Chapter 9: It's Decided, It'll Be You
Gardenia looked blankly at her fainted Shroomish on the ground. As a Grass-type expert, she knew Shroomish's habits and fighting style inside out. But this opponent's wild strategy had left Gardenia at a complete loss.
"Using a Toxic Orb to trigger Shroomish's Poison Heal ability?" Gardenia murmured. "What a daring idea!"
While the Poison Heal strategy with Shroomish had been proposed before, it was usually seen as a passive tactic. The toxicity from a Toxic Orb puts a heavy strain on the Pokémon; even Poison Heal can't fully mitigate it. So, most Grass-type Trainers would opt for Shroomish's "Technician" ability, enhancing its close-range combat on top of its natural endurance.
But right now, Teacher Lu's tactics seemed to open a whole new world for Gardenia.
"What if I balance the toxicity of the Toxic Orb with the regenerative effect of Leech Seed?"
Gardenia's mind raced as she incorporated this strategy into her battle plans. "Using Substitute to share the toxicity, Poison Heal could absorb all of the Toxic Orb's effect! Leech Seed, Toxic, Toxic Orb, Substitute… What a bold nurturing method!"
A look of fervor appeared on Gardenia's face. "This tactic could definitely be applied in real battles!"
Gardenia's breathing grew quick, and she clicked on Teacher Lu's profile, wanting to explore further. "Top ranking… seventh in the world!?" Gardenia's eyes widened. A quick glance at the recently joined fan group made her expression change. "Red is here too! And even Champion Green! Both of them are Teacher Lu's fans!?"
Gardenia felt a bit overwhelmed and muttered, "Such a famous Grass-type master… surely Miss Erika would know him, right?"
"This year's Type Specialist Tournament… I wonder if I could get a few pointers from him…"
She released her Pokémon from its Poké Ball, a red light flashing. Gardenia looked at her other Shroomish with the Poison Heal ability, her mind carefully replaying the previous battle.
"So he wasn't deliberately provoking… this Poison Heal strategy was essential to the tactic all along?"
Gardenia's eyes regained their resolve, and she clenched the Poké Ball in her hand. "I've got to keep working hard!"
After ending the stream, Lu Ye's subscriber count reached 70,000. In just one evening, he had received around 2,000 yuan in rewards. Although the actual earnings would need calculating, it was enough to give Lu Ye a little treat.
He grabbed a can of cola from the mini-fridge, popped it open with a "pssht," and leaned back lazily in his gaming chair. "System, check remaining BP points!"
(BP Points: 970)
Thanks to the show's great effect, Lu Ye had gained nearly 200 BP points, bringing him closer to another tenfold draw. He went to the side room, where Haunter was still floating intently over the Nurturing Guide, studying it diligently.
Like a strict teacher, Haunter had a serious expression as it gazed at the file, holding an Oran Berry with a little claw formed from black mist.
"Haunter!"
As if it had come across something insightful, Haunter nodded in satisfaction and chomped the berry, juices splattering. Lu Ye couldn't help but smirk. Well, well, using academic papers as a snack!
Hearing a sound, the black mist gathered up. Haunter turned around in surprise and then broke into a big grin, stretching out its tongue to lick Lu Ye.
"Haunter~!"
Lu Ye tried to pat Haunter's head, only for his hand to pass through the mist, his fingertips tingling with a cold, numbing sensation. Suddenly, the system's emotionless voice echoed in Lu Ye's ear.
(Haunter, a faint gaseous life form, surrounded by gas so toxic that even an Indian elephant would fall within 10 minutes.)
Lu Ye's face paled. "Are you kidding me? Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
Luckily, Haunter enjoyed Lu Ye's touch and restrained its toxicity, transforming into a harmless mist that swirled around Lu Ye's hand. Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "Want a late-night snack?"
Haunter's large, bell-like eyes widened as it blinked.
Haunter: (⊙ˍ⊙)
"Here, just take the phone and order yourself."
Lu Ye handed the phone to Haunter and picked up the drool-stained guide. Scanning [Gastly's Nurturing Guide], Lu Ye exclaimed, "Wow, you even took notes!?"
"Haunter!" Haunter proudly raised its head, holding the phone with its mouth.
Earlier, Lu Ye had jokingly told Haunter to highlight the usage of Confuse Ray. It hadn't even been 2 hours, yet the guide was covered in sticky, wet underlines—all notes Haunter had made itself!
"You little genius!"
"Haunter~~(๑´ㅂ`๑)"
Lu Ye didn't mind, placing the guide back and chuckling. "Stop grinning, go order food!"
Training a move wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight. Mastering "Confuse Ray" in 2 hours was clearly wishful thinking. Fortunately, Lu Ye's expectations for Haunter weren't high—his main goal was just to save on electricity bills…
"Haunter!"
Haunter carefully placed the phone on the table, eyes gleaming as it stared at the mouth-watering dishes on the screen, swallowing its saliva audibly. But it couldn't resist grinning like a foodie, sticking out its long tongue as it eyed the Farfetch'd Set on the menu.
Haunter: (¯﹃¯)
"Farfetch'd Set again? You just had that last time, let's try something new."
Lu Ye stroked his chin, "How about some barbecue? The lamb skewers here have pretty good reviews."
Haunter: (✪ω✪)
Haunter's eyes sparkled with approval. "Extra spicy, cumin, and an ice-cold beer… perfect!"
Half an hour later, Lu Ye set up a table by the window. With the evening breeze and the enticing aroma of grilled skewers, he was ready to dig in. Haunter guzzled Moomoo Milk, its face flushing from the spiciness, yet it still devoured the shiny, greasy skewers.
"Take it easy; no one's competing with you for it!"
"Haunter!"
Even though it was a spirit, Haunter's mist seemed denser after eating its fill. Come to think of it… The taste wasn't bad; it could even be Wooloo…
Lu Ye took a sip of his refreshing beer and asked, "How did you end up here anyway?"
"From what I read online, Gastly's natural habitat isn't exactly urban areas."
Haunter's movements paused, and it looked up thoughtfully before burying itself back into its lamb skewer.
"Not willing to talk about it, huh?"
Lu Ye gently poked at Haunter's surrounding mist and smiled. "That's fine. From now on, we're family."
The night breeze blew, and Haunter suddenly looked up. Its eyes went wavy with emotion, overflowing with tears.
"Haunter~ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)!"
"Hey, hey, don't wipe your snot on my shirt! No, don't!"
Lu Ye barely avoided getting smothered by Haunter and experiencing "suffocation by Haunter" firsthand. Taking a suspicious blue drink labeled [Speed Booster (Enhanced)] out of the cabinet, he set it aside for Haunter's breakfast the next day.
Lu Ye let Haunter settle on the ceiling as its resting spot. There was something reassuring about waking up to a grinning ghost every morning.
"Lights off, Haunter."
"Haunter!"
At Lu Ye's command, Haunter shut off the room's power. Unbeknownst to Lu Ye, after he fell asleep, a faint, firefly-like glow began circling Haunter, gently illuminating the room. This was precisely what Lu Ye had asked him to master that morning—"Confuse Ray"!