Chapter 103: Squirtle's Place in the Family
The girl with orange shoulder-length hair rose from the water, dripping wet. She patted the Dewgong next to her affectionately and tied her short hair into a side ponytail.
Her communicator lit up. Misty wrapped herself in a towel, wiped the water droplets off her face, and answered the video call. On the screen, a dark-skinned, squinty-eyed man nodded and greeted her.
"Long time no see, Misty."
Misty smiled. "Is it about the Type Specialist Tournament? I just accepted the position as the Water-type judge."
Brock shook his head. "No, it's about something else—regarding a talented Trainer's Squirtle."
"Squirtle?" Misty was surprised. "A new Pokédex Holder?"
The dark-skinned man crossed his arms, pondered for a moment, and nodded. "Maybe."
"Anyway, I recommended you to Teacher Lu…"
Misty blinked. "Teacher Lu?"
"You know him?"
"I mentioned him to Lorelei before." Misty laughed. "That Perish Song Tactic video really inspired me!"
Brock nodded. "That's great then. The group will have more topics to discuss."
"What group?" Misty paused. She looked down at her phone, her face flushing. To avoid any misunderstandings, she had even deleted Red's contact info. Yet now...
Her cheeks flushed as she carefully considered her words. "He… and Yellow… how are they?"
"They're good," the oblivious Brock nodded. "Everyone in the group is a fan of Teacher Lu."
Misty froze, feeling a slight pang of disappointment, but she shook her head. There was no need to overthink it… it was just a normal chat.
"I'll summarize Water-type techniques as best as I can and pass them on to Teacher Lu." After thinking for a while, Misty smiled brightly. "Please thank Teacher Lu for me!"
['Cerulean Mermaid' has joined the chat group]
A crush on Red that hasn't been confessed yet… and Misty, ignored by the dense Brock. Lu Ye keenly sensed a hint of a love triangle.
Unfortunately for Red, who was probably still buried in training on Mt. Silver, he was completely unaware he'd been blindsided. "What Battle Legend? He's clearly a Harem Legend!" Lu Ye looked up at the sky, silently mourning Red for 3 seconds. Perhaps a true Battle Legend survives countless love-triangle trials…
Though he couldn't afford Blue's textbooks, the new group member, Misty, had just gifted Teacher Lu something valuable.
"A TM for Water Pulse?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.
Misty smiled. "This move suits Squirtle well, and I've added some personal insights. If you use Mystic Water during training, the results will be even better."
Lu Ye's expression changed. "That… how much would that cost?"
"Not much…" Misty thought for a moment. "2 or 3 million should cover it."
Lu Ye's breath hitched. "I don't… need it right now."
"That's fine. Keep it for later." Misty smiled. "Maybe your Pokémon can train on their own!"
Lu Ye froze.
"Huh, wasn't that funny? This joke's famous in Kanto." Misty's awkward smile indicated she had cooled her own joke.
Lu Ye's expression turned odd. His biggest worry was Misty's joke coming true. In fact, this "joke" had already happened to him several times…
Lu Ye sighed. "Why do I feel like paying off that 5 million debt is getting more and more impossible?"
Lu Ye accepted the Water Pulse TM from Misty. Though Squirtle could learn the move, Misty was a Water-type expert with unique insights. He decided to study her notes and improve Squirtle's meals later.
As night fell, Cynthia, who rarely had free time, called. They chatted about recent events. When Cynthia heard about Lu Ye capturing Squirtle, she chuckled. "They say Pokémon's personalities grow more like their Trainers."
Lu Ye glanced at Squirtle, who was sneaking around, and shook his head. "I'm not that silly."
Squirtle's seemingly clueless face was actually scanning the surroundings and memorizing escape routes. "Squirtleヾ(⌐■_■)" Investigate first, plan thoroughly later! Squirtle's philosophy was always cautious.
After seeing Eevee's strength, Squirtle was deeply shocked. Even a small Eevee can be that strong… Who knows how powerful future opponents will be?
Squirtle adjusted its sunglasses. The priority is to grow stronger while staying hidden… Only then can I win. Squirtle squinted, a sharp glint in its eyes.
Night deepened. Lu Ye gamed with Cynthia for "a bit," which turned into midnight. After drinking a MooMoo Milk, Lu Ye, who never carried fatigue to the next day, fell asleep immediately.
The room was pitch dark and silent. Squirtle peeked out of its shell, ready to sneak off, but froze. Two sneaky figures stood before it.
"Squirtle?!" Squirtle was shocked. Has my secret training plan been discovered?!
Eevee and Haunter were also stunned. Haunter finally reached out a claw. "Hauunter?" (Together?)
Squirtle looked confused. Wait… I'm not the only one who trains at night?! Or have you been doing this all along?!
"Squirtle! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)" When those stronger than you are working harder, how is that fair?!
Eevee knocked twice on Squirtle's hard shell, eyes gleaming with a friendly smile. "Eevee~!"
Squirtle: ◐▽◑
For once, Lu Ye wasn't woken up by Eevee's stomping. He stretched, feeling refreshed, and got out of bed. Lifting the blanket, he unsurprisingly found Eevee still asleep. The little creature looked so cute in its sleep. Lu Ye couldn't resist poking its paw pad, only to get swatted.
Lu Ye smiled. But when he turned to Squirtle, he was shocked. "What the heck?"
"Squirtle…" Bruised and battered, Squirtle peeked out of its shell and waved a paw.
Lu Ye's expression turned weird. Thinking of his Pokémon's midnight training tradition, he muttered, "Looks like Eevee likes you… that's just how it says hello."
Squirtle: ?
"This is unacceptable!" Lu Ye said angrily.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle nodded tearfully.
"At least hide in your shell!" Lu Ye scolded. "Maybe after a few more beatings, you'll learn Iron Defense or something!"
"Squirtle?! Σ(°△°|||)︴" I may not be human, but you're a real piece of work!