"Is there a suitable battle venue nearby?" Erika asked.
"Haunter!" Haunter raised its hand enthusiastically, volunteering to act as the guide.
Erika glanced at Lu Ye for confirmation, who coughed lightly and said, "I'll leave it to you, Haunter."
"Haunter! (๑`▽´๑)۶"
Lu Ye rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Although his previous battle with Lance had ended evenly, that was only because he'd taken advantage of Cynthia's Pokémon.
Now, sending Eevee into battle might just show the little guy how brutal battles could get.
"I'm really putting in the effort!" Lu Ye sighed dramatically.
---
Haunter led the group to one of its "domains" (a major misunderstanding)—the Bull Training Club.
"Haunter! (￣▽￣)／" (Good afternoon!)
"Coach Haunter!"
The receptionist greeted Haunter with a smile, then froze as she recalled a figure she had seen earlier.
"That person just now… wasn't she a Gym Leader from Kanto on TV?"
"Haunter?"
Haunter pretended to insert a coin into the vending machine, looking to Erika for her choice of drink.
"Just a bottle of water, please," Erika replied.
"Haunter!"
Haunter nodded, slipped the coin back into its pocket, and reached into the vending machine to retrieve a bottle of water, handing it to her.
Erika was momentarily stunned, then covered her mouth with her sleeve, stifling laughter.
Lu Ye's expression turned odd.
Lu Ye: 'Forget employee benefits—this is blatant pilfering!'
"I'll have a cola," Lu Ye said.
Holding her water, Erika walked slowly toward the battle arena and asked with a smile, "Teacher Lu, shall we do a four-move battle or an unlimited one?"
Lu Ye rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Pokémon battles had evolved into various formats over time.
For instance, his last challenge at the Modu Gym had no restrictions on the number of moves Pokémon could use.
In some matches, move limits were imposed to enhance tactical depth and viewer enjoyment.
For someone like Lu Ye, who loved underhanded tactics, a four-move restriction wasn't necessarily a bad thing...
"Let's go for an unrestricted battle," Lu Ye decided.
Erika picked up a Poké Ball, bowed slightly, and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Pardon me."
A beam of red light shot out from her Poké Ball, and a Whimsicott floated gracefully in midair, resembling a dandelion puff.
"Isn't it a beautiful Pokémon?"
Erika held out her hand, letting Whimsicott gently land on her palm.
"Grass-type Pokémon possess both resilience and grace. They inspire and delight us," she said, tossing Whimsicott lightly into the air.
"Let's use this battle to prove the will of Pokémon, Teacher Lu!"
"Eevee, if you can't win, run!" Lu Ye barked.
Erika blinked in surprise.
Using such a forceful tone to deliver such a cowardly command—was that really okay?
"Vee! (#｀皿´)"
Eevee leapt off Lu Ye's shoulder, its dark eyes gleaming with fiery determination.
For Eevee, fighting alongside Lu Ye to claim victory was its purpose, no matter the league or opponent.
This was how it expressed its gratitude.
"An admirable resolve," Erika remarked with a smile. Her gentle eyes sharpened with resolve.
"But resolve alone won't be enough."
"Go, Whimsicott! Use Sunny Day!"
The system helpfully displayed Whimsicott's details:
[Whimsicott, Grass + Flying Type
Gender: Female
Ability: Chlorophyll
Held Item: Oran Berry
Moves: Sunny Day, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Leech Seed, Cotton Guard, Strength Sap, Bullet Seed…]
"Stupid system, this is all you're good for!" Lu Ye grumbled.
[???]
Taking a deep breath, Lu Ye steadied himself.
Even though he was prepared to lose, Whimsicott's moveset was a nightmare. Any carelessness could put Eevee at serious risk. He couldn't afford to drop his guard.
A radiant energy orb rose into the sky, creating a miniature artificial sun.
Under its Chlorophyll ability, Whimsicott's speed surged.
"Eevee, use Substitute!" Lu Ye commanded.
"Whimsicott, Leech Seed!"
Eevee split off a decoy, narrowly dodging the seeds flying through the air. The Substitute charged at Whimsicott like a bolt of lightning.
"Whimsicott, Cotton Guard! Then use Strength Sap!" Erika instructed.
