Chapter 89: Let's Set a Small Goal First
July 21st, Tuesday.
Today, Teacher Lu was startled awake by a loud 'boom' from the living room. Lu Ye shivered in fright, quickly rolling out of bed and rushing to the living room, where Haunter and Eevee were in the middle of a battle.
"Hauunt!" Haunter rubbed its palms together and sent a small Shadow Ball flying towards Eevee. Eevee shook its head, unharmed.
"Eevee!" Eevee snarled and dashed at Haunter, crashing right through it.
Haunter laughed heartily but suddenly froze when it saw Lu Ye standing in the corner, his face full of resentment.
Using their mutual immunities to train moves... You guys really know how to play!
Looking up at the ceiling, which was shedding bits of plaster, Lu Ye muttered, "This house... is probably going to be blown apart one day..."
He called in the maintenance workers. With a mouthful of bread, Lu Ye noted the '2000' bill and sighed in relief. "Luckily, it's only 2000 bucks..."
He chuckled. After all, when you owe 5 million, what's a little extra expense?
The repair work continued until the afternoon. Before Lu Ye could even sink into the sorrow of "Cynthia's departure," he was rushing to sign for a package.
"Pelipper Logistics, please sign for your package!"
Pelipper's pouch is enormous, large enough to fit even a large machine, so the two small parcels had no problem fitting. With Eevee and Haunter's eager eyes on him, Lu Ye ceremoniously unwrapped the package worth 5 million.
"It's so expensive, but no freebies?" Lu Ye grimaced. "Negative review!"
"Huh... there really is something?" Lu Ye pulled out a delicate card—a lifetime VIP card from the Devon Corporation, where he'd ordered Eevee's training equipment.
The company mainly specializes in custom Pokémon training equipment, including things like artificial exoskeletons for Pokémon and waterproof coatings for Rock-type Pokémon. In this world of Pokémon, where even advanced technology is utilized, such items are commonplace.
"I wonder what the principle behind Poké Balls really is," Lu Ye scratched his head. "The power of science is truly amazing!"
"Eevee?" Eevee tilted its head in confusion, looking at the delicate light pink ankle protectors decorated with a bow.
"I had this custom-made for you, isn't it cute?" Lu Ye grinned. "You'll look even better in them!"
This item was geared towards enhancing a Pokémon's speed. According to Cynthia, this would improve Eevee's improper energy release and eliminate any potential issues during training.
Lu Ye grabbed Eevee by the scruff of its neck and, despite its struggles, placed the ankle protectors on its little legs. Eevee blinked a few times and tried walking, looking a bit awkward.
"You'll get used to it," Lu Ye chuckled. "It was recommended by Cynthia, and... it looks good, right?"
"Eev... (○｀ 3′○)" Eevee puffed up its cheeks, reluctantly nodding.
"Hauunt!" Haunter's eyes lit up with excitement as it dug through the other package. Lu Ye took the parcel, opening the fine wooden box.
A cold aura instantly spread through the room.
"Hauunt! (´▽`〃)" Just smelling it made Haunter go into a trance.
The wooden box, worth over 3 million, had only two layers, each containing a matte, jet-black Dusk Stone. Lu Ye had seen these Dusk Stones before, having traded 5000 BP for a small piece, so the rarity was obvious.
The Dusk Stone is a type of Evolution Stone. Come to think of it, Red has three unique Evolution Stones for Fire, Water, and Electric types that never get used up. Suddenly, Lu Ye realized, "No wonder Red's so rich… Those three stones must be worth billions!"
Next to the box was a letter from the seller:
"I'm honored to share the wonders of minerals with you. If this piques your interest in stones, that would be fantastic.
Sincerely, Steven Stone."
"No wonder the quality of these Dusk Stones is so high..." Lu Ye nodded thoughtfully. "Seems like these are from that stone enthusiast's collection!"
Steven's collection wasn't meant to be sold, but at Cynthia's request, he had specially chosen two Dusk Stones. These would be perfect resources for Haunter's Shadow Ball training.
Lu Ye sighed tiredly. "Training Shadow Ball... looks like we'll have to tear this house apart again..."
"Hauunt! (*⊙~⊙)" Haunter's eyes widened as it eagerly stuck its red tongue out, licking the Dusk Stones in a daze.
On the other side, Eevee, wearing its bow-tied ankle protectors and a silk scarf around its neck, hesitated in front of a mirror.
"Eevee!" Eevee bared its teeth at its reflection, then quickly backed away. It glanced towards Lu Ye, and upon seeing him watching, its face turned red. Eevee quickly turned its head, pretending nothing had happened.
Lu Ye smiled faintly. Forget it… as long as they're both happy, that's all that matters.
Lu Ye's ambitions weren't grand. He just wanted to live a peaceful life with his Pokémon. But if Haunter and Eevee were willing to battle… Lu Ye was happy to go along with them. This realization hit him after Cynthia left.
The bond formed between people and Pokémon, influencing each other's paths… That's probably the charm of the Pokémon world!
Of course, training was still up to Haunter. Lu Ye silently thought, Though I'm a training genius, I should focus on making money and supporting my family instead.
If possible, Lu Ye mused… maybe it's not impossible to aim for a small goal, like supporting a Sinnoh Champion?
Lu Ye instinctively reached into his pocket and pulled out an IOU, his face changing in an instant.
"Anyway... I should probably focus on paying back this 5 million first…"
…
Meanwhile, in the Hoenn Region.
"The winner of the Master League match is: Cynthia!"
The blonde woman in a black trench coat subconsciously glanced at the VIP seats. The silver-haired Karen, dressed in elegant white attire, clapped gracefully.
Cynthia smiled faintly and met Karen in the player's tunnel, exchanging a light hug.
"How was your trip to the Donghuang Region?" Karen asked.
"Very nice," Cynthia replied with a smile.
"Didn't you say you didn't like traveling far?" Karen raised an eyebrow.
"But meeting different people, different Pokémon..." Cynthia thought of Haunter and Eevee, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "It's also quite fun."
Karen nodded lightly. "Yeah, traveling can change your mood… but you'll be busy afterward..." Thinking about the packed schedule for the second half of the year, Cynthia sighed helplessly.
As she put her hand in her pocket, her fingers brushed against a note. Curiously, she unfolded it, revealing Lu Ye's bold handwriting. One could almost imagine the look on his face as he wrote the IOU.
For some reason, Cynthia suddenly broke into a smile.