bookbashuk Page 26
Page 26
Lin Che's reaction speed surpassed his thinking.
He made his judgment almost at the same instant Xu Qingyan's body tilted.
He took a step forward, lowered his body, and swiftly and precisely extended his arm from behind her.
Without the slightest hesitation, his strong hand swept around her incredibly soft waist.
The downward trend came to an abrupt halt.
Xu Qingyan's back slammed into a solid and burning chest.
Time was forcibly slowed down at this moment.
All sounds around us disappeared.
The roar of the waterfall, the dripping of water droplets, the flow of the wind... all of these receded to the edge of perception.
Xu Qingyan's entire world consisted only of the intense presence emanating from the body behind her.
Through two thin layers of clothing, a scorching, explosive masculine aura enveloped her completely.
It wasn't the warmth of the sun, but a temperature like lava, emanating from within, enough to melt everything.
The hand encircling her waist was as steady as a rock.
The warmth of his hands, seeping through the fabric, was continuously imprinted on her skin, causing every inch of her waist to tremble.
This is an experience I have never had before.
Intimate contact at almost zero distance.
"boom--"
A surge of scalding blood rushed to the top of her head.
Her cheeks, her neck, and even her small earlobes turned completely red in a single second, with a frighteningly high temperature.
She could even hear her own heartbeat clearly.
It wasn't the usual steady rhythm, but a frenzied drumming that was completely chaotic and so intense it was almost painful.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Each sound pounded heavily against her chest, making her dizzy and almost unable to think.
The fierce battle with the swarm of giant beaked bats had clearly disturbed the native inhabitants of this area.
"Wow!"
A loud splash shattered the suffocating silence.
A creature resembling a duck leaped out of the deep pool, splashing up a large spray of icy water.
It was entirely blue, with a blood-red jewel embedded on its head, and its sharp eyes were filled with vigilance and hostility towards intruders.
The feedback from the Eye of Truth instantly flashed into Lin Che's mind.
[Elf: Gotha Duck]
[Level: LV.25]
[Potential: Gym level]
[Status: Alert/Angry]
This sudden change became the opportunity to break the deadlock.
Lin Che withdrew his arm from Xu Qingyan's waist as if he had been electrocuted, and quickly took a step back, widening the distance between them.
The heart-pounding heat suddenly vanished, causing Xu Qingyan to involuntarily shiver slightly.
He turned around, his profile cold and focused, as if the near-embracing gesture had never happened.
His gaze was now completely fixed on the Golduck.
"Wind Speed Dog."
Lin Che's voice was calm and brief, without a trace of unnecessary emotion.
The order is issued.
Arcanine's figure transformed into an orange lightning bolt, leaping nimbly between the rocks, creating a gust of scorching wind.
Just one round.
It took less than three seconds.
Faced with the overwhelming power brought by Arcanine's champion-level potential, the Golduck with gym-level potential couldn't even unleash a decent move before its eyes rolled back and it floated helplessly on the water's surface.
The battle ended cleanly.
"Amazing!"
Xu Qingyan couldn't help but gasp at the sight. She quickly walked to the edge of the pool, looking at the Golduck that had lost its fighting ability, a hint of longing in her eyes.
"Lin Che, aren't you going to tame it? It looks really strong!"
For newcomers at this stage, a wild Pokémon that reaches level 25 and has the potential to be a Gym Leader is an absolute dream come true.
Lin Che simply shook his head.
He didn't look at the Golda duck that was within easy reach; his deep gaze pierced through the dark water, as if trying to see the secrets hidden deep within the pool.
"My only goal is the one at the bottom of the pool."
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
Xu Qingyan was slightly taken aback, then she understood what was going on.
Lin Che patiently turned his head and began to analyze the situation for her.
He started by discussing Golduck's base stat distribution, then moved on to the fundamental difference between Golduck and Dragonite in terms of move pool depth, and finally extended to the enormous gap between their future growth potential.
His analysis was clear, calm, and objective, and full of convincing logical force.
"While it may not be suitable for my future team building, it is an excellent immediate asset for you at this stage."
Lin Che looked at her with encouraging eyes.
"Your team needs a reliable water-type damage dealer whose level and potential are enough to elevate your overall strength to the next level."
These words awakened Xu Qingyan.
Yes, Lin Che's goal is the stars and the sea; his vision has long surpassed that of all his peers.
As for myself, what I need is to be down-to-earth and become stronger step by step.
Encouraged by Lin Che, Xu Qingyan took a deep breath, suppressed the lingering excitement in her heart, and rekindled her fighting spirit.
She sent out her most trusted partner, Pokobi.
A battle between equally matched opponents broke out once again by the pool.
Finally, with Togepi delivering a precise ramming attack, Xu Qingyan decisively threw the Poké Ball in her hand.
The red light flashed, and the Golduck was steadily sucked into it.
The Poké Ball shook violently on the water's surface a few times, and finally, with a crisp "click," it fell completely silent.
She succeeded.
Xu Qingyan carefully scooped the Poké Ball out of the water, feeling its heavy weight in her hand, and her heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
She added a reliable new partner to her team.
Chapter 33 Breakthrough in Relationship, A Promise Under the Stars!
The blood-red setting sun sank completely below the horizon.
The last ray of light was swallowed by the distant mountain ridge, and the night, as dark as ink, quickly soaked into the entire sky and earth.
The surface of the deep pool turned from a deep, dark blue to a deathly black, with only the white spray from the waterfall tumbling in the faint starlight, like a silent mockery.
The entire day's standoff and probing ultimately proved futile.
The Gyarados that lingered there was like an insurmountable chasm, firmly suppressing all hope and possibility beneath the icy waters.
That's all for today.
Lin Che's voice carried a hint of weariness that he himself was unaware of. He withdrew his gaze from the dark water and exhaled a long breath.
Xu Qingyan, who was beside him, did not speak, but simply nodded slightly.
The two men each took out a communicator from the side pocket of their tactical backpacks. The moment the screen lit up, the cold light illuminated their young faces, which were filled with helplessness.
After opening the class group chat and confirming their safety status in the pinned attendance sheet, they had completed their reporting to the counselor.
Meanwhile, the group chat interface is being refreshed at an unprecedented rate.
[Chen Hao: Hahahaha! Brothers! My luck has turned today! I've taken down an arm wrestler with the potential to be a 'dojo level'! Those muscles! Those lines! Perfect! @All members [image][video]]
Below the message was a close-up of the arm strikes a bodybuilding pose, along with a short video of it easily lifting a boulder half a person's height.
The group chat was instantly flooded with praise and amazement.
[Li Jin: Holy crap! Hao-ge is awesome! He has dojo-level potential, he's taking off!]
[Wang Mengmeng: Congratulations, Hao-ge! [Starry-eyed]]
[Liu Fang: Wow! I searched all afternoon and didn't even see a single Squirtle...]
Zhang Wei: Hmm, not bad.
Lin Che's fingertips slid across the cold screen, the lively words and images flashing rapidly in his pupils, but leaving no trace.
He turned off the screen.
The surrounding world was instantly enveloped in a deep silence and darkness.
Compared to the boisterous joy in the group chat, my own fruitless day seemed particularly glaring.
That sense of disparity transformed into an invisible pressure, weighing heavily on his heart.
"Let's go back."
He said softly, then turned around and walked back the way he came.