Unlike the cheering crowd, the guest seats were deathly silent.
It wouldn't be appropriate to applaud when someone else's son lost the match right in front of them.
Tang Hui and Song Pengcheng exchanged glances and awkwardly smiled. “That was… a really close match, huh.”
“Your son's performance was impressive, but the opponent was just a bit too crafty.”
Lü Jianghai's expression was complicated.
You call this a close match?
Throughout the whole battle, Magneton barely managed to land a hit on Haunter. The only damage done was from Haunter’s Substitute taking some of the hits.
It was hard to believe that such a one-sided battle could happen in the finals. And the opponent Lu Ye defeated was none other than the chosen successor of the Thunder City Electric-type Gym!
Looking at the gloomy expression on Lü Jianghai's face, Tang Hui sighed inwardly.
No wonder he's known for his tactics—he plays dirty!
Lü Jianghai couldn't help but rub his temples.
He had even prepared a victory speech for his son.
But reality, it seemed, loved to give a good slap to the face.
“I’m starting to believe those online rumors,” Lü Jianghai chuckled dryly.
“Lü You losing to him… isn’t that embarrassing, ha… haha!”
Song Pengcheng gazed meaningfully at Lu Ye in the arena.
From Gastly in the qualifiers to Haunter now, in just two months, his growth had been astonishing.
Although Lu Ye's true strength remained unclear, judging by how he nurtured his Pokémon, his background was certainly not simple!
“Would someone like him really join for the prize money?” Song Pengcheng shook his head.
“Maybe he's a descendant of some renowned master…”
“A hidden family?” Tang Hui joked. But when he saw Song Pengcheng's serious expression, he scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well… it's not impossible…” he muttered.
Cheers erupted throughout the venue as they celebrated the birth of the new Piplup Cup champion. This instructional battle from Haunter alone was worth the price of admission.
Lu Teacher's fans weren't too surprised by his victory, but they still learned a lot.
“Why didn’t Lu Teacher use the Substitute-Protect-Toxic combo?”
“You don’t use Toxic on Steel-types! Burn and Hex are more than enough!”
“Wow, Lu Teacher really does play dirty!”
Victory had come a little too easily.
Lu Ye's expression was complicated.
He had even planned to seriously train Haunter, but if this was the competition…
He felt more pressure playing games with Gold!
“Hmm… can’t beat the strong, but beating the weak isn’t satisfying either.”
Lu Ye nodded thoughtfully.
“Forget being a Trainer. Earning easy money sounds way better!”
As the cheers filled the air, the media swarmed around Lu Ye.
“Hello, can you share how you’re feeling right now?”
Lu Ye smiled warmly. “Not bad.”
The female reporter in the front row blushed, while a male reporter hurriedly interjected,
“Could you share your training insights for Haunter?”
Lu Ye's face twisted slightly.
Now that’s a good question!
“It trained itself,” Lu Ye said through gritted teeth.
“Yes, that’s right. It trained itself!” he said word by word.
The male reporter pondered for a moment, scribbling quickly in his notebook.
Cultivating a Pokémon’s self-management awareness, following the philosophy of non-interference, reflecting the spirit of a true Donghuang Trainer…
“No wonder you’re Lu Teacher!”
The male reporter’s eyes sparkled.
Just his awareness as a Trainer was leagues ahead of the other competitors!
Lu Ye had already received the champion’s reward for the Piplup Cup. The ¥50,000 prize had been deposited into his account, bringing his total savings to nearly ¥100,000.
He carefully opened the beautifully packaged box containing the Soothe Bell. The small, delicate bell gave off a crisp, refreshing sound that was soothing for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.
Lu Ye smiled. “Eevee should .”
Haunter, entranced, stuck out its crimson tongue, trying to lick the Soothe Bell.
Lu Ye quickly held the bell high.
“If you dare lick this, Eevee will bite you!”
Haunter chuckled sheepishly and scratched its head. It wasn’t really afraid of Eevee’s Bite—
But as the big brother, it had to look out for its younger siblings!
When they got home, Eevee was wagging its tail, watching a video on the computer.
“Hm?” Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.
“Of all things, you’re copying Haunter now?”
Sneaking up behind Eevee, Lu Ye suddenly shouted.
Eevee squealed, leaping from the computer desk and crashing into Lu Ye’s arms like a bolt of lightning.
Haunter appeared just in time, using its hand to block Eevee’s head. It grinned at Lu Ye smugly.
But Haunter’s face suddenly twisted as it trembled violently.
Looking down, Eevee had bitten Haunter’s ghostly claw and refused to let go.
Lu Ye rubbed his chin.
“Almost got bitten myself there. Thanks, Haunter!”
Lu Ye patted Haunter gratefully and picked Eevee up by the scruff. The little one kicked its legs, struggling in protest.
Lu Ye glanced at the computer screen.
Caught red-handed, huh? Practicing Protect on the sly…
“Might as well set some rules on daily training time,” he muttered.
“Don’t want these two overworking and getting hurt.”
Lu Ye’s expression turned odd.
What kind of Trainer limits their Pokémon’s training time?
Setting Eevee down, the little one turned away, puffing out its cheeks.
It wouldn’t talk to him—not until dinner, at least!
“Here, I got you a gift.”
Lu Ye gently hung the Soothe Bell around Eevee’s neck, patting its head with a smile.
“Haunter didn’t get one. This is just for you!”
Eevee looked down at the bell in confusion, pawing it gently.
The anger melted away instantly.
Eevee flopped onto the floor, rolling around in pure joy.
Haunter scratched its head in confusion.
Sounds nice… wonder how it tastes.
Watching Eevee rolling happily on the floor, Lu Ye clutched his chest.
“System, do you have any heart pills?”
“It’s just… too cute…”