Pokémon: Master System.

"Almost there..." Zhao Ruohan's voice rang out, trembling slightly, and she shivered from the cold: "I... I'm almost at the door. Xia Yu, could you... come and meet me?"

"Okay, I'll be right down, wait a moment." After hanging up the phone, Xia Yu looked at Wu Yaozu and Xia Jie and said, "She's arrived, I'll go pick her up."

"Okay, hurry up." Wu Yaozu urged, "What do you want to eat? I'll order for you."

"Normal meat is fine with me. Don't order Pokémon meat."

"Wild boars can't eat fine bran."

…………

Xia Yu put on her mask and hat, got up and left the private room, and went downstairs.

In winter, the cold wind howls, carrying a chill.

It was approaching lunchtime, and there were more pedestrians on the street.

Xia Yu stood on the street, looking at the crowded people, searching for Zhao Ruohan.

"summer……"

The sound from behind caught Xia Yu's attention. He turned around and saw Zhao Ruohan standing gracefully behind him.

I searched for him everywhere, and when I turned around, he was there, standing in the dim light.

Zhao Ruohan today is completely different from her usual self, with exquisite makeup on her face, including blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick.

She had long, wavy hair cascading down her back, and wore a black bodycon dress with fleece-lined black stockings that accentuated her slender waist, long legs, and curvaceous figure.

"You..." Xia Yu looked at Zhao Ruohan, who had completely changed, his face full of surprise.

She seemed like a pure and innocent girl next door this morning, but now she's like a completely different person.

Zhao Ruohan was already beautiful without makeup, but now, after being carefully dressed up, her mature makeup and pure temperament create a striking contrast.

Just walking down the street attracts everyone's attention.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go in." Zhao Ruohan looked at Xia Yu with a flushed face, her whole person seemed to be radiating light, so dazzling that Xia Yu was a little stunned.

"Oh...oh, let's go in." Xia Yu was stunned for a moment, then walked towards the restaurant with Zhao Ruohan. It was the first time he had noticed that Zhao Ruohan was not only beautiful, but also had such a great figure: "You...you look quite different today."

"Really?" Zhao Ruohan smiled and looked at Xia Yu, asking softly, "Do you think she looks better or worse?"

"It will definitely look even better. You didn't see it. Just now, a couple walked by. The man stared at you so much that you almost bumped into a lamppost and his wife slapped you twice."

Xia Yu's words made Zhao Ruohan's lips curl into a smile: "This is also my first time wearing makeup like this today, so it took a little longer than usual. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's alright. We just arrived and have already ordered. By the way, what would you like to eat? You can order it later."

The two walked into the private room together. When Wu Yaozu saw Xia Yu and Zhao Ruohan enter, his eyes lit up, and then he showed a surprised expression: "Zhao Ruohan...you're giving us a surprise today? You look so beautiful today."

Xia Jie, who was standing to the side, also looked at Zhao Ruohan in surprise. Usually in college, Zhao Ruohan always looked completely natural and without makeup.

She is as aloof and pure as a simple girl who has just come from the mountains, yet she still has many suitors.

Faced with a host of suitors, Zhao Ruohan rejected them all, saying that she didn't want to be in a relationship and that she wanted to focus on her studies.

Looking at her today, it's clear she wasn't just prioritizing her studies; she had very clear goals.

As a woman, Xia Jie naturally understood the purpose behind Zhao Ruohan's elaborate attire.

Women dress up for those they want to please. If a woman doesn't like you, she won't even bother with makeup; it's a complete waste of cosmetics.

There are only four people here, so it's obvious who has their makeup done.

Moreover, Xia Jie observed carefully and found that the more she looked at Zhao Ruohan, the more strange her gaze became. Ever since Zhao Ruohan entered the private room, her eyes had been fixed on Xia Yu; she and Wu Yaozu only glanced at each other once.

Mu Zi, please leave Bao Xiang Island and come to Xing Guang City!

Someone broke into our house.

…………

Chapter 575 Friends Gathering

Since it was a gathering of friends, Xia Yu was very relaxed, or rather, he had been very relaxed ever since he returned to Starlight City.

Compared to major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, smaller cities like Xingguang City, which are fourth or fifth tier cities, have a slower pace of life and much less competitive pressure.

Here, Xia Yu temporarily forgot about Team Rocket and the lab, becoming a hands-off manager who let his subordinates carry the burden for him, while he lived a leisurely and happy life.

Xia Yu lay back in the soft chair, her hands resting on the armrests, chatting with Wu Yaozu in a relaxed manner.

"Xiao Jie, Zhao Ruohan. I'm not bragging, but I was actually the first to discover Brother Yu's extraordinary talent as a trainer." Wu Yaozu, who had drunk quite a bit, said to the two women with a slightly flushed face, "You may not know, but after Brother Yu caught his first Pokémon, the first opponent he encountered was me. It was I who discovered Brother Yu's talent as a trainer, which led to him becoming the first champion of Starlight City. To put it bluntly, Brother Yu is a thoroughbred horse, and I am his mentor."

"That battle was fierce, the sky and earth were darkened, the sun and moon were reversed, and the mountains and rivers were destroyed. We had used all our skills, but we were still evenly matched and it was difficult to determine the winner."

"Brother Yu's Nova Bat, with its sharp speed and powerful ultrasonic skill, once pushed my Charmander to the brink of defeat."

