26 Tsundere Charmeleon

Wang Shòu quickly switched to his Pikachu form and head back to where Xiong Yong was.

After seeing Xiong Yong who was trying to learn how to barbecue fish on the campfire, Wang Shòu greet him.

"Pika. Pika?" (Hey, Xiong Yong. Are you making progress on barbecuing fish?)

Initially focused on the fish hanging above the campfire and controlling the temperature to avoid burning the fish, Xiong Yong looked up.

"Grr!" (Boss Lei Feng! It has been great! I keep burning the fish, but I'm making progress!)

After saying that, Xiong Yong patted his chest, unaware that his fish was on fire and burning.

'Seriously...'

Speechless at Xiong Yong's confident appearance while his fish was burning, Wang Shòu shook his head and shared some news with Xiong Yong.

"Pika, Pika" (I see...anyway, my friends are here. We're heading to the middle region soon.)

Hearing that, Xiong Yong's ears perked up, and he asked with excitement.

"Grr? (Really, Boss Lei Feng?! I want to meet them. They must be as strong as you!)

After saying that, Xiong Yang's eyes seemed to be fiery, full of competitive spirit, eager to fight Wang Shòu's 'friends'.

'Really...I don't understand why Xiong Yong is such a battle fanatic...perhaps it's a trait commonly seen in Xianxia novels?'

But in the past three weeks, Xiong Yong hadn't been slacking off and had reached the age of 950 in spirit years, almost reaching the benchmark of 1,000 years.

And his combat power was comparable to that of at least a 1,200-year-old spirit beast!

Seeing such rapid growth in strength, Wang Shòu marveled and felt envious at the same time. Perhaps this was the talent of the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, capable of rivaling an adult dragon.

"Pika, Pika" (Well, they're here now. Say hello to them.)

After saying that, Wang Shòu moved away to reveal a large red lizard with a brightly lit fire on its tail.

As soon as Wang Shòu moved away, Charmeleon greeted Xiong Yong.

"Char, Char" (Hello, my name is Huo Long. I'm a friend of Lei Feng.)

Charmeleon, who introduced himself as Huo Long, spoke in a stern tone, seemingly a cold and prideful person.

Watching Charmeleon greet Xiong Yong, Wang Shòu couldn't help but feel a bit strange.

'It's kind of weird, greeting Xiong Yong again as a different person...'

'But for some reason, my heart is amused... Xiong Yong is completely unaware that I'm talking to him as a different person...hahaha, perhaps I'm actually a troll inside?'

Wang Shòu couldn't help but laugh darkly to himself. However, it was indeed normal. People often exhibited different attitudes and even personalities according to their roles and situations.

It's common to see someone being very kind to others in public, and yet in private, curse at other on the internet.

People tend to unconsciously wear masks in front of others, adjusting their behavior according to the identity of the person they're interacting with.

Wang Shòu once witnessed a case in his past life where someone had an outgoing personality with friends but acted like an introvert, avoiding and scared of talking to strangers.

And it's somewhat similar in his current situation. Posing as a friend of 'Lei Feng' whom Xiong Yong had never met, he had to adopt a completely different personality, seemingly unrelated to himself.

"Roar!" (Nice to meet you! I'm Xiong Yong, who serves under Boss Lei Feng! I'm honored to meet you, a friend of Boss Lei Feng!)

Wang Shòu can't help but be taken aback by Xiong Yong's attitude as he greeted Huo Long, as if meeting someone he greatly admired.

'Dang...I had a vague sense of it, but now, as Huo Long, I can clearly see that Xiong Yong seem to really worship my Pikachu form!'

Then suddenly, Xiong Yong boldly made a request that Wang Shòu didn't expect

"Roar!" (I know it's rude, but I'd like the honor of fighting you, Huo Long!)

'Darn it... I had a hunch when Xiong Yong seemed so competitive, but to think he'd ask for a fight right after meeting!

Wang Shòu slapped his forehead, speechless at what Xiong Yong had said.

But now he had to respond to Xiong Yong's invitation to fight, otherwise, it might worsen Xiong Yong's perception of Huo Long. Additionally, Wang Shòu was curious to see the outcome of a battle between Charmeleon and Xiong Yong.

Huo Long, who initially didn't respond, looked at Xiong Yong and agreed to the fight.

"Char, Char" (Very well. Let's see what quality you possessed that made you gain Lei Feng's approval.)

