Xia Huanao teased the girl, who blushed slightly. "Coach Xia, that's enough. You started fighting the moment I arrived, and now you're making fun of me?"
Xia Huanao pointed to the table. "Sit, sit, sit. We're eating. You should join us."
Xia Huanao led the girl to the table and joined everyone else who was already eating.
Someone asked, "Xia..."
"You can call me anything."
"Boss Xia, do you know Li Han's girlfriend?"
"Yes, she was a contestant in last year's Collegiate Pokémon Tournament. I was her coach, so we know each other a bit, but not well."
As he spoke, Xia Huanao looked at Cai Rou. "But speaking of which, your reaction was quick. I thought you'd be stunned for a while."
Cai Rou smiled. "Sister Zhishui and Sister Die taught me that the moment I see Coach Xia, I should reach for my Poké Ball. Otherwise, I'd be at a disadvantage."
Xia Huanao choked slightly. "What nonsense did those two teach you? Am I a battle fanatic? I just get excited when I see potential trainers."
The others continued eating, and the conversation flowed well. Eventually, they started talking about Cai Rou's Eevee.
"I say, what's the deal with that Eevee? It's so powerful, it can evolve continuously and into different forms."
Cai Rou swallowed her mouthful. "Coach Xia, would you like to guess? Sister Zhishui said you might be able to guess it."
Cai Rou's words drew everyone's attention to Xia Huanao. The person who had asked about Eevee said, "I think you should give it a try, Boss Xia! Let us witness your skills."
Xia Huanao put down his chopsticks. "Then I'll make a guess. Eevee's evolution is likely triggered by exposure to a relevant evolution stone, and it evolves under the influence of energy. The only explanation for Eevee being able to reverse its evolution is insufficient energy."
Xia Huanao said this while taking out two evolution stones and placing them on the table. "Evolution stones are all about the same size, so they contain roughly the same amount of energy. Therefore, my guess is that the bracelet Cai Rou is wearing stimulates the small evolution stone on Eevee to release energy, but due to insufficient energy, it can only evolve temporarily. Once the energy is depleted, it automatically reverts. To achieve Mega Evolution in this way, Mu Zhishui is quite capable."
Hearing Xia Huanao's words, everyone looked at Cai Rou again. Cai Rou smiled and nodded. "As expected of Coach Xia, your guess is spot on. Indeed, by achieving Mega Evolution in this manner, Little E can transform its form. However, due to certain reasons, we've only managed to balance three types so far. Each additional type requires immense computational power and extensive training."
After discussing this topic, Xia Huanao put down his chopsticks and cleared his throat. "Ahem, everyone here, you might not be aware, but this is a unit with a rather high level of secrecy. Although we are currently in a battle arena within the League building, we will be relocating to another place soon."
Upon hearing this, everyone put down their chopsticks. "Wait, they didn't say this before we came..."
"Nonsense. If we told you the truth beforehand, you wouldn't have come. By not telling you the truth, only a few of you remained. If I had told you the truth, I would have been all alone."
Xia Huanao glanced towards the conference room as he spoke. Inside the conference room, the individuals were looking enviously at Li Han's father.
"Old Li, I didn't expect this! Your son is amazing. His girlfriend is quite capable, to have learned so many moves from young Xia. But judging by their demeanor, it seems they're still keeping it from you?"
Old Li also felt helpless. "This brat. I've told him to bring his girlfriend to meet me when he has one. But alright, he has good taste, just like his father."
"By the way, why haven't Old Zhao and the others returned yet?"
"Those brats from Old Zhao's family are probably being dealt with. They might not be back until tonight after they've had their fill."
We won't concern ourselves with what's happening in the conference room. Let's focus on Xia Huanao's side. After giving a brief explanation of the specific mission, he looked at them with a playful expression. "I say, how many of you wish to withdraw after hearing this mission? Raise your hands."
A group of people looked at each other, but not a single one dared to make a move. Xia Huanao nodded. "What? It's still not too late to withdraw."
The guy who had asked about Eevee said, "If we withdraw now, we might not even be able to leave the building, right?"
Xia Huanao blinked. "Ah, Xia Pingdong, is it? We share the same surname. How about this, you will be the vice-captain of this team."
Xia Pingdong never expected to become a captain so easily, but seeing the expressions of those around the table, he immediately panicked. "No, this, that... I'm telling you all, even though I'm the vice-captain, the captain, Boss Xia, will still make the final decisions."
