The Outer Court Twin Stars-Bring on the Simps!

Froakie had only just arrived in an unfamiliar place.

It scanned its surroundings with wary eyes before finally fixing its gaze on Chi Hong.

Then it sensed the bond between them.

It slowly let down its guard.

But it kept its arms folded instead of shaking Chi Hong's hand. It merely gave a cool nod, like a sharp-eyed ninja.

"Quite the personality you've got. Charizard wasn't nearly this aloof when it was little."

Chi Hong withdrew his hand with a smile.

Seeing its new partner act so cool, Charizard copied Froakie's pose.

It folded its claws across its chest and looked down at Chi Hong.

It apparently refused to admit how clingy it had been as a child.

Chi Hong shook his head helplessly.

Charizard had been much cuter as a Charmander—sweet, gentle, and always ready for a hug.

Now it was like a hot-tempered teenager with a stubbornly proud streak.

"Come on. Time to eat."

Chi Hong pulled some Pokéblocks from his bag and shared them between Charizard and Froakie.

Charizard immediately began wolfing them down.

Froakie still hesitated, but the smell proved too tempting. It took one and ate it.

The moment it tasted the Pokéblock, its yellow eyes narrowed in pleasure.

"If I remember right, Froakie likes spicy food."

Chi Hong brought out a bowl of spicy Pokéblocks.

Froakie had been acting aloof, but at the sight of something delicious, it dug in with both webbed hands.

Chi Hong waited quietly until both Pokémon had eaten their fill, then said:

"Now that you're fed, we'll start looking for opponents tomorrow. Are you scared, Froakie?"

At the mention of a battle tomorrow, the flame on battle-loving Charizard's tail burned a little brighter.

Froakie wiped its mouth with the bubbles on its chest, closed its eyes, and nodded calmly, like a solitary ninja.

Then it silently turned its head away, refusing to face Chi Hong, but held out one webbed hand.

Chi Hong smiled and shook it.

"Looking forward to working with you, Froakie."

[Froakie's affection increased by 20 points. Current friendship: 60/100 (Friendly)]

During the classes that followed,

Zhou Yi no longer dared to physically punish her students, but she still treated them with the same sour expression and kept giving Chi Hong the kind of look that sized him up from head to toe.

Chi Hong ignored her. He skipped class almost every day to battle students from other years.

He sent Charizard out against the older students and had yet to lose.

Against Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters in his own year, he used Froakie to give it experience.

But Froakie had only just begun battling. It had only ten years of cultivation, and its teamwork with Chi Hong was still shaky, so they lost quite a few matches at first.

The defeats frustrated Froakie, but it never became afraid or thought of giving up.

If anything, it grew fiercer with every battle. Its appetite for a fight was no weaker than Charizard's.

Under that relentless pace, Froakie gained experience rapidly and successfully evolved into Frogadier.

Frogadier's growth gave Charizard a flicker of unease. It no longer dared to underestimate its blue partner and became even more eager to battle.

With both Pokémon pushing each other, Chi Hong's strength had been rising rapidly.

One evening,

Huo Yuhao's grilled fish was selling like hotcakes.

Charizard helped him grill the fish with the flame on its tail, occasionally scooping up a few to eat as it worked.

Chi Hong sat nearby, his eyes searching for a suitable target.

Before long, one appeared.

Jiang Nannan: "Hello. Could you sell me one of those grilled fish for a little less?"

Huo Yuhao: "Sorry, I'm broke too. I can't lower the price."

Suddenly, a Gold Soul Coin came flying over.

"Kid, sell Nannan the fish right now, or you'll regret it!"

Xu Sanshi, owner of a turtle martial soul, arrived and threatened Huo Yuhao with an overbearing air.

Jiang Nannan's expression turned cold.

"Xu, we're through. Please stay away from me."

Xu Sanshi's domineering manner instantly gave way to that of a docile puppy.

"Nannan, don't be angry. I'll make this kid sell it to you."

He turned back with his hard expression firmly in place.

Chi Hong's eyes lit up.

"Senior Xu, looking for trouble? Perfect. Let's have a proper battle."

Xu Sanshi's gaze sharpened as his attention shifted to Chi Hong and Charizard.

"So you're the freshman who's been challenging older students lately. You've got guts. Do you know who I am? Ask around and find out how the Outer Court Twin Stars earned their name!"

Chi Hong gripped his Poké Ball.

"The Outer Court Twin Stars are exactly who I want to fight. I hear one of you follows Jiang Nannan around, while the other follows Tang Ya. The two most pent-up guys in the Outer Court, right?"

Xu Sanshi's eyes widened. He immediately got defensive, protesting that he wasn't a simp and that this was true love.

Chi Hong couldn't be bothered to argue.

"Are we fighting or not? You wouldn't want to look like a coward in front of the girl you worship, would you?"

"You cocky brat! I won't even need my Xuanming Shield to beat that fire dragon of yours into a firebug!"

Xu Sanshi rolled up his sleeves.

Huo Yuhao made no attempt to stop the fight. He knew that if he tried to talk Chi Hong out of it, he would be the one getting beaten.

"Hold on, Chi Hong. Let me fight him. Yuhao is a Tang Sect disciple, after all."

Beibei appeared with a gentle smile.

Chi Hong turned to him.

"A Tang Sect disciple? Then why are you stepping up instead of your sect leader?"

Beibei paused. He hadn't expected that question.

"Aha, so you really are a simp. I can't stand simps. Come at me together, and I'll take you both down."

Chi Hong pressed his advantage.

Chances to fight two key figures at once were rare. He might as well get everything he could out of it.

Beibei refused.

"No, I have no reason to fight you. And I'm not a simp. I'm just..."

Xu Sanshi snapped:

"Beibei, are you even a man? He said all that, and you're still going to back down in front of Tang Ya?"

At the mention of Tang Ya, Beibei's brain seemed to short-circuit.

Somehow, he agreed to Chi Hong's challenge.

Like a male animal spreading his wings to court a mate, he was capable of anything once his hormones took over.

That settled it.

The three immediately headed to the Soul Battle Arena.

Plenty of students had heard the news. With the Outer Court Twin Stars involved, along with Chi Hong and the reputation he had recently gained,

the spectator stands were nearly packed.

"Thank goodness he finally picked a fight with the Outer Court Twin Stars! They need to teach him some respect for his seniors!"

In the arena,

Xu Sanshi and Beibei stood together, with Chi Hong opposite them.

"Junior, are you sure you want to fight us both? A battle between Soul Masters isn't a game. We won't hold back."

Chi Hong didn't seem concerned. If anything, he looked excited.

"That's fine. I'll use two soul beasts too."

He threw out two Poké Balls.

"Come out, Charizard! Frogadier!"