"Fortunately, at the critical moment, my little fire dragon comprehended the secrets of fire, learned the breathing of fire, and used the legendary flame jet, which ultimately allowed it to narrowly defeat Brother Yu's Buzzbat by a small margin."

???

Xia Yu listened to Wu Yaozu's boasting with a question mark on his face.

If he remembers correctly, shouldn't it have been Noboo that easily defeated Charmander using its ultrasonic waves?

How did it come to be Wu Yaozu's version of his little fire dragon narrowly defeating his own buzzing bat?

Xia Yu glanced at Xia Jie and Zhao Ruohan beside him and decisively chose to remain silent.

For Wu Yaozu's love, Xia Yu chose to bear the burden for him.

True brothers must support him when he's bragging, especially since Wu Yaozu is his chief emotional strategist.

"Through that battle, I could tell that Brother Yu's future was limitless."

"As a rookie trainer, he can fight to a standstill with a veteran trainer like me. His future achievements will definitely be no less than mine."

"You'll know what happened next. Yu Ge surpassed me in just six months, and he was unstoppable in the College Cup, winning the previous year's championship."

"To put it mildly, I deserve at least 30% credit for Brother Yu's championship."

Xia Jie looked at Wu Yaozu with suspicion, then turned to Xia Yu and asked, "Really?"

Zun Du is fake? He was fake back then.

“Really.” Xia Yu nodded seriously: “Yao Zu was being conservative. Actually, my little fire dragon was able to grow so quickly thanks to Yao Zu’s little fire dragon that had comprehended the secrets of fire. If I hadn’t followed it for two and a half months, it wouldn’t have grown so fast.”

Xia Jie looked puzzled when Xia Yu admitted it. How come she had never heard of the profound meaning of fire?

Xia Jie turned to Wu Yaozu and asked, "The profound meaning of fire, what is the profound meaning of fire?"

"The essence of fire is..." Wu Yaozu couldn't hold back any longer: "Hahaha, you actually believed it. I made that up, but Brother Yu's first match was really against me."

"That despicable bastard, he kept using ultrasonic waves to annoy me back then, and on top of that, he kept flying around in the air cheating." Wu Yaozu recalled his first battle back then, which he still remembers vividly. He couldn't help but curse, "Brother Yu, to be honest, I really thought you were exceptionally talented as a trainer back then, because you were so damn despicable."

"To put it simply, you're like someone who's naked and fearless, no wonder you're so strong. I admire you. Come, have a drink."

Hearing Wu Yaozu speak, Xia Jie realized she had been tricked. She glared at Wu Yaozu but didn't stop him from drinking.

Xia Yu and Wu Yaozu downed their glasses of baijiu in one gulp. Zhao Ruohan, who was standing next to them, picked up some vegetables and put them into Xia Yu's bowl, saying in a low voice, "Eat some vegetables. Drinking all the time is bad for your stomach."

"Okay," Xia Yu replied, picking up her chopsticks and taking a couple of bites.

At the same time, Zhao Ruohan put on gloves and peeled shrimp for Xia Yu, putting the peeled shrimp meat into his bowl: "Come on, eat more, and have some more meat."

"I... I can do it myself." Zhao Ruohan's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for Xia Yu.

"It's alright, you can chat with Wu Yaozu, I won't get a word in edgewise. I'll just help you with whatever I can." Zhao Ruohan smiled, then picked up a tissue and said to Xia Yu, "Here, let me wipe your mouth."

Xia Jie, who was standing to the side, watched this scene with a flicker in her eyes.

That vixen, she knows how to find opportunities.

"Ruohan, come on, let me toast you." Xia Jie's eyes darted around, and she boldly raised her glass, smiling at Zhao Ruohan as she said, "We don't usually interact much at school, this is the first time we've eaten together alone, come on, let me toast you."

"Thank you." Zhao Ruohan looked at Xia Jie and said softly, "I can't drink too much."

"Alcohol tolerance is something you develop through practice; very few people are born with a natural ability to drink." Xia Jie, that woman, was truly fearless; she picked up her glass and downed it in one gulp: "I'll drink it all."

Seeing this, Zhao Ruohan could only silently pick up her wine cup and drink it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Xia Yu and Wu Yaozu exchanged a glance, looked at each other, and wisely chose to remain silent.

Seeing Zhao Ruohan also down her drink in one gulp, Xia Jie glanced at her slightly and then said, "Ruohan, you're always so beautiful at school even without dressing up, but now you're even more stunning, like a fairy. If those boys who are pursuing you saw you like this, they'd go crazy. And your figure is amazing; you never really look like it normally. It's so perfect, with all the right curves. It's truly enviable. Come on, let's have another drink."

"I... I really can't drink." Zhao Ruohan gently touched her lips to the wine glass, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Don't think too much about it, just drink as much as you want. I'll take you home if you drink too much later," Xia Jie said casually.

Today she's going to show Zhao Ruohan the power of her status as a female wine immortal.

"Ruohan..."

As Xia Jie continued her offensive, more and more empty wine bottles appeared on the table.

Xia Jie's face was flushed, indicating she was somewhat drunk. In contrast, Zhao Ruohan remained calm, as if she hadn't been drinking at all.

"Ruohan...you...your alcohol tolerance is too good...."

"I was actually quite dizzy too, but... I don't get flushed when I drink."

…………