December 17, Thursday.
Last night, Koga had delivered two handwritten manuals under the stars.
They had already been happily stuffed into the four-dimensional pocket by Gengar.
When the time comes to use them, just stick a hand into the extra-dimensional space in his belly, give it a little stir, and out they come.
"Are you sure they won't get corroded by stomach acid?" Lu Ye couldn't help but complain.
"Gengarr!" Gengar pulled out a perfectly intact bag of cucumber-flavored chips.
Rip—he tore it open and handed some to Lu Ye.
Gengar: (￣～￣) munch!
"...Forget I said anything," Lu Ye took two chips, lowered his head, and handed them to the bouncing little Togepi beside him.
"Tchugki~briee~ (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o" The little one stuffed them into its mouth, cheeks puffing up adorably.
It was still early.
Arcanine was jogging in the courtyard.
Squirtle, wearing sunglasses and holding a Squirtle-shaped water bottle, was watering the garden beds.
It… really gave off the vibe of a bald big boss tending to his flowers.
"Sir~fetched! (•̀ω•́」∠)" The thick-browed, big-eyed Sirfetch'd was lying on its shield, dozing off. (Too tired. Not feeling like training today, quack~)
Lu Ye gave his soft feathers a good ruffle and laughed heartily, "Relax, I've already prepared the materials you need for training 'Poison Jab'!"
The two manuals Koga gave last night were Sludge Bomb and Poison Jab. They were ancient-looking handwritten copies, containing Koga's insights and techniques.
According to Koga, training "Sludge Bomb" would cost around 4,000,000 Pokedollars. While "Poison Jab" was a bit cheaper, it still required extracting costly poison.
Since he was spending 4,000,000 Pokedollars on Gengar, of course Teacher Lu wouldn't show favoritism.
Patting Sirfetch'd's duck head, Lu Ye said, "I hope you won't let my efforts go to waste!"
Just as Teacher Lu said, the relationship between Trainer and Pokémon must be mutual, and this "Poison Jab" was Teacher Lu's way of responding to Sirfetch'd.
"Sir~fetched…" Sirfetch'd stared blankly. (Weren't we supposed to slack off together? W-wasn't ready for this, quack~~!)
---
In the chat group.
"Poison Barb?," Green thought for a moment.
[Green: I happen to have some.]
[Teacher Lu: Just sell me two.]
[Green: No problem!] Green said cheerfully.
[Yellow: Training Poison-type moves? Please be careful!] Yellow said
[Gold: Don't worry, when it comes to training, Teacher Lu's a pro!] Gold, having seen Teacher Lu's training methods before, chuckled knowingly.
[Steven: If it's Poison Gems you're after, I can give you two if you don't mind. I happened to collect a few recently.] Steven said.
Lu Ye was momentarily stunned, 'Steven's collection… that's got to be at least epic quality!'
[Lu Ye: Thank you, Steven-san!] Lu Ye said gratefully.
[Sabrina: @Teacher Lu. Are you coming to train at the Saffron Gym this afternoon?] Sabrina messaged.
Since Teacher Lu was busy preparing for the publicity event yesterday, Sabrina hadn't seen Gengar for a whole day. Her frown deepened; she was clearly irritable.
"Uh…" Lu Ye hesitated.
If it were Psychic-type moves, Teacher Lu could just AFK and let Gengar handle it. But for Poison-type moves, it was best to be cautious and show up in person.
He decided—this afternoon, he'd take Gengar and Sirfetch'd to train.
Just as Lu Ye was about to type, a new message popped up on the screen.
[Erika: Grass-type and Poison-type go hand in hand. If it's about Poison-types, wouldn't Celadon Gym be more effective?] Erika smiled gently
As the Fuchsia Gym Leader, Jasmine looked bewildered, 'Even I, the actual Poison-type Gym Leader, haven't said anything yet. Why are you all arguing on your own?'
"This woman…" Sabrina scowled coldly.
Imagining Sabrina's slightly annoyed expression in front of the screen—
[Erika: If you get angry… It's not good for your skin, you know.] Miss Erika covered her lips with a light giggle and murmured with a pleased smile.
This round of sparring—Erika, big win!
[Lu Ye: I'll still go to the Saffron Gym] Lu Ye decided.
Mainly because… it's close to home.
"Eh!?" Erika's smile froze.
