Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

"Oh? My first opponent is this guy?"

His name was Chang Mengda, the classroom's little bully. Every character in his name carried a beautiful meaning. It was said his family had suddenly come into a large fortune, so he was always extravagant and quite popular among his classmates.

However, he didn't like the poor Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran didn't like him either.

"I remember you only have one Pokémon, right? And you had to beg the teacher for help to catch it... Our match is three-on-three, you know. I suggest you just forfeit now, otherwise, people will say I'm bullying a weaker opponent and disqualify me."

Chang Mengda tiptoed, trying to look down on Qiao Ran with his height. His words also caused the surrounding classmates to burst into laughter.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll stuff it somewhere you won't like."

Qiao Ran smiled back, unleashing a torrent of classic trash talk. As a seasoned player of the "Canyon Hunter," when had he ever endured such mockery?

"You brat..."

Chang Mengda's face turned the color of liver. How had this usually submissive kid become like this?

The other classmates were also stunned.

Did Qiao Ran eat explosives?

"Please, both contestants, no arguing. The match is about to begin!"

In the end, the homeroom teacher stepped in to smooth things over. The match was on the verge of breaking out—

Battle start!

Following Z23's emotionless cry, Saratoga abruptly stood up in a panic, like a child who had done something wrong, pushing her chair back with her knees.

"That basin of water was your doing, wasn't it?"

"N-no..."

Saratoga lowered her gaze awkwardly, not daring to look directly at Z23 on the stage. Perhaps it was because she had a guilty conscience.

"Answer me while looking me in the eyes."

"Um... Sorry, it was me."

Saratoga slowly raised her head, her light purple eyes shimmering with a pitiable glow, and finally admitted it.

After all, it was the truth, and no one would take the blame for her. Z23 knew her well enough to recognize this kind of prank.

"No matter how much we Ship Girls dislike humans, we can't attack innocent people without reason. Saratoga, you suddenly played a prank on someone... If things had gone slightly wrong, it wouldn't have ended with just minor injuries. Do you understand?"

"I just wanted to give the human a little warning, to make him retreat..."

"What if your water and basin caused a major disaster?"

"That wouldn't happen, would it?"

"Nothing is impossible. Today is his first day here, he hasn't even started teaching yet, and you almost crippled him, making him wish he were dead. If this gets out, we Ship Girls will be known as demons to humans."

"Wuwu... I was wrong."

"Saratoga, you need to apologize to him properly and promise not to do it again."

Z23 did not give Saratoga any leeway just because she was a Ship Girl. Although Ship Girls disliked humans, they would not harm them without cause.

None of the people who had come before wanting to be commanders were innocent.

Some had their legs broken for teasing Ship Girls, others were sent to deserted islands for speaking disrespectfully and bringing trouble upon themselves, and there were other similar misbehaviors.

Ling Yu had just arrived and hadn't done anything out of line. As a Ship Girl with excellent conduct, she couldn't afford to ruin her reputation from the start.

"Alright, um... I apologize for playing a prank on you. Please forgive my ignorant actions."

Although Saratoga was unwilling to apologize to a human a million times over, under Z23's strict demand, she apologized with extreme displeasure.

"It just got my clothes wet. I'm perfectly healthy, so don't worry too much about it. However, if you plan to play pranks next time, please be more careful."

Ling Yu raised his hand. Even though he was in the right, he couldn't push his luck. Leaving a bad impression on the girls in the class from the start would lead to him being ostracized and disliked later, causing him to fail the assessment.

Aspiring to become a commander, he had to stay steady and absolutely could not be defeated at the first hurdle.

The mission that his predecessors failed to complete, he would be the one to accomplish it.

Saratoga understood Ling Yu's implied meaning. If a prank was played on the wrong person, it could escalate into a big problem.

Despite being warned, she still felt no good feelings towards the man who made her incur Z23's scolding.

As soon as the apology was over, she was already planning her next prank in her mind.

Ling Yu, being an Azur Lane player, knew very well that the devilish Saratoga was mischievous. If she got away with it this time, she'd do it again. Even if he didn't say it directly, he would have to be wary of her in the future.

"You can sit down. If I find out you're causing trouble again, you'll be standing at the back of the class next time."

Z23 sighed and sternly warned her.

Saratoga only listened to the first part; the rest went in one ear and out the other.

Chapter 4: Probably Because I Like Ship Girls

The small prank incident passed.

Ling Yu's first day teaching didn't go entirely smoothly, but overall, he didn't leave a bad impression on the Ship Girls.

Perhaps Saratoga, having been scolded, would resent him, or at least wouldn't have the urge to kill him, but she'd be thinking about how to prank him next time to save face.

Setting aside the problematic student Saratoga for now, there were still many Ship Girl students in the class. It wasn't like all of them would have such major issues as Saratoga, right?

"Now, let me introduce everyone. This is our new human commander. According to tradition, for a human commander to become a commander in our Azur Lane Maritime Bureau, they must pass the assessments of the five major factions. Teaching here is the first assessment. Your goal is to achieve an A-rank in the large-scale practical combat drill six months from now and earn your recognition to successfully pass this first assessment..."

"Teacher Z23, I have a question."

While Z23 was introducing him, a spirited silver-haired loli raised her hand.

"Classmate Yukikaze, what is your question? Speak freely."

Z23 looked at the loli with fluffy cat ears who had raised her hand.

Ling Yu also saw her. He hadn't expected that Yukikaze, also known as "Lord Lotus" by herself, would be in this class.

