Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

Zhou Yuanyuan seemed to have come prepared. "I know a senior from the class that Teacher Ye taught. She's younger than the other teachers and likes to give students space to express themselves during class, so she's quite free."

“It’s more free…” Xia Shen pondered Zhou Yuanyuan’s words and asked, “Then can I have a match with Teacher Ye?”

Zhou Yuanyuan almost choked on her breath, and her voice stammered, "You...do you have some kind of masochistic tendency?"

"How can you be so spineless?" Xia Shen glanced at Zhou Yuanyuan with disdain. "Don't you want to see the skills of a professional trainer?"

"That's true, but when the difference in strength is too great, this battle becomes ineffective."

"You think a professional trainer's strength lies only in their Pokémon?" Xia Shen said. "Think about it, what if you let her command Lin Weiyu's Totodile against you? Or let her command your Excadrill against me..."

"Brilliant!" Zhou Yuanyuan's eyes lit up. Xia Shen had proposed a path he had never considered before.

"Then I'll have to think of a way to get Teacher Ye to agree to this playing style." Zhou Yuanyuan revealed his signature sly smile when he was up to something.

"Are you out of your mind? Why would a teacher refuse a teaching plan that's good for the students?" Xia Shen thought this person was obsessed with plotting against others all the time.

Zhou Yuanyuan: "..."

------

However, before the afternoon's Pokémon battle class, Xia Shen had one more thing to do: teach Yan Yan the moves of Gible.

For convenience, the two brought their respective Gibles and ate lunch together in the cafeteria.

Worried that Soroya might get bored inside the ball, Xia Shen deliberately found a secluded corner and let her out to eat with them.

"You've already got a second Pokémon so quickly?" Yan Yan asked curiously, looking at Zoroa, which had transformed into its normal form, beside Xia Shen.

New trainers rarely raise a second Pokémon so quickly, because raising Pokémon is a very expensive thing.

—Food, energy cubes, various potions, and who knows, you might even have to pay medical bills from time to time...

Furthermore, the amateur trainer assessment in the second semester of the second year of high school only requires one Pokémon.

"Yes, I was entrusted with the task of raising this little guy," Xia Shen replied, half-jokingly.

Watching the little fox struggling to gnaw on the elf block with its newly grown sharp teeth, Yan Yan rarely smiled.

"Zorua...a rare elf, but she is indeed very cute."

Xia Shen felt a strange sense of pride.

It's a pity you can't see her real face; that's when she's at her peak of beauty.

(Please bookmark, invest, and follow along!)

## Chapter 18: Practical Lesson in Pokémon Battles

After lunch, in a training room at Zhijiang Middle School.

"Gible, your job today is to teach her Dragon Claw!"

Xia Shen patted the giblet's head and explained the task for noon that day.

"Awoo~" Gible responded twice, carefully observing its fellow creature in front of it.

During their first two meetings, Gible was so busy cooking that it didn't even notice her presence.

Only now do I have time to greet my fellow countrymen.

There's no notch on the dorsal fin, so it's a girl...

The usually lively, cheerful, and somewhat unreliable Gible unconsciously became serious.

Yan Yan's Gible also looked curiously at its kind, which was much taller than itself, and greeted it with "roaring".

Seeing that the two Pokémon had already started communicating, and that it was none of their business as trainers, Xia Shen and Yan Yan sat on chairs by the field and chatted casually.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Speaking of which, your Gible is only recently born, are you in such a hurry to train it?" Xia Shen asked.

Xia Shen's own Zoroia was only a few days old, and he hadn't thought about starting to train her so soon.

Even on these two trips to the secret realm, he only let Zoroya observe the battle of the Gible sharks to broaden his horizons.

Yan Yan explained, "Elves are not as fragile as you think. Generally speaking, they can begin basic training three or four days after birth."

"Moreover, I want to participate in the Zhijiang Cup held in October, which is why I urgently sought your help with the Gible."

"The Zhejiang Cup? A Pokémon battle competition?" Xia Shen asked curiously.

"Yes, Zhijiang City holds a competition every year, which is divided into three groups: beginner, amateur and professional. We can participate in the beginner group now."

Yan Yan took a sip of water and continued, "If you also want to participate, I can help you register."

"Then please sign up for me too!" Xia Shen didn't stand on ceremony. He wanted to know where he stood among the rookie trainers.

"By the way, do you have any channels to buy Pokémon items?" Xia Shen suddenly remembered that he had a few unused items, so he decided to ask Yan Yan for advice.

