Chapter 132: The Demon King Appears
[System Notification: 'Pure White Kirlia & Soft Mawile' has joined the group chat]
The members of the school team chat were confused for a second. Who the hell is this?
But the moment they saw the words "Pure White Kirlia," a specific monster's name flashed in their minds.
Hu Wenjun (Ariados): "The Demon King is here!"
Shi Fan (Frogadier): "What kind of ID is that?"
Tang Ming (Quilava): "That must be his second Pokémon, right?"
Xue Yi: "Are you going to add a new line to your ID every time you catch a Pokémon?"
Lorze: "I can't just ignore one of my partners, can I?"
Xue Yi: "For your information, there's a character limit on IDs."
Lorze: "Whatever. I'll find a way to hack it later."
Teacher Liu: "Alright. You five are the official starters. The subs will be chosen based on how you fit together. When do you want to meet for a collective training session?"
Hu Wenjun: "I'm free anytime. Where are we meeting? The school?"
Lorze: "Too much trouble. Come to my research institute. I'll send the address."
Shi Fan: "Your research institute? What do you mean?"
Lorze: "Literally what I said."
Shi Fan: "You're a Researcher too?"
Lorze: "Is there a problem?"
Shi Fan: "..."
There's a massive fucking problem!
Aren't you the same age as us?
How are you a legitimate researcher?
You were doing high-level science while training your Pokémon well enough to stomp us into the dirt???!
I SWEAR TO GOD...
Hu Wenjun: "AH!"
Hu Wenjun: "I just realized... is 'Researcher Lorze' (黎大大) actually YOU? [Shocked]"
Both named Lorze. Partners with a Ralts. Local to the Snowhide Corporation. The math adds up perfectly!
Tang Ming: "Researcher Lorze... the one who discovered Espeon? [Shocked]"
Shi Fan: "So that's why Xue Yi's Eevee hasn't evolved yet? She's waiting for the Umbreon reveal? [Shocked]"
A triple-shot of shock hit the chat.
Who would have guessed?
Their classmate was the "Mysterious Genius" and was apparently working in a duo with the "Xue Family Heiress." They were hiding it deep!
No wonder people think they're having an affair. They're literally 'partners' in every sense!
Well, at least I can keep fantasizing that they aren't 'dating' if it's just for work...
Xue Yi: "Since you've guessed it, I won't deny it. But keep it quiet. Don't spread the word about Lorze's identity."
Hu Wenjun: "Y-yes, Young Miss! Understood!"
Xue Yi: "..."
Xue Yi: "Unnecessary."
Lorze: "Alright. Address sent. Meet here this afternoon. To reach the level needed to crush Shanghai University High, I'm going to train you hard. Be ready."
Shi Fan: "Shanghai University High? Are you serious?"
Lorze: "Follow me and don't be a pussy."
Shi Fan: "I'm no pussy!"
Lorze: "Then get over here. I have some 'goodies' for you."
Lorze dropped a final mysterious hint and tossed his phone aside, returning to his beloved teacher for some more "quality time."
Ah~, such a succulent body. Desecrating a teacher is such a divine delicacy~.
Teacher Liu: "???"
Her face went dark.
Didn't you just tell them to hurry up and meet?
Why aren't you getting out of bed? What do you mean by 'playing' with me right now?
One last round! If you aren't out the door after that, Teacher is going to be truly angry!
As a result, Lorze was a full hour late. He arrived with Anna Lee and the Teacher/Daughter duo trailing behind him.
Luckily, Xue Yi had a key to the lab; otherwise, the teammates would have been left standing at the gate like idiots.
Xue Yi looked at Lorze appearing with the Liu women and her eyes narrowed with resentment. He had clearly "struck" the teacher's pair too.
But as a veteran of the group-sex sessions, Xue Yi had lost her right to judge. She just chose to look the other way.
"You're incredibly late," Shi Fan said, looking at Lorze with annoyance. You told US to hurry!
Where the hell were you?
"I was busy preparing your 'goodies'," Lorze shrugged, using a shameless excuse.
"What goodies?" Hu Wenjun noticed that the teacher, Liu Yun, and a stunning blonde woman (Anna) were all carrying heavy bags. She hurried over to help.
"Something to boost Pokémon growth. I just finished the prototype; it hasn't been released to the public yet. You guys are in luck." Lorze signaled his wives to distribute the Pokéblocks.
Shi Fan and the others looked at the little cubes with suspicion. These look like normal treats. Are they actually useful?
Meanwhile, the boys' attention was focused entirely on Anna Lee. Her looks were on par with Xue Yi's; the teenage boys were instantly captivated, wondering about her relationship with Lorze.
They could understand the teacher and Liu Yun being there—they were school staff. But this mixed-race beauty?
Lorze had his cover story ready. He wasn't about to announce his harem to the world. "She's my research assistant. Every researcher needs one, right?"
It was a logical explanation. Besides, without Anna, the machine wouldn't exist.
The teammates accepted the answer, but then they noticed their Pokémon. The creatures were staring at the Pokéblocks, drooling as if they were in a trance.
Is the allure that strong?
Did he put Pokémon-nip in there?!
Despite their skepticism, they fed the blocks to their partners.
"Lorze, you said you were going to train us. What's your unique program?" Shi Fan asked.
Even though Lorze had crushed him, Shi Fan still had his pride. Having a classmate "train" him felt like a blow to his ego.
"My plan is simple... Cuddling." Lorze said with a straight face.
"Huh?" Shi Fan froze, thinking he had misheard.
"Don't give me that look. Humans can understand their partners' speech—that proves a spiritual link exists. Only by deepening that physical and emotional bond can you reach the next stage of 'Battle Bond'."
Lorze summoned Kirlia and Mawile, holding one in each arm to demonstrate.
"Are you serious?" Shi Fan was unconvinced. This sounded like hippie nonsense. Training through hugging?
Lorze and his Pokémon looked harmonious, yes, but his partners were humanoid and female! Of course it looked good!
Shi Fan looked at his Frogadier. It was a frog. A male frog.
He liked his partner as a "brother," but... Physical cuddling?
You try hugging a giant, slimy frog and tell me how it goes.
Tang Ming and Hu Wenjun, however, were surprisingly open to the idea, even though their partners were a mouse and a giant spider respectively.
How the hell do you hug a spider?!
"Xue Yi, what do you think?" Shi Fan turned to her, hoping she'd call out the insanity.
"He discovered Espeon through this phenomenon. What do you think?" Xue Yi said calmly.
"Uh... so the secret to Espeon is... hugging?"
"Sort of. If you want to be a freak like him, you should listen. The emotional link is the ultimate power ceiling."
"Fine... if YOU say so..." Shi Fan looked at his giant frog. He gritted his teeth and... cuddled.