"Zhizhi, you did it!" Sapphire cried out in delight.
Quickly and bashfully, she pushed the boy off her and scrambled to her feet, running toward her Pokémon. If it weren't for the scorching heat radiating from the fire vortex, she would have lunged forward to pull the Blaziken into a tight hug.
"Charmo! (I think... I actually did it?)" Blaziken's previous desire to beat the Demon King into a pulp vanished, replaced by a surge of excitement as she examined her own state.
She felt more powerful than ever. If she faced Erika's Tsareena again, she was confident she could win with relative ease—after all, the type advantage was now backed by overwhelming raw power.
"This is amazing! This is incredible!" Sapphire's voice trembled with excitement. In her eyes, Zhizhi hadn't just gained a new power; the way she looked, shrouded in that swirling vortex of flame, was simply badass. This was a signature move unique to her. Once she showcased this on the national stage, she would undoubtedly stun the audience and become an overnight sensation.
"Alright, alright, don't get ahead of yourself. Just triggering it isn't enough. You need to be able to maintain this state during an actual battle. Only then can you say you've truly mastered it," Li Yuan said as he walked over, breaking the master-and-servant duo's celebratory moment.
"Charmo! (I want a practice match!)" Blaziken nodded in agreement. The conditions of a real battle were constantly shifting; if she couldn't maintain this high-pressure state under stress, it would be nothing more than a flashy, useless trick.
"By the way, Li Yuan—Xiao Li—I remember your starter was a Sprigatito, right?" Sapphire looked at her lover with newfound affection, her tone becoming remarkably soft. She had even started calling him "Xiao Li" (Little Li). "How is she doing now? It's been years; why don't we have a battle?"
Blaziken wanted to roll her eyes. Before they got here, Sapphire had nothing but disdain for the "Great Demon King," but now she was acting all lovey-dovey. It made Blaziken's jealousy flare up again.
And speaking of their kiss earlier... when they finally pulled apart, hadn't she seen a thin, glistening string of saliva connecting their lips?
Good lord, you two were practically devouring each other!
Blaziken's indignation wasn't going to vanish that easily. She was determined to vent her frustrations on the Demon King's Pokémon.
"Are you sure?" Li Yuan looked at Sapphire with a skeptical expression. It was the first time someone his age had the balls to challenge his starter.
"Why wouldn't I be? I haven't seen your Sprigatito in ages. She must have evolved into a Meowscarada by now, right?" Sapphire still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation.
She just remembered that she had always liked his Sprigatito; what girl doesn't love a cute kitten? Even during high school when she hated Li Yuan, she never held it against his Pokémon. After all, the Pokémon was innocent.
"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. My Huanhuan is a bit of a monster. Don't cry when you get wrecked," Li Yuan shrugged. If someone was begging for a beating, he didn't mind providing a lesson.
"Uh... then can't you just go easy on me?" Sapphire paused. Thinking about it, a Meowscarada raised by Li Yuan probably wasn't easy to deal with. If he could develop specialized abilities for other people's Pokémon, he surely had some "cheats" for his own. At the very least, his Meowscarada definitely possessed dual abilities.
A Meowscarada that could use Protean and a supercharged Overgrow (which Li Yuan called "Super Grass")... how terrifying would that be?
"I'm afraid that even if I go easy, you won't be able to hold your own," Li Yuan said helplessly.
"You... I don't know if I should call you arrogant or soft-hearted," Sapphire grumbled. So even if he held back, he'd still crush her? If anyone else said that, she'd think they were delusional. But coming from Li Yuan, it sounded disturbingly reasonable.
"So, do you still want to fight?" Li Yuan asked again.
"Why not? If a Trainer fears a challenge, they might as well quit and become a Breeder," Sapphire said firmly. She wasn't afraid of losing; Erika had already handed her a crushing defeat.
"Alright then. Huanhuan, come down here for a bit." Li Yuan didn't try to dissuade her further. He sent a mental command via Aura to the upper floor, where his Meowscarada was still taking her afternoon nap.
Receiving the message, Huanhuan lazily opened her eyes. She let out a soft, reluctant "Meow," as if protesting her man's intrusion into her sleep. But she couldn't ignore her Trainer—if she did, he might not let her into his bed tonight.
Resigned, Huanhuan stretched luxuriously on the bed, rolling around on the sheets that were heavily scented with her master's musk before finally dragging herself up.
Moments later, a Meowscarada stepped into the training hall. She moved with an elegant, feline grace, her body slender and perfectly proportioned—a "Golden Ratio" of Pokémon beauty.
The feline looked with some surprise at the girl standing next to her master, as if she hadn't expected to see her here. But her eyes were primarily fixed on Li Yuan. She gave Sapphire a single, haughty glance before ignoring her entirely.
Huanhuan walked straight to Li Yuan and lunged into his arms, wrapping her slender limbs around his neck. Without a word, she pressed her lips against his.
The human and the Pokémon proceeded to replicate the scene from the sofa earlier, but with even more primal intensity. Their tongues danced and tangled as they swapped spit in a wet, rhythmic exchange, right in front of the audience.
When they finally pulled apart, a long, thick string of glistening saliva stretched between their mouths, swaying in the air before snapping.
Sapphire and Blaziken stood frozen, their eyes wide and glassy. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They had heard rumors of people having "intimate" relationships with their Pokémon, but seeing it happen right in front of them was a completely different story.
If Li Yuan and Huanhuan were that kind of couple, then what was Sapphire? A newcomer? A side-piece? A home-wrecker?
Th... that shouldn't be the case, right? Sapphire thought frantically. Humans and Pokémon can't get married, and they definitely can't have kids. Li Yuan will still have to marry a human eventually.
"Meow? (What did you call me down for?)" Huanhuan asked after the kiss, her arms still draped possessively around her lover's neck.
"Well, Sapphire is here and wanted to see you. Plus, she wants to commission a battle between you and Zhizhi," Li Yuan said, stroking her head affectionately.
"Meow... (Fine. Since she used to give me cat treats in high school, I'll try not to hurt her too badly,)" Huanhuan said with total indifference, clearly not seeing the fire-shrouded "little chicken" as a threat.
"Huanhuan, long time no see," Sapphire managed to squeeze out a smile, greeting the Pokémon that now felt like a total stranger.
Back in high school, the Sprigatito had been a cute little thing that would jump into her lap and purr for treats. Now, the Meowscarada was a completely different beast. Her aura was cold and high-pitched, her eyes looked down on everyone with supreme arrogance, and there was no trace of the affection they once shared.
Instead, she radiated a sharp, feline jealousy—the look of a woman protecting her territory from a mistress.
Well fine, I guess I am the mistress. Sorry for stealing your man, Sapphire thought bitterly.