Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 331 Bamboo Orchid: Besides, two people working together is more efficient, isn't it?

"Super Strength Loses Ability to Fight! Master Shiba Concedes! Match Ends!"

The referee slid to the center of the ring with a smooth tackle, grabbed Bai Zhou's right hand, raised it high, and announced with all his might.

"Let's give a warm round of applause to Dr. Shirafusa for winning the ultimate championship of this year's All-Around Strength Tournament!"

—

After a brief silence, thunderous applause, cheers, and whistles instantly engulfed the entire arena!

A chorus of exclamations of amazement, praise, and disbelief arose.

"Oh oh oh oh oh—Champion! Well deserved!"

"Doctor! Doctor, look here! Are you free tonight? Free in-home massage!"

"From research to combat, from physical strength to intellect, a complete and utter crushing defeat! Is this the true value of the 'Hexagonal Doctor'?!"

"That Larvitar would be a hidden boss in Pokémon! It's ridiculously overpowered!"

"Dr. Shiraishu is awesome!!!"

At the same time, Xiao A suddenly popped up.

"Little A's Assistant reminds you: Challenge Mission - The Road to the All-Around Champion (Part Two) has been completed!"

"Mission Rewards: 3 Magic Candies, 1 Black Glasses (Automatically sent to your system storage space, which can be retrieved at any time)"

With a slight thought, Bai Zhou flipped his hand, and a pair of dark sunglasses with deep lenses appeared in his hand.

He looked down at the bewildered baby Gilas, who had rubbed against his feet, and couldn't help but chuckle as he squatted down and gently put the sunglasses on it.

"Here, take this and wear it. It suits you well."

He smiled and patted the little guy's head.

"Yo?"

Young Kiras paused for a moment, then felt a comfortable energy wave emanating from the glasses, slowly nourishing its small body.

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"Yo-yo! Yo-yo-yo!"

Thank you, boss! Long live the boss! The boss is so good to me!

It happily rubbed against Bai Zhou's hand, and with those suddenly cool sunglasses, it looked both silly and handsome, creating a striking contrast.

Bai Zhou was amused by it and stood up.

"Alright, when we get back tonight I'll make you all a big meal, as a celebration of winning the championship."

At this moment, Shiba, who had adjusted his mindset, walked over, his face regaining its determination.

"Dr. Shirafune!"

He solemnly declared, "I accept my defeat wholeheartedly! Both you and your Young Gilas have shown me the enormous shortcomings in my current cultivation!"

His eyes burned with intensity, his fighting spirit rekindled, but it was a pure yearning for a higher realm.

"Once I undergo even more rigorous training with my superhuman strength and overcome my weaknesses, I will definitely come back to challenge you again! At that time, please do not hesitate to teach me!"

Bai Zhou looked at the fighting king in front of him, who was not discouraged by defeat and full of fighting spirit, and nodded with a smile, looking as if he was infected by his spirit.

"Awaiting your return!"

However, he silently added a sentence in his mind.

Next time for sure~

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

The moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft silver rim over the interior.

Bai Zhou tied on an apron, greeted the noisy crowd in the living room, and then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Preparations are underway for tonight's "victory celebration + family gathering" feast.

However, just as his figure disappeared behind the kitchen door...

The living room, which had been lively and harmonious, filled with game sound effects and the laughter of teenagers, suddenly paused, and then a subtle atmosphere began to permeate it.

Crimson, cyan, yellow, Crystal, and even Ash, who was in a daze.

They all silently "slid" over from various corners of the sofa area and gathered in front of the large TV with remarkable coordination.

They pretended to watch Akin and Silver playing HeartGold/SoulSilver online, leaving the spacious sofa area on the other side to Cynthia and Azure.

"strangeness----"

Crimson lowered her voice, her brows furrowing slightly, and whispered to Green beside her, "I remember Little Blue used to play online games with Champion Bamboo Orchid all the time, right? Logically, they should have had a pretty good relationship, but why—"

He paused, a look of confusion in his eyes.

"The atmosphere between the two of them doesn't seem as natural as it is for us, who are meeting the Bamboo Orchid Champion for the first time. Shouldn't we be the ones who are more reserved?"

