[Quest Triggered!]
[The Host's courage is extraordinary. A rookie trainer dares to enter a Pokémon nest alone. Defeat the Pokémon leader while surrounded by Pokémon. Completing the quest will unlock the Home and Farm functions.]
Gu La raised an eyebrow; this reward was unexpected.
In the game, you could plant berries and exchange them for rewards. He wondered if the berries in real life were actually edible.
A playful glint flashed in Gu La's eyes. "Big Sister? That won't be the case anymore from now on."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Wu completely ignored him. Though Gu La was more handsome and had the godly appearance of a reader lord.
But Xiao Wu only glanced at Gu La before turning her attention to Tang San. She felt a kinship from their bloodlines, and her pink eyes darted around, scheming something.
Tang San also felt his heart struck at once. In his past life, he never had the chance to fall in love, but upon seeing Xiao Wu for the first time, he felt an inexplicable closeness deep within.
To be specific, his affection level nearly equaled the years of effort Gu La had put into building rapport with him. If Tang San were an Eevee, he would have almost evolved autonomously.
"Love-struck traitor."
Gu La muttered under his breath, using soul power to create a sound wave that snapped the two out of their curious gazes at each other.
"Cough, cough. Brother Gu, let me handle this."
Tang San feared Gu La might not hold back and volunteered.
"Sure, go ahead." Gu La didn't care since he wouldn't lose any points either way.
With a thought, he smiled and said, "If Tang San wins, I'll become your boss from now on. If the little girl wins, I'll give you a treasure."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, and she hopped forward twice, her ponytail swaying. Her fair face brimmed with curiosity, "What treasure?"
Tang San's heart tightened. He knew Gu La was referring to the Ultra Ball and couldn't help but reassess Xiao Wu. Did she possess some hidden potential he hadn't noticed?
Gu La took out an Ultra Ball, tossing it in his hand, and gave a mysterious smile, "You'll know when you win."
Xiao Wu pouted, her rosy lips glossy, and her eyes flickered with cunning, "Mysterious, huh? Watch me beat your little brother!"
She looked at Tang San, full of fighting spirit, "Come on, Big Sister Xiao Wu is going to attack!"
With that, Xiao Wu stomped hard on the floor, leapt into the air gracefully, and kicked towards Tang San with her toes.
Tang San's expression remained calm. Without summoning his martial soul, he dodged Xiao Wu's attack. Using his Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon, he pulled Xiao Wu towards him, lashing out his arm like a long whip.
The two fought back and forth, creating quite a spectacle.
The work-study students couldn't see their figures clearly, only vaguely discerning two shadows constantly crisscrossing and separating, producing popping sounds of impact.
Gu La didn't need to watch the battle to know that Tang San would definitely hold back because Xiao Wu was a girl and would eventually lose due to underestimating her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have casually bet the Ultra Ball.
Let the Pokémon capture itself; she should thank us for it.
A faint smile appeared on Gu La's lips as he activated his God-Tier Appraisal Eye to check Xiao Wu's data.
[Unknown Pokémon: To Be Named by Discoverer]
[Attributes: Fairy, Fighting]
[Rank: Champion Level]
[Individual Values: 163]
[Evaluation: An extraordinary fairy-type Pokémon with a seemingly impressive background and past. Hidden within her body is a vast amount of energy, capable of naturally growing to Elite Four level. Her personality is capricious, mischievous and lazy, requiring diligent training by a trainer. Recommended to be captured as a main Pokémon.]
Gu La was slightly surprised. Xiao Wu's individual values were 163, indicating that her talent ranked among the best even among Soft Bone Rabbits.
Then again, if her talent weren't exceptional, she wouldn't have become a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast. Not every Soft Bone Rabbit could successfully undergo its trials.
As for Tang San's individual values, Gu La had already checked earlier—120 points, evenly distributed at 20 points per attribute. Though it seemed low now, his future growth potential far exceeded Xiao Wu's.
"Anyway, Xiao Wu is just an accessory. Having her in the team as a versatile member can provide emotional motivation for Tang San. Occasionally sacrificing her to trigger Tang San's explosive growth isn't a bad deal."
The battle quickly concluded, unsurprisingly. Tang San underestimated Xiao Wu, and even after using his soul skill, he still lost by one move.
Tang San stood up from the ground, looking apologetically at Gu La, "Sorry, I underestimated her. I didn't expect Xiao Wu to have innate full soul power and a hundred-year soul ring."
"Hehe, I won. A deal's a deal. Give me your treasure."
Xiao Wu joyfully approached Gu La, her eyes fixated on the Ultra Ball.
Gu La smiled slightly and handed the Ultra Ball to Xiao Wu, "I keep my word. It's yours."
Xiao Wu was delighted, taking the Ultra Ball and patting Gu La's shoulder, "If you mention my name in the academy, I've got your backs."
Gu La remained silent, watching Xiao Wu examine the Ultra Ball closely.
She looked up, puzzled, "How do I use this?"
"Press the button in the middle. You can think of it as a portable room."
Gu La wasn't lying. He had removed the restrictions on the Ultra Ball, allowing Pokémon to freely exit and enter, making it essentially a mobile house.
"This?" Xiao Wu found the button and pressed it. A red light flashed, and she was sucked into the Poké Ball, which wobbled on the ground before becoming still.
[Quest Completed. Home and Farm functions unlocked.]
Wang Sheng and others widened their eyes, "Spirit…Spirit Tool?"
They looked at Gu La with confusion in their eyes. Why would someone who could casually give away spatial soul-guiding devices come to be a work-study student?
After a while, Xiao Wu emerged from the Poké Ball, her cheeks flushed red, seemingly satisfied with the environment inside.
She excitedly hopped around, her martial soul still not dispelled, her snow-white rabbit ears swaying with her movements, "Such a big room, and there's a beautiful lake too. It feels just like home."
Seeing Xiao Wu jump with excitement, Gu La pondered internally: Should she be this thrilled? Is it that good inside the Poké Ball? Should he try it himself?
The thought passed through his mind, and Gu La quickly shook his head to dismiss it.
On second thought, with so many people in the work-study dormitory, it would indeed be much quieter to cultivate inside a Poké Ball.
"I'll try it tonight."
"Tang San here?"
A young man holding bedding walked into Dorm Seven. The work-study students successively addressed him as Teacher Mo.
Tang San stepped forward, "That's me."
Teacher Mo handed the bedding to Tang San, "This is from Master Yu. He asked me to tell you not to take offense, and he's waiting for you to visit him to read and study."
"This..."
Tang San hesitated about whether to accept the bedding, but Teacher Mo changed the subject, "You three are this year's work-study students, right? From now on, you're responsible for cleaning the academy's garden. Ten copper coins per day, don't slack off."
With that, he turned and left directly.
Tang San stood there, holding the bedding, unsure of what to do. Though he knew Yu Xiaogang had ulterior motives, the feeling of being cared for warmed his heart.
Xiao Wu put away the Ultra Ball, her eyes shining at Tang San's new bedding, "Tang San, can we talk about something?"
Tang San could easily guess Xiao Wu's intentions, smiled, and handed the bedding over to Xiao Wu, "I bought myself some bedding. This set is yours."
Author's Note: Champion-level = Title Douluo.
Elite Four-Level = Soul Sage and Soul Douluo.
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