Seeing Zhang Hong cautiously wanting to retreat, Xia Huanao leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Zhang Hong, you really need to think this through. If you walk out that door now, you'll be… further and further away."
Zhang Hong thought of the girl he hadn't even met yet. He hardened his heart and tried to psych himself up, but Xia Huanao and Shen Yu clearly had no intention of giving him time. The two exchanged a look, then simultaneously kicked Zhang Hong in the backside, booting him through the door.
Xia Huanao added, "Get in there, you rascal." Then, Xia Huanao bowed to the older woman. "Sister, I entrust him to you."
Before Zhang Hong could even get up and say anything, he saw the older woman walk in, close the door, and smile at him. "Don't worry," she said, "I'll have you trained up in no time."
We'll leave aside what kind of inhuman treatment classmate Zhang Hong was about to receive inside. Meanwhile, Xia Huanao turned to Shen Yu, taking her hand. "It's a good thing it's February. Otherwise, this would have been troublesome."
Shen Yu held Xia Huanao's hand. "Why is winter good?"
Xia Huanao pointed to Shen Yu's legs. "Because in winter, you wear pants. In summer, you'd definitely be in a short skirt. That kick just now looked cool, but it could have led to a wardrobe malfunction."
Shen Yu shook off Xia Huanao's hand. "Hate it! What are you talking about? If I were wearing a skirt, I'd definitely pay attention to that. There definitely wouldn't be a malfunction."
Xia Huanao nodded enthusiastically. "That's right, you absolutely cannot have any accidental exposures. Little Yu's skirt bottom is only for me to see! I swear to defend Little Yu's skirt bottom to the death!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Shen Yu's face turned red, and she raised her fist to hit Xia Huanao. Xia Huanao quickly covered his head and dodged. "Little Yu, I was wrong, I was wrong, Little Yu…"
The two of them tussled playfully in the courtyard for a couple of rounds when suddenly the courtyard gate opened, and another woman dressed in white combat attire walked in. Seeing the two in the courtyard, she said, "Oh? We have guests?"
Xia Huanao greeted the woman in white. "Hello, we're here with a friend to learn dance. He's already gone inside."
Just as he finished speaking, they heard Zhang Hong's pained yelp from inside the house, giving Xia Huanao goosebumps. "No way, is learning dance this dangerous? How come it feels more torturous than martial arts training?"
The woman in white smiled slightly. "He's probably just stretching his hips. My sister's methods can be a bit much for ordinary people, but don't worry, he'll be fine."
As she was speaking, the older woman in black emerged. Xia Huanao asked, "Is, is it over?"
The woman in black shook her head. "No, I just came out to get him a new pair of pants."
Watching the woman in black's retreating back, Xia Huanao sighed and glanced at the slightly ajar door. "Poor Zhang Hong."
The woman in white asked Xia Huanao, "Aren't you interested in dance?"
Xia Huanao pointed to the weapon rack nearby. "If it's martial arts, then I'm very interested."
The woman in white smiled slightly. "Oh? Then let's have a martial arts match."
Xia Huanao's interest piqued. "Martial arts match? What's that?"
The woman in white explained, "It's a special kind of match among us practitioners. Both sides use no skills, only pure physical combat to determine the winner."
Xia Huanao nodded, but internally he asked the system, "System, how will the damage be calculated in this case?"
The system replied, "No, you haven't fought for years? Pokémon battles are similar. Depending on the body part used, the technique, and so on, it's naturally calculated as physical moves of different power. As for the specific power chart, don't ask me. It's very difficult to define."
Seeing Xia Huanao fall silent, the woman in white asked, "So, do you want to have a match?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Of course! This kind of match is incredibly interesting."
The woman in white sent out a Machoke. "This is your first time in such a match, so I won't use a particularly strong Pokémon. I'll use Machoke."
Seeing the Machoke sent out by the woman in white, Xia Huanao took out a Poké Ball. "Then I'll use this to counter. Go, Froakie!"
The woman in white looked at Froakie. "Froakie, huh? For this kind of martial arts match, a Fighting-type Pokémon is more suitable. Froakie isn't Greninja, after all."
Xia Huanao proudly patted his chest. "Don't worry, my Froakie naturally has his own martial arts routines. You'll know after we spar."
Just as they were contemplating how to issue commands, the sound of a whip suddenly echoed from inside the house, followed by Zhang Hong's agonized screams.
Xia Huanao instinctively glanced over, while the woman in white seemed accustomed to it and commanded her Machoke to attack.
"Machoke, use Punch!"
Machoke ran a couple of steps and threw a punch. Xia Huanao was caught off guard. "Froakie, backflip to dodge, then shake him off!"
Froakie flashed backward and flung the foam from its neck, smearing it all over Machoke's face.
