December 29, Tuesday. Yuhong City, Trainer Academy.
Teacher Lu returned to give a lecture, and the students acted like it was a holiday.
Of course… that might’ve been because Teacher Lu randomly handed out UR cards during class.
“Teacher Lu, what tactics are we analyzing today? Ally Switch?”
Lu Ye: “What’s Ally Switch? I’ve never used that move.”
“Teacher Lu, come duel me!”
A student with flowing hair pulled out his deck and smugly declared, “I finally collected the three Legendary Birds from Kanto!”
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.
Weren’t those cards supposed to have low pull rates…?
But it didn’t matter.
Because Teacher Lu secretly built himself a Hoopa deck.
All he had to do was collect five components—instant win!
Teacher Lu had Togepi draw five component cards and revealed his hand.
The card collector’s face turned ashen.
“Teacher Lu… how can you use such a broken deck?!”
As the founder of the Pokémon TCG, using a deck two versions ahead of everyone else is only fair, right?
“Gengaa!” Gengar gave Lu Ye a sidelong glance.
Pre-printing your cards and skipping shuffling? Straight-up scummy duelist behavior!
After the detour, Lu Ye still delivered two proper lectures.
Gladion, Manchong, and Yuto Sundae—his own personal disciples—listened intently.
With Teacher Lu’s habits, the next lecture could be weeks away.
The bell rang. Lu Ye stepped out of the classroom.
Manchong chased after him. “T-Teacher Lu!”
“Hm?” Lu Ye turned. “What is it?”
The gentle green-haired boy said softly, “A-after the New Year, I might have to return to Hoenn.”
“But,” Manchong looked up, eyes bright, “I’ll remember everything you taught me!”
His gaze was clear, and much more spirited than before.
This boy would one day become a cold, unfeeling battler—breeding, hatching, releasing—all in pursuit of strength.
But for now, he might just walk the path of emotional bonds, like Ash.
Lu Ye didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing for him.
He simply passed on his ideals—and left the choice to Manchong.
Lu Ye placed a big hand on his head and smiled.
“There are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers… Some may not believe it, but I do.”
“I’m a competitive battler, but I’ve got heart too… If battling is all ice-cold logic, isn’t that just boring?”
“I believe, if a Pokémon meets a Trainer who truly believes in it… it’ll answer that belief.”
Manchong didn’t understand all of Lu Ye’s lingo, but asked softly, “Do… off-meta Pokémon ever make it to the world stage?”
Lu Ye said seriously, “There’s Pachirisu—the world champ. And Umbreon—the world runner-up. No matter the world, when Trainers and Pokémon meet, something new is born.”
“And that’s the charm of being a Trainer.”
Manchong thought for a long moment, then nodded lightly.
“You’ve got your Pokédex, right?” Lu Ye smiled.
“Then once you’re in Hoenn, get in touch. I’ve got high hopes for you.”
“I won’t let you down!”
Just then, an explosion sounded from the training room.
“What happened?!” Yuto Sundae ran out of the classroom.
Lu Ye froze and glanced around—Gengar was missing.
A bead of cold sweat ran down his forehead.
So this whole trip to the academy… was just for blowing things up again?!
Credit where it’s due—the newly renovated training room held up great.
Even with Sirfetch’d’s Close Combat, it only left five white streaks on the wall.
“Gengaa…” Gengar looked down at Secrets of the Earth, then shook his head at Arcanine who was busy digging a hole.
No good… training must continue!
“Awooo~~” Arcanine howled proudly, resuming his demolition work.
Lu Ye and Erika arrived.
“Teacher Lu… your Pokémon seem really devoted to training,” Erika blinked.
Lu Ye looked conflicted and sighed.
They’re not into training… They’re clearly just addicted to wrecking stuff!
The main reason for visiting the academy was so Gengar could train the little ones using Secrets of the Earth.
“Chagi dooo~” Even Togepi happily joined in, using Life Dew to restore their stamina.
Wow—training Life Dew, then using Life Dew to recover… Is this a perpetual energy engine?!
“Squiiirt…ヾ(⌐■_■)” Squirtle stared at the sparkling drops of water, squinting.
Even if Life Dew is just basic Water-type energy…
What if… he used Mystic Water to power it instead?
Sure, it would cost one Mystic Water per use…
But the healing would be massively boosted, right?
“Squirt…” Squirtle adjusted his shades and fell into deep thought.
Lu Ye’s brow twitched.
I get the feeling… you’re scheming to hit me in the wallet again!
But Togepi’s Life Dew really did have great utility in doubles.
And paired with her previously learned Look at Me…
She could make for a solid support Pokémon.
Aren’t Pokémon supposed to resemble their Trainers?
But my Togepi… She’s nothing like a slacker!
He glanced over at Sirfetch’d.
“Gwaa?” Sirfetch’d kept swinging his lance, pausing to glance back at Lu Ye.
If I weren’t afraid of getting eaten, why would I train every day~ (´థ౪థ)σ
Lu Ye coughed. “You all keep training—I’m gonna call the construction crew again…”
The renovation crew finished their work and left Yuhong Academy.
Their foreman was baffled.
Why is it that wherever Teacher Lu goes… business booms?
Maybe I should call in the other brothers and sisters to join this industry?
Teacher Lu shared something in common with a certain death-bringing elementary schooler…
Lu Ye received a message from Oleana.
According to the progress of Pokémon Legends, the game should go live mid-January.
“Mm… Guess it’s time to get moving,”
Lu Ye nodded. He was preparing to escort Ash for his evaluation.
When Lu Ye called, Professor Oak chuckled:
“Perfect timing. Once you finish the assignment, you can make it back for the League tournament!”
Lu Ye coughed. “Professor… I haven’t finished collecting my badges yet.”
“Is that so?” Professor Oak stroked his chin and kindly said, “Well, I wish you good luck then.”
“The next flight should be from the airport near Vermilion City,”
Professor Oak said. “If you hurry, you might even catch the festival at the castle.”
“Which castle, exactly?” Lu Ye asked.
Professor Oak scratched his head. “Something like… Delon Castle?”
Lu Ye thought the name sounded vaguely familiar.
But couldn’t place it. So he nodded.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Ash!”