I haven't decided on a name for my Pokémon trainer yet.

Thinking of this, Ye Feng took out his phone and dialed Shang Yixue's number.

"Hey, Captain... Ah, let's talk about that later."

"I'd like to ask if I could meet your captain?"

"Yes, he is the captain of our Chinese national team."

Chapter 374 National Team Captain

Shang Yixue agreed to inquire about it for Ye Feng.

However, the national team captain is usually very busy and may not have time to meet Ye Feng.

That's right. The World Championships are next August. Although there's still almost a year to go, the national team members are definitely busy training and improving their skills so they can bring glory to the country in future competitions.

To Ye Feng's surprise, Shang Yixue sent a message the next day, saying that the captain was willing to meet and that he could come anytime.

Ye Feng was a little confused. Why did they agree so quickly? And they even said they could do it anytime?

Could it be because of Shang Yixue's influence?

Although Shang Yixue was the strongest trainer at Imperial University, she was only a substitute member in the national team—ah, that's not necessarily true now. After the Mega Evolution was announced, she can use Charizard X's evolution stone with peace of mind.

Mega Charizard X has master-level strength, which should be enough to make her a full member of the team.

But it shouldn't be enough to justify such a high level of prestige.

Why is that? It can't be because the captain has taken a liking to Shang Yixue... It shouldn't be such a superficial reason.

After a moment's thought, Ye Feng guessed a possibility—mega evolution.

Although the Mega Evolution has been announced and the corresponding paper has been published, this technology will certainly remain in the hands of high-ranking officials in various countries for the foreseeable future.

If Ye Feng hadn't held the titles of discoverer and ambassador for the exchange of divine beasts (as Gu Yangzhou said), he definitely wouldn't have kept this thing, let alone the three mega stones.

That captain probably wanted to get the benefits of Mega Evolution from Ye Feng.

However, further speculation was merely conjecture, so Ye Feng arranged to visit that afternoon.

···

The World Championships Athletes' Village.

This place was once the temporary residence for athletes from various countries when China was the host of the championships, and now it serves as a training ground for national team members.

The training facilities are top-notch and complete, and it is equipped with a comprehensive logistics and medical team.

It's not just national teams; master-level trainers also use this facility when needed.

This was Ye Feng's first time here.

"Xiao Feng, it's been a long time."

As soon as Ye Feng got out of the car, Shang Yixue greeted him with a smile.

"Wow, Captain, you came to pick me up in person? I'm so touched." Ye Feng said, his face full of emotion.

Shang Yixue rolled her eyes slightly and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Xiao Yichen, the captain of our Chinese national team and the youngest master-level trainer in history."

A bespectacled, seemingly refined man approached and extended his hand to Ye Feng: "It's not as exaggerated as Yi Xue said. I'm still a bit far from being a master. Hello, I'm Xiao Yichen."

Yi Xue? Ye Feng's eyes widened slightly, filled with gossip, and he couldn't help but look back and forth between the two of them.

Xiao Yichen wore a simple pair of black-rimmed glasses, had a neat hairstyle, a gentle smile on his face, and wore a simple tracksuit, giving off a very sunny vibe.

Is this the captain's type? That's a bit unexpected.

Shang Yixue felt a little awkward under Ye Feng's gaze and urged, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"Ah, oh!" Ye Feng snapped out of his daze and shook hands with Xiao Yichen. "Hello, Captain Xiao, my name is Ye Feng."

“I know you.” Xiao Yichen smiled. “The discoverer of Mega Evolution, you’re much more capable than me. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”

Ye Feng laughed and said, "No, no."

Xiao Yichen said, "Let's go inside and talk about it."

Ye Feng nodded.

The three of them walked inside together.

Along the way, Ye Feng had no interest in looking at the scenery. He kept glancing back and forth at Shang Yixue and Xiao Yichen, who were on his left and right respectively. The flames of gossip in his heart were burning fiercely, and he was itching to go.

"Captain Xiao..." Ye Feng whispered, moving closer to Xiao Yichen.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yichen turned his head in confusion and lowered his voice as well.

"What's your relationship with our captain... no, with my sister Xue?" Ye Feng asked in a low voice.

"Huh?" Xiao Yichen blinked, a little caught off guard by Ye Feng's question. "It's just... just a normal teammate relationship, right?"

"Really?" Ye Feng narrowed his eyes. Why would ordinary teammates call each other so intimately?

