You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 336 You mean... I need to intensify the championship assessment?
Faced with Xin Li's sudden invitation to temporarily take over as the manager of the Champion's Road Gym, Qingyu felt a surge of emotions—

Less than half a year ago, he was just a Lung Mist Pavilion Master. How come he has already achieved two leaps and is about to become a Heavenly King?

Although it is only a temporary position, for the Padiya region, which has been short of Heavenly King positions for a long time, this invitation is basically equivalent to the approval of Chairman Ye Ci.

However, being the King of Padiya might not be such a pleasant job...

Thinking of this, Qingyu's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated.

As everyone knows, President Yeci is a tyrant. While managing all the affairs of the alliance, he also squeezes out all his own energy.

As the Elite Four below the champion, although there was no explicit requirement, they were clearly much busier than the gym leaders and other league members.

For example, Aoki, who guards the entrance to the Zero District and holds the positions of both Elite Four member and Gym Leader, is so skilled that it's no surprise that he can learn the "hard-to-hold" technique.
As for the other two, Xinli and Bashuo, they certainly don't seem to be in as bad shape as Aoki, but their workload is definitely not small either.

In any case, they are definitely far superior to me, the dojo master.

and so……

Qingyu, who had grown accustomed to the peaceful life at the dojo, hesitated for a moment upon receiving the league's invitation.

After all, Aoki already set a precedent for the King of the World and the Gym Leader, so it seems like they're destined to die from overwork!
His gaze unconsciously drifted to the little one behind Xin Li.

According to the game's storyline, the one who should have become the new Elite Four member was actually this eight-year-old Pidgey, who hadn't even reached the starting line of the human Pokémon world's "evolution at age 10".

President Ye Ci couldn't expect too much from a child or give her too much work to do, so rather than calling her a proper Heavenly King, she was more like the Alliance's mascot.

Question: Is there no one left in the Padilla region? Why would the game require a 9-year-old child who hasn't even reached the age to enroll in Orange Academy as the Steel-type Elite Four member?

Padiya is indeed short of people, but it is far from that level. At least a few gym leaders would definitely have the strength of an Elite Four member if they got serious.

As for why no one else was willing to go in the end, Ci could only choose Bo Pi, the "child laborer"...

Qingyu guessed that it was most likely because they didn't want to work overtime, so they decisively rejected Yeci's invitation from the beginning.

Just like the initial gym leader assessment, who would have thought that a newbie like me, after giving it my all, would actually take first place and skip directly to the eighth gym leader level?

Upon learning of this, the optimized Koza even carried the Tree of Life away overnight to travel to the Kalos region, seemingly never considering making any effort to retain the gym spot...

I can only say that I was too naive back then and didn't think about all the complexities involved.

City people are so cunning!
Now that he has a better option, is life finally going to turn against him, an ordinary museum owner who has done good deeds all his life and has never done anything wrong?
But the Heavenly King is actually quite attractive to Qingyu.

Cynthia is the Sinnoh Champion, and Gatricia will probably become an Unova Elite Four member soon. If I'm still just a Gym Leader, I'll feel inferior to Gatricia whenever we meet in the future...

I can lose to anyone, but I can't lose to Cattleya!
Seeing that Qingyu had not given a reply for a long time, Xinli quickly looked up in confusion.

Seeing the conflicted look on his face, Xin Li suddenly realized what was going on, and waved with a smile, saying:

"Don't worry, becoming an Elite Four member won't affect your status as a Gym Leader. There's nothing in the League that requires more manpower for the time being."

"This year's championship assessment will officially begin during the summer vacation. At that time, you will only need to work a little overtime and stay in the league for a period of time to assist the newcomers in collecting eight gym badges."

"Hmm... there might be a little something else after that, but it's not confirmed yet. I can only say that we'll probably need to go to Zone Zero?"

Xin Li quickly added another sentence.

Qingyu nodded.

Generally, the champion assessment in each region lasts for one year, and Padiya is no exception.

However, in reality, because Padiya has a special "academy system," those who participate in the Path of Champions are basically students, which makes the challenge process much shorter compared to other regions.

Even the championship qualification test, which is unlocked after collecting all eight dojo badges, is scheduled for the summer vacation.

Second and third-year students are in a better position, having already accumulated a considerable amount of experience. However, for first-year students, the actual challenge period is only six months.

After all, these students will have to go back to school for intensive make-up classes in the second semester, and even the champions are no exception.

After six months of practical experience, they will have a more thorough understanding of the deeper aspects of the course.

Actually, thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense.

Although Xinli didn't say it explicitly, after her explanation, Qingyu could roughly guess what President Yeci was thinking.

Even though the alliance is severely understaffed after the collapse of Zone Zero, the situation has now been stabilized and there is no need for another superstar to share the burden.