And so, Huo Long and Xiong Yong moved to a wide, empty space while Wang Shòu, still in Pikachu form, watched from the side as a spectator.

They didn't wait long, as Xiong Yong immediately lunged at Huo Long with his claws

Huo Long easily dodged it. Wang Shòu knew Xiong Yong fairly well, so predicting Xiong Yong's moves wasn't difficult.

But that didn't mean Xiong Yong wasn't a tough opponent. In fact, after seeing Huo Long easily dodge his attack, Xiong Yong became even more excited.

For the next 15 minutes, Xiong Yong and Huo Long engaged in an extremely fierce battle. As the battle intensified, Xiong Yong seemed to gain the upper hand, but suddenly, Huo Long activated his Blaze Ability.

Within fifteen minutes of fighting, the once peaceful field had turned messy and chaotic. The ground bore large claw marks, and black burn marks covered the area.

In the midst of it, Huo Long panted while having several injuries on his body.

Xiong Yong was also panting, bearing injuries and burn marks, but it was clear he was in better shape than Huo Long.

"Roar!" (You're very strong! As expected of Boss Lei Feng's friend. I almost lost to you!)

Xiong Yong said, seemingly complimenting Huo Long, but deep down, he vaguely felt a sense of disappointment and loss.

Yes, indeed Huo Long is very strong Even Xiong Yong would have to fight everything he got to fight Huo Long. But still...it didn't match Xiong Yong's expectations of Lei Feng's friend being as strong as Lei Feng, the one who had defeated and conquered him.

Hearing the slight sense of loss in Xiong Yong's tone, Huo Long vaguely had an idea of what Xiong Yong is thinking and responded sternly.

"Char, Char!" (Don't think you've won just yet. You're still far from beating me!)

Just as Huo Long said that, the ember on his tail erupted into scorching flames due to his Blaze ability. An enormous amount of fire gathered around Huo Long's mouth.

Seeing this and feeling the sudden rise in temperature, Xiong Yong became even more excited.

Yes, that's how it should be! Overwhelming strength, the kind that Lei Feng's friend should possess! But I won't just surrender!

Roarrr!

Xiong Yong roared and unleashed his full strength, swinging down his both arm, releasing his 6-meter-long claw projections toward Huo Long menacingly!

Huo Long wasn't idle either. After concentrating fire element in his mouth, he unleashed an enormous amount of fierce fire!

'Flamethrower!'

Spirals of huge flames shot straight at Xiong Yong's 6-meter claws, and the temperature was so intense that the flames turned a faint bluish color.

BANG!

An explosion occurred, stirring up massive dust that hindered Wang Shòu, the spectator, from seeing what was happening.

'What's the result of this confrontation?'

Wang Shòu wondered. He could see things from Huo Long's perspective, but even Huo Long couldn't see through the massive dust that engulfed both him and Xiong Yong.

Finally, the dust settled, revealing a completely scorched and burned Xiong Yong, standing amidst the aftermath. On the other side, Huo Long appeared tired but without any apparent injuries.

The winner was evident, but even so, Xiong Yong still stood, despite his severe injuries.

Persisting for an unknown reason, Xiong Yong continued to look at Huo Long, as if waiting for something.

Huo Long, who was brushing the dust of his body, noticed this and let out a cold snort before turning away.

Xiong Yong's eyes dimmed at this reaction, but then Huo Long spoke.

"Char, Char" (Not bad. I can see why Lei Feng accepted you.)

After saying that, Huo Long departed, only his back visible. But now Xiong Yong held deep respect for the departing figure.

"Grrr..." (I'm glad... that Boss Lei Feng's frien—no, Boss Huo Long—acknowledges me...)

With that, Xiong Yong fell to the ground, a satisfied smile on his face, completely unconscious.

To an observer, this might seem like a heartwarming scene, where the underdog was finally recognized for their persistence and determination.

However, this moment was interrupted by Wang Shòu, who had been watching as a spectator and was internally cringing.

'Ahhh! Why! Why did I act so awkwardly as Huo Long! It's making me seem like a tsundere! Ahhh!'

Internally screaming for being cringey, pretending to be a cold and distant tsundere, Wang Shòu walked up to the injured and unconscious Xiong Yong, feeling embarrassed.

'Anyway... I apologize that I hurt you severely again. Let's get you fixed up.'