Chapter 65: The Upcoming Master League
An hour later.
...
Eevee lay sprawled out on the sofa, looking dazed. The Soothe Bell sat quietly in its wooden box.
Eevee tilted its head adorably, still seeming like it hadn't snapped out of it yet.
How boring.
Lu Ye brought over a bowl of freshly washed Applin Berries, cut into little rabbit shapes and placed in a ceramic dish. Holding a toothpick in his mouth, he said:
"Want some?"
"Vee..."
Eevee nodded obediently.
But the next second, its whole body shivered, its face turned red, and it dashed into the bedroom.
"(￣～￣) Gengarrr!"
Haunter opened its massive mouth and gobbled up the cute little rabbit-shaped berries, the sound of crunching filling the air.
Lu Ye scratched his head.
"Looks like this Soothe Bell is pretty effective."
"Hmm... I'll hang it on Eevee after it rests for a bit!"
Although participating in the tournament was an accident—Haunter signed up on its own back then—the final prize... was just too good!
Now that summer break had officially started, Lu Ye planned to give himself a little vacation. After all, he'd been training so hard; he deserved a reward.
"Let's take the two little guys out for dinner tonight."
Lu Ye muttered.
"Plus, I can level up my cooking skills a bit more!"
The gentle evening breeze blew by.
At the riverside open-air restaurant, the shimmering waves reflected the neon lights, weaving into Modu's vibrant nightscape.
Magikarp leaped out of the water, and a few Lapras swam gracefully under the golden glow, letting out their ethereal calls.
Haunter, its face smeared with sauce, flopped onto the table, a baguette in one hand and a sandwich in the other.
Meanwhile, the little one looked unimpressed, stealing a glance at Lu Ye, who was gazing out at the river.
It seemed... this guy's cooking still tasted better...
Eevee: (｡･ω･｡)
Lu Ye wore a conflicted expression.
In his hand was a newspaper from the restaurant, and the headline was glaringly prominent:
"Exclusive! Piplup Cup's Genius Trainer Wins the Championship, Training Methods Revealed!"
News of Lu Ye's championship win had stunned Modu's trainer community. He was the first non-professional to win in the tournament's history.
Students from major Pokémon academies were left bewildered.
Had the times changed?
Being handsome was one thing, but this finance major actually won a championship?
The Modu Evening News also featured the story as the headline of the day.
[Editorial Note: In recent years, various training methods have emerged, but most fail to gain widespread acceptance; Lu Ye, the new Piplup Cup champion, demonstrated a trainer's humanistic care, emphasizing mutual trust between humans and Pokémon...]
Lu Ye's eyelid twitched.
What kind of twist is this?
I'm not even a real trainer, don't make stuff up!
Still, the influence of the Modu Evening News was evident. During dinner, he'd already received messages from 3 Pokémon major students asking for his training advice.
The more he read, the more amused his expression became.
[Due to the champion's busy schedule, we interviewed Song Pengcheng, the chairman of the Modu Pokémon Association.]
[Song: This is an advanced training concept. In regions like Unova, training methods emphasizing bonds between humans and Pokémon are also prevalent.]
[Song: Training from the heart, with the goal of understanding the bond between trainer and Pokémon rather than just winning... I believe this is why he won.]
After reading the whole article, even Lu Ye was a little stunned.
"So that's how it is!"
Lu Ye widened his eyes.
"Why didn't I think of that before!"
It seemed that the '¥200,000 promotion package' referred to this series of articles.
He wasn't really a trainer, but now he was labeled as a training genius. It felt oddly ironic.
But Lu Ye wasn't worried about being recognized on the street.
They interviewed Lu Ye. What did that have to do with Teacher Lu?
...
As night deepened, Lu Ye walked home with Eevee perched on his shoulder and Haunter floating behind.
He hung the Soothe Bell on Eevee, who paused, then lifted its head proudly.
Eevee: o(´^｀)o
Lu Ye grabbed Eevee by the scruff and plopped it onto the exercise wheel, giving it a push.
The little one's eyes lit up instantly.
Ah... double the joy.
So satisfying!
"Gengarrr!"
A cloud of black mist split off from Haunter, forming a Substitute.
Haunter grabbed a broom, and the Substitute picked up a dustpan, dutifully cleaning the room.
Lu Ye blinked.
This little guy's actually training while doing chores?!
"Make sure to mop the floor later."
"Gengarrr!"
Having just finished a tournament, Lu Ye decided to take a break and didn't start a livestream.
Instead, he lay on his bed, scrolling through his phone while listening to the clear jingle of Eevee on the exercise wheel.
In the Master Group chat, they were discussing the upcoming Master Championship.
[Blue: @Red, are you joining the July Master Championship?]
[Red: Nah... I don't plan on joining.]
This exhibition-style match held no challenge for Red.
Green said, "If it were an unrestricted format, you'd join, right?"
"Haha, same goes for you," Red chuckled.
The unrestricted battle was a format where both trainers and Pokémon could appear on the battlefield, with trainers themselves at risk of being attacked. This mode closely resembled wild battles.
Trainers could switch Pokémon at will, and defeating the trainer or any one of their Pokémon counted as a win.
After Red won the 9th Quartz Conference, this format was slowly phased out from official tournaments.
The two veterans' chat left the group momentarily silent.
Lorelei smiled and added: "Last year's Master Championship winner was Leon. He might defend his title this year."
Gold scoffed, "That's just because Red didn't join... If Leon dares come to Indigo Plateau, I'll crush him!"
In the official rankings, Leon from the Galar Region, partnered with his Charizard, was ranked number one.
But among Masters, there was a widely held belief: If the man from Kanto joined, things would be very different.
The Master rankings changed yearly, and this year's finals would be held at Wyndon Stadium in Galar.
With Dynamaxing in play, Leon's chances of defending his title were indeed high.
Whitney: Like you'd challenge Leon—beat me first!
"!? Woman, you're all talk!"
Whitney: Come on, I'll be waiting in Goldenrod City! (fist emoji)
[Member 'Gold' has been muted by an admin for 5 minutes.]
[Member 'Whitney' has been muted by an admin for 5 minutes.]
...
After expertly muting them, Lu Ye scratched his head, remembering the highlight reels of Master Championships on Bilibili.
Besides Leon's unbeatable Dynamax Charizard, there were also Mega Charizard Y, Mega Charizard X, and who knew—maybe even a Water Absorb Charizard someday...
Lu Ye froze.
"Oh right... This world allows all forms!"