Xia Huanao quickly raised his hand. "Hey, hold on. Who told you I was going to be the captain?"
Everyone at the table: "Huh?"
This situation was getting more and more absurd. Xia Huanao appointed a vice-captain but didn't intend to be the captain himself. What was he planning?
Xia Huanao rested his chin on his hand. "I have two options. One is to directly appoint student Cai Rou as captain. The other is for all of you to have a one-on-one duel to choose a captain. What do you think?"
Cai Rou looked at Xia Huanao. "Why, why would I be the captain? I..."
Xia Huanao tapped his phone a couple of times. "Don't feel pressured. I've already spoken with your Sister Zhishui about borrowing you for a few days. You're just being transferred from one high-secrecy unit to another."
Li Han stammered, "Wait, are these things we're allowed to hear?"
Xia Huanao grinned at Li Han. "What do you think? You've already heard quite a bit that you shouldn't have. So, before these things can be spoken of, you understand."
After speaking, Xia Huanao asked, "Have you reached a decision? Your outcome will significantly impact your training this afternoon."
"Yes, yes, yes. We've decided to let Cai Rou be the captain."
"Don't think Cai Rou is easy to bully just because she's a girl. She was the vice-captain of last year's Pokémon League championship team. Dealing with you all would be a piece of cake for her."
"Coach Xia, please don't bring that up..."
Xia Huanao recounted Cai Rou's glorious past, and everyone looked at Li Han. "Li Han, you're something else! Not only is your girlfriend beautiful, but she's also so capable. I'm a bit envious... Ouch!"
Looking at the guy baring his teeth, it was clear his girlfriend sitting beside him had landed a solid blow. Xia Huanao clicked his tongue. "So, when you praise someone else's girlfriend, it's best to avoid having your own girlfriend nearby. Of course, it's best to be like me, even if your girlfriend isn't around, don't praise other people's girlfriends."
Xia Huanao said this while glancing at the dining table. "Alright, let's stop eating here. We'll take a short break and then begin training. Your training content this afternoon will be one-on-one battles. We need to see your skill levels."
Everyone was stunned. They thought that after appointing a captain, there wouldn't be any more battles, but they were wrong. Xia Huanao waved his hand. "Prepare yourselves. I'll go get some prizes ready. I've been scaring you all for half a day, so I should show some appreciation, right? Xia Pingdong, Cai Rou, you two come with me. We'll pick out some gifts for them."
Xia Huanao left with the captain and vice-captain, while the remaining group huddled together to discuss their strategy. "Did you see? Boss Xia glanced at the building just now. That means someone in this building is watching us. If we mess up during the battles later, it'll be trouble."
"What should we do then? Although we're all trainers, none of us have much battle experience. Li Han, did you learn anything from your girlfriend?"
Li Han shook his head. "No. Although Xiao Rou is very strong, I haven't learned anything from her."
Oh no, it's over.
At this very moment, Xia Huanao, inside the building, covered his forehead in frustration. "Damn it, this can't be right. Even if they were a bunch of useless second-generation rich kids, they shouldn't be this bad. They don't even know how to battle? How did you guys graduate? The more I listen, the more infuriated I get."
Xia Pingdong hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Uh, how should I put it? It's not that we have no experience, but none of us have passed the Intermediate Trainer examination yet."
Xia Huanao turned around. "Tell me, how much does the League charge for a permit? I'll see if I can buy one. Though I think I'm close to needing an Advanced, or even higher, level now. Will it be very expensive?"
Xia Pingdong quickly explained. "No, it's not like that. We didn't buy them with money. It's just that because of our identities, they were somewhat... you know..."
"Given some leeway, right? I knew it. Xia Pingdong, your strength is somewhat better than theirs, right?"
Xia Pingdong nodded unconfidently. "A little, but not much."
Xia Huanao stopped walking. "Fine, your explanation is exactly the same as theirs. It seems we'll have to step in. Cai Rou, besides Little E, do you have any other Pokémon with you? Ones that are at a lower stage of development?"
Cai Rou nodded. "Yes, I do have a few less powerful Pokémon with me."
Xia Huanao breathed a sigh of relief. "Can you act? First, accompany me to meet someone, and then help me put on a show."
Cai Rou glanced at Xia Huanao, then at Xia Pingdong. "Okay, I understand what you mean."