Chapter 199: Professor Elm's Request
Saturday, October 5th.
Sunlight filtered into the courtyard as Gengar began its morning training right on schedule. "Gengarrr!" With a whistle hanging from its chest, Gengar marched forward in small but determined steps, leading a group of smaller Pokémon in a jog around Gold's yard.
Gold leaned against the railing, yawning. "Teacher Lu, why does it feel like Gengar trains harder than you do?"
"It's just an illusion," Silver said flatly.
Even though Teacher Lu didn't seem to train much himself, the fact that his Pokémon followed training plans on their own was already an advanced skill. "Pokémon tend to take after their Trainers," Silver continued, his expression indifferent. "Just like your unique Togekiss."
Gengar's relentless work ethic perfectly reflected… Silver folded his arms and sighed. "Forget it. You wouldn't understand even if I explained."
"Hm… I think I get it," Gold nodded thoughtfully.
Lu Ye's expression twitched. You "get it" again?! I don't even want Gengar to be this hardworking! He glanced at his ever-energetic Gengar, which had been up all night and still looked full of life. Lu Ye rubbed his temples and muttered, "So ghosts really don't die from overexertion…"
The flight back to Modu was scheduled for noon. Lu Ye lingered at Gold's house for a while longer before finally saying his goodbyes.
"Teacher Lu… Next time we meet, I will defeat you!" Gold gritted his teeth.
Lu Ye nodded. "You'll get your chance… I still need to record some footage with you in a few days."
"Heh, that's exactly what I was waiting for!" Gold grinned, giving a thumbs-up.
Silver, meanwhile, was staying in Johto to continue training—he wanted to prove himself to Giovanni. What Silver didn't know was that his father was also struggling to find a way to earn his son's forgiveness… Father and son, each thinking about the other in their own way.
Lu Ye chuckled to himself. See? You don't need battles or violence to resolve things—just the power of words. Love and justice—that's what a 'charming and lovable villain' should embody!
Of course, forming a new organization wouldn't happen overnight. There was also the possibility that Giovanni could turn on them at any moment. But Lu Ye believed that, as a father, Giovanni would ultimately make the right choice.
"Let's go, Gengar!" Lu Ye called out.
"Gengarrr!" With a toothy grin, Gengar bounced over and dove perfectly into Lu Ye's shadow. The temperature around them instantly dropped by 5°C, making Lu Ye shiver. "Well, at least I won't need air conditioning in the summer!"
On the way to Goldenrod City Airport.
Lu Ye mentally reviewed his gains from this trip to Johto. The most important achievement was Gengar's evolution—a mission successfully accomplished. But Gengar's continued training would require significant investment… Not to mention, he still needed to get the Psychic move manual from Sabrina so Gengar could learn to Teleport first. "This is money well spent," Lu Ye gritted his teeth.
Then there was the King's Rock Gold had gifted him. Lu Ye fiddled with the angular metal crown, lost in thought. Aside from evolving Slowpoke into Slowking, King's Rock also had a chance to make opponents flinch. But with Lu Ye's notoriously bad luck… that probability was basically zero. "Whatever… at least it looks nice," Lu Ye sighed.
Meanwhile, the International Police—specifically, the agent code-named "Looker"—had invited Lu Ye to join them. Though Lu Ye hadn't accepted any official position, his role as a Pokémon Academy Supervisor meant all he had to do was keep making videos. The idea was… oddly tempting. And when factoring in content creator incentives plus his Rocket executive bonus…
"Wait a minute… does this mean I'm getting paid three times just for posting a single video?" Lu Ye stroked his chin, his eyes suddenly gleaming. "Damn… I really outdid myself this time!"
The flight landed at Modu Airport. Returning to his long-missed home, Lu Ye let out a satisfied sigh. Wartortle placed a hand on the doorknob, concentrating as it carefully scanned the interior. After a few seconds, it gave a cautious nod. Mm… no ambush inside!