Thanks to its boosted speed under Sunny Day, Whimsicott easily outpaced Eevee. It gathered its fluffy cotton to block the Substitute's attack and drained it dry with Strength Sap.
"She calls this 'newly captured'?!" Lu Ye muttered in disbelief.
Erika smiled subtly.
If she won, it might convince Teacher Lu to accept the lecturer role. And if she lost, she had other plans in mind. Just a tiny bit of harmless scheming on her part!
"Whimsicott, Stun Spore!"
Whimsicott scattered golden powder into the air.
Before Lu Ye could issue a command, Eevee quickly dug into the ground, creating a small mound of dirt as it tunneled away.
Lu Ye's expression shifted.
"So, you really did learn Dig, huh?"
"Don't approach it," Erika warned. "Use Cotton Guard again!"
Her strategy was steady and methodical, taking full advantage of Whimsicott's speed to fortify its defenses repeatedly.
But just as the sunlight began to fade, Eevee shot out of the ground like a missile.
"Eevee, Iron Tail!"
Its tail gleamed with a cold metallic light as it struck down. Before Whimsicott's cotton could unfurl, it was sent flying with a pitiful cry.
Erika was momentarily stunned.
Attacking the exact moment Sunny Day ended—Teacher Lu's timing was down to the second!
---
In the club's monitoring room, the receptionist munched on chips, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Xia Quan, passing by with a kettle, noticed her exaggerated expressions and snapped, "What's going on?"
"Look! Check the monitor!" the receptionist urged, waving her arms.
"It's just a battle. What's the big deal?"
"No, no!"
Brushing chip crumbs from her face, the receptionist exclaimed, "The Gym Leader from Celadon City is being completely outplayed!"
Xia Quan froze.
He's crushing Celadon City's Grass-type Gym Leader?
Peering at the screen, Xia Quan sipped his tea—and immediately choked.
"Whimsicott's powders aren't working?"
On-screen, Eevee's eyes were wrapped with a Silk Scarf, repurposed as a makeshift dust-proof visor.
"Who even thinks of using a Silk Scarf like that?!"
Eevee's unconventional equipment rendered Whimsicott's powder attacks useless. Observing from behind the scarf, it tracked Whimsicott's movements.
---
"Whimsicott, move behind Eevee and use Bullet Seed!" Erika ordered.
Lu Ye scratched his head.
"If dust-proof visors can block powders, why don't they block sandstorms? Those still sting when they hit!"
Eevee leapt high into the air, dodging the seeds while unleashing Swift.
The glowing star-shaped rays struck Whimsicott, sending it spiraling to the ground.
"Whii!" Whimsicott groaned weakly.
At the sidelines, Squirtle—wearing sunglasses—lowered a tiny flag in dramatic fashion.
Erika blinked.
No wonder there were no penalty calls; the referee was on Lu Ye's side!
"Thank you, Whimsicott," Erika said softly, recalling her Pokémon.
"Eevee!"
Eevee gleefully tackled Lu Ye, knocking him to the ground.
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Vee! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ"
Eevee licked his cheek affectionately.
Erika approached with a smile.
"Teacher Lu, battling alongside your Pokémon and overcoming powerful foes—this is the essence of battles, isn't it?"
Lu Ye sighed, stroking Eevee's head.
"But the risks in battling are too high…"
Erika shook her head, her gaze soft yet resolute.
"You have outstanding tactical skills. Trusting your Pokémon's efforts isn't a bad thing."
Lu Ye hesitated.
It wasn't "effort"—it was betrayal with a side of sass!
Yet, the joy of victory with Eevee resonated deeply with him.
Traveling with Pokémon, witnessing new horizons, and making new friends…
Perhaps that was the essence of a true bond.
"Vee?"
Eevee blinked at him.
After a long pause, Lu Ye sighed.
"I'll consider taking the position in Kanto next year," he said.
"But let me deal with matters here in Donghuang first."
"Of course," Erika replied, bowing slightly. "Thank you for your time."
As sophomores prepared for tournaments and others pondered graduate studies, Lu Ye mused.
While everyone else was prepping for exams, he might soon be teaching at one of the world's top three universities.
Technically speaking, he was already— A Rocket admin, Cynthia's game companion, and a man who fought Lance to a draw.
"Feels like…" Lu Ye's expression turned odd.
"I just got another weird title."
Erika smiled faintly but said nothing.