"Hmph." Sabrina flipped her black hair and calmly accepted the result.
After all, technically speaking, she was still Gengar's boss right now…
Erika, major loss!
---
Afternoon.
It was already late December.
The air outside was biting cold, and Lu Ye wrapped himself in a brown trench coat.
Sylveon walked beside Teacher Lu on the empty street. The ribbon tied to Lu Ye's arm radiated a comforting warmth.
"Veeon." Sylveon blinked its sapphire-blue eyes.
"Cold?" Lu Ye look at Sylveon and squatted down. He scooped Sylveon into his open coat.
"Veeon!" Sylveon poked its head out from his coat, looking adorably snug.
"A bit heavy," Lu Ye laughed, "If you squirm, I might drop you!"
"Veeon-Veeon! (｀皿´)ﾉ"
The Poison Barbs he'd ordered from Blue that morning had already been delivered via Rocket Express to the Saffron Gym. Heading there in the afternoon would also make training for Gengar and Sirfetch'd easier.
---
Arriving at the grand Saffron Gym.
Gengar floated in effortlessly: "Gengarr (～￣▽￣)～"
Soon, they heard neat voices from inside, "Hello, Coach!"
Lu Ye set Sylveon down and entered the gym. The black-haired girl with a cool demeanor had been waiting.
"The training area is over there. Help yourself," Sabrina said indifferently, "Also, those are the Poison Barbs you ordered."
Lu Ye was already familiar with Poison Barbs.
Back in Modu, he'd obtained one from Devon Corporation. Now, seeing such a delicacy again, Gengar grinned and floated over joyfully.
"Gengarr! (*⊙~⊙)"
Gengar stuck out his crimson tongue and started slurping up the Poison Barb.
Sabrina blinked in surprise, "That's… a training method?"
"Well, it's what Koga taught him," Lu Ye shrugged, used to it by now.
Sabrina nodded thoughtfully, 'With an Elite Four-level technique plus Teacher Lu's insights, it was reasonable that Gengar could withstand the toxicity of a Poison Barb...'
Gengar's move, Sludge Bomb, has a 30% chance to poison the target.
That's a pretty high chance. It could even be called Gengar's 'graduation move' for Poison-type training.
Gengar licking the Poison Barb: prprprpr~~
Lu Ye felt mixed emotions, 'This was probably… Gengar's fifth training session in six months?'
"Getting diligent lately!" As a natural training genius, Teacher Lu nodded in satisfaction.
Sabrina crouched down, resting her chin on her hand, curiously watching Gengar. "You can eat Poison-type stuff too?"
"Gengarr!" Gengar nodded proudly.
"What about playing cards?"
"Ge…Gengarr?" (May…maybe?)
"Bowling balls then!" Sabrina's eyes sparkled.
"Gengarr! Σ(°△°|||)︴"
With Gengar's 4x poison resistance, and with Sabrina nearby, any issues would get immediate attention.
Lu Ye averted his eyes and looked at the snow-white-feathered Sirfetch'd.
"Your turn." Lu Ye flashed a friendly smile.
"Sir~fetched!" (Too late now). Sirfetch'd sighed.
It picked up its leek. With a 'ding', its eyes turned razor-sharp. But, how the heck was it supposed to train? For a slacker, this was an incredibly tough question!
"As for Poison Jab…" Lu Ye pondered, "First we need to infuse it with poison…"
Like Toxicroak, who channels paralytic toxins through its hands or skilled builders, who coat their tools with venom.
Sirfetch'd didn't need to touch poison directly—just coat its leek.
Once it mastered the technique, it could use the move even without the poison.
"Let's take it step by step," Lu Ye said, "No need to stress. It's okay if you don't get it."
In fact, Teacher Lu would prefer that outcome. After all, what mattered most was the journey to fulfill the wish.
Sirfetch'd frowned, feeling more pressure. Since it couldn't figure it out, copying others was a safe bet.
Sirfetch'd picked up the poison-coated leek and glanced at Gengar.
Gengar was still licking the Poison Barb: prprpr~
Sirfetch'd had a moment of enlightenment. It stuck out its duck tongue and licked the tip of the leek.
Sirfetch'd: prprpr~
"SIR~FETCHED!? w(ﾟДﾟ)w"
Sirfetch'd was poisoned. Everything went black.