A sharp electronic chime cut through the peaceful afternoon in the training hall.
Lin Shou was sprawled in a bamboo rocking chair under the dappled shade of the old locust tree in the courtyard, the sunlight filtering through the leaves painting mottled patterns on his light gray tracksuit.
With a lazy motion, he fished out his phone. The blue glow of the screen lit his face as he squinted at the message.
[Your application for promotion to D-rank Training Hall has been approved. An investigator will visit you in one day. Please be prepared.]
"You've got to be kidding me," Lin Shou blurted, springing from the chair so abruptly that the bamboo legs screeched across the flagstones.
He immediately suspected Zhou Ze. It reeked of a prank — probably revenge for that last sparring match.
He dashed to the service desk, fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. The light-blue text of the "Promotion Assessment Guidelines" appeared before him.
"Fixed assets… venue area… number of members… community contribution…"
After a few minutes of scanning, he realized these were only the preliminary review materials. The final step was an on-site evaluation by an investigator.
The problem? He hadn't submitted anything — so why was someone already coming for the last stage?
Flipping straight to the investigator section, his eyes narrowed. "To go from D-rank to C-rank… battle three matches against the investigator's Normal-type Pokémon and then give reasonable improvement suggestions?"
He exhaled in relief. That was it?
Normal-types around level 15 were no threat to him now. As for the suggestions — well, his system's scanning function could expose every flaw in their training setup. Easy win.
With the pressure gone, his eyes drifted to the takeaway lunch on the counter. He'd better deliver it to Latina downstairs.
And while he was at it, check on that ridiculous electricity bill problem.
——
In the basement, the rapid-fire clack of keys echoed. Latina's hands moved so fast over the keyboard they were little more than a blur, her focus absolute.
Lin Shou didn't dare disturb her — until the typing stopped. That was his chance. He stepped forward, plastic bag in hand.
"Eat something first. Any leads?"
Latina pulled out a steak from the bag and spoke around her first bite. "Boss, I've checked all the protective grid systems. No suspicious activity. We're moving to deeper scans now."
That jogged Lin Shou's memory. "Didn't you rewire the training hall's power system when we built the virtual battle arena? Shouldn't we have our own electricity?"
She didn't even look up. "The flock of electric petrels migrated south. Can't find cheap labor to replace them right now."
The casual tone made the statement even more outrageous. Lin Shou decided to pretend he hadn't heard it. "Right… Well, I'll leave you to it. I'm going to check on Miltank."
"Don't worry, boss!" she called after him, greasy fingers already flying over the keyboard again. "Give me a few more hours — I have nine ways to catch this thief!"
Lin Shou shook his head. Capturing Electric-type birds to power the building… Sometimes he worried he'd end up running something as shady as Team Rocket if he kept letting this slide.
Just in case, he hung a plaque in the hall's most visible spot: I am a sworn enemy of Team Rocket. Maybe it would keep him on the straight and narrow.
——
Training was going well. Tanjiro's Miltank was hard at work practicing Zen Headbutt, and from the look of things, she'd master it soon.
Wait… Zen Headbutt?
Lin Shou checked the system panel again. Sure enough — Miltank was still at the same level, yet already learning a Psychic-type move ahead of schedule. That… was not normal.
Tanjiro stopped the drill and walked over. "Master, something wrong?"
Lin Shou glanced at the list of unusual moves Blaziken had picked up under his guidance. "Can you switch freely now between Red Lotus Armor Knight form and Blue Flame Blade Ghost form?"
With a flash of white light, Blaziken's form shifted into a tall, purple, humanoid Pokémon — roughly Lin Shou's own height — her "Blue Flame Blade Ghost" guise.
The last battle had reminded him: if she kept using skills she shouldn't logically have, it would draw suspicion. Time to plan a cover story.
"There's a long-term acting job that needs your help," Lin Shou said, crouching so they were eye level. He knew that phrasing would pique her interest.
Blaziken's eyes lit up. "What is it?"
"We're going to fake a Bond Evolution," Lin Shou said. "You'll evolve and revert whenever we need."
He described the idea — loosely based on Ash and Greninja's bond phenomenon from the anime. It was flashy, mysterious, and sure to impress anyone who saw it.
Her excitement was instant. In a flicker, she returned to her original Blaziken form, then touched Lin Shou's arm — and immediately transformed back into the Blue Flame Blade Ghost.
Lin Shou rubbed his chin. "Hmm… doesn't really look like a connection between us. Try using your psychic powers to surround us both."
She nodded, shifting back to her shorter form. Two orbs of violet energy appeared — one wrapping around Lin Shou, the other around herself.
He took a few casual steps inside the glow, then gave his critique. "Bit too much light pollution. Dim it down, and add strands of light linking us together. More… threads of energy."
Her eyes shone with excitement. She could already see how much more dramatic it would look in battle.