"Hello everyone, I'm Teacher Lu."
"Today, I'm bringing you a tactical lesson—"
"A simple Trick Room strategy, so easy even grandma can master it!"
In a dimly lit room, a bright beam of light poured down from a skylight, like divine revelation, illuminating the face of the man on the sofa.
The man was dressed in a suit, and with the sunlight shining on him, his features were obscured. He gently stroked Meowth's head with a broad hand.
"Meow~" Meowth licked its paw and rolled over, exposing its belly. The red gemstone on its forehead gleamed brilliantly.
The man's gaze was fixed on the LCD screen in front of him.
Lu Ye's voice filled the room.
"There are many ways to play Trick Room."
"Teacher Lu prefers using Rhyperior for offense. Snorlax is also a good choice..."
"A simple Trick Room, scatter a bit of Sleep Powder... Nani? Even that can miss?!"
"Trick Room... simple?"
The man murmured, "What an interesting young man..."
When it came to Ground-types, he was confident no one could surpass his understanding. After all, he was once one of the League's top Trainers.
Giovanni of the Earth.
On the screen, a Rhyperior with blood-red eyes roared furiously, taking down Sabrina's Pokémon one by one.
Even Giovanni, who was still recovering, felt a stirring in his bones. A long-dormant passion seemed to awaken.
Giovanni narrowed his eyes. The last young Trainer he admired was from a long time ago...
A sudden ring broke the moment.
Meowth let out a disgruntled mewl. Giovanni answered the phone with a hand adorned with a red agate ring.
Matori's meticulous voice came through:
"'Petrel Matrix' can't infiltrate Donghuang, nor can it bring any threatening Pokémon. So I'll handle the recruitment task alone."
"Thank you for your hard work," Giovanni rasped.
"Be careful not to anger him."
"Any Trainer who can face off against Lance... isn't someone you can take on."
"I understand."
"How do you plan to recruit him?"
"Ideals," Matori adjusted her glasses with reverence.
"Your pure ideals, and Team Rocket's—"
"That's all nonsense, Matori," Giovanni interrupted with a frown.
Matori paused.
"Profit and freedom," Giovanni said, narrowing his eyes.
"Those are the only two things that matter. Understand?"
Matori hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Yes!"
---
August 9th, Sunday.
The day after Teacher Lu's video was posted.
[Teacher Lu Teaches You Battle 08: Trick Room] surpassed one million views, landing directly on the homepage.
Fans who came to watch saw the one-sided massacre and swallowed hard.
"Teacher Lu, are you even human?!"
"During the match, Teacher Lu predicted the Saffron Gym Leader's moves!"
"Even Blue approves of Teacher Lu's tactics... This is just too strong!"
"You call this strategy simple?!"
"I just finished challenging Viridian Gym. Blue 's tactics are brutal!"
Even though Trick Room requires high-level commanding, many of Teacher Lu's fans weren't Trainers. The show's effect was still explosive.
The comment section was filled with gems:
"[A Slide Tackle Takes Down Aggron]: Woke up this morning with cold hands and feet. How can tactics be this dirty? Checked the profile picture, oh, it's Teacher Lu. Never mind then!"
"[Breeding Ralts with Gardevoir]: Is there really a Trainer who can't beat Rhyperior? In the wild, just grab Rhyperior's arm, and it can't use Rock Wrecker. Then dodge its Horn Drill and slash its belly with a knife."
"[Caterpie Used Electroweb]: Teacher Lu: Sorry for treating the opponent like they're not human."
Building a Trick Room team is costly. Few Trainers get to explore this field.
Whether it's the sheer, brutal aesthetic or the accessible breakdown of details, Teacher Lu's video quality soared to new heights.
"Teacher Lu is thorough!"
"Teacher Lu is just good at the game. That doesn't mean he's strong in real life..."
"Even Red and Blue have given Teacher Lu gifts... Enough said. Those who know, know. Related parties, signing off."
Lu Ye froze.
He glanced at the comment again, and tears welled up.
D*mn, finally a kindred spirit!
I'm just a gaming content creator trying to make easy money!
BP earned from the videos and streams was exchanged for a Water Stone.
According to Green's training method, Squirtle needed a water change at least every three days.
Each molting would make Squirtle tougher.
Lu Ye paused.
"Skin care and hardening... This training method sounds a bit sketchy!"
As he muttered, his phone vibrated.
[Green: Teacher Lu, how's Squirtle doing?]
Lu Ye glanced at Squirtle blowing bubbles in the fish tank.
"Squirtle..."
Squirtle soaked in the tank, deep in thought.
It had been three days without learning a new move. This pace... unacceptable!
Narrowing its eyes, a glint flashed in Squirtle's gaze.
More tricks were needed. What if wild Pokémon were tougher than Haunter?!
Remembering Squirtle's last Water Gun taking down Onix, Lu Ye shivered.
[Teacher Lu: It's fine, just contemplating turtle life in the tank.]
Green sent a voice message with a chuckle: "Carrying an Everstone has its perks. Squirtle can learn moves early. With my method, it should learn Rain Dance soon."
Lu Ye paused.
Squirtle had only been on the team for ten days. Was it really growing this fast?
Lu Ye looked puzzled. 'Rain Dance... How does that work?'
"The formula I gave boosts Squirtle's sensitivity to Water-type energy," Green explained. "By manipulating moisture in the air, it can summon rain."
"For Water-type legendaries, the rain could cover hundreds of kilometers."
Lu Ye was stunned.
Your formula hardens Squirtle's shell and teaches it new moves?
Why didn't you say so earlier?!
He glanced at the serious-looking Squirtle, his spine tingling.
'Just don't flood the house...'
---
That evening, Coach Zhai called.
He had a "surprise" for Lu Ye and asked him to come by the next day.
Lu Ye dreaded this "surprise" but agreed reluctantly.
With no food at home, Lu Ye took his three companions out to shop.
The evening breeze was gentle.
Flocks of Pidgey flew across the orange-hued sunset as night turned purple.
"Eevee..." Eevee perched on Lu Ye's head, clutching his hair and curiously looking around.
"Haunter~~~"
Haunter floated beside Lu Ye, cheerfully carrying the shopping bags.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle, in sunglasses, looked around like a secret agent.
Lu Ye joked, "Eevee, have you gotten fatter?"
"Eevee?!"
"Haha, just kidding!"
"Eevee! (#｀皿´)"
Eevee yanked his hair, but Lu Ye just laughed, walking through the twilight.
Suddenly, Squirtle stopped and tugged Lu Ye's pants.
"What's wrong, Squirtle?"
"Squirtle..." It frowned, looking serious.
At that moment, the system chimed:
[Ding! Suspicious target detected within 500 meters. Stay alert.]
Lu Ye's expression hardened.
Even the Onix fight hadn't triggered this warning.
But the closer danger loomed, the calmer he felt.
Walking naturally, he glanced at the corner's mirror. No reflection.
That only confirmed his suspicion.
Lu Ye muttered, "Am I... being followed?"