Chapter 154: Su Chengtao

Feebas did not let go of Ralts's hand; in fact, she gripped it even tighter. The mere sight of Su Chengtao seemed to plunge her into an inexplicable panic and helplessness.

Fuming with indignation, Ralts desperately wanted to snap back, but after sparing a glance at Tang Yi, she held her tongue. Instead, she gently patted Feebas's hand, offering the young girl a soft, comforting look.

Neither Su Chengtao nor Wei Chenhai had released their Pokémon. Since this was a matter strictly between Trainers, Ralts felt it inappropriate to interject. Her heart ached for Feebas, but Tang Yi would always remain her absolute priority.

From Su Chengtao and his companions' perspective, since Feebas and Ralts were on such good terms and no one else was around, Feebas was evidently Tang Yi's Pokémon.

"The rule of only having a certain number of Pokémon only applies to official registrations," Su Chengtao chuckled, exchanging a look with Wei Chenhai. "To bypass official limits, many people keep unofficial Pokémon on the side. These are usually acquired through underground channels and are virtually untraceable. As long as nobody squeals, nobody cares."

Pausing for a moment, Su Chengtao added with a pointed, profound sigh, "Wei Chenhai, you must understand that wherever there are people, there are shadows. This world has never been as full of sunshine as we'd like to believe."

Wei Chenhai nodded in deep agreement, and when he looked at Tang Yi again, his gaze lacked its previous courtesy and politeness.

Tang Yi almost laughed out of sheer anger. He never imagined Su Chengtao capable of uttering such hypocritical nonsense, especially when his words were a transparent insinuation that Tang Yi had acquired Feebas through illicit means.

Tang Yi had indeed heard stories online about people resorting to black-market smugglers to skirt official regulations. Such practices were technically violations, but as long as the smuggled Pokémon were treated well, nobody went overboard, and no one filed a report, the authorities generally turned a blind eye.

Tang Yi saw no need to rush into rebuttals or explanations. He and Wei Chenhai were far from close, and the boy had clearly already jumped to conclusions. Unwilling to waste breath on the matter, Tang Yi simply asked, "I'm curious, what exactly did Su Chengtao tell you about Feebas?"

Wei Chenhai paused, genuinely surprised by Tang Yi's composure.

"Feebas used to be so mischievous, yet Su Chengtao always took care of her. But instead of showing any gratitude, she threw a tantrum and ran away from home right before the college entrance tournament qualifiers—just because Su Chengtao scolded her for playing around!"

Wei Chenhai shifted his gaze toward Feebas. The girl lowered her eyes, a reaction that only served to solidify Wei Chenhai's conviction that he had heard the absolute truth.

Unable to keep his voice down, Wei Chenhai rebuked sharply, "And you have the nerve to show your face! Do you have any idea how much devastation your departure caused Su Chengtao? How much distress you put him through? He almost missed the qualifiers because of you! Do you even realize how crucial the college entrance exams are for high school students like us?"

"That's enough!" Tang Yi stepped forward, placing himself between Wei Chenhai and Feebas. "Don't you think you're going too far? What you've heard isn't necessarily the truth."

"The truth?" Wei Chenhai found this laughable. "How long have you even known Feebas? Su Chengtao and I have known each other for a long time. His social media feeds are constantly filled with photos of him and Feebas going out to play. He poured his heart out into taking care of her—that is the truth I saw with my own eyes!"

Tang Yi finally understood.

No wonder Feebas was so familiar with all the local sights in Yuanshui City. No wonder he had found it strange during the day that Su Chengtao would frequently take her out if he supposedly disliked her.

This guy was exceptionally good at putting up a facade.

"So, are you planning to report me?" Tang Yi didn't bother arguing with Wei Chenhai. The boy had already anchored his mind to his own version of reality and was entirely deaf to any alternative explanations.

"Report you? No, I'm not that sinister." Wei Chenhai shook his head.

Tang Yi was slightly taken aback; he actually wouldn't have minded if the boy did report him.

Since he had never formally adopted Feebas, he had nothing to fear from an investigation. Besides, dragging the matter into the open through an official report might even unearth Su Chengtao's hidden dirt more thoroughly.

Wei Chenhai continued, "You're my opponent tomorrow. As a Trainer, defeating you on the battlefield is what I'm supposed to do. So, I will defeat you fair and square tomorrow!"

He emphasized the words "fair and square" with a heavy, sarcastic undertone.

Tang Yi let out a soft laugh. Although Wei Chenhai's previous remarks had been irritating, the boy at least appeared more upfront and honorable than Su Chengtao.

Deciding to drop the pointless chatter, Tang Yi simply nodded. "Fine then. See you in the arena tomorrow."

After a brief pause, he shifted his gaze to Su Chengtao. "I know that with your careful nature, you definitely didn't leave any evidence behind, and the police couldn't find anything either. But walk the dark road often enough, and you're bound to run into ghosts."

"Ralts, Feebas, let's head back." Without waiting for a reply, Tang Yi walked past Su Chengtao entirely.

As they brushed past each other, Tang Yi casually remarked to Ralts, "Didn't we make a bunch of Gastly girlfriends last time we walked past the crematorium? You know, it might be lovely to invite them over to watch the match tomorrow. Hahahaha."

His voice faded into the distance as they walked away.

Su Chengtao narrowed his eyes, his expression shifting unreadably. Out of nowhere, he muttered, "Actually, we really should have reported him. The organizing committee probably would have handed him an automatic default loss."

"No need. I'm going to beat him anyway."

Su Chengtao smiled. "True. Whether it's Ralts or Feebas stepping onto the field tomorrow, there's no way you'll lose."

Wei Chenhai grinned back. "I've got to vent this frustration for you."

"Then I owe you one, brother."

***

Feebas did not return straight to her own room; instead, she followed Tang Yi into his quarters first.

The moment the door clicked shut, Ralts could no longer hold back her indignation. "You should have chewed him out way more!"

Tang Yi wryly replied, "Should I have beaten him up instead?"

Ralts blinked, pausing for a second. "Well, hitting people is bad, but... I suppose that works too."

Tang Yi chuckled lightly. "Except if I did that, I'd be disqualified from the rest of the tournament."

He had thoroughly read the organizing committee's rulebook; physical violence and personal attacks were strictly prohibited.

Tang Yi speculated, "Besides, who knows? Maybe his whole speech was an intentional provocation, designed to bait me into breaking the tournament rules."

"Ah! Really?" Ralts gasped, completely caught off guard by the possibility, which hadn't crossed her mind at all.

"Just a guess on my part. But if you look at it from the darker side of human nature, it's definitely a possibility."

"That guy is despicable!" Ralts declared with a pout, clenching her small fists and punching the pillow twice in sheer frustration.

Tang Yi stared up at the intricate ceiling of the guest room, letting out a quiet sigh in his heart.

Only, if things played out like this and he actually lost to Wei Chenhai tomorrow, things were going to get rather awkward.

Of course, he couldn't voice that thought aloud to Ralts, lest he pile more pressure onto her shoulders.