Watching Wartortle cautiously push the door open, Lu Ye felt a strange sense of reassurance. With Wartortle around… I don't think I'll ever have to worry about sneak attacks again.
Growlithe let out a loud "Awoo!" and started zooming around the house. Meanwhile, Sylveon trotted gracefully forward, its pink feelers swaying. However, after taking just two steps—thud!—it flopped onto the carpet. Lu Ye swore he could hear the sound effect in his head. Falling asleep the moment you get home… No wonder you keep getting chubbier!
"Eevee!" Sylveon blinked its big blue eyes and poked its feeler toward the kitchen.
Lu Ye paused before letting out a helpless chuckle. "Alright, alright, I'll cook!"
Sylveon's eyes curved into happy crescents as it let out a sweet, "Eevee~!"
After finishing in the kitchen, Lu Ye removed his apron and sat down while his Pokémon happily feasted. He opened the group chat and found a message from Sabrina—she had sent over the Psychic move manual.
Sabrina: "I've compiled the full list of resources you'll need. Based on your request, the total cost comes to 5 million. That's already a bargain."
Lu Ye swallowed hard. Do we… have different definitions of "bargain"? But after looking at the original estimate, which was close to 10 million, he wisely kept his mouth shut. "Thanks, Sabrina!"
Sabrina: "It's nothing." She brushed a hand through her recently cut, shoulder-length black hair, secretly wondering why she had taken Lu Ye's request so seriously. Perhaps… it was because Lu Ye shared something in common with both Red and Giovanni. That pure drive—an unwavering desire to become stronger.
On the other side, Lu Ye printed out the Psychic move manual and carefully read through it. "Hmm… I see." A good technique manual should be simple yet effective. If he could understand it, then Gengar definitely could. When he handed the manual to Gengar, the ghost Pokémon's eyes welled up with tears. "Gengarrr!" Clutching the manual tightly, Gengar nodded with determination.
Seeing Gengar's serious expression, Lu Ye had mixed feelings. Sigh… Whatever. I can still afford the training expenses with this month's gaming revenue. His Pokémon Studio had released three games, all of which had become viral hits. Although they hadn't been on the market long, the profits were already promising. After covering the cost of Psychic, Lu Ye was confident he could still gather enough funding for his next big project by next month.
"But… I still have to make videos," Lu Ye muttered. Even though the income from being a creator wasn't that impressive, the fact that a single video could generate three different paychecks… It was too good to pass up. Opening his Team Editor, Lu Ye started planning for tomorrow's livestream. "High-speed team… definitely need Tailwind for speed control…"
Ten Hours Earlier – New Bark Town
As the bus carrying Lu Ye drove away, Gold stretched, preparing to go home for a nap. Suddenly, from the town's research lab, a flustered Professor Elm burst out.
"Gold—Gold!" he panted. "Has Lu Ye already left?!"
Gold scratched his head. "Teacher Lu? Yeah, he just left. What's up?"
Professor Elm clutched a Pokémon egg in his arms—its pale white shell adorned with red and blue triangular patterns. This was the very same egg he had been planning to entrust to Lu Ye. Last night, he had called Professor Rowan to ask about Lu Ye's character. Rowan had spoken highly of him, further solidifying Elm's decision. But… he was just a step too late.
Professor Elm sighed, then turned to Gold. "Do you know Lu Ye's home address?"
"Oh, I'm in the group chat. I can ask him," Gold waved his phone.
Professor Elm nodded. He had originally considered asking Gold to deliver the egg. But on second thought… he absolutely couldn't let Gold handle it. If the egg picked up any of Gold's bad habits—gambling, eating, and goofing off—years of careful breeding would go down the drain!
Instead, Professor Elm turned to another option. "Is Crystal also in the group chat?" he asked.
"Yep!" Gold confirmed.
Professor Elm let out a sigh of relief. In that case, I'll ask Crystal to do it instead. She can deliver the egg to Lu Ye safely… without any bad influences.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]