This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

[Level: 18]

[Attack: 1200 (1320)]

[Defense: 800 (880)]

[Warrior-Type, Description: Elemental Hero A Touch of Red, who manipulates flames. Red Lotus Flame and Burst Fire shall incinerate all evil.]

Alternating between cold and heat was actually even more unpleasant, but You Zhi's physique was beyond human. This much merely felt like taking a hot shower after winter swimming.

Splash!

Demon Lizard Yihao charged through the freezing current and pounced, pinning the Neon Stone Sprite beneath the water as a fierce underwater battle began. Amid dull thuds, waves occasionally splashed into the air.

Yuan Ying had originally followed a trainer's code and refrained from interfering, but You Zhi's earlier act of stepping forward had filled her with gratitude. She could not help asking, "Do you need help?"

"What kind of sense does it make to ask a competitor for help?" You Zhi laughed. "Don't worry. This battle is already won."

Fighting-types naturally held an elemental advantage against Ice-types. On top of that, Demon Lizard Yihao had successfully closed in and tangled with its opponent, allowing it to fight at full strength.

The Neon Stone Sprite's only advantage was the environment, but Demon Lizard Yihao was an amphibious reptile and was equally adept at underwater combat, greatly offsetting the Neon Stone Sprite's home-field advantage.

Sure enough, after fighting for a short while, a loud boom suddenly rang out. Along with a thick column of water, the Neon Stone Sprite was smashed out from the depths and crashed into the cave ceiling, her body covered in wounds.

You Zhi took out a Pokémon Card, pinched it between two fingers, and flung it with the stylish motion of a gambling god tossing a playing card. The card spun through the air and struck the Neon Stone Sprite precisely. A sealing force spread out, enveloping her entire body before forcibly pulling her into the card.

But it was not over yet.

The Pokémon Card trembled violently in midair as it slowly rotated. Only after completing three full rotations would the sealing succeed.

However, when the card reached its second rotation, it shook violently. Spiritual energy went into Rampage, and with a bang, it exploded in midair.

The Neon Stone Sprite broke free, but instead of fleeing, she plummeted toward You Zhi like a meteor. Whether she was still affected by Level Limit - Area A or intended to capture the leader first, no one knew.

There was no denying that ambushing the trainer was the correct choice. If You Zhi had been an ordinary person, even if he had not been seriously injured in one blow, he would have lacked the strength to continue pursuing and sealing her. He would only have immediately ordered his Pokémon to protect him.

Unfortunately, You Zhi was no ordinary person.

Yuan Ying was about to order Blazegirl forward to intercept when she saw You Zhi take a large step out and meet the attack head-on. He lowered his body, his right hand extending forward in an upright palm from beside his ear and between his brows. Using the ball of his foot as an axis, he kicked his right heel backward. The movement looked somewhat strange, and Yuan Ying felt as though she were watching a cat pounce on a butterfly.

This move was called Brush Knee and Twist Step, also known as "Cat Pouncing on Butterfly."

You Zhi sprang forward. His movements looked slow but were actually fast. The instant he touched the meteor-like Neon Stone Sprite, he dissolved all her momentum. One hand seized her skirt while the other smashed into her lower abdomen like a massive hammer, sending her crashing into the ground with a thunderous boom.

This move was Tai Chi's "Planting Hammer."

The Neon Stone Sprite staggered to her feet, still unable to shake off her dizziness, when You Zhi closed in and struck her chest and abdomen with Parry, Block, Punch, sending her flying into the air.

But he was not done. You Zhi stomped with one foot, using it as an axis as his body spun in a wide arc. After gathering force, his arm lashed fiercely across the Neon Stone Sprite's delicate little face. It was Throw Body Punch, the most ferocious of Tai Chi's Five Hammers.

As though struck by a wrecking ball demolishing a building, the Neon Stone Sprite flew straight back and slammed into the cave wall. Her upper body became embedded in it, leaving only her crystal-ringed calves kicking outside.

Yuan Ying stared dumbfounded. How was this guy fiercer than a Fighting-type Pokémon?!

Then she felt a little heartache. He had really been able to strike her that hard.

You Zhi did not care what others thought. He took out another Pokémon Card and threw it, sealing her once again. This time, it went very smoothly. She barely resisted as the card steadily completed three rotations and successfully sealed her. A petite ice-sculpture girl immediately appeared on the once-blank card face, though her eyes carried a trace of grievance.

Yuan Ying glanced at the card art and felt even more distressed. "She's such a cute child. You hit her way too hard."

You Zhi disagreed. "Don't be fooled by a Pokémon's appearance. Even a Pokémon that cute can still easily defeat ten of you. Judging people by appearance is wrong, and judging Pokémon by appearance is even more dangerous."

Yuan Ying protested, "I'm not that weak. I've trained martial arts since childhood. Even if I can't compare to you, it's not like ten of me couldn't beat that Pokémon."

You Zhi insisted, "You need to be wary of fierce-looking Pokémon. You need to be even more wary of cute-looking Pokémon."