After all, a rich woman who can casually spend tens of thousands to teach a Pokémon a move is probably even rarer than a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

Not to Xia Shen's disappointment, Yan Yan pondered for a moment before asking, "Pokémon items... what do you have?"

"The Soothing Bell and a Sun Stone." Realizing these two items were of little use for the time being, Xia Shen decided to sell them.

"The current market price for the Soothing Bell is around 30,000 to 50,000, while the Sun Stone... it depends on the quality, starting at around 300,000."

"If you trust me, I can help you take it back to a professional researcher for evaluation and purchase. However, it may be slightly lower than the market price."

Xia Shen didn't care about this small difference. With the resources of a secret realm behind him, it would be petty to care about such a small thing.

Xia Shen took out the comforting bell and the sun stone from his pocket and handed them to the girl beside him, saying, "Thank you for your help."

"You just put something this valuable in your pocket?" Yan Yan was genuinely surprised; it was the first time she had ever seen someone so indifferent to money.

Xia Shen didn't want to tell anyone about the space on the alpaca phone, so he could only laugh awkwardly and brush it off.

Since I got the system, I've become increasingly adept at making things up.

……

On the field, the teaching of Dragon Claw was on track. The two Gibles each stood in front of a puppet, and the dark green dragon-type energy on their claws gradually intensified.

"Roar—" Xia Shen's Gible roared and slammed down with its claw. The iron training puppet shook violently, and a clear claw mark appeared on its surface.

The little Gible imitated the big Gible's movements and slapped the puppet, but only left a faint white mark on the metal.

I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed and dejected.

Beside her, Big Round Shark patted her head, giving full affirmation and encouragement to the junior's performance.

Gible rallied and continued to practice diligently with its seniors.

------

Afternoon

"Today is our first practical lesson in Pokémon battles."

On the empty playground, Teacher Ye stood in front of the students lined up in four rows and began the lesson.

Beside him still stood the majestic and awe-inspiring Blazing Roaring Tiger.

"Before class, I'd like to do a survey. Please raise your hand if you've ever participated in Pokémon battles."

A row of arms stood upright.

Teacher Ye nodded in satisfaction, seeing that none of them were impotent.

"I won't say anything more to you. We've already covered everything in our theory classes."

"Now everyone can form groups freely. There are 24 people in our class, so we will divide them into six groups of four. Come to me in groups in ten minutes to record your work. Let's begin."

As soon as Teacher Ye finished speaking, the room erupted in excitement.

Most people coming and going have their own team-up goals.

Xia Shen stood still, too lazy to move, because he knew that in a few seconds, some cunning old man would come looking for him.

"Xia Shen!" A cheeky voice came from behind. Zhou Yuanyuan hooked his arm around Xia Shen's shoulder, giving him a knowing look.

"The two of us, plus Lin Weiyu, who's missing?" Zhou Yuanyuan asked for his opinion.

Xia Shen spoke to him in a matter-of-fact tone, quite speechless at his own added involvement.

However, he did not object. After all, Zhou Yuanyuan's strength was still undeniable.

"I only have one requirement: be strong." This was Xia Shen's expectation for the last team member.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the groups for the Pokémon Battle class will remain unchanged for the entire semester.

Since most of the time it's intra-team competition, it's better to find an equally matched opponent.

"What do you think of her?" Zhou Yuanyuan pointed to Yan Yan, who was alone not far away.

"Won't that group only have two giblets? Won't that be a bit monotonous?" This was Xia Shen's concern.

Zhou Yuanyuan didn't seem to care. "What's the big deal? The important thing is strength. Anyone who can afford to raise Gibles can build up their strength with money."

Although the statement is somewhat extreme, it still makes some sense.

Xia Shen was struggling with her decision when Yan Yan unexpectedly walked over and asked, "Is your team still short of people?"

His tone was flat, his intentions were direct, very much like Yan Yan.

"I was just about to invite you," Zhou Yuanyuan said with a smile. "The three of us, plus Lin Weiyu, that's a pretty good combination, isn't it?"

Yan Yan nodded in agreement.

And so, the four-person group was formed with remarkable ease.

…………

"You're the first to register, so your group number is Group 1." Teacher Ye wrote on the board with a pen. "Who's the group leader?"

Team leader? The group looked at each other, wondering if they hadn't mentioned anything about a team leader.

Teacher Ye paused for a moment, then stopped writing and said, "Ah, sorry, I seem to have forgotten to mention it. Now you can choose one."

Without prior arrangement, the three people's gazes all fell on one person, except for him.

"It seems to be the popular choice!" Teacher Ye smiled and wrote it down on the board.

"Group leader, Xia Shen."