The moment Luke's livestream went live, the chat exploded.
Dinner's ready, everyone!
Streamer, are you there? Why isn't the facecam on?
I came here after watching your YouTube video. Substitute + Protect + Toxic is absolutely disgusting!
Luke launched Pokémon: Battle while casually reading the comments aloud.
"Why don't I use a facecam?"
"I'll reveal my face after I reach 100,000 subscribers."
A wall of question marks instantly flooded the chat.
???
Is this streamer serious?
With a voice that nice, you're probably just a tank player hiding your face.
I've watched Teacher Luke for years. He's definitely handsome!
Nobody watches Teacher Luke because of his looks… right?
Someone posted a five-second clip of Teacher Luke on the forums. He's absolutely movie-star level!
Luke remained perfectly composed.
"You're all exaggerating."
"I'm just an ordinary guy."
"I guess I'm only handsome enough to star in a few movies."
He continued reading the donations.
"Thanks for the plane, 'When Is Teacher Luke's New Movie Coming Out?'"
"It'll be soon. I just need to discuss the script with Karen first."
"And thanks to 'Teacher Luke and Mother Machamp' for the ten memberships."
"We're… not discussing Mother Machamp today."
"Today's stream will continue with Pokémon battle tutorials."
The audience seemed surprisingly united.
Please teach us more about Substitute + Protect + Toxic!
My starter is Bulbasaur! Can you explain how to use it?
Luke smiled after reading the messages.
"Thanks to 'Bulbasaur Uses Substitute + Protect + Toxic' for the plane."
"If you can afford a Bulbasaur, evolving it into Venusaur shouldn't be a problem."
"So today, let's talk about Venusaur."
He opened the team builder and dragged Venusaur into his lineup.
"Venusaur has several viable playstyles."
"You can build a Sunny Day team and take advantage of Chlorophyll for sweeping."
"Or you can focus on a defensive role with Substitute, Protect, Toxic, Leech Seed, and Synthesis."
"Enough theory."
"I'll show you how it works."
After entering matchmaking, Luke was paired against an international player from the Johto League.
Wind-Like Billiards Boy
Luke greeted him politely in Japanese while selecting Venusaur.
"Konnichiwa."
His opponent immediately led with Typhlosion.
__________________________
Kanto Region — Pallet Town
Outside a quiet house, a girl with an orange ponytail gently patted her warm cheeks and took a deep breath.
It's okay…
We're just watching videos together.
He probably won't misunderstand… right?
Summoning her courage, Yellow nervously rang the doorbell.
A familiar voice soon came through the intercom.
"It's you."
Red smiled.
"The door's unlocked. Come upstairs."
Go into Red's house…?
Yellow's face instantly turned bright red.
Still…
She was a little curious.
Shouldn't he be training at this hour?
She cautiously stepped inside.
Before she could take another step, a yellow blur jumped down from the second floor.
"Pikaaa!"
"Long time no see, Pikachu."
Yellow smiled warmly as she stroked Pikachu's head.
"Pika!"
After happily rubbing against her hand, Pikachu leaped away and bounded upstairs.
Yellow looked up.
Standing at the top of the stairs was a young man wearing a red cap.
He caught Pikachu effortlessly, placed it on his shoulder, and grinned.
"Yellow!"
"I found a really interesting Trainer today!"
Red's Room
The room was neat and spotless.
Several championship trophies lined the shelves, but the furnishings were surprisingly simple.
A bed.
A desk.
A computer.
That was all.
"Sit wherever you'd like."
Only after speaking did Red realize he was already occupying the room's only chair.
"I…"
Yellow lowered her head.
"I'll just sit on the bed…"
"If you're okay with that."
"Of course."
Red scratched his head before suddenly remembering something.
"Oh!"
"Come look at this!"
Yellow leaned over, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Isn't this the game you usually play?"
"Pokémon: Battle?"
"Exactly."
Red laughed.
"It's incredibly similar to real Pokémon battles."
"You issue commands through a microphone in real time."
"I usually play it to relax after training."
"…Even when you're relaxing, you're still thinking about battles."
Yellow smiled helplessly.
Completely oblivious to the meaning behind her expression, Red excitedly pointed at the screen.
"Watch this streamer."
"His understanding of Venusaur is incredible."
"Unless he's also an outstanding Trainer in real life, there's no way he'd have this level of tactical awareness."
"I really want to battle him someday."
"I'd love to exchange ideas about raising Venusaur."
"Pika!"
"Haha."
"You want to battle him too, don't you?"
Yellow turned her attention toward the livestream.
A Master Ball-ranked six-on-six match had already begun.
Has Professor Luke Eaten Today?
vs.
Wind-Like Billiards Boy
Since it was an international livestream, YouTube automatically translated Luke's commentary into subtitles.
"Typhlosion?"
"Seriously?"
"If you're brave enough to lead with Typhlosion, don't blame me when Toxic teaches you a lesson."
Despite facing a Fire-type, Venusaur slowly dismantled Typhlosion using Toxic and Protect.
Then it defeated Ambipom.
Then Sunflora.
Luke had used only a single Pokémon, yet it had already eliminated three of the opponent's team.
The chat completely lost its mind.
What am I watching?!
He beat a Fire-type while staying almost at full health?!
Teacher Luke has ruined competitive Pokémon forever!
This isn't Pokémon anymore—it's psychological warfare!
Yellow stared in surprise.
"Red…"
"That username…"
"Could it be…?"
"Oh."
Red coughed awkwardly.
"That's probably Gold."
"I remember he plays this game quite a lot."
Back in the match…
Venusaur launched Leech Seed, and thick vines wrapped around Togekiss.
The vines continuously drained its energy.
Togekiss cried out as it desperately flapped its wings.
Its Air Slash struck only a shimmering green barrier.
"Protect."
Luke's calm voice echoed through the stream.
"The move Protect."
"The opponent is mentally collapsing."
"Toxic can even be replaced with Leech Seed in some matchups."
"The recovery is even stronger."
Togekiss's body gradually turned purple as poison spread through it.
Meanwhile, Leech Seed continued draining its HP every turn.
Even when an attack finally connected, the damage was minimal.
Luke simply ordered—
"Synthesis."
Venusaur's injuries disappeared almost instantly.
The barrage of comments became even more chaotic.
Please have mercy!
I finally understand why everyone hates this strategy!
Four straight knockouts!
Venusaur is unstoppable!
With one final cry…
Togekiss fell from the sky.
Meanwhile, Venusaur looked healthier than ever.
It almost seemed ready for another round.
Yellow couldn't help gasping.
"The timing…"
"…was perfect."
Red nodded seriously.
"Even Gold couldn't beat him."
Casual viewers only saw the spectacle.
Experienced Trainers saw something entirely different.
Because Pokémon: Battle simulated real-time Trainer commands, the game accurately reflected a Trainer's tactical ability.
What truly made Substitute + Protect + Toxic terrifying wasn't the strategy itself.
It was the flawless timing behind every command.
Each Protect.
Each Substitute.
Each recovery.
Every decision demanded extraordinary battlefield awareness.
Which meant only one thing.
The streamer known as Has Professor Luke Eaten Today?
Was almost certainly an elite Trainer in real life.
Perhaps…
One of the strongest.
Red smiled.
"Now you understand why I skipped training today."
"Watching skilled Trainers battle…"
"…is part of training too."
Yellow wanted to point out that it was just a video game.
But after watching the match…
She couldn't bring herself to say it.
The battles unfolding on-screen were every bit as thrilling as real Pokémon battles.
Without realizing it, Yellow found herself sitting beside Red, quietly watching the rest of Teacher Luke's livestream with growing fascination.