Once Guo Yi had eaten and drunk his fill, he got straight to the point.
"Miss Su, I imagine you're here because of what happened yesterday. But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
"I'm not selling the training thod."
Eating is one thing, conversation another.
But changing his mind? That wasn't going to happen.
Besides—
Selling the thod was never his goal to begin with.
But this ti, Su Qingxue didn't confront him directly. Instead, she began asking questions about the details of the training plan he'd sketched on that blank piece of paper.
"In your notes, you ntion a hidden ability — [Hustle] — in Nidoran. May I ask what you're basing that on?"
Because if there was one elent that stood out most in this training plan…
It was definitely this hidden ability.
In the world of Pokémon, the discovery of any new ability could send shockwaves across the entire field.
New abilities ant new strategies, new team comps, and entirely new battle paradigms.
There were even university professors who dedicated their entire careers to discovering just one new ability.
To exaggerate a bit—
If Guo Yi went public with this hidden ability, and could explain its chanics, origin, and supporting data…
He might not be granted a doctorate right away, but a graduate research position would be all but guaranteed.
And don't underestimate the title of "graduate researcher."
Because in this world of Pokémon, only a handful ever achieved that status.
You needed real, demonstrable results connected to Pokémon to beco a researcher — not just a stack of speculative papers.
Faced with Su Qingxue's question, Guo Yi responded with a lighthearted smile.
"You may laugh, Miss Su, but the truth is, this training thod has been passed down through my family for generations."
"As for the hidden ability and its na, I'm simply benefiting from my ancestors' legacy."
"So I'd ask that you not bring up the matter of buying it again."
It wasn't that Guo Yi was unwilling to take credit.
But let's be honest — if he claid this discovery as his own, who would believe him?
No power. No position.
People would just accuse him of stealing soone else's research.
But if he said it ca from his ancestors, well… even if others were skeptical, they had no way to disprove it.
All they could do was judge the content on its own rit.
And that, Guo Yi had full confidence in.
Plus, invoking his family legacy saved him a lot of trouble.
However—
Off to the side, Uncle Ye let out a snort of disbelief.
"Passed down from your ancestors?"
"Then why isn't your main Pokémon a Nidoqueen or Nidoking?"
From his perspective, his young lady had clearly been taken in by this smooth-talking nobody.
If the thod were truly so effective, then why hadn't Guo Yi used it himself?
A thod that could power up a Nidoqueen to Elite Four-level strength—
Surely producing a Nidoking or Nidoqueen of that caliber shouldn't be a problem?
Guo Yi, however, had already prepared for this question.
He let out a wry smile. "It's not that I didn't want to raise one. I simply didn't have the ans."
"The reason my ancestors called this a hidden ability is because it's incredibly rare to find a Nidoran that possesses it."
"Add to that the decline of my family's fortunes — we couldn't even afford a [Moon Stone] to evolve one. So the thod was preserved, but never used."
Stones like the [Moon Stone], which enable evolution, didn't co cheap.
Even the most basic [Moon Stones] officially sold for two to three million.
Top-grade ones? They started at fifty to sixty million — assuming you could even find one.
Raising a Nidoking or Nidoqueen wasn't sothing just anyone could afford.
Su Qingxue followed up with more pointed questions.
"Then, regarding this ability — do you have a follow-up training plan for Nidoking or Nidoqueen?"
"And would the ability change after evolution?"
"Also, if trained properly, how does a Nidoqueen with this ability compare in battle strength to an ordinary one?"
These were the most critical questions — the ones she cared about most.
Because if she was right, her mother's Nidoqueen also possessed this hidden ability.
Su Qingxue had heard her mother ntion more than once that her Nidoking had never activated the [Poison Point] ability.
And the [Rivalry] ability — which could be tested in sa-gender battles — was fairly easy to identify.
But [Poison Point] required luck.
And in all these years, her mother had never once triggered it.
She'd always chalked it up to being terribly unlucky.
But after reading Guo Yi's notes yesterday, Su Qingxue had begun to reconsider.
True, her mother's Nidoqueen didn't match the [Hustle] description exactly.
But many Pokémon experienced ability shifts after evolution.
Which was why she'd asked.
To her questions, Guo Yi responded one by one.
"I do have a follow-up plan for after evolution."
"And you're absolutely right — the ability does shift when evolving into Nidoqueen."
"As for battle power?"
"At minimum, it improves by fifty percent."
And that wasn't an exaggeration.
Anyone who'd run a Nidoqueen or Nidoking with a [Life Orb] setup knew: a fifty percent boost was entirely realistic.
Hearing this, a smile lit up Su Qingxue's face.
And her tone beca noticeably more respectful.
"In that case… if I were to beco your student, would I be able to learn the rest of the training thod?"
Guo Yi nodded. "Of course. If you're my student, I'll teach you everything I know."
The mont he finished speaking—
Su Qingxue dropped to her knees and perford a formal baishi (apprenticeship) bow.
"Student Su Qingxue greets her teacher."
Her sudden gesture stunned Uncle Ye.
He'd thought her words yesterday were just talk — a joke at best.
Never did he expect she'd actually take this no-na kid as her teacher.
"Miss, you… you're a top student at Magic City Pokémon University!"
"You've got access to the best instructors already!"
"Why him?"
Uncle Ye was near desperate in his attempt to talk her out of it.
But the mont he t Su Qingxue's eyes, he fell silent.
This was her decision.
Even if it turned out to be a mistake — she would accept it without regret.
Guo Yi didn't imdiately accept her as a student.
That would've seed too eager.
So he simply smiled and said, "And what makes you think I'll agree to take you on?"
Su Qingxue replied calmly, "Didn't you just say it yourself?"
"You'd only share this thod with your students."
"And I've already learned part of it — even if it's just a little. That makes your student."
Su Qingxue was confident.
After all, from what the village chief had said, Guo Yi did seem to be considering taking on a disciple.
And now, she had both reason and talent. She couldn't think of a single reason for him to say no.
And sure enough—
Seeing how far she'd already gone, Guo Yi simply followed through.
"In that case… I accept you as my first student."
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