Ling Yu was extremely familiar with his impression of Yukikaze. She was a particularly tsundere, silver-haired, beast-eared loli. Her long, slender hair shimmered with a silver glow. She had several black ribbons tied in her hair. She wore a rather revealing sailor uniform, and her fair, smooth, bare midriff was completely visible. She possessed a well-developed pair of small "lead balls." The short black skirt of her sailor uniform was connected to her white top by two spring straps, making her slightly different from other Ship Girls in sailor uniforms, giving her a unique characteristic.

Yukikaze glanced at Ling Yu, pursed her lips, and ignored him, continuing to address Z23: "If this guy..."

What happened???

Finally, it was Qiao Ran's voice that broke the silence.

"It's over—Vulpix, give it the finishing blow, Aurora Beam!!"

"Wuuuu wuuuu!"

A cold beam of light shot out from Vulpix's mouth, directly landing the final few blows on Mightyena, who was still dazed and unable to move immediately.

Under the barrage of Aurora Beams, Mightyena finally lowered its proud head, lying on the ground with its eyes spinning into spirals.

"The match is decided! Mightyena is unable to battle!"

The homeroom teacher announced the result of this round, while the students in the class remained in a daze.

That Vulpix... how did it defeat Mightyena???

What exactly happened???

How could she do that?!

"All of this... Qiao... Qiao Ran, was this also part of your plan?"

Chang Mengda lowered his head, his face dark as he recalled Mightyena. He felt like he had suffered the most severe insult. Despite such a significant gap in strength, he had still been toyed with in the palm of his opponent's hand.

"If you think so, then it is," Qiao Ran shrugged. He thought, Joke's on you. With the tacit understanding between me and Vulpix, achieving this is just a piece of cake.

Qiao Ran didn't feel any particular pride in this. This was just basic operation; everyone should be seated.

"Damn it..."

Qiao Ran's attitude once again ignited Chang Mengda's anger. He once again took out a Poké Ball and released it directly into the arena.

"I'll make you lose completely!"

As Chang Mengda shouted, a terrifying-looking dragon-type Pokémon appeared in the center of the arena.

It had a red head and a body full of spikes, with two small wings on its back.

"Garchomp?"

Qiao Ran was stunned as Chang Mengda's command had already begun.

"Garchomp! Dragon Claw!"

"Vulpix, dodge..." Seeing the opponent initiate an attack, Qiao Ran still wanted Vulpix to dodge.

—However, this time the situation was completely different from the last. Before Qiao Ran could even finish his sentence, the Garchomp had already charged in front of Vulpix, unleashing its Dragon Claw attacks with both hands.

"What...!"

Qiao Ran's pupils constricted. He watched with his own eyes as two Dragon Claws struck Vulpix. Immediately, Vulpix let out a cry of pain, not even having time to dodge.

"...Ah!"

Qiao Ran clutched his abdomen and knelt on the ground, as if even he could feel the pain from the battle.

Suffering such heavy damage, Vulpix let out a mournful cry, instantly collapsing to the ground with its eyes rolling back.

"This Garchomp is..."

Qiao Ran was utterly shocked. However, even more shocked than him was the referee—the homeroom teacher of their class.

The homeroom teacher stepped forward.

"Classmate Chang Mengda, you can only use your own Pokémon during the match. Was this Garchomp trained by your elder family members? This kind of Pokémon cannot be used! You will be disqualified from the competition!"

Hearing the homeroom teacher's words, Qiao Ran gradually came to his senses. So... this Garchomp wasn't trained by a student, but was a Pokémon that had already experienced countless battles? It belonged to a family elder?

No wonder... so the gap between me and a formal trainer is this large now?

And... judging by the homeroom teacher's words, it seems like he wants to let the other party take it back and show leniency towards that guy?

"I... I don't know! If it weren't for that guy!" Chang Mengda glared at Qiao Ran. If this guy hadn't resisted him, how could he have used this?

This was an elite Pokémon his father had trained since he was young! He lent it to his precious son for self-defense! He wouldn't have used it unless it was absolutely necessary. It was all Qiao Ran's fault!

"Quick, recall it, or else..." the homeroom teacher's warning continued. He wanted Chang Mengda to recall his Pokémon, to de-escalate the situation. After all, Chang Mengda was a promising contestant, guaranteed to qualify.

It would be too regrettable if he were eliminated now due to the rules.

However, at that very moment, Qiao Ran raised his hand.

"Wait, I want to apply to continue the battle. This fight isn't over yet, is it? I'm his opponent."

"...???"

Qiao Ran's words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the onlookers.

"He wants to challenge? Is he crazy? That's the Garchomp belonging to Mengda's father!"

"The difference in strength is too great..."

"I remember Qiao Ran only had one Pokémon, right? Is he going to fight it himself?"

"Didn't his Vulpix faint?"

His words, defying common sense, drew all eyes in the arena to Qiao Ran. At this moment, Qiao Ran stood in the center, gently holding the fainted Vulpix and carefully returning her to her Poké Ball.

Don't worry, I'll avenge you.

Qiao Ran silently vowed, knowing that Vulpix might have heard him.

His gaze was resolute as he took another Poké Ball from his waist. It was a small, pink ball that looked quite cute.

"I—I want to challenge this Garchomp! I haven't given up yet!"

Section 5 005 [Mythical Pokémon]

"He's really going to challenge???"

"He's truly lost it! Lost it!"

Qiao Ran's previous statement could have been dismissed as auditory hallucination, but this time, his response

rang clearly in everyone's ears.