August 1st, Saturday.
Mt. Silver.
Thick mist covered the mountain peak. A young man with short black hair and determined eyes gave a low shout, punching alongside Snorlax.
"Snor!" With a roar, Snorlax's glowing Mega Punch smashed a boulder the size of a person into rubble!
Another boulder remained intact, with only a faint white mark.
Red shook his sore fist and smiled. "As expected... I still can't beat you, Snorlax."
Snorlax scratched its head and gave a silly grin.
Recalling Snorlax into its Poké Ball, Red glanced at the time, then let Aerodactyl grab his backpack and lift him toward Pallet Town.
Upon landing at his doorstep, a girl with a yellow ponytail was standing there, blushing nervously.
"Yellow, what's up?"
Yellow blushed even harder, but thinking of Misty, who just joined the group chat today, she mustered her courage and stammered, "Goldenrod... the new cinema... it's... finished, and I, I want to..."
"Hm?"
Red was distracted by a group chat notification. He glanced at his phone and smiled. "Oh, it's Misty. It's been a while since we've battled."
"Pikachu, you want another match with her, right?" Red eagerly asked the Pikachu on his shoulder.
Pikachu glanced between Yellow and Red, momentarily unsure how to react.
Pikachu: ◐▽◑
"Alright, let's do it! Tonight, we're challenging the Cerulean Gym!" Red adjusted his cap, his eyes sharp.
Yellow was stunned for a moment, then hurried after him, shouting, "I... I'm going too!"
---
Today, the group chat was unusually calm—no hint of the usual drama.
Lu Ye smacked his lips, a little disappointed.
Lorelei couldn't hold back and opened a gossip discussion group:
[Lorelei: Why hasn't anything happened yet?]
Lu Ye: I want to know too.] Lu Ye slapped his forehead.
[Lu Ye: Are they really getting along so peacefully?]
The whole world knew these two girls secretly liked Red—everyone except Red himself.
Too bad. In Grandpa Red's eyes, there was only Pokémon and battling!
[Lorelei: Argh, I can't take it! I'm asking Misty!]
On the other side, Lance, equally nosy, nodded.
[Lance: I'll ask Yellow!]
Lu Ye looked up at the sky.
A Gym Leader being a Team Rocket spy was one thing, but even the Elite Four acting like this… The Kanto League is doomed!
Gold, who wasn't in the gossip group, was clueless in the main chat.
'What's going on? No one's telling me! What's happening?!'
That evening, Lorelei returned from gossiping, looking bored.
[Teacher Lu: What's the deal with Red and those two? The suspense is killing me!]
[Lorelei: According to my sources, Red went to challenge the Cerulean Gym.]
[Lance: Huh?]
Lorelei sighed.
[Lorelei: And... Yellow went with him.]
[Teacher Lu: ???]
What kind of move is this?
Bringing the current girl to beat up the old flame?
[Lorelei: After the Gym battle, they went out for dinner.]
[Blue: They?]
Lu Ye blinked.
Who knew even sharp-eyed Blue was in this gossip group!
Lorelei's expression was strange as she nodded.
[Lorelei: See for yourselves. [Image] ]
Lu Ye stared at Red's social media post.
In the picture was a cozy family restaurant. Warm lighting made the food look especially delicious.
Snorlax was devouring a mountain of cake by itself. Starmie, Espeon, and Raticate darted nimbly around the table.
Red sat on the couch, Misty on his left, Yellow on his right. Both girls' faces were flushed and uneasy.
Red, completely oblivious, was feeding a Pokéblock to Pikachu.
Caption: "A satisfying battle! (Cheers!)"
Looking at this caption, Lu Ye's expression grew odd.
He thought it would be a love triangle showdown, but it turned into a friendly sparring match…
When the whole world thinks Red is dense, perhaps that's the highest level of emotional intelligence.
Lu Ye stroked his chin and muttered, "As expected of you, Battle Legend!"
---
Meanwhile, Squirtle had fully integrated into Lu Ye's home.
He bought it a square fish tank and decided to put it in his bedroom.
Now, with a ghost, an Eevee, and a turtle in his house, Lu Ye felt like his home was turning into a zoo.
Eevee was still sleeping on the bed. Squirtle, bruised and battered, was doing push-ups, while Haunter was cleaning the room.
Lu Ye's face twitched. "Going out for a bit should be fine, right?"
He planned to discuss the launch schedule for Plants vs. Zombies with Liang Dayou.
Right now, the studio's only member was Liang Dayou, who was working himself bald. The art assets were outsourced to Smeargle.
Much of Lu Ye's previous debt had gone into developing Plants vs. Zombies.
But since even Cynthia was hooked on it, Lu Ye was confident.
"Take care of the house, Haunter!" Lu Ye shouted. "I'll be back soon!"
"Haunter!" Haunter waved eagerly.
He took a cab to Liang Dayou's place. Liang was testing the final game version.
"Once we submit it to the platform for review, launching it will be easy," Liang said. "The hard part is promotion—without that, no one will notice the game."
Lu Ye grinned. "Did you forget what my side job is?"
"You're planning to promote it on other video platforms?" Liang paused.
"The key is making the game fun." Lu Ye patted his shoulder. "Our hair's value depends on it!"
Liang's eyes filled with tears as he gazed at the game, feeling his hairline recede further.
While waiting for approval, Lu Ye decided to make his first sponsored video.
The content? His own game, Plants vs. Zombies.
"Promoting myself… No one does it better!" Lu Ye sighed.
When he got home, something was off. Haunter didn't greet him.
He looked at the ceiling and muttered, "Weird… is there a leak?"
Opening the door, he was hit by a Water Gun right in the face.
Squirtle & Haunter: o(*≧▽≦)ツ
The two Pokémon laughed and high-fived.
The floor was flooded up to his ankles. Eevee happily splashed through the water.
"Eevee! (*≧▽≦)"
So this afternoon… you guys were playing water fights?!
Staring at his almost flooded home, Lu Ye wiped his face, feeling cold.
"Squirtle, no dinner for you!"
"Squirtle?! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"
Haunter paused, then quickly split a Substitute and started mopping.
Lu Ye carried the groceries into the kitchen. "Dinner time, Eevee!"
Squirtle looked at Eevee, who nimbly leapt to Lu Ye's side and stuck out its tongue.
Didn't you say we were training Water Gun?
And wasn't Haunter the one who suggested this prank?!
Squirtle: (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
I may be simple, but I'm not stupid.
This is bullying the honest guy!