With the match concluded, Teacher Lu had officially advanced to the Top 16.
As cheers echoed from the crowd, Maylene quietly let out a sigh.
She was hoping to use the P1 Fighting Tournament prize money to buy herself some new clothes…
And it had been a long time since her Pokémon had tasted any Wenju Berries. She felt a little guilty toward them.
But then, the pink-haired girl with the bandage on her nose shook her head and gave a faint smile.
Getting the chance to spar with Master Lu—this trip to the P1 Fighting Tournament had been worth it after all!
---
In the participant tunnel.
"Master Lu!" Maylene greeted him with a full-energy smile, "I won't lose next time!"
Saying that while her teeth were still chattering… didn't exactly come off convincing.
Lu Ye nodded slightly and replied solemnly, "And next time, I'm not showing up for your Gym battle!"
Welcoming your arrival—
Maylene was just about to say that when she paused, confused: "Huh?"
'Not planning to come challenge the Gym next time? Was he… trying to hint that I should just give him the badge now? Technically, even for informal challenges, badges should still be issued… But what if I don't even have any badges to give?!' Maylene's face flushed with awkwardness, and she bowed deeply as she declared loudly: "I'm sorry! I haven't become a Gym Leader yet!"
"Hm?" Lu Ye paused, slightly puzzled.
Is she imagining weird stuff again?
Either way, he hadn't come for a badge, and Lu Ye was pretty satisfied with that.
"Anyway."
Lu Ye pulled out his phone.
He scrolled through his gallery and brought up a saved QR code.
"Wanna check it out?"
Maylene looked bewildered. "Huh?"
A moment later—
With a ding from the phone's vibration, Lu Ye grinned after unlocking a new member: "If there's a fitting job posted in the group, you can take it up. The rewards for completing those tasks from the big shots are pretty generous. For example, Mr. Steven has an open-ended collection quest for high-quality ores, and then there's..."
Maylene was completely dazed.
As the list scrolled by, she finally spotted a familiar face from Sinnoh.
The Grass-type Gym Leader Gardenia from Eterna Gym.
Usually trembling in silence and too timid to even speak up in the group, Gardenia was now tearing up slightly, 'Finally… someone from Sinnoh I know!'
[Gardenia: Welcome!]
[Gold: Welcome! Newbie, post a cross-dress pic!]
[Yellow: Gold, she's a girl…]
[Gold: Oh.]
He lost interest and went silent.
A certain red-haired man with a fondness for capes casually glanced at his phone and sent a message.
[Lance: Group status -1.]
Thunderstrike right out the gate!
"Th-this is real?" Maylene held her phone in both hands, stammering as she looked at Lu Ye.
Lu Ye looked up at the sky, his phone vibrating over and over again.
[Lorelei: Group status -1.]
[Gold: Group status -1.]
[Red: Group status -1.]
Lu Ye's heart trembled. 'C'mon, even Red?! That's just cruel! Wait a sec… is someone in there not supposed to be?'
"We only have the Kanto Elite Four for now," Lu Ye said, thinking of his longtime chat buddies Flint and Aaron, "But I'd say the Sinnoh bunch is fairly familiar too..."
Maylene, poor, hungry, and pitiful, opened her mouth in shock.
So, judging from what was happening… That means most of the rumors about Teacher Lu are… true?
And with this level of skill, he's still here fighting for a P1 Fightinng Tournament Championship belt?
Suddenly, a realization hit the girl, 'No… this is exactly who Teacher Lu is supposed to be!'
"I need to head to the Pokémon Center. Catch you later."
Maylene snapped out of her daze, bowed respectfully, and said: "Take care, Teacher Lu!"
---
Lu Ye headed to the Pokémon Center and handed over Sirfetch'd's commemorative ball to Nurse Joy, "Just this one. Thanks."
He placed the Poké Ball onto the tray.
"Alright…" Joy's face reddened slightly as she took the tray, sneaking a glance at that handsome 9.5/10 face.
She was already picturing how she'd brag about this in the family group chat later.
After all, Officer Jenny from Celadon City seemed pretty close to Teacher Lu… 'Can't lose to the Jennys!'
"Something wrong?" Lu Ye looked curiously at the dazed Joy.
"N-No!" Joy straightened her posture and shook her head nervously, cheeks flushed pink, 'So close… I almost touched his hand! What a shame!'
"Squirtlee." Just then, Squirtle tugged at Lu Ye's pant leg, motioning that it wanted a checkup too.
Lu Ye gave it a funny look and whispered: "You didn't even battle, though?"
"Squirtlee~" Squirtle shook its head. (Master, with all due respect… Even coming out of the Poké Ball costs stamina, okay? I have to stay in top form at all times!)
Under Squirtle's firm insistence,
Lu Ye handed both the Dive Ball and the commemorative ball to Nurse Joy.
A moment later—
"Take care~!" Joy's voice rang out from behind.
As Lu Ye stepped out, he turned to Squirtle and commented: "That's some professional service."
"Squirtlee?" Squirtle scratched its head in confusion. (Isn't every Pokémon Center we visit like that?)
---
On the way back to the hotel, they passed the vendor area. Business at Green's booth seemed to be picking up a little.
But compared to Team Rocket's continuous best-sellers, it was still, frankly, bleak.
Over at the Rocket trio's stall—
From a distance, Meowth spotted Lu Ye and flashed a grin, the gold coin on its forehead gleaming brightly with a ding.
"Meowth's kinda cute, huh," Lu Ye couldn't help but smile.
Maybe someday, he'd ask Meowth to drop a record or something.
Back at the hotel lobby—Brock was sitting in the lounge area, next to Erika, who was dressed in a kimono.
The two seemed deep in discussion.
Hearing footsteps, Erika stood up, showing her bright white teeth in a smile. "Teacher Lu."
Lu Ye nodded lightly, curious. "What brings you here?"
"The Gym is undergoing renovations today, so I dropped by the city dojo to visit you two," Erika folded her hands in front of her kimono, smiling warmly, "And also to discuss the plans for the Christmas party."
"Hm," Brock frowned.
The tournament schedule was one match per day, already tightly packed.
The championship belt wouldn't be awarded until after New Year's, at the earliest.
"If we go back for the party, we might not make it to the following rounds," Brock said.
Tomorrow was the 24th—Christmas Eve—and they'd be determining the Top 8.
But rather than staying at the hotel, Lu Ye still preferred to go home and spend the holiday with the little ones.
He thought for a moment, then said, "I'll just drop out after the next match."
Both of them paused in surprise.
"The prize doesn't matter to me," Lu Ye smiled gently, "Spending Christmas together with everyone is more important!"
"Have you picked a place for the party?" Brock asked.
"We could go to Professor Oak's lab," Lu Ye said.
"Th-then can I bring my little brothers and sisters?!" Brock asked, a little nervously.
Lu Ye: "Of course!"
Brock sighed in relief and smiled and said, "Then I have no further questions!"
"Before we get into party planning," Erika tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled softly, "Teacher Lu, shouldn't we focus on your next match first? If you lose, Christmas might not feel so festive."
Lu Ye gave it a thought, 'That made sense. Advancing to the Top 8 meant system rewards would unlock. But just to be safe... Let's have Squirtle take the stage!'
"Who's Teacher Lu up against next?" Erika asked.
Brock, ever the helpful assistant, had made a match schedule memo for Lu Ye. He opened his phone and took a quick look.
"A fighter from Hoenn's Dewford Town—Brawly!"