Chapter 120 Card Making: Pikachu

"Lower the corruption value a bit more, down to a controllable range, and I can craft another card."

Gu Ye stared at the corruption value detector in front of him, calculating silently. His fingertips lightly brushed the edge of the detector as he planned to calm his mind and regulate his breathing to purify the power of corruption.

Knock, knock~

The crisp sound of knocking suddenly rang out, breaking the silence in the room.

Gu Ye walked slowly to the door and pulled it open directly without any defenses.

"Gu Ye, I've come to find you!"

Bu Yao was dressed in a pink lolita dress, its hem adorned with delicate lace. She stood prettily at the door, her eyes curved in a smile, looking charming and spirited with a hint of cleverness.

Gu Ye's brow furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness:

"Why are you here?"

These past few days, Bu Yao had been pestering him, using every soft and hard tactic to get a complete set of world background settings, annoying him to the point where he could barely handle it.

"Can't I just come and see you?"

Bu Yao's small face instantly stiffened, her cheeks puffing out slightly as she feigned displeasure, showing the willful charm of a young girl.

"Uncle Jun specifically instructed me not to give it to you. You're currently at a critical stage of pushing for the Platinum Realm; you can't afford any distractions."

Gu Ye spoke in a deep voice, trying to dissuade the young girl.

"Hmph~"

Bu Yao gave a light snort, directly shouldered past Gu Ye, and skipped into the room. She sprawled carelessly on the sofa in a spread-eagle position, staring at Gu Ye with a playful gaze as she spoke slowly:

"I'm not here for the world background this time. There's a piece of news you'll definitely be interested in."

"Not interested."

Gu Ye rejected her without a second thought. This month, he had to craft cards and suppress his corruption value, keeping him so busy his feet barely touched the ground. He had no mind for irrelevant trifles. After speaking, he turned to head back to his room.

Seeing Gu Ye about to leave, Bu Yao quickly sat up straight and raised her voice to shout:

"The auction has the [yang polarity producing yin flower] you've been searching for, along with your old acquaintances, the Black Sheep Cult and the Zhu Ren Sect. This auction is being spearheaded by these two Evil God Cults!"

"Hmm?"

Hearing the four words [yang polarity producing yin flower], Gu Ye's footsteps halted. Within his sea of consciousness, Night Dwelling Phoenix instantly manifested, her voice carrying an irrepressible excitement and trembling:

"Gu Ye, this flower is vital. No matter what, you must get your hands on it!"

Gu Ye nodded imperceptibly, suppressing the waves in his heart. He turned to look at Bu Yao on the sofa, his tone calm:

"When does the auction start?"

Seeing Gu Ye finally relent, Bu Yao's eyes lit up. She immediately jumped up from the sofa, her face full of pleasant surprise:

"It starts in three days! So you're going, right?"

"Yes."

Gu Ye gave a faint response, then his tone suddenly shifted, becoming resolute. "But I won't take you with me."

Upon hearing this, Bu Yao instantly flared up like an angry little hamster. Her cheeks puffed out roundly as she glared at Gu Ye, full of defiance.

But then her eyes darted around, and she immediately had an idea. She crossed her arms and glanced sideways at Gu Ye, adopting a posture of having the upper hand:

"If you don't take me, I won't tell you the specific location and the way to enter the auction."

"Then I'll go to Uncle Jun to solve it."

Gu Ye feigned indifference and stepped toward the door, showing no intention of compromising.

Seeing this, Bu Yao hurried forward and grabbed his sleeve. She instantly switched to a pitiful expression, her large, watery eyes looking at Gu Ye, her voice soft and wheedling:

"Brother Gu, just take me with you. I promise to be good and listen, and I definitely won't cause trouble~"

Gu Ye really couldn't handle her soft-and-hard pestering. He quickly raised his hand to push her away, his expression serious:

"No, this auction is extremely dangerous. Even if Uncle Jun doesn't blame me, if your sister Bu Xia comes looking for trouble, I won't be able to handle it at all."