"Since you dislike her so much, just give her to me."

"That won't do."

Commoners had no right to be picky, much less when this Pokémon possessed Ferocious Rank talent. Even if her looks were not to his taste, You Zhi had to hold his nose and accept it.

Seeing You Zhi's expression as though he were forcing himself to accept her made Yuan Ying even more displeased. A strong sourness welled up in her chest, and she gritted her teeth. "The next time we meet, let's have an Official Duel. I won't lose to you again then."

"Mm. It's a deal."

After capturing the Pokémon, there was nothing else to do. The two left Union Cave together. They had intended to say goodbye after exiting, only to discover that their next destination was both Azalea Town.

Thus, while marveling at the coincidence, they traveled together for another stretch before saying goodbye again upon arriving in Azalea Town.

This time, no further coincidence occurred. Otherwise, Yuan Ying would have begun suspecting that You Zhi had ulterior motives.

Once she was traveling alone again, she took a slip of paper with an address written on it from her pocket. After asking several passersby for directions, she finally found a detached house. She rang the doorbell and called into the house, "Is Uncle Steel here?"

"If you rang the doorbell, don't shout. Honestly, are young people these days really so impatient?"

A bald old man came out of the house grumbling and cursing. He froze when he saw Yuan Ying, then asked, "Could you be Yuan Xiong's daughter?"

Yuan Ying nodded. "I received the email you sent and immediately set out."

The bald old man opened the door and let Yuan Ying inside. He then took a square red handheld console from a safe and solemnly said, "Three months ago, your father told me that if he never returned, I was to give this to you. My legs are not very mobile, and I was worried it might get lost in the mail, so I could only ask my granddaughter to contact you by email."

Yuan Ying accepted the red handheld console. "May I ask how my father disappeared?"

"I don't know. He did not tell me, either. And I do not recommend that you investigate the truth, at least not yet. Wait until the day your strength surpasses your father's. It will not be too late to investigate then."

"I understand. Thank you for your advice."

Silent Sister

[Characteristic: When summoned, can refine 1 "Icejade" Spell Card. When Icejade Aegirine becomes the target of another's effect, she can gain the power of another Water Attribute Pokémon owned by her trainer for a period of time. During this period, Icejade Aegirine can negate one instance of move damage or Spell Card damage.]

At the hotel, You Zhi opened the Pokédex to check the characteristics of the Pokémon he had just captured. He saw the above description, which bore a subtle connection to the effect explanation provided by the cheat.

"Does 'can refine 1 "Icejade" Spell Card' mean creating one from nothing, or do I need to already possess an 'Icejade' Spell Card?"

He rubbed his chin. Guessing blindly was worse than testing it, so he immediately drew out the Pokémon Card and summoned the Neon Stone Sprite.

The ice-sculpture girl saw him and immediately hid beneath the bed, trembling. Clearly, the experience of being violently beaten with three hammer strikes by her trainer before capture had left a deep impression on her.

You Zhi did not care much about his image in a Pokémon's heart. When he saw that the effect had not activated, he said regretfully, "Looks like it can't create one from nothing. I'll have to find a time to summon an Associated Card."

He glanced at the Neon Stone Sprite, whose pair of slender legs were sticking out and who could not even hide properly. He felt that, given her intelligence, she might not understand the principles he was explaining. So he summoned Silent Magician and said, "I'm heading out for a while. I'll leave this new member in your care."

The two Pokémon were about the same size, which could lower the Neon Stone Sprite's guard.

According to a theory he had read in some magazine in his previous life, the first step for an adult who wanted to earn a child's trust was to crouch down and make their eyes as level as possible.

He did not know whether the theory was correct, and even if it was, it might not apply to Pokémon. Still, it would not hurt to try. No matter how one looked at it, Silent Magician was far more reliable than a creepy uncle and a giant lizard.

After You Zhi left the room, Silent Magician looked at the Neon Stone Sprite curled up beneath the bed and poked her exposed little foot with her staff.

The Neon Stone Sprite jumped in fright, her toes curling tightly as she hurriedly shrank farther inside.

Seeing this, Silent Magician used Confusion to forcibly pull her out from beneath the bed.

"Boohoo..."

The Neon Stone Sprite floated in the air, flailing her limbs and struggling desperately. It took her quite a while to calm down. She looked around and found that the terrifying human was not in the room, which made her sigh in relief. Then, blowing on her brass flute, she asked, "Beep beep (Did that person leave)?"

Silent Magician nodded and slowly lowered her to the floor.

"Beep beep beep beep (Were you forcibly captured by him too)?"

"..."

Though there was no sound at all, the Neon Stone Sprite still received an answer. An incredulous expression appeared on her face. "Beep beep (That person couldn't possibly be that gentle)! Beep beep beep (You must have been tricked by him)!"

There was still no sound, but this time Silent Magician truly had not answered. She raised her staff and tapped the Neon Stone Sprite, producing a series of clinks to express her dissatisfaction.

The Neon Stone Sprite looked aggrieved. "Beep beep beep beep (Then tell me how you met him)."