"Really..." A bead of sweat trickled down the back of Xiao Yichen's head.

This Ye Feng... he seems a bit different from what I imagined. I thought the discoverer of something as important as Mega Evolution would be more... more... um...

"Ye Feng!" Shang Yixue seemed to have sensed something and glared at him. "What are you whispering about?"

"No, it's nothing," Ye Feng quickly shook his head.

"Hmm?" Shang Yixue narrowed her eyes, and Ye Feng immediately felt a chill down his spine and shook his head incessantly.

Shang Yixue didn't see anything amiss, so she stopped talking.

Hmm... No gossip, really just ordinary teammates? Ye Feng sighed, what a pity.

Xiao Yichen pushed up his glasses and found it amusing.

···

The three arrived at Xiao Yichen's residence, a two-story villa with a large yard.

"Wow, the accommodations here are so nice!" Ye Feng exclaimed, pressing his face against the floor-to-ceiling window and looking outside. This was much more luxurious than the villa he rented when he was in high school.

“Of course, this place was originally the athletes’ village for the World Championships, and many foreigners live here, so it’s natural to make it as nice as possible to show the grandeur of our great nation,” Xiao Yichen said with a smile.

Ye Feng nodded in agreement.

Shang Yixue brought over three cups of coffee and gave one to each person.

Ye Feng glanced sideways—and he still calls himself an ordinary teammate? He's so skilled at making coffee; he must have been here quite a few times.

Ye Feng was mistaken about this. The setup in the athletes' village was the same for everyone, so Xiao Yichen's and Shang Yixue's residences were exactly the same except for their personal preferences in the decorations. It was normal for Shang Yixue to be familiar with them.

"I heard from Yixue that you want to see me?" Xiao Yichen asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Ye Feng nodded.

"What's going on?"

Ye Feng rubbed his hands together. What he wanted to ask might involve the secret of how a trainer becomes stronger, so he hesitated for a moment.

"It's alright, feel free to ask," Xiao Yichen said generously.

Ye Feng organized his thoughts and said, "Actually, what I want to ask is, how did Captain Xiao acquire such strength at such a young age?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Yichen was somewhat surprised. "You don't mean to..."

"Yes, I'd like to ask you about the methods for raising Pokémon," Ye Feng said.

Xiao Yichen narrowed his eyes: "As far as I know, your current strength is already among the best of your peers, and you shouldn't be much worse than me in terms of Pokémon training, so why do you still need to find me?"

Ye Feng said, "My Pokémon has been stuck at the Advanced and Master levels for a long time, and I haven't been able to find a way to break through."

"I see." Xiao Yichen remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was extremely surprised.

According to Ye Feng, his Pokémon has already reached the high-level ceiling. The only way to advance further is to break through to the Master level. This is no longer considered outstanding among his peers, and it would be difficult to find someone with similar strength to Ye Feng.

Perhaps even Shang Yixue has been surpassed.

"I consulted master-level trainers, but their answers all said that it all comes down to the accumulation of experience over time," Ye Feng said.

Xiao Yichen nodded: "This is indeed the simplest way to break through, but you seem to be in a hurry. Can you tell me why?"

Ye Feng hesitated for a moment, then answered vaguely, "I feel my current strength isn't quite enough..."

Xiao Yichen understood immediately; Ye Feng was unwilling to tell him some of the secrets, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Ye Feng waited a while, and Xiao Yichen remained silent as if thinking about something, so he took the initiative to speak: "I heard that Captain Xiao has the potential to become the youngest Master-level Trainer in history, so I guess you must have some special breakthrough method, so..."

"You want to know this method?" Xiao Yichen asked with a smile.

Shang Yixue's eyes widened slightly, and she became somewhat expectant.

"Mm." Ye Feng nodded.

He didn't know if Xiao Yichen was willing to tell him, since it might involve a trainer's secret.

Xiao Yichen closed his eyes and began to ponder slowly.

When the inventor of Mega Evolution and Energy Cube was announced, he noticed the name Ye Feng, and learned about his relationship with Shang Yixue. He also learned that Ye Feng was not only outstanding in research, but also very strong as a trainer.

Three Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution represent three Master-level Pokémon. Adding Gengar, which is already a Master-level Pokémon, makes a total of four Master-level Pokémon.

This level of skill would rank among the top even in the national team.