You are not allowed to date a trainer.

Chapter 20: Unexpected Gym Battle
"Which is easier..."

Qin Zhen was silent for a moment, then finally asked, "So, Teacher Chi values ​​my ability to hear the spirits' thoughts?"

"Your ability has its own name," Chi Songya smiled. "Superpower, a miraculous power born from the spiritual world."

"superpower?"

"Yes, a psychic-type superpower." Chi Songya said slowly, "It's a truly versatile ability. It can move objects, read minds, transform, interfere with minds, travel through space, predict the future, and conduct large-scale reconnaissance... Your ability to communicate with spirits is a branch of it."

"Teacher Chi, I have a question." Qin Zhen raised his hand. "Are you so sure I have superpowers? Although I can hear the thoughts of spirits, that's limited to my Vine Snake. What if I'm actually..."

"Put your hands down, Qin Zhen," Chi Songya interrupted. "There are no ifs and buts. The power that's sprouting and growing within you is absolutely a superpower. As for why you can only read the mind of one elf right now, it's because your ability hasn't fully awakened yet."

"Teacher Chi, why are you so sure?"

"Can you guess why my Mosquito Repellent Swimmer is the one bringing the chairs and tea?" Auntie let out a sly smile. "He often represents me in battles against the Qingcheng Pavilion Master's Gardevoir. To counter that Gardevoir's elusive teleportation, he's incredibly familiar with the fluctuations of psychic powers."

Qin Zhen was stunned, and suddenly recalled the gaze in front of the main lecture hall.

So the mosquito-repellent swimmer was trying to determine whether he had superpowers?
"Headmaster, I have a question too." Senior Brother Mengjiang interrupted, "Although you praise psychics to the skies, it seems that psychic-type elves can also do the things you mentioned."

"You're right. There's no fundamental difference between the abilities of psychics and psychic-type elves." The aunt nodded. "So until modern times, psychics, while rare, were rarely noticed. People's view of them was limited to 'speaking future observation machines,' with titles like astrologers or prophets."

"For example, in Donghuang, the two most famous psychics are Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang. They lived in the Tang Dynasty 1,300 years ago and served in the Li royal family. They were two generations of psychic kings. They specialized in the branch of psychic abilities known as 'predicting the future'. The famous prophecy book 'The Book of Prophecies' is their masterpiece."

Hell, Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang are actually Psychic-type trainers, and even Kings at that. So what about Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen, who were equally famous in history? A Flying-type King who borrowed the east wind, and a Fairy-type King who slew dragons?
Qin Zhen complained silently in his heart.

"But with the advancement of elves' strength and the rise of modern elf dueling, the role of esper users has gradually been developed."

"Synesthesia. Psychics can communicate with their own spirits, linking their consciousnesses with their powers to achieve completely zero-delay command. If a powerful spirit is a supersonic fighter, then the psychic is the pilot sitting in the cockpit."

"They observe the battlefield from a first-person perspective and command battles entirely on instinct. They don't need to perform massive calculations to simulate battlefield conditions like ordinary trainers do. Therefore, the higher the level of Pokémon Duel, the greater the advantage of Psychics."

"And this is exactly why I'm attracted to you, Qin Zhen." Chi Songya looked at Qin Zhen, her tone gentle and kind. "You possess enviable talent, a ticket straight to the championship and the king of the world."

She suddenly stood up, waved to the two of them, and walked out of the lecture hall.

The two looked at each other, then quickly stood up and followed. Qin Zhen took the opportunity to glance at the aunt's feet and noticed that she had changed her shoes back to the wrong shoes at some point.

The three of them strolled in this quiet thousand-year-old academy. Qin Zhen looked at the building, his eyes moving from the green tiles and white walls to the lush green grass in the cracks of the stone slabs, and then from the crooked mosquito coil tadpole footprints by the pond to the lush and green camphor trees above his head that were never exposed to the sun. He felt that everything in front of him had a faint ancient charm, and there was a kind of beauty that was far away from the world when he looked up and down.

"Do you like it here?" the aunt suddenly asked.

Qin Zhen nodded. "It looks great."

"So you want to stay? Qin Zhen, stay. You will be my first disciple. I will teach you to the best of my ability." The female headmaster spoke earnestly. "When you graduate, the position of headmaster of Yuelu Academy will be yours, and this academy will be your home."

"That sounds great." Qin Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. "Then Teacher Chi, what do I need to do to repay your efforts?" "Hmm..." The aunt blinked. "Study hard and make progress every day?"

Qin Zhen was speechless. "Teacher Chi, I'm serious."

"I'm serious too," Chi Songya smiled. "Honestly, as a trainer, I'm just a beautiful piece of stone. I've meticulously sculpted it day and night hoping to one day ascend to the ranks of the elite. However, due to my lack of talent, I've never been able to achieve my dream, and can only remain in my hometown as a gym leader."

"But you are different, Qin Zhen. You are a true unpolished gem, so I hope you can join the Yuelu Dojo, inherit my command philosophy and training skills, and go see the vast sky that belongs to the king and champion for me."

"Of course, if Qin Zhen really wants to help me, then come to the academy and guard the three gates for me."

"Teacher Chi, what does guarding the three gates mean?"

"Generally speaking, a trainer needs to defeat three apprentices assigned by the gym in a row to be qualified to meet the gym leader and challenge him. These three apprentices are the gatekeepers of the gym."

The fierce general brother beside him said in a tone of reading from a script:

"Depending on the number of badges the challenger holds, the gym will also send out three-person teams of varying strengths. There are eight badges, eight levels, for a total of twenty-four people, hence the name Twenty-Four Heavens Gate."

Qin Zhen said "Oh" and remembered those annoying minions when he challenged the gym leader in the game, and couldn't help frowning.

"That sounds like a real hassle."

"Junior brother, don't be so rigid." Hearing this, Senior Brother Mengjiang chuckled. "Actually, there's a loophole in this rule. The reward for defeating the trio is 'meeting the gym leader,' not 'challenging the gym leader.' In other words, as long as you can meet the gym leader, you don't have to challenge the three levels."

Qin Zhen's footsteps suddenly stopped.

"Teacher Chi, is this okay?"

"Of course, the purpose of the Gatekeepers is to test whether a trainer has what it takes to challenge a gym. If you can pass three levels in a row and face the gym leader directly, that's your skill. If you can skip three levels and meet the gym leader directly, that's also your skill."

"..."

"So, Qin Zhen, regarding joining the Yuelu Gym..."

Chi Songya turned around, only to find Qin Zhen standing there motionless, staring at her face with a frighteningly hot look in his eyes.

The young aunt was suddenly stunned because she understood Qin Zhen's eyes at this moment.

After a moment, the owner of Yuelu Pavilion smiled faintly. She tucked her hair behind her ears, closed her eyes, and opened them again. A sharp light like a sword gradually lit up in her gentle and hazy eyes.

"I thought I had found Yan Hui, but now it seems I found Jing Ke."

　Sorry, I'm out today. I'm writing another chapter and will update it later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)