“Go, Malicious Pursuit.”

Hearing Su Sheng's command, Yue Eevee, who had just taken a punch to its belly, suddenly opened its eyes, grinning to reveal its fangs.

It had a look of mischievous triumph.

In the next moment, Yue Eevee's dark skin bulged with veins, and its small body explosively slammed forward.

Like a Barbie doll, it made Nidoking's head tilt slightly.

A bit dazed!

“Hm!?”

A hint of surprise appeared in Sakaki's eyes.

Even though he had just exchanged glances with Nidoking, signaling it to hold back a bit, and used a non-type move,

even so, that Yue Eevee was able to take the hit? And immediately counterattack in the next moment?

“Did you use a defense-boosting move? Young man.”

Sakaki, being the strongest gym leader in Kanto, immediately saw the issue at hand.

“In that last moment, Yue Eevee’s running slowed down a bit... I see, you used Curse, didn’t you?”

Curse, when used by a non-Ghost type Pokémon, sacrifices speed to increase attack and defense.

“Generally, when using buffing moves, Pokémon would stay in place, but yours was able to move while buffing itself. You've put in a lot of effort, haven’t you?”

Sakaki's surprise turned back into admiration.

“Xiao Hei hasn’t been with me for long, and all I can teach her is just this little bit.”

Su Sheng smiled.

“This is far from ‘just a little bit’...”

Sakaki's smile grew wider.

Damn, the more he wanted this kid!