July 6th, Monday.
As the final exam ended, Lu Ye officially started his summer vacation.
The bus stopped on campus, and parents were constantly shuttling around the dormitory buildings. Among them, a few seasoned
Trainers
could also be seen.
“Dad… Next time, don’t send
Charizard
to pick me up… It’s way too eye-catching!”
Tian Youwei complained over the phone while waving to Lu Ye. “See you next semester, Brother Lu!”
Lu Ye waved back, watching
Charizard
flap its wings and disappear into the distance, carrying Tian Youwei and his luggage.
“Being rich is great,” Lu Ye sighed.
Despite his wealthy background, Tian Youwei’s high school grades weren’t good enough to get into
Modu University’s Battle Department
.
Fairness doesn’t always mean equality; in some ways, the college entrance exam is the only path for many ordinary people to become
Trainers
.
In other regions, if you lack family connections, organizations like
Team Rocket
or the
Plasma Group
become the best choices.
Lu Ye yawned, shouldering his backpack as he walked along the petal-strewn path. Behind him, light footsteps approached.
“How’s your preparation for the finals going?”
Shen Tingzhi, wearing a single ponytail, walked beside Lu Ye.
Lu Ye paused for a moment.
Yesterday, he had promised to train seriously, but instead, he ended up napping all afternoon with
Eevee
…
“Should be fine,” Lu Ye cleared his throat.
“Anyway, it’s no big deal if I lose.
Haunter
has already done its best.”
Shen Tingzhi nodded. After a brief silence, she said, “My dad wants to meet you.”
“Huh?”
“He watched your battle videos and wants to hire you as my private coach.”
“Mainly for battle commands…” Shen Tingzhi’s face flushed. “I’m still too weak.”
The Shen family, a
Fairy-type
lineage, was also involved in business, particularly
Pokémon
luxury goods and beauty products.
Lu Ye had seen Shen Tingzhi’s social media. Her second
Pokémon
was a newly hatched
Togepi
, a testament to her family’s resources.
“Better not. My skills are still limited,” Lu Ye declined.
Barely enough to beat Gold, he thought to himself.
Shen Tingzhi nodded, stopping. “See you next semester.”
The morning exam lasted only two hours.
Lu Ye thought it would be fine to leave two
Pokémon
at home alone.
He even put
Eevee
in a
Poké Ball
and told
Haunter
to behave.
But unexpectedly,
Haunter
went off on its own?!
The room showed no sign of
Haunter
. Remembering its overly enthusiastic nature, Lu Ye rubbed his forehead.
“I really never learn…”
He let
Eevee
out of the
Poké Ball
. The sleepy little creature rubbed its eyes and let out an adorable cry.
“Eevee? (*･ω-q)”
“Did you see
Haunter
?”
The little one shook its head like a rattle.
“Forget it… It’ll probably come back at mealtime.”
Lu Ye’s unease grew, but he sighed and took
Eevee
to the bedroom.
He turned on the computer, and the long-unused streaming software pinged to life.
Room Name: [Pokémon Battle! Teacher Lu is Back!]
Immediately, a flood of fans poured into the stream, and the chat exploded.
“D***, Teacher Lu, you finally started streaming!”
“Time to eat, brothers!”
“My youth is back!”
Teacher Lu’s familiar teasing tone rang out.
“Sorry, it was exam week. No time to update strategies.”
“Now that it’s summer break, I’ll make sure you’re all taken care of.”
“Eevee?”
Eevee
tilted its head curiously at the camera.
“AWSL!!”
“Streamer, move away! We want a clear shot of
Eevee
!”
“This Teacher Lu guy is so annoying. Stop blocking my
Eevee
!”
Teacher Lu grinned awkwardly.
“Thanks to ‘Has Teacher Lu Eaten Yet’ for the plane… Yeah, just ate, had egg fried rice.”
“Thanks to ‘For Little Eevee’ for the rocket. Say thanks,
Eevee
.”
“Eevee?”
Eevee
pawed at the camera, still looking sleepy and cute.
“You’re the uncle! Your whole family’s uncles!”
“Ahh, I’m dead!”
“Please don’t switch screens! Let me see
Eevee
!”
Lu Ye placed
Eevee
on his lap, gently stroking its fur.
Eevee
reluctantly lay down, its fluffy tail brushing Lu Ye’s elbow, ears twitching now and then.
“First time here. Is this an
Eevee
stream?”
“Teacher Lu, get lost!”
He opened the game.
While waiting for matchmaking, Teacher Lu played a round of
Dou Dizhu
.
“Are you the charity gambling god?”
“Streamer slacking off. Let
Eevee
take over!”
Unfazed, Teacher Lu glanced at his cards and smirked.
“These cards? You think you can beat me?”
“D***, a perfect round? I’m out!”
The stream filled with laughter.
Teacher Lu’s content was as hilarious as ever.
When it came to battles, savvy viewers had their notebooks ready.
“Today, we’re using the
Stealth Rock
team.”
“Fans know I’m all about
Stall
teams.”
“
Stall
is a legit part of
Pokémon
battles… Just don’t use it in
Gym Leader
challenges.”
“Three viewers have already asked me to cover their medical bills…”
“Enough chit-chat. Let’s see today’s match.”
Teacher Lu’s team:
Skarmory
,
Ferrothorn
,
Cofagrigus
,
Amoonguss
,
Blissey
, and
Tentacruel
.
The opponent, from
Goldenrod City
, had a team of:
Miltank
,
Clefable
,
Wigglytuff
,
Chansey
,
Lickitung
, and
Clefairy
.
“Looks like an
Evasion
team!”
“Another
Gym Leader
?”
Lu Ye’s eye twitched. That
Miltank
reminded him of bad memories—
Whitney’s
never-ending
Rollout
from the GBA days still haunted him.
Seeing the opponent’s ID, [Goldenrod Gym Leader Whitney], Lu Ye smirked.
“What goes around, comes around!”
“Go,
Skarmory
!
Stealth Rock
!”
Skarmory
soared, scattering sharp feathers across the field.
Whitney reacted quickly. “
Miltank
, charge
Rollout
!”
“Still rolling?
Skarmory
,
Whirlwind
!”
In battles, forcing a switch counts as a loss.
The
Stealth Rock
and
Whirlwind
combo forced opponents to switch, taking repeated damage.
Add
Toxic Spikes
and
Spikes
, and it was downright cruel!
Whitney’s
Miltank
wasn’t blown away, but a screeching roar made it recoil. Whitney quickly withdrew it.
“Teacher Lu, are you even human?”
“Can’t blow it away? Just roar!”
“Gotta love
Stall
and
Entry Hazard
teams!”
The field bristled with spikes and traps. Each switch meant pain.
After defeating
Lickitung
,
Miltank
returned, immediately taking damage from traps.
Whitney gritted her teeth. “Go,
Clefairy
!
Minimize
!”
“
Skarmory
,
Whirlwind
!”
“Stop being so annoying!” Whitney shouted. “
Clefairy
,
Attract
!”
As hearts flew towards
Skarmory
, Lu Ye recalled it, sending in
Cofagrigus
.
“Now that’s a prediction!”
“Teacher Lu’s wrecking the
Gym Leader
!”
The match ended with a 6-2 victory for Teacher Lu’s
Stealth Rock
team.
BP points shot up by a thousand.
The chat exploded.
“Teacher Lu didn’t screw up today?!”
“That
Ferrothorn
tanked three
Rollouts
?!”
“Learned a new strat!”
“Teacher Lu, please be a decent person!”