Chapter 53: Piplup Cup Semi-Finals
Saturday marked the start of the highly anticipated Piplup Cup semifinals. According to the brackets, Lu Ye was up against Han Xiaoxiao from Modu High School. She was the same livestream viewer whose Pokémon was a Shroomish.
The other match was an internal duel between Zhejiang University students Feng Shu and Lü You.
When Feng Shu saw the bracket list, he wiped his cold sweat and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness... I don't have to face Teacher Lu in the semifinals."
Meanwhile, Han Xiaoxiao's eyes sparkled as she spammed Lu Ye with messages, under the pretense of asking for advice.
"Teacher Lu, I'm in the same bracket as you for the semifinals!"
"Teacher Lu, can we take a picture together after the match? A signature would be great too!"
Thanks to his growing video influence, Lu Ye had developed a bit of a fan following among young Trainers.
From the look of it, Han Xiaoxiao seemed more like a fangirl than a competitor!
"This really is a water-friend match..."
Lu Ye's expression turned strange. He clicked on Han Xiaoxiao's social media and immediately twitched. Her cover image was a chibi fanart that bore a 70% resemblance to him. Beside it floated a grinning Gengar, with the caption:
"Protecting the world's best Substitute-Protect-Toxic!"
Lu Ye blinked.
"Is this... one of those fangirls I keep hearing about?"
Scrolling down, he saw more of Han Xiaoxiao's posts.
"Ridiculous! Teacher Lu is at least a Master Trainer, okay? Don't talk nonsense if you don't know!"
"Ahhh, Teacher Lu can even cook, love it!"
…
Lu Ye's expression was complicated as he glanced at his Haunter scratching its head.
"Gengarrr?"
"Go hard on her later, let her know the world is a cruel place!"
"Gengarrr!"
Haunter cracked its knuckles and grinned wickedly.
The match was set to begin in the afternoon.
During lunch, Lu Ye prepared some MooMoo Milk for Eevee. After calling for a while with no response, he went into the room and picked Eevee up.
"Vee..."
Eevee whimpered in protest and tried to wriggle free.
But in the end, it hung its head and quietly licked the milk. Lu Ye secretly slipped his hand into Eevee's fluffy neck fur and smiled in satisfaction.
"This texture... unmatched!"
"Vee!"
Eevee glared at him fiercely, then suddenly hiccupped.
"Vee... hic... Vee!"
Despite the bared teeth, the hiccup made it anything but intimidating.
"Lactose intolerance?" Lu Ye paused, then chuckled. "Hang on, I'll get you something else for lunch."
"V-Vee!"
Eevee hiccupped again, tail swishing shyly as it turned its head away.
On the other side…
"Gengar~ (*⊙~⊙)"
Haunter grabbed a handful of Pokéblocks and stuffed them in its mouth like candy. It even reached for a Fizzy Water to wash it down.
Fzzzt—
Popping the cap with its other hand, Haunter squinted happily as it took a sip.
"Gengar~!"
Before leaving, Lu Ye patted Eevee on the head. "Wanna come with us?"
"Gengar!" Haunter's eyes gleamed with hope.
Eevee backed away a step and shook its head. The little one was still shy, but staying in a Poké Ball all day wasn't great either.
"Alright, you stay home. We'll bring you something tasty later."
"V-Vee..."
Eevee nodded lightly, then hiccupped again and darted away.
Watching it disappear, Lu Ye scratched his chin.
"Eevee doesn't know Will-O-Wisp... it shouldn't burn the house down again, right?"
"Yeah... it'll be fine."
He nodded confidently.
"Let's go, Haunter. Time for the water-friend match!"
The area around the Mercedes Arena was packed with spectators, and the media had all gathered. This was the first big summer event in Modu, and it was reaching its climax.
"The Piplup Cup semifinals are about to begin. Among these outstanding young Trainers, we have Lu Ye from Modu University..."
"Dubbed the biggest dark horse, will Lu Ye perform another miracle?"
"The special guest for the semifinals is South China Champion Guo Ming!"
These veteran Trainers were there to commentate, which doubled as an evaluation for the upcoming Junior Trainer Certificate exam.
The chairman of the city association, Song Pengcheng, smiled. "Master Guo, long time no see."
Guo Ming cupped his hands. "Sir, you're still full of vigor!"
"With so many promising young talents, I can rest easy." Song Pengcheng chuckled.
"Oh?" Guo Ming raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking about Lü You or Feng Shu?"
Song Pengcheng stroked his beard and smiled mysteriously.
"Their match is up first. We'll see who's better soon enough," Guo Ming said.
Fireworks boomed as the commentator's voice announced the start of the match.
"Both competitors are in position. Let's see who prevails!"
In the audience, Tian Youwei stammered, "Lu... aren't you a bit too relaxed?"
"I'm already nervous," Lu Ye sighed. "Look at my eyes."
"Hmm... they do look nervous."
Dayou chewed on a burger and snorted, "Nervous, my *ss!"
Lu Ye coughed. Even if he wanted to be nervous, facing his own livestream viewer made it impossible.
"Let's just enjoy the match. These tickets were expensive—hundreds each."
Ivysaur vs. Magneton.
Aside from Toxic being useless against Steel types, neither side had a type advantage. It all came down to tactics and training.
Lü You struck first. "Thunder Wave!"
Ivysaur was too slow to dodge the Magneton's Thunder Wave.
But just in time, Protect flashed up, and the thick current crackled against the shield. Meanwhile, Ivysaur planted its vines firmly into the ground.
"Feng Shu has sacrificed mobility and had Ivysaur root itself!" the commentator exclaimed.
"Ivysaur's speed is a disadvantage," Song Pengcheng noted. "Smart move."
"He's aiming for a battle of attrition," Guo Ming added.
"Leech Seed!" Feng Shu commanded.
"Gyro Ball, then Thunderbolt up close!"
The thorny vines shot out, but Magneton spun rapidly, deflecting them all. With Ivysaur rooted, Magneton closed in, sparks flying!
Ivysaur curled up in pain.
"Hidden Power!" Feng Shu shouted.
A fiery glow burst from Ivysaur's bulb, heat waves rolling out.
"Fire-type Hidden Power?" Song Pengcheng said in surprise.
"He kept that hidden!"
"Too reckless," Guo Ming frowned.
In the audience, Tian Youwei gasped, "Holy crap, Ivysaur's gonna win!"
But Lu Ye shook his head. "Lü You's got this."
Flames roared toward Magneton, who screeched as it tanked the hit.
A second Thunderbolt surged forward!
The referee raised the flag. "Ivysaur is unable to battle. The winner is Lü You from Zhejiang University!"