Compared to that, it is obviously more important to deal with the time bomb that is Zone Zero.

Therefore, it seems that the next king's main task is to take the new champion deep into Zone Zero for training, and also try to solve the mess left by the two doctors.
If that's the case, it seems like there are only benefits and no drawbacks for me...

He was originally planning to go to Zone Zero, but now he doesn't even need to report to Chairman Yeci.

After thinking it over, Qingyu no longer hesitated.

“I can try, but…”

"I don't seem to have much experience. Am I really capable of taking on the position of one of the Four Heavenly Kings?"

As she spoke, Qingyu looked at Xinli and voiced her confusion.

After hearing this, Xin Li couldn't help but smile, and then spoke with a smile in her eyes.

"It's alright. When it comes to assessing students, the other three Heavenly Kings combined probably can't compare to you."

"Besides, it's too troublesome to keep using rented Pokémon to meet the students' challenges. You can use your own main Pokémon regularly during the Champions Tournament!"

"Compared to rented Pokémon, it's obviously easier to command the Pokémon you've raised yourself, right?"

As she spoke, Xin Li blinked and reminded her again.

"Of course, compared to the goal of selecting outstanding students during the dojo master period, the difficulty of the assessment for students will also increase accordingly in the next stage."

"Ideally, we'll select the best newcomer from all the students who have earned the eight gym badges to be the champion, so Teacher Yu will have to take it seriously then!"

"After all, this year's champion will be going deep into Zone Zero for training, and it could be very dangerous if they're not strong enough, so what Ci means is—"

"We would rather continue to have no results than lower our standards and allow the championship to be questionable."

"???"

Upon hearing the key words in Xin Li's words, Qing Yu immediately raised an eyebrow.

Is there such a good thing?

That makes sense. In the beginning, before Eevee and Riolu had grown up, he was also a mainstay when facing challenges from newcomers.

However, the Pokémon in my team were all overpowered later on, so it became difficult to use them to test newcomers.

Eevee with its sketching and affectionate nature, Lucario with its two signature moves, Invisible Punch and Isle of Armor, the seemingly cute but actually deadly Pokémon, the still-developing and ultimately illegitimate Shellder, and legendary Pokémon like Mew and Mewtwo that can be obtained through random draws...

Aside from Ai-kan-sama, who is still going through a second growth phase, just looking at this lineup, I'm afraid anyone who comes here will have to leave a bad review before leaving.

This is also the reason for renting Pokémon from the League and Battle Castle, and developing various other tactics.

To put it bluntly, the premise for a tactic to be effective is that both sides are basically at the same level. However, if one's own Pokémon are already far stronger than the newcomer's, even if one deliberately goes easy on them, it won't have much of an effect on the assessment.

He never intended to catch too many Pokémon from the beginning, so he couldn't train a large number of candidates like other gym leaders, which is why he chose to use this method to test newcomers.

So far, the results seem pretty good. Although the process was a bit painful for the students, as long as they can pass his test, their journey will be much smoother afterwards.

But that was a limitation for Qingyu (the gym leader's appearance); now he seems to have gained another layer of identity.

Blue Feather (in the form of the Heavenly King)!
As a student, the first dojo master I challenged was myself, and when I finally reached the championship round, I was still facing myself...

This can be considered a complete ending.

"I understand."

Qingyu nodded.

Xin Li's meaning is quite clear:

Once the championship assessment begins, I, who am just a guest star, will have to step up my efforts!
As the starting gym, Sunny Gym teaches students how to train Pokémon and how to unleash their full potential in actual battles.

So, when summer vacation comes, Tianwang Qingyu will give them a brand new course.

The name of this final lesson is—

tempered into a steel!

Just imagining the students entering the Padia League with excited hearts and triumphant legs, ready to sweep aside the Four Heavenly Kings and trample Chairman Yaji to become the next champion, only to suddenly bump into me as they walk in...

The expressions on the faces of these adorable students will be quite something, won't they?

A smile quickly spread across Qingyu's face.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing the students again during the summer vacation."

For some reason, looking at Qingyu's gentle smile, Xinli suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Or maybe it's just my imagination?

"Well... then it's settled."

Xin Li nodded.

"Besides the mission from the Alliance, there's another reason I came here this time."

“Little Qingyu… no, I should say Teacher Yu, you should still remember this child, right?”

After Xinli finished speaking, she took a step aside, allowing Bopi, who had been hiding behind her, to finally appear fully in Qingyu's sight.

"Huh? Have we finally finished discussing the important matters?"

Bopi, who had been trying to keep a low profile and seemed to be getting sleepy, suddenly raised her head and met Qingyu's gaze, who seemed a little confused. She immediately straightened her back and looked at him with an imposing expression.