"..."

That evening, when You Zhi returned to the hotel room carrying a pile of things, he found the two Pokémon lying side by side on the bed watching cartoons. Their limbs and little feet swayed back and forth, presenting a harmonious scene.

The moment she saw You Zhi, the Neon Stone Sprite reflexively sprang off the bed and quickly hid beside the cabinet.

You Zhi acted as though he had not seen her. He took a piece of parchment bearing a hexagram from one of the bags and spread it on the floor. Then, with practiced ease, he placed summoning materials at its six points.

After completing all preparations, he beckoned to Silent Magician. "Sit across from me."

With the Pokémon herself present, there was no need to use a Pokémon Card.

"Principles of all things between heaven and earth, the ends of life and death, the consequences of virtue and evil, the tales of gods and ghosts, the laws governing Pokémon—answer my summons!"

Once Silent Magician was seated, You Zhi chanted the summoning incantation. As the Summoning Stone shattered, spiritual power surged and the hexagram shone. A card slowly formed out of thin air.

The Neon Stone Sprite secretly poked her little head out from behind the cabinet to watch, her eyes full of curiosity.

Just as the Spell Card was about to finish forming, the spiritual power suddenly lost balance. The card shattered, turning into particles of spiritual energy that dispersed, frightening the Neon Stone Sprite into hiding again.

The start had gone poorly, but You Zhi did not take it to heart. Spell Card summoning failures were commonplace. A success rate as high as last time's was what had been abnormal.

However, the second summoning also failed.

The third attempt succeeded, but Silent Magician did not appear in the card art.

[Spirit-Accumulating Spell Card: Dark Energy Stone]

[Effect: Gain three Spirit Cores.]

There was no doubt that this Spell Card could provide Silent Magician with a decent enhancement, and it was only D-rank. But it was neither an exclusive card nor an Associated Card.

You Zhi vaguely formed a suspicion. Perhaps Silent Magician LV4 simply did not have an Associated Card. Although three summons alone were far too few to prove anything and made for an overly thin data sample, he had that feeling nonetheless.

After all, You Zhi had enjoyed good luck ever since coming to this world. Yet even someone as lucky as him had suffered three consecutive failures. From the perspective of luck studies, that was enough to draw a conclusion.

"Your turn. Come over."

You Zhi waved at the Neon Stone Sprite, who had been peeking all along. She immediately ducked back behind the cabinet, hiding her entire body behind the wardrobe.

Though her crystal skirt still showed, as long as she could not see him, then she was hidden.

"If you don't come over, I'll come to you."

Being cute did not mean You Zhi would spoil her.

"..."

In the end, Silent Magician stood up and pulled her over to sit in the spot where she had been sitting.

The Neon Stone Sprite knelt with her head lowered like a student who had made a mistake. Though she was still very afraid of You Zhi, she was no longer trembling as she had before. She even dared to secretly peek at him from the corner of her eye.

You Zhi did not pay attention to any of this. He placed a C-rank Summoning Stone in the middle of the hexagram and began the summoning ritual.

Before long, a Spell Card slowly formed. A faint light flickered over the Neon Stone Sprite's body as she resonated with it.

"Success."

You Zhi could not be bothered to use Cheat Appraisal, so he directly took out the Pokédex to inspect the Spell Card's effect.

[Spirit-Accumulating Spell Card: Icejade Erosion]

[Continuous Effect: Destroy one of your own "Icejade" Pokémon to negate one characteristic of an opponent's Pokémon or one Spell Card for a certain period of time. In addition, when a Water Attribute Pokémon on your field is driven away, it may be summoned back into the present world.]

Being driven away referred to methods other than destruction, such as banishment to another dimension.

You Zhi took the Spell Card and examined it carefully. The Neon Stone Sprite did not appear in the card art. Only other Icejade Pokémon could be seen, but occupying the central position was a man wielding two divine weapons of strange flame. One glance was enough to tell that he had come with ill intent.

"Spell Cards are reenactments of events. In other words, the Icejade Pokémon's homeland was once invaded."

The Neon Stone Sprite looked at the card art with a wistful expression, then seemed to want to speak but hesitated.

Noticing this, You Zhi tossed her the Spell Card. "Take your time looking at it."

The Neon Stone Sprite did not react. She merely stared at the card art, her gaze filled with both longing and sorrow.

First Gym Battle

After summoning the Neon Stone Sprite's exclusive Spell Card, You Zhi did not rush to challenge the Gym. Instead, he spent a day farming wild Pokémon in Union Cave and Ilex Forest, raising the Neon Stone Sprite to Level 14 while also building some rapport between them.

He did not expect them to become especially close. At the very least, she should not be so scared that she would not dare listen to her trainer's orders.

Once he confirmed that the preparations were more or less complete, You Zhi set off for Azalea Gym. Upon arriving at the entrance, he was stopped by the receptionist.

"Visitors go left. Trainers here to challenge the Gym, please show your reservation."

You Zhi skillfully opened the app on his phone and displayed it. "This is my reservation number."