Seeing that the soft approach wasn't working, Bu Yao instantly reined in her expression. She snorted coldly, a flash of cunning in her eyes:

"Since you won't take me, I'll post all those 'study materials' hidden on your computer to the Star River Consciousness Realm Forum. I'll let every Card Master in the Federation see the true strength of the College Entrance Examination's top scorer!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Ye's pupils suddenly constricted, and his face changed slightly. He immediately leaned in close to Bu Yao and lowered his voice: "How do you have those things?"

"None of your business!" Bu Yao raised her chin, her eyes full of triumphant laughter, clearly having Gu Ye right where she wanted him.

Gu Ye looked up at the ceiling with a wry smile, his heart full of regret. His lifelong reputation had actually fallen into the hands of this little girl.

Helpless, he could only relent:

"Fine, I can take you, but you must guarantee that you won't let Uncle Jun or your sister know a single word."

Hearing this, Bu Yao immediately nodded vigorously, her small head bobbing like a woodpecker. She agreed repeatedly, for fear that Gu Ye would change his mind.

Gu Ye didn't want to bother with her any longer. He turned and went back to his room, but before leaving, he specifically turned back to warn her:

"You'd better behave yourself and not play any tricks. If you make even the slightest scene outside, I'll send you back immediately."

His tone was full of helplessness, and a bit of disappointment in his own compromise.

Watching Gu Ye's disappearing back, Bu Yao could no longer hold it in. She covered her mouth and giggled secretly, her face full of the smugness of having succeeded.

Two days passed in a flash. Gu Ye calmed his mind, meditated, and purified the evil power. The corruption value in his body finally dropped to a safe and controllable range.

He cleared his mind of stray thoughts and concentrated on preparing to continue crafting cards. This time, the goal was Ash's partner, Pikachu.

His consciousness sank into the spiritual space. His fingertips lightly tapped the control panel, meticulously outlining Pikachu's life and bonds. Every word was filled with emotion as he filled in the card's background:

[This Pikachu, who accompanied Ash on his journey from Pallet Town, was initially aloof in nature. It loathed Poke Balls and was even less willing to get close to Ash.

Until a flock of Spearow attacked. Ash risked his life to protect it, using his body to block countless claw attacks. On the brink of death, Pikachu was completely moved. It used every ounce of its strength to release a super-powerful electric shock, protecting them both.]

[From then on, the human and Pokemon shared one heart, their bond etched into their bones. During their journey, they witnessed the legendary Ho-Oh together and made a vow to chase their dreams.

It followed Ash to battle in various regions. From a little guy who only knew crude electric shocks and Quick Attack, it slowly mastered ultimate moves like Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, and Thunder. Its strength improved at lightning speed.]

[In countless desperate situations, it relied on its deep bond with Ash to burst forth with heaven-defying power, contending against innumerable powerful enemies.

Even when faced with repeated defeats, it never once had the thought of giving up. It always stayed perched on Ash's shoulder, never leaving, sharing life and death.]

[It witnessed Ash taking Alola's first League Championship and accompanied him to the Galar World Coronation Series. Facing the peak showdown against the undefeated champion, Leon, it erupted with unprecedented power, condensing a Thunderbolt of ten thousand Thunders to defeat its opponent, helping Ash reach the top as the world's number one.]

[It never craved the power of evolution and refused to evolve into Raichu. It always remained in the form of Pikachu, staying by the side of the partner it cared for most.

Through countless partings and reunions, it accompanied Ash as he grew from a green youth into a world champion, witnessing all his passion, persistence, and transformation. It is the most indispensable bond in Ash's life.]

The moment the settings were finalized, spiritual light gathered in the spiritual space, and a small figure slowly condensed into shape:

Its entire body was covered in bright lemon-yellow fur, its belly a soft creamy white. Two iconic dark brown stripes ran horizontally across its back, and its appearance was endearingly clumsy.

It had a pair of long, pointed ears, the tips tinged with pure ink-black.

On both sides of its face were round, red electric pouches, even larger than its eyes. Once it gathered power to discharge electricity, they would glow with a dazzling red light.

Its tail was the iconic lightning-bolt zigzag shape, both spirited and domineering.

A pair of large, round eyes were bright and clear, revealing an innocent playfulness.

But deep within its eyes was hidden the sharpness and determination of a veteran of a hundred battles, fully displaying the aura of a life-bound partner.