"Hmph, now that the adults' business is over, it's time for Poppi to take the stage!"

"Long time no see, Master Qingyu!"

Poppi confidently put his hands on his hips and spoke in a way that sounded like a grown-up.

"..."

At first, Qingyu thought that Bopi was just familiar with Xinli, so she came along on the way.

After all, whether in the game or the animation, the two have a very good relationship; Xinli is like Poppi's older sister.

However, it now seems that from the very beginning, Popi was targeting him?

Although she didn't understand why, Qingyu was very patient with the child, so she lowered her head and smiled as she spoke.

"It has indeed been a long time, Poppi."

The last time I saw Poppi, I was still a new museum owner who wasn't very familiar with the business.

More than two months later, Pidgey seemed to have changed little, further confirming Qingyu's guess—was it really true that humans in the Pokémon world evolve at the age of 10?!

After greeting Bopi, Qingyu quickly turned her gaze to Xinli.

More than Poppi, he wanted to know why Xinli had brought her to the Sunshine Dojo.

It can't be because I beat her once more than two months ago...

"Well, this matter is rather complicated..."

Xin Li waved her hand with a hint of helplessness.

"In short, because you accepted Pipi's gym challenge back then, making Pipi experience defeat for the first time, you've been working hard ever since, determined to become stronger and avenge that defeat!"

"Speaking of which, didn't you tell this child before that she absolutely had to challenge you again?"

Xin Li's expression suddenly became somewhat amused.

"..."

After a moment's thought, Qingyu quickly recalled it.

It seems there really is such a thing.

However, what I said at the time was that she could try again after the road to the championship began, and maybe she could gain my approval?
It was clearly just polite talk, so how did its meaning change as it was passed around?
I feel like in Xinli's eyes I've become a pervert who likes to bully weaker players...

This is slander, blatant slander!
"That's right! So I'm here to keep my appointment!"

After hearing Xinli's words, Bopi nodded repeatedly in satisfaction and looked up at Qingyu again.

"Teacher Yu, please accept my second challenge!"

"..."

Qingyu fell silent.

He really wanted to say that the Sunshine Dojo is now closed and that he would like to come back tomorrow.

But if I told her about this situation, I'd probably have to take care of comforting the child and keeping her from crying!
However, if she loses again this time, she will still cry.
If Poppi can overcome this hurdle, it seems he'll have to pay the price on his path to the championship sooner or later...

So complicated!
After thinking for a moment, Qingyu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Don't be so nervous. Anyway, Poppi isn't old enough yet. Even if he wanted to participate in the Road to Champions, he wouldn't be qualified. He won't be able to see King Qingyu then."

Xin Li, who was standing nearby, spoke up at the right moment, while also whispering a reminder.

"Furthermore, don't underestimate Pidgey. She seems to have a natural affinity for Steel-type Pokémon, and she's already inherited several powerful Pokémon from her family. Her strength is at least on par with an average Gym Leader!"

"I'll be bringing Popi along this time. Besides helping her fulfill her wish, I also want to use her to observe the overall level of your team."

"Of course, the outcome of this battle won't affect anything; it will only deepen our understanding of 'Teacher Yu's' strength."

Xin Li didn't hold back and directly expressed all her thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Qingyu couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Was Poppi already this outrageous at the age of 8?
No wonder she was able to command Corviknight, a Pokémon with clearly good strength, last time. It turns out it's because of her special constitution?

Looking at it this way, it's quite reasonable that she became a superstar at the age of 9.

After all, powerful Pokémon generally don't recognize ordinary trainers, but if Pidgey has this special ability to gain their trust, then even if its own skill level is slightly lower, commanding them won't be a problem.

And judging from Xin Li's words...

In this battle against Poppi, I will use the same lineup I used when I made a guest appearance as a superstar in the future, and have an all-out battle against her.
Although I said it wouldn't affect anything, it was still a test for my advancement to the top, so theoretically I should give it my all.

But wouldn't this be a bit too much of a bullying for a child?
"That's right! Don't underestimate Poppi, I'm incredibly powerful now!"

After being praised by Xinli, Bopi was clearly pleased with herself, and her eyes were filled with more passion when she looked at Qingyu.

"So let's have a match, let's have a match!"

"……I see."

With things having come to this point, Qingyu could only nod helplessly.

If Bopi has no objections, then there's no need for him to be pretentious.

"What are the rules? 3v3 or 6v6?"

"Let's go for 5v5. The Road to Champions will likely be an all-out battle. Considering that the students might be slightly weaker, the Elite Four will send out one less Pokémon. This will give you a good chance to get used to this battle mode in advance."

Xinli quickly answered for Bopi, to which Qingyu simply nodded.