The woman in white grew angry. "Using such a treacherous move in a martial arts match!"
Xia Huanao, however, acted as if it were perfectly reasonable. "Throwing dirt isn't exactly honorable in street fights, but who says it's not a martial arts technique? I was even planning to use moves like stomping toes and throwing bricks. Froakie, go kick him!"
Shen Yu rubbed her temples. "Isn't that a bit too low-class?"
Xia Huanao stomped his foot. "How can you say that? What's low-class is losing. Winning is tactics."
The woman in white chimed in, "You're right. I'm going to get serious. Machoke, use Iron Defense!"
Xia Huanao chuckled upon hearing this. "Encountered a master, have we? Froakie, consecutive retreat steps, then grab his shoulders and flip over to use the Palm of Buddha!"
The woman in white had never heard of such a move. She saw Froakie place its hands on Machoke's shoulders, exert a slight force, and then stand upside down on Machoke's shoulders, head down.
Xia Huanao chuckled. "Sister, have you ever heard of a palm strike that comes from the heavens?"
…
The two had a very enjoyable match. After a fierce and lively bout, the three sat on chairs. "Your Froakie is trained very well. However, this Machoke is not my main Pokémon. Next time, I'll definitely have a martial arts match with you using my main Pokémon."
Xia Huanao's interest was piqued. "Main Pokémon? What main Pokémon?"
The woman in white struck a pose. "It's a Mienshao."
Shen Yu recalled the image of Mienshao and said, "Mienshao, it's very cute."
Xia Huanao also nodded. "Mienshao's style is quite different from Machoke's, isn't it? Especially after Mienshao evolves, its 'Long Reach' is a treasure for overcoming weakness with softness."
The woman in white became very excited upon hearing this. "You think so too, don't you? But my Mienshao will take quite some time to evolve."
The three sat by the stone table chatting. Amidst Zhang Hong's screams from inside the house, Xia Huanao sighed. "With these screams, how can we chat? Froakie, how about we spar a bit?"
Froakie looked at him. *You want to fight me? What kind of technique is this?*
Xia Huanao didn't speak, but he picked up a wooden spear from the nearby weapon rack. "Froakie, let's spar. You can use any move, but no killing blows, okay?"
Watching Xia Huanao spar with Froakie, Shen Yu sighed. "He's really like a child."
The woman in white laughed. "What's so strange about that? Haven't you heard? Men are boys until they die. And…"
Shen Yu asked, "And what?"
Xia Huanao, standing nearby, answered, "And no boy can resist something fun to play with!"
Although Xia Huanao was sparring with great vigor, the woman in white saw numerous openings in his technique. However, Xia Huanao took two steps back and executed a 'Reverse Spear' technique, which made the woman's eyes light up. "Hmm? That move isn't bad."
After sparring a dozen moves with Froakie, Xia Huanao was sweating profusely. "Ah, sweating it out like this feels so good."
Seeing Xia Huanao place the wooden spear back on the weapon rack, the woman in white stood up. "I can see you don't have much in the way of fundamentals, but your spirit is strong. Would you like to learn martial arts with me? Martial arts and Pokémon battles are similar in some ways."
Just then, Zhang Hong's scream echoed from the house again. "Sister Shuang, you can't hit me here! What if you miss!"
Xia Huanao suddenly felt a chill in his lower body and staggered back two steps, trembling. "Don't worry, although we are sisters, our teaching methods are different. You don't need to worry."
Listening to the wails from inside the house, and thinking that martial arts training also required stretching one's hips, Xia Huanao's whole body swayed like a rattle. "Forget it, forget it. I think I'm quite good as I am right now."
The woman in white grabbed Shen Yu's hand. "This is your girlfriend, isn't it? How can you be so timid in front of a girl?"
Xia Huanao looked at Shen Yu. "Little Yu…"
Shen Yu tilted her head. "Well, why don't you learn some martial arts from Sister? You like it, don't you?"
Xia Huanao thought about what would happen if he learned martial arts…
"Perhaps you're right. When I learn martial arts, then we'll truly be both cultured and martial, beautiful and talented, a perfect match for each other, harmonizing yin and yang, like mandarin ducks flying together and phoenixes singing in harmony…"
Hearing Xia Huanao about to continue, Shen Yu quickly covered his mouth. "There are people here! What are you saying? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Xia Huanao put his left hand on his hip and pointed to the sky with his right. "I've decided! I will study martial arts diligently and become proficient in both civilian and military arts. That way, I will become a perfect person!"
As soon as he finished speaking, they heard Zhang Hong's voice from inside the house. "Boss Xia, you're a scoundrel!"
Shen Yu pursed her lips and smiled. "Oh dear, now you'll go from being a perfect person to a complete disaster."