Guiding Huo Yuhao, Training Pokémon

On the Soul Arena, a brilliant light of evolution flashed.

Froakie's body grew larger. The foam on his chest vanished, his skin deepened to a darker blue, and a pink "scarf" wrapped around his neck.

He had successfully evolved into Greninja, looking even more like a calm, seasoned ninja.

Chi Hong, the victor, smiled brightly and stepped forward.

"Are you two seniors all right? I know you underestimated me and didn't use your full strength today. Let's have another match sometime."

Charizard tossed Xu Sanshi aside.

Xu Sanshi's head was still buzzing, but he heard Chi Hong.

To him, those well-meaning words sounded like nothing but the winner showing off.

"You bastard! You used such a dirty sneak attack. If I'd managed to use my Millennium Soul Skill, you'd never have broken through my Xuanming Shield."

"Right, right. Just don't run away when I challenge you next time."

Chi Hong spoke with a smile.

In truth, at his current level, Charizard and Greninja had no elemental advantage against them.

If both opponents had used their third soul skills, he might not have won.

He knew those two inside out, so he had seized the initiative and exploited his information advantage to stop them from showing their full strength, then quickly brought them down.

But that was only true for now.

Froakie had evolved into Greninja, surpassing the thousand-year mark.

Charizard had also reached the strength of a three-thousand-year Soul Beast.

Next time, he could face them without fear.

Unfortunately, the first battle always yielded the most experience. Unless both of them became Soul Ancestors, he would gain far less from fighting them again.

Still, Chi Hong found something hard to understand.

Beibei had joined Shrek Academy at thirteen as a Soul Elder. Why had four years of cultivation not brought him to Soul Ancestor?

Had he really put all his attention on Tang Ya?

Speak of Tang Ya, and she appeared.

She hurried forward to support Beibei, her eyes full of worry.

"Beibei, are you all right?"

Despite having two broken ribs, Beibei forced a smile.

"I'm fine, Xiaoya. I underestimated him this time. I definitely won't lose next time."

Looking at Xiaoya as she supported him, Beibei suddenly felt that being badly injured by Chi Hong might not be such a bad thing after all.

"Beibei, you lucky bastard. Nannan, when will you show some concern for me when I'm hurt?"

Xu Sanshi wept tears of envy.

Chi Hong sighed.

This continent of romance really is terrifying. Those two have nothing but women on their minds.

Not a shred of a warrior's spirit.

I'd better keep my distance from those women.

Only Pokémon are my most important partners.

With that thought, Chi Hong turned to Huo Yuhao.

"See that? If you want to avenge your mother, you can't let love trap you. Otherwise, you'll forget all about revenge for a woman and end up a slave to your emotions."

Chi Hong remembered reading the original story in his previous life. Huo Yuhao had been so intent on finding Tang Wutong that he had abandoned his revenge for his mother's death.

He had not only forgiven the man responsible, but also helped his biological father ascend to the Divine Realm and gain eternal life. He had even changed his surname. Who could stomach that?

Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. His first thought was how Chi Hong knew about his past.

Only then did he consider Chi Hong's words. Seeing the two stars lost in dreamy thoughts of women, he nodded in deep agreement.

"He's right, Yuhao. That guy knows a thing or two. He's talented, too, and unusual. Even I, a Million-Year Soul Beast, have never seen Soul Beasts like those two of his. They can increase their age through battle, too. If they can keep doing that without limit, that's an extraordinary gift in the Soul Beast world! At least until they face a heavenly tribulation, they won't hit any bottlenecks!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke within Huo Yuhao's spiritual world.

Huo Yuhao nodded earnestly. Brother Chi Hong really is amazing. I'll follow him and learn everything I can!

Tian Meng's mouth twitched.

"You brat, you're a man who's going to become a God! And I'm a Million-Year Soul Beast. Who knows how many years it'll take those two to catch up to me? The one thing that guy got right is not letting women lead you astray. Be like me—devoted to the beautiful Bing'er for life!"

Tian Meng began wriggling and covering his face.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's distracted expression, Chi Hong guessed he was probably communicating with Tian Meng in his mind.

It was a pity he had not found Tian Meng earlier. Otherwise, he could have tried catching him with the Advanced Poké Ball from his second Martial Soul.

After the battle ended,

Chi Hong's name spread throughout the outer court. Everyone heard that a freshman had defeated its two strongest stars.

Most found it hard to believe. Beibei and Xu Sanshi were both exceptionally talented and almost certain to become two of the Seven Monsters.

Word also reached Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department.

In the dean's office,

Yan Shaozhe leafed through Chi Hong's file, his eyes occasionally flashing with interest.

"Twelve years old, from Pallet Town, with a Martial Soul that summons unusual Soul Beasts. They can even grow stronger through battle. Interesting. I've never seen a Martial Soul like this. I look forward to seeing how you perform in the Freshman Assessment."

Elsewhere,

Chi Hong studied Greninja's abilities in the Dormitory.

After evolving, Greninja had gained the Dark type, along with a wider range of moves.

His abilities leaned toward stealth and speed, much like Charizard's.

As things stood, Chi Hong had a weakness in physical combat. He needed to find a way to make up for it.

Over the next few days,

Chi Hong often had Greninja and Charizard spar to build their coordination and sharpen their skills.

In the future, he would often face battles where both Pokémon had to fight together.

But as a Water type and a Fire type, they might hamper their combined strength if they could not work well together.

At first, Charizard could still suppress Greninja with ease. As time passed, though, Greninja's type advantage began to show.

Charizard gradually found the fights harder.

Against Greninja's swift Water Shuriken and sudden ambushes,

Charizard could only fly into the sky and use his aerial advantage to keep the fight going.

Their battles often ended in a standoff, with neither able to defeat the other.

Unless Charizard learned Water Absorb, he would have a hard time beating Greninja.

One day,

the two Pokémon held their usual sparring match on Sea God Lake.

Chi Hong watched and directed them from the shore.

Charizard hovered high above, sending one Air Cutter after another at his opponent below.

Greninja raced across the water, his form flickering in and out of sight as he dodged every blade of air.

After dodging, Greninja turned and gathered the surrounding water into Water Shuriken for a counterattack.

Chi Hong rubbed his chin. "Strange. Why are Greninja's Water-type attacks about twenty percent stronger on Sea God Lake than anywhere else? Is there something special about this water?"

Chi Hong had just taken off his hat and coat, ready to jump into Sea God Lake and investigate for himself, when

a kindly voice sounded behind him.

"Child, swimming isn't allowed in Sea God Lake."

Caught in the act, Chi Hong did not feel embarrassed. He turned around.

An elderly man in a wheelchair was slowly approaching.

Chi Hong immediately recognized the old dormitory supervisor: Mu En, Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion.