Pokémon: Master System.

Front kick, leg interception.

The fight between the two Lucarios was just like the martial arts movies or free fighting movies that Xia Yu had seen, except that the two Lucarios were faster and stronger.

All that could be heard was the sound of fists colliding, and the impact of bodies sending up shockwaves.

Both sides countered each other's moves, showing no clear winner.

Wei Yeqin remained relaxed on the bamboo raft, while Duan Hongzhi sat cross-legged on the raft.

"Is this what a Champion-level Pokémon battle is like?"

"It looks like a performance, with you taking turns making moves. To be honest, WWE's performances are more entertaining than theirs."

"Are these two imposters hired by the streamer? This is the commotion for a Champion-level Pokémon battle."

…………

Not only were the viewers curious, but Xia Yu also found it strange. Both Pokémon were clearly Champion-level, but the battle was surprisingly low-key.

If it were Xia Yu's Iron Warrior, under a full-force attack, he could, if not completely stop the flow of a river, certainly cleave the surface of water in an instant.

The battle between these two Lucarios was a mere skirmish, barely causing a ripple.

Just as Xia Yu was still wondering, the situation on the river had changed in an instant.

Duan Hongzhi's Lucario suddenly launched a fierce attack, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks that rained down on Wei Yeqin's Lucario like a storm.

Persistence pays off. Finally, under Duan Hongzhi's Lucario's relentless barrage of attacks, a breach was successfully torn in the defenses, revealing a weakness in the enemy's defenses.

"You've lost!" A glint flashed in Duan Hongzhi's eyes as he watched this scene, and his loud voice rang out, as clear as a bell, deafening and resounding!

Almost the instant Duan Hongzhi's voice fell, his Lucario unleashed a full-force punch, which grazed the other Lucario's ear.

The wind howled, the air waves rolled, and the surging fighting-type energy created huge waves, causing the area where Xia Yu was located to shake violently and the ship to rock.

If Duan Hongzhi's Lucario hadn't deliberately mishit the punch, Wei Yeqin's Lucario would definitely have been seriously injured.

At this moment, Wei Yeqin, who was lying on the bamboo raft, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Duan Hongzhi. A trace of clarity flashed in his hazy eyes.

This is the first time in so long that his Lucario has been at a disadvantage in less than a minute of fighting.

“You have talent and potential. It’s a pity you’ve wasted your best years. Even if you want to uphold justice, one person’s strength is ultimately limited.” Duan Hongzhi stood up, his tall and strong body looking down at Wei Yeqin with a hint of regret in his eyes: “Human strength has its limits. Only by spreading the belief in martial arts can you realize your ideals.”

Duan Hongzhi, as always, had a loud, booming voice, his tone like muffled thunder: "Although you're older, a prodigal son's return is priceless, and you still have time. Don't bury your and your Lucario's talent. Come work for me."

"Right now, your strength is only enough to defeat a bottom-tier Elite Four like Tan Yongsen. You are no match for any of the stronger Elite Four, let alone champions and trainers above the champion level."

"A frog at the bottom of a well can only see the sky from the bottom of the well."

"There are differences even among champions."

…………

Although Duan Hongzhi's words were harsh, they were not without merit.

Wei Yeqin, who possesses the power of wave guidance, undoubtedly has the potential to become a champion, because Duan Hongzhi himself also possesses the power of wave guidance.

If he could become the champion of North China, why couldn't Wei Yeqin? This is why Duan Hongzhi felt sorry for Wei Yeqin wasting his talent. If Wei Yeqin had a change of heart, under his guidance, there would still be many opportunities for China to have another top-level expert.

Duan Hongzhi has the ability and the confidence to do so.

Although Duan Hongzhi is very young, only 45 years old, making him a very young champion, his championship title is extremely prestigious.

Because in China, there are only two ways to become a regional champion.

One method is for the former champion to voluntarily step down when they reach the age limit. Then, the top four champions from the seven regions have the opportunity to compete for the championship spot. The strongest among them is directly promoted to the trusted champion, which is also the method by which the vast majority of people become champions.

The second method involves the top four members of the Four Heavenly Kings challenging the champion. The winner becomes the champion, while the loser either returns to the position of top four member or retires. Of course, most champions choose to retire after a defeat, as working under their former superiors is a terrible experience.

Six years ago, Duan Hongzhi, at the age of 39, challenged the previous champion of North China and successfully won, becoming the new champion of North China.

Duan Hongzhi not only became the champion, but also broke a record, becoming the youngest champion in history and the first champion under the age of forty. This series of titles is enough to show just how strong Duan Hongzhi is.

…………

Iron-blooded and powerful have almost become synonymous with Duan Hongzhi.

Although Xia Yu and Duan Hongzhi had some conflict over the Mega Evolution Stone, Xia Yu had to admit that Duan Hongzhi was undoubtedly one of the strongest champions in China.

Master Long Fan once said that if he wanted to compete for the championship, he could only do so in other regions. With Duan Hongzhi around, the champion of North China would remain for at least twenty years.

From this sentence, it is not hard to see how dominant Duan Hongzhi is. He is like a mountain, making trainers in the entire North China region feel suffocated.

As long as he doesn't retire, the champion of the entire North China region will remain unchanged.

Duan Hongzhi's formidable strength has made him extremely popular throughout the country, with countless young people taking him as a role model.

People always admire the strong, especially a strong person like Duan Hongzhi who is upright and incorruptible.

…………

Xia Yu watched the two fighting in front of him and felt a surge of emotions.

Xia Yu realized that perhaps because of winning the championship, he had indeed become somewhat arrogant recently.

Those years of hardship and struggle in those hidden realms have quietly faded away. Now, I spend my days traveling and sightseeing, drifting on the river, going with the flow, wasting my precious youth!

Learning is like rowing upstream.

The ancients never lied to me.

After figuring things out, Xia Yu suddenly felt that the colors of the mountains and rivers had faded.

Mountains and rivers may be high and long, but they will eventually come to an end; the wind may be clear and the moon bright, but the clouds will always be different.

Power and strength are what men should pursue.

Looking at Duan Hongzhi in the distance, Xia Yu felt a surge of pride. He was determined to become the future champion of North China!

Since Duan Hongzhi is the strongest champion, then he must be stronger than Duan Hongzhi.

Xia Yu secretly made up his mind that after swimming in the Yangtze River Gorge, he would go back and train hard for a period of time before heading to the Secret Rift in Yazhou City!

"boom."

Xia Yu had just made up his mind, his heart brimming with pride, ready to survey the world and write with passion. Suddenly, the ship was violently struck, and Xia Yu was thrown off the deck.

Xia Yu was furious. He turned around abruptly and found that he had been rear-ended by another ship.

"Who the hell did this?"

Chapter 345 Xiajiang Hydropower Station

Xia Yu turned his head in annoyance, only to see a group of familiar young people boarding his ship in a disheveled state.

He looked nervous and apologetic.

"Excuse me, I accidentally bumped into your boat." Unlike last time, this time it was a long-haired girl with her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a blue and white dress, her face slightly pale, and she looked a little nervous.

But she still tried to remain calm and bowed to Xia Yu to apologize: "Don't worry, we will take care of the compensation. I'm really sorry to have bothered you."

Xia Yu frowned as he looked at the girl in front of him, swallowing back the words of insult that were on the tip of his tongue.

It has to be said that in situations like this, girls are indeed more suited to communication, especially pretty girls.

If it were a boy, Xia Yu would have to perform a rap on the spot.

Seeing the girl's good attitude in admitting her mistake, Xia Yu could only suppress his anger for the time being.

Of course, the biggest reason is that the boat doesn't even belong to him; he's just a charterer. Didn't you see that the captain next to him is already ashen-faced?

For some reason, Xia Yu, who was in a bad mood, almost couldn't help but smile when he saw the captain next to him.

Indeed, people's happiness is built on the support of others.

Just as Xia Yu saw, the captain standing to the side was already furious. His ship had only been in operation for less than three months, and now this had happened.

Even if it's repaired eventually, business will definitely be much worse than before. After all, Chinese people are very particular about these things; who would want to rent another ship that's been in a wreck?

The bearded captain's face was already ashen. If it weren't for the fact that these people were all rich and powerful, dressed in designer clothes, and had luxury balls on their waists, he would have already started cursing.

He suppressed his anger and lowered his voice: "I won't make things difficult for you, young lady, after all, it wasn't you who were driving the boat. Go and call Liu Er over, let's see how he was driving the boat."

“Brother Liao, I wasn’t the one driving the boat.” The boatman from the other boat had already come forward with a bitter look on his face. He pointed to a boy next to him and said, “He said he had learned how to drive a boat and wanted to experience it himself. I couldn’t persuade him otherwise.”

The boy Liu Er pointed at was the same boy who had come to discuss renting the boat at the beginning. Now, his face was deathly pale with fright, and he was rambling incoherently, constantly shifting blame: "I was driving just fine, I don't know how it suddenly crashed into me. It's really not my fault. I... I'll pay for it."

"Compensate?" Brother Liao laughed angrily. "Fine. Then let's go through the procedures and let the insurance company assess the damage. We'll pay whatever amount is due, so you won't accuse me of extortion. But the lost wages and depreciation costs are all due. I have to make this clear from the start: if my boat has an accident, it will be difficult for me to do business again. You have to compensate me for that too."

"How is that possible?" the boy exclaimed. "According to you, does that mean I'll have to take care of your ship for the rest of my life? And your ship is perfectly fine; it's still sailing just fine, isn't it?"

“If there’s an accident, repairs and maintenance are necessary. I didn’t cheat you out of a single penny of these expenses; it’s the rule. You can ask Liu Er if you don’t believe me.”

Seeing the boy and Brother Liao arguing, the girl with the ponytail, who had been tense at first, gradually calmed down and interrupted them: "Okay, stop arguing. Let's go through legal procedures and pay whatever compensation is due. I will pay every penny that is due, and I won't give a penny more than I should."

Instead of arguing here, it's better to go through legal proceedings and find a good lawyer; that's far more worthwhile than just talking nonsense.

…………

After this incident, the group lost all interest in traveling. The smiles on their faces had vanished, and they all took out their phones to contact their families with worried expressions.

Xia Yu had already stepped aside to watch the commotion, but their smiles hadn't disappeared; they had simply shifted to Xia Yu's face.

"Hello, Dad..." the pretty girl picked up the phone and said softly.

Xia Yu leaned against the railing, listening to the girl's intermittent conversation with her family.