Who knows?

Qinglv's gaze seemed to be focused intently on the game screen, but he spoke in a low voice as well.

"Perhaps—there are always 'delicate moments' between girls that we just can't understand?"

"I don't think it necessarily means they have a bad relationship, right?"

Xiao Huang joined the discussion quietly, her cheeks slightly flushed. She secretly glanced at Chi Hong several times, her voice barely audible.

"Weren't they just having a normal chat? They weren't arguing—maybe they were—maybe they were—"

She kept saying "it" for a long time, but couldn't come up with a clear explanation.

"You just don't understand!"

Akin suddenly put down the controller in his hand, turned around, and had a mysterious smile on his face.

"Based on my extensive experience in observing interpersonal relationships," ah?

He deliberately drew out his words, attracting curious glances from the crowd.

"The champion of Bamboo Orchid is probably a fan of our brother! Otherwise, given her champion status and how busy she is, why would she make a special trip to Chengdu and stay here?"

He spoke with absolute certainty, then glanced at the two women on the sofa, whose auras were completely different yet equally dazzling.

"As for Xiao Lan's situation—you've known her for a while now, it's obvious—"

He chuckled and lowered his voice.

"He's jealous! That's normal! If I were a girl, I'd definitely be smitten with someone like Bai Zhou too!"

He was basking in the glory of his "brilliant analysis" when he failed to notice that Kristal's gaze toward him had become increasingly "kind."

Even the knuckles made a slight "clicking" sound.

"Tsk—"

Xiao Yin's expressionless face twitched, and without hesitation, she delivered a vicious elbow strike to Ah Jin's ribs, while giving him a cold glance at the same time.

"Stop talking nonsense, or I'll beat you up."

At this moment, Ash, seeing the game screen completely paused, anxiously called out, "Hey? Gold-senpai, Silver-senpai, why aren't you moving?"

Ajin clutched his ribs, rolled his eyes at Ash, calling him a "single-celled organism," picked up the controller again, and muttered to himself.

"What do children know? —"

The minor commotion caused by this "tactical analysis meeting" clearly did not really affect the two main characters in the sofa area.

Bamboo Orchid and Azure sat facing each other, separated by a small tea table with tea and snacks.

There seemed to be a silent understanding between the two, and neither of them spoke first to break the silence.

They simply held their teacups, sipped their tea gently, and wore faint smiles on their lips.

Their gazes occasionally met briefly in the air before drifting apart as if nothing had happened.

The atmosphere was almost too harmonious.

Finally, it was Zhulan who broke this delicate balance first.

She gracefully placed the teacup back into the saucer, then slowly rose, her long golden hair shimmering with a captivating glow as she moved.

"I'll go to the kitchen and see if Bai Zhou needs any help."

She looked at Bilan, her face bearing an impeccable, gentle smile, her voice as soft as water.

"Does Azure Sister want to come along?"

"? Sister Zhulan can cook too?"

Upon hearing this, Azure's face immediately lit up with a look of surprise and admiration.

"They're already league champions, and they're still so versatile! Amazing!"

She stood up as well, and quickly dusted off her exquisitely made maid outfit.

"However, there's no reason for the guests to do such a small thing."

Bilan smiled radiantly, her voice so sweet it could drip honey, yet she was already heading towards the kitchen.

"Sister Zhulan, you should rest well and enjoy the snacks. I'll go help Brother Baizhou."

She walked halfway, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

Turning back to Zhu Lan, she winked playfully, stuck out her tongue, and added in a slightly shy tone, "After all—I promised Brother Bai Zhou that I would be his personal maid for a month~ I can't go back on my word~"

Zhu Lan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but her perfect smile remained unchanged, instead deepening slightly.

Just as Azure thought victory was assured and was about to turn around and head back to the kitchen.

Zhu Lan suddenly stepped forward, and very naturally reached out to affectionately take Bi Lan's arm.

The force was just right, neither hurting her nor making it easy for her to break free.

"My cooking skills are really terrible. My grandmother was complaining about me the other day, saying I made the kitchen look like it had just been hit by a dragon star swarm."

Zhu Lan's tone carried a hint of self-deprecating helplessness, and her voice was soft.