"Since this is a battle that serves as part of the Heavenly King's assessment, please allow me to prepare a little."

"Of course, no problem. Please unleash your full power, Master Qingyu!"

After Qingyu agreed, Bopi quickly smiled happily, and Xinli beside her also nodded.

So Qingyu quickly entered the Sunshine Dojo.

Since Qingyu doesn't usually need to have his Pokémon battle against challengers, he mostly lets them roam freely.

Lucario, in particular, is rarely seen in gyms during the day.

However, perhaps because it was close to lunchtime, the Sunshine Dojo was currently at full capacity.

This provided the perfect opportunity for "Qingyu's Grand Military Review".

Sylveon, Lucario, and Grimmsnarl are currently Qingyu's three mainstays.

Although Shellder is not yet evolved and its combat power is relatively average, since the requirement is to use one's own Pokémon, it is definitely indispensable.

The last two spots, although somewhat of a bug, are just right for Mewtwo and the new Esper.

This also provides a good opportunity for the upcoming Superpower Masters Tournament to hone their skills.

It was only then that Qingyu suddenly realized—

If we don't count Mewtwo and Indeedee, it turns out I haven't collected all six main Pokémon yet?

Am I being a little too passive...?

……

A few minutes later.

On the outdoor battle field of Sunshine Dojo, Qingyu and Popi were already standing in their respective halves of the field, waiting for Xinli, who was acting as the temporary referee, to announce the start of the battle.

"Speaking of which... before we begin, doesn't Teacher Yu, as the gym leader, have anything to say?"

Just as Qingyu gripped the Poké Ball tightly, ready to send out his first Pokémon, Xinli suddenly turned her head and said.

"Say some inspiring words to motivate the challenger before the battle begins, isn't that a basic skill for a gym leader?"

"..."

Qingyu was speechless for a moment.

So this is actually a tradition in the Pokémon world?

Initially, when welcoming challengers, he would indeed say a few words like he remembered other gym leaders.

However, when faced with a massive number of challengers, ranging from a dozen to several dozen per day, Qingyu decisively abandoned this habit.

the reason is simple--

He was at a loss for words; he really couldn't come up with so many different lines!
However, if it's too formulaic, it will seem unintentional, which might actually lower your impression score...

In addition, as he became more and more familiar with the students, there was no need to go through these formalities, so he gradually gave up the pre-match trash talk segment.

However, this time it does seem to be quite memorable.

After thinking for a moment, Qingyu looked at the anxiously waiting Bopi and said only two simple sentences:
"I remember when I first accepted your challenge, I told you that attribute advantages are not absolute, and sometimes they can become a trap to lull your opponent into a false sense of security."

"Two months have passed, but this statement still applies. Please keep this in mind in the upcoming battles."

After saying that, Qingyu smiled slightly and looked at Xinli.

"Then—let the battle begin!"

Xin Li instantly understood, and swung her right hand, which had been raised high, down sharply to signal the start of the battle.

The moment she spoke, Qingyu and Poppi each threw out a Poké Ball.

"I choose you, Corviknight!"

"My first Pokémon is—Lucario!"

"Luka..."

A black crow covered in steel feathers and emitting a sharp bird cry in the air made its appearance, its imposing presence causing Lucario on Qingyu's side to subconsciously squint its eyes.

The opponent is formidable, far surpassing the lords he usually encounters in the wild!
This needs to be taken seriously.

Xin Li, who was acting as the referee, had already stepped off the field and was squinting as she carefully examined Qing Yu's Pokémon.

She remembered this one.

When he first examined Qingyu as an examiner, he only had two Pokémon, Eevee and Riolu, which had not yet evolved.

More than three months later, Riolu has now evolved into Lucario, and its strength is undoubtedly much greater than before.

That Eevee seems to have grown into Sylveon.

Before they evolved, these two Pokémon defeated their main Earth King with their excellent teamwork.

Although she wasn't taking it too seriously at the time, she could tell that they were quite powerful. It was also at that time that Xinli first directly experienced Qingyu's unconventional command approach.

However, compared to these two...

It is said that Qingyu also subdued an extremely powerful "Egui Peng" in Beishang Township?
You must hold on, Poppi!

At the very least, all of Qingyu's Pokémon should make an appearance!
As for whether Poppi would win, Xinli already had the answer in her heart before the match even started.

That's really difficult!
Therefore, rather than the almost impossible option of letting Pipi win against Blue Feather, Xinli's idea from the beginning was to force Blue Feather to reveal all of her Pokémon.

In this way, she can roughly estimate where Qingyu should be placed in the championship assessment.

If Qingyu is too strong, and finishes all the students' tasks as soon as they enter the championship assessment, it will become a major incident on this year's championship path...

(End of this chapter)