The Haze did not last long.
Before long, the pitch-black, viscous smoke had completely dispersed.
Muk, reduced to a puddle of sludge and unconscious on the ground, and Arbok, coiled into a ball with an unconcerned expression, appeared before everyone.
The referee promptly blew the whistle.
"Muk is unable to battle. Arbok wins. Examinee Wade has only one Pokémon remaining."
This time, the five examiners could no longer maintain their aloof expressions and began whispering among themselves.
The pretty woman seated beside Yujian leaned closer with a smile and quietly asked, "I heard he's your disciple?"
Heiduo's master-disciple relationship with Yujian was common knowledge among Goldenrod City's upper circles. Even back when Heiduo had studied Imperial-Style Swordsmanship under Yujian, someone had investigated him, though they had found nothing.
"What do you mean, you heard? Of course he's my disciple. What do you think? Impressive, right?" Yujian had never been stingy with his praise for Heiduo in public. He leaned back, and the smile on his handsome face was almost dazzling.
The pretty woman beside him was momentarily entranced by Yujian's smile, but quickly came to her senses. She coughed awkwardly and said, "He really is impressive. No wonder the media has been hounding him lately. He's probably been a Trainer for ten years, right?"
Heiduo was seventeen this year and had begun raising Pokémon at seven. That was not unusual in this world.
After all, Ruby—the freak who had driven off Salamence with three starter Pokémon at the age of six—had set a precedent.
That eight-year-old boy was also a celebrity in Goldenrod City. Of course, he was famous not only because of his talent as a Trainer, but more importantly because of his formidable father.
"More or less." Yujian answered vaguely, not telling the pretty woman that Heiduo had