The girl with apricot shoulder-length hair rose from the water, dripping wet. She patted the Dewgong next to her affectionately and tied her short hair into a braid.
Her communicator lit up. Misty wrapped herself in a towel, wiped the water droplets off her face, and clicked on the video.
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 Breeding Master'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's 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 Grandpa Red, who was probably still buried in training on Mt. Silver, 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 three seconds.
Perhaps a true Battle Legend survives countless love-triangle trials…
Though he couldn't afford Green's textbooks, the new group member Misty had just gifted Teacher Lu something valuable.
'Water Pulse move manual?' Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.
[Misty: This move suits Squirtle well, and I've added some personal insights.] Misty smiled.
[Misty: If you use a Water Stone or Mystic Water, the training results will be even better.]
Lu Ye's expression changed.
[Lu Ye: That… how much would that cost?]
[Misty: Not much…] Misty thought for a moment.
[Misty: 2 or 3,000,000 Pokedollars should cover it.]
Lu Ye's breath hitched.
[Lu Ye: I don't… need it right now.]
[Misty: That's fine. Keep it for later.] Misty smiled.
[Misty: Maybe your Pokémon can train on their own!]
Lu Ye froze.
[Misty: 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 5,000,000 Pokedollars debt is getting more and more impossible?'
Lu Ye took the Water Pulse move manual from Misty.
Though Squirtle could learn it naturally, Misty was a Water-type expert with unique insights into the move.
Other Water-type Pokémon training methods weren't really suitable for Haunter.
Lu Ye decided to study them 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 could be that strong…
Who knew how powerful future opponents would be?
Squirtle adjusted its sunglasses.
The priority was to grow stronger while staying hidden…
Only then could it win.
Squirtle squinted, a sharp glint in its eyes.
"A wise man keeps his talents hidden, waiting for the right moment!"
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.
Had its secret training plan been discovered?!
Eevee and Haunter were also stunned.
Haunter finally reached out a claw.
"Haunter?" (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 f***?"
"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!