Urban Pokémon

Inside the villa—

Su Qingxue was in her room, on a video call with her mother.

On the screen, a stylish and elegant woman with the refined look of an urban elite smiled warmly. "Xiaoxue, how have you been these past few days?"

Su Qingxue answered with a smile, "I'm doing great, Mom. What about you?"

"Any progress with the Flying Eagle Gang situation?"

At the mention of the Flying Eagle Gang, Ye Qing rubbed her temples, visibly troubled.

"Not yet."

"They're digging in their heels this time. Looks like we'll have to settle this with strength."

If she had any other choice—

Ye Qing would've preferred a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Right now, the Azure Dragon Society really wasn't in any position for an all-out war.

Seeing the worry on her mother's face, Su Qingxue quickly decided to share the good news she had.

"Mom, I just found out something that could boost your Nidoqueen's strength by at least fifty percent."

"What?"

"Fifty percent?!"

Ye Qing's expression changed instantly.

Her Nidoqueen was already at the Elite Four level—boosting its strength by fifty percent wasn't just impressive; it was unthinkable.

"Absolutely!"

"I'm serious, Mom. Here's how it works…"

Su Qingxue then relayed Guo Yi's advice word for word, not leaving out a single detail.

"A [Life Orb] paired with the [Sheer Force] ability?"

"Xiaoxue, are you sure this information is reliable?"

Ye Qing's face grew more serious.

After all—

A [Life Orb] at the Elite Four tier, even if it wasn't the trendiest item these days, was still a high-end piece of equipment.

At minimum, it started in the millions.

The Azure Dragon Society could afford it… but it wasn't something to buy lightly.

Hearing her mother doubt her, Su Qingxue pouted slightly. "Mom, I promise—there's no problem at all!"

"This came directly from my teacher!"

That caught Ye Qing off guard.

She immediately fired off a barrage of questions.

"Your teacher?"

"You've taken on a mentor?"

"How could you make that kind of decision on your own?"

"Which prestigious academy did this 'teacher' graduate from? How strong are they?"

Only then did Su Qingxue realize she'd slipped.

"Relax, Mom. I tested the method myself—it works."

"As for my teacher… I'm not actually sure where he graduated from."

"But in terms of strength, I'd say he's at least Quasi-Elite Four level!"

Strictly speaking, her teacher hadn't personally subdued Nidoking—but that didn't change the fact that Nidoking was now his Pokémon.

So saying he was Quasi-Elite Four wasn't wrong… right?

She tried to justify it to herself.

But Ye Qing clearly wasn't impressed.

In her eyes, anyone who could call themselves her daughter's teacher should be Elite Four-level at the very least.

If not—

She might as well be the one doing the teaching.

"Mom, the signal here's not great. I'm gonna hang up now."

"Oh, and please trust me—this method I mentioned? It's rock solid."

Su Qingxue quickly spotted her mom gearing up for another lecture about her teacher and cut the call with a not-so-convincing excuse.

"This little brat..."

Ye Qing muttered as the screen went dark.

Once this Flying Eagle Gang mess is over, you better believe I'll deal with you properly.

Still—

Her thoughts turned back to the plan her daughter had shared.

[Life Orb]...

Hidden ability...

Alright, sweetheart. Just this once—Mom will trust you.

Thinking about how serious and grounded her daughter usually was, Ye Qing chose to believe her.

She quickly picked up her phone and made a call.

A few moments later—

A sultry, teasing voice came through on the other end.

"Well, well. My dearest Madam President—calling me this late? Don't tell me you've been lonely too long and want me to keep you company..."

Ye Qing had clearly anticipated this kind of nonsense and answered without missing a beat.

"Tang Rong, I need a [Life Orb]—Elite Four quality. Get me one ASAP."

The "Tang Rong" she mentioned wasn't just her best friend—she was also the head of the Azure Dragon Society's underground black market operations.

When Tang Rong heard the item Ye Qing wanted, her voice immediately sobered.

"An Elite Four-tier [Life Orb]?"

"President, are you seriously planning to go head-to-head with the Flying Eagle Gang?"

You couldn't blame her for thinking that.

Given the current tensions between the Azure Dragon Society and the Flying Eagle Gang, Ye Qing suddenly acquiring such a powerful item could only mean one thing.

Tang Rong quickly tried to talk her down.

"Ye Qing, don't be rash."

"If we lose the black market, so be it."

"With your strength—and mine—we can still keep Xiaoxue safe. No question."

"As for this 'Head of Operations' role—I quit."

Ye Qing felt a pang of warmth at her best friend's fierce loyalty.

In a place like Magic City, running a black market required more than just strength.

Multiple powerful factions had a hand in it.

The Azure Dragon Society didn't run it alone—they mainly provided security, and took a cut of the profits.

What the Flying Eagle Gang was fighting for was that share of income and control.

And for Tang Rong, a woman in a male-dominated world, to rise to the role of market head—

Her background had to be formidable.

Indeed, Tang Rong came from the Tang Family of Magic City.

But her position within the family was… complicated.

Which meant she couldn't provide much help in the Azure Dragon vs. Flying Eagle conflict.

And Ye Qing knew—

This market role was more than a job. It was her best friend's foothold, her leverage in the family.

So she chuckled softly and said, "Enough with the dramatics."

"If you lose that title, things won't go well for you in the Tang Family."

"Don't worry. I'm not trying to throw my life away."

"My daughter gave me a strategy—she says it'll completely negate the [Life Orb's] side effects."

She didn't hide the truth from her closest friend.

"Negate the side effects? Are you serious?"

Tang Rong's voice now held genuine disbelief.

If this were true, it would shake the foundations of competitive Pokémon training.

"Well, serious or not—there's only one way to find out."

Even Ye Qing couldn't say for certain without testing it.

"Alright then."

"Give me two days. I'll have that [Life Orb] delivered to you."

With that—

Tang Rong ended the call.

Ye Qing sat quietly, tapping her fingers against the desk, lost in thought.