Chapter 162: Teacher Lu, the Pride of Modu University
September 1st – Tuesday
Modu University's Fall Semester Registration Day
Lu Ye walked beneath the falling cherry blossoms, letting out a deep sigh. "I can't believe I'm already a sophomore… This came way too fast!"
Beside him, a haggard-looking Dayou let out a long sigh of his own. "I'm only a sophomore…? Damn, I thought I was already at death's door."
Lu Ye glanced sympathetically at Dayou's receding hairline and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, Dayou… You still have a good chunk of hair left!"
Thanks to Dayou's relentless grind and the Devon Corporation's technical support, Angry Tranquill had progressed rapidly. However, it would still take at least another month before its release. For today, their task was simple—helping with the freshman orientation.
Even though it felt a little weird to be doing this as a sophomore, Lu Ye still dutifully took his seat under the event tent.
As he sat there, he couldn't help but reflect. At 19 years old, he had just entered his sophomore year. Meanwhile, Red and the others had started their careers at 10 and had résumés leagues ahead of his. Cynthia had become the Sinnoh Champion at 16, and even now, she was only 24 years old.
These Trainers' talents were so freakishly overwhelming that it was almost unfair!
Lu Ye stared at the sky and mused, "Speaking of which… Lorelei should be pushing 30 soon. I should probably remind her about that…"
The moment he said it, his expression shifted slightly. Wait. What the hell?! When did I start courting death like Gold?!
"…That was close. Next time I chat in the group, I need to be more careful."
Under the blazing sun, things were still relatively calm—until a commotion arose in the distance. A group of lively, energetic girls were making their way toward the registration tent.
"Who's Teacher Lu?" one of them asked.
Han Xiaoxiao grinned proudly as she rattled off his credentials. "Famous video creator, top gaming streamer, renowned food blogger… the Pride of Modu University—Teacher Lu!"
"Xiaoxiao, can you get us his autograph later?!"
"Of course!" Han Xiaoxiao laughed confidently.
At that moment, the entire group swarmed toward the tent—leaving Han Xiaoxiao momentarily stunned.
"Teacher Lu, can we take a photo with you?!"
"I literally chose Modu University just because of you!!"
Lu Ye smiled politely, though his emotions were complicated. "…The Pride of Modu University? What kind of ridiculous title is that?!"
It felt like he was getting more and more bizarre nicknames.
Despite the new semester, Lu Ye had already applied for an extended leave, using his entrepreneurship as an excuse. His achievements as a Trainer were widely recognized, so it wasn't unusual for him to embark on a journey.
(In the Donghuang region, most Trainers start traveling at 14, but very few achieve the kind of fast success that Ash does—where he reaches the Top 16 in a single year.)
Most people struggle just to get one Gym Badge—let alone eight for the League Conference. Even Professor Oak's grandson, Gary, eventually switched careers to become a researcher—which showed how tough the Trainer's path really was.
All in all, Lu Ye had little interest in collecting Gym Badges. His main goal was paying off his debt to Cynthia as soon as possible.
After a long day, Lu Ye returned home to make dinner for his Pokémon.
Sylveon couldn't sit on his shoulder anymore, so it stood silently in the corner of the kitchen, its snow-white fur glowing under the stove's light. Haunter, meanwhile, stared at the simmering pot of curry, drooling uncontrollably.
"Gengarrr! (¯﹃¯)"
Squirtle adjusted its sunglasses, staying on high alert—ready to put out any kitchen fires. Lu Ye chuckled. Ever since their journey began, his Pokémon had matured a lot—they hadn't trashed the house even once!
"Teacher Lu, you really are an amazing mentor!" he laughed, patting himself on the shoulder.
As he ate, Lu Ye scrolled through his phone. The group chat was discussing Team Rocket's increasing activity in Johto.
Lance: @Gold, Johto has been unstable lately. Have you seen Silver?
Gold pouted. "That guy is impossible to track! I haven't seen him in months!"
Blue: "I hope Silver's okay…"
Lance frowned. "With his strength, no one can really restrain him. I'm just worried that Interpol might use him as bait to lure Giovanni out."
Lance had a suspicion—Team Rocket's resurgence in Johto was directly tied to Silver. Even though Silver was once a thief, he and Lance had a mentor-student relationship. In fact, Silver was a crucial reason why Lance changed his outlook on justice.
Lance sighed and turned back to the chat. "@Gold, if you run into him, let me know. Also… Teacher Lu might need his help soon."
Gold: "You got it! Leave it to me!"
Lu Ye blinked in surprise. Silver… was Giovanni's son. And yet, he absolutely despised evil.
Going by Giovanni's personality, this entire "revival" of Team Rocket might just be… his way of trying to see his son again. Lu Ye muttered, "…Damn. Fatherly love is one hell of a thing."
Still, Lance's words gave him an idea. Silver was known to excel at facilitating Pokémon trades. With his help, Haunter could evolve into Gengar.
Lu Ye turned to look at Haunter.
"Gengarrr?" Haunter licked its lips, slurping up some curry sauce with its huge, slimy tongue.
"…Never mind," Lu Ye sighed. "We'll deal with that later."
For Lu Ye, whether Haunter evolved or not didn't really matter. Sure, Gengar had insane potential, but after spending so much time with Haunter, he found it kind of cute. Although Gengar's maintenance costs would skyrocket, once Angry Tranquill was released, a few million would be nothing. And since Eevee had just evolved, there was no rush.
"Gengarrr!" Haunter grinned mischievously and lunged forward, trying to lick Lu Ye's face.
Lu Ye's eyes widened—in an instant, he bent backward in a perfect matrix dodge, narrowly avoiding the slimy disaster.
"Whew…" He let out a long breath. "Maybe I have a talent for Battle Tower challenges too."
Later that night, Lu Ye logged on to check for Cynthia. She wasn't online. Instead, he was bombarded by challenge requests—all from Caitlin. Annoyed, he blocked her and enabled "No Match Requests from Strangers."
Battle Castle
Caitlin bit her lip furiously, her expression stormy. "There's no way Cynthia could have lost to him… He must've just gotten lucky!"
Darach, the ever-suffering steward, hesitantly reminded her: "Milady… this is the third console you've destroyed. Please, do be careful."
Caitlin whipped her golden curls aside, clasped her hands over her ears, and snapped— "Shut uuup!"
Three days later, Johto's trial implementation of the Beat Up Strategy proved incredibly effective in tactical exercises. If trained properly, this could be as revolutionary as the Pokémon Center reforms.
At the same time, Lu Ye received a letter from the Kanto League. Even though Lance had vouched for him, seeing an official police stamp on a letter still made him nervous.
Opening it, Lu Ye froze. "An invitation… to be a training instructor for a military exercise?!"
[Inorin Note:
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