"However, if it's just washing vegetables or handing him things, I don't think it should be too difficult for me~"

She turned her head and gave Bilan a slightly sly smile.

"Besides, isn't it more efficient to work together?"

Azure: "————"

Her sweet smile froze for a moment. She wanted to say something more to try and get some time alone, but Zhu Lan didn't give her that chance.

Like a considerate older sister, Zhu Lan took her younger sister's arm and, with an incredibly natural gesture, led Bi Lan to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Bai Zhou, wearing an apron, was skillfully tossing the wok, the ingredients tumbling inside, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

Hearing footsteps, he asked without turning his head, "The tree fruits are washed. If you're hungry, you can take them out as an appetizer—"

He turned his head halfway through his sentence and was slightly taken aback when he saw Zhu Lan and Bi Lan approaching together.

But who is Bai Zhou?

He reacted instantly, and a joyful smile of "I'm saved" immediately appeared on his face, as if he was completely unaware of the subtle tension in the air.

"Ah, you've come at the perfect time!"

He gave the order with remarkable ease, pointing to the other side of the counter with his spatula.

"The peaches, mangoes, and cherries over there haven't been washed yet! Once they're washed, we can chop them up and serve them as a small appetizer. Thank you for your help!"

The two women exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of competition in the other's eyes. Then, they smiled in unison and said in unison.

"it is good."

Bai Zhou nodded in satisfaction and continued to focus on the food in the pot.

Bamboo Orchid and Azure Blue walked to the wide double water tank and began to carefully wash the brightly colored tree fruits.

The rushing water temporarily drowned out all other sounds.

After a while, Bai Zhou seemed to feel that the atmosphere was a bit too "focused on work", so while stirring the food, he started a conversation in a casual tone.

"Speaking of which, today's champion's prize is quite good. The organizers are actually willing to provide Young Gilas with special stones for a whole year. That's really generous."

"Yes, I specifically asked the staff."

Zhu Lan took over the conversation, her tone calm and natural as she carefully rinsed a plump peach.

"Those specially made stones incorporate a variety of rare minerals that Rock-type Pokémon prefer, which is indeed very helpful for Larvitar's growth and development."

She didn't turn around, her gaze focused on the fruit in her hand, her profile appearing serene and beautiful under the kitchen light.

This bland, everyday, and even somewhat "normal" conversation atmosphere inexplicably sent a chill down Bilan's spine.

No! This can't go on!

The conversation has completely gone astray! We must regain the initiative!

"Oh, right! Brother Bai Zhou!"

Her blue eyes lit up, as if she had suddenly remembered something very important, and she interrupted the peaceful conversation with a clear voice.

"I heard that the next stage of the race is going to be held in Wind City? It seems to be a very famous tourist city in the capital!"

She successfully steered the conversation in another direction and began setting a trap.

"And what's more, I roughly calculated the match schedule, and it seems that the match day coincides with the annual traditional festival of Wind City, the 'Wind Festival'!"

"I hear it's really lively! But I haven't been there yet, so I don't know the specifics —"

Wind Comes to the City? Wind Festival?

Bai Zhou paused slightly while flipping the wok, and his brows furrowed unconsciously.

The combination of these two words gave him a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere in his memory.

But upon closer reflection, I can't recall the specific source.

"Wind City? I haven't had a chance to look at the schedule the organizers sent me yet—"

As Bai Zhou spoke, he plated the stir-fried dishes.

"Is there anything special about this wind festival, or any particular activities?"

Azure was secretly delighted.

Plan worked! The conversation is finally on her side!

She cleared her throat, preparing to vividly describe the romantic legends and lively scenes of the Wind Festival in the city.

Ideally, you could subtly hint that it's "perfect for a trip for two."

"Integrity—"

A gentle and pleasant voice rang out first.

Zhu Lan had carefully dried the water droplets from the washed tree fruit and placed it on the cutting board.

She picked up a fruit knife and gracefully cut a peach into even pieces.

Then, she picked up one of the plumpest pieces of fruit and slowly walked over to Bai Zhou.

"I remember once when I went to Wind City on a business trip for Alliance matters, I happened to be there. It is indeed a very interesting traditional festival."