Chapter 202: Leon and the Wings of Gale
Hammerlocke Stadium, Galar Region
Raihan sat in his office, legs kicked up on the table, staring at the unwelcome visitor. "So? What's with the sudden inspection?"
Across from him, a tall man with purple hair and a thick stubble smiled warmly, his signature cape draped over his shoulders. "I'll be leaving Galar for a while soon, so I wanted to visit all the Gym Leaders before that."
"Tch, sounds nice and all," Raihan scoffed, "but you're just here to babysit us, aren't you?"
"Well, you're not wrong," Leon admitted with a slight chuckle. "As Champion, it's my duty to ensure that all Gym Leaders are properly fulfilling their roles, rather than… spending too much time on social media or side jobs."
As Leon droned on, Raihan groaned, rubbing his temples. "Argh! Enough already!" What kind of Champion spends their days micromanaging Gym Leaders?! Having a responsible boss was one thing—but Leon was a pain in the ass! Not to mention, the guy was a notorious, directionally challenged mess. Every time he came to Hammerlocke City, Raihan had to personally pick him up!
Leon glanced at his watch. "According to Galar's Gym Leader regulations, you're only required to work eight hours a day… You've already finished today's quota."
"Seriously, man…" Raihan sighed, before calling out to his assistant. "Hey! Once this battle is over, clear out the waiting challengers! I'm done for the day!"
Leon frowned disapprovingly. "Raihan, ticket sales are a crucial part of Galar's Pokémon battle industry. Every spectator deserves—"
"Blah, blah, blah! You never shut up!" Raihan shot Leon a sharp glare. "Forget all that—don't you want to battle me instead?!"
Leon glanced at his watch again, then shook his head regretfully. "Unfortunately, I have to visit another Gym after this… I can only stay for about an hour."
"Tch." Raihan clicked his tongue and flopped back into his seat. "If you're scared of losing, just say so."
Leon simply smiled. "I can't battle, but I can watch and offer some advice."
Raihan's interest piqued. He turned toward Leon, eyes narrowing. "You serious?"
Leon chuckled. "Galar's Champion never lies."
A grin spread across Raihan's face. He cracked his knuckles, walking toward the battle arena. "Hey, do we have any challengers left? Let the next one in!"
"Just use virtual battles," Leon reminded him. "The League has to pay for stadium repairs, you know!"
Raihan sighed and sat back down, opening Pokémon: Battle on his device. "You always this cheap?"
"Well, the Galar League is still growing—we have to budget carefully," Leon scratched his head sheepishly.
"…Fine, whatever." Raihan stretched his neck, his shark-like teeth flashing in a grin. "Since it's virtual, I can go all out without holding back, right?"
Leon, standing behind Raihan, watched the screen attentively. The matchmaking screen spun—Raihan frowned. "Tch. Why did it have to be this guy?"
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Lu? Is he famous?"
"…Well, let's just say he can go toe-to-toe with Caitlin," Raihan absentmindedly chewed on his thumbnail. "Some dude from Donghuang—probably some hidden monster living in the mountains or something."
Leon nodded knowingly. His own mentor, Master Mustard, was from Donghuang. The man had been Galar's Champion for eighteen straight years. Leon had always held a deep respect for Donghuang's strength. "If he's worthy of being called 'Teacher', then he must be no joke." Leon laughed heartily and clapped Raihan on the shoulder. "Give it your all—beat 'Teacher Lu' first, then we'll talk!"
"Like I need you to tell me that?" Raihan scoffed, but his expression grew serious. He couldn't afford to take this opponent lightly. Losing in front of Leon? That'd be too humiliating. Time to bring out the Weather Team… "Let's go, Flygon! Use Sandstorm!"
A fierce gust of swirling sand engulfed the battlefield. But before the sandstorm could fully settle, a powerful gale tore through the dust, clearing the haze. "Whimsicott, Tailwind!"
With the Tailwind boost, Whimsicott floated effortlessly. Lapras opened its mouth, unleashing a blistering Ice Beam toward Flygon. With a 4× Ice weakness, Flygon should have been instantly annihilated—but it dodged, moving at an impossible angle to slip past the attack. Meanwhile, Duraludon charged up a brilliant white Flash Cannon. BOOM! It struck Whimsicott dead-on, breaking its Focus Sash.
The chat exploded.
"WTF?! How did that Ice Beam MISS?!"
"Lapras is throwing again! Someone sub it out!!"
"If Teacher Lu wasn't cursed with bad luck, he'd be World Champion by now!"
Lu Ye was internally screaming. That was a 100% accuracy Ice Beam! How the hell did it MISS?! But he kept his composure, clearing his throat. "It's fine. This is normal. No need to panic."
Leon, watching from behind, was visibly impressed. Because of Lu Ye's pre-read, Raihan had started at a huge disadvantage. But this ridiculous RNG had saved Flygon's life… Leon ran a quick mental simulation. If this had been a real-life battle, Flygon's chance to dodge was probably only 5%. He frowned slightly. If this were a Dynamax battle, where moves couldn't miss, Lapras's G-Max Resonance would have completely shattered Raihan's strategy by now…
Whimsicott, barely hanging on, set up one last Tailwind before fainting from the sandstorm. "Thank you, Whimsicott!" Lu Ye threw out a Poké Ball. "Go, Talonflame!"
Speed is everything for Flying-types. And under the Tailwind boost, Talonflame moved so fast it was barely visible. Its scarlet body blurred through the sandstorm—its wings slicing through the dust like blades of fire. "Brave Bird!"
Flames erupted, carving a hole straight through the raging sandstorm. Talonflame blasted forward, cloaked in fire. BOOM! It slammed into Duraludon at blinding speed. At the same time, its body glowed red. Red Card activated!
The chat went wild:
"WTF?! RED CARD TALONFLAME?!"
"Teacher Lu's strategies are insane!!"
Raihan stared in disbelief. Talonflame was carrying a Red Card?! Who the hell uses that item?! Even Leon was stunned. Using an unconventional item to force an opponent's switch—this guy's battle instincts were insane.
With Duraludon forcibly swapped out, Lapras finally landed an Ice Beam. With Tailwind still in effect, Lu Ye's commanding advantage only grew stronger. With his Sandstorm core gone, Raihan's other Pokémon became sitting ducks. Lapras tore through them with Hydro Pump, one after another. The momentum completely flipped in an instant.
In the sky above, Talonflame burned brightly, its Gale Wings ability making it a blur of motion. It locked eyes with the lone Duraludon still standing. Then, like a meteor, it plummeted from above—a final, self-destructive strike.
Final Score: 4-2. Despite being one of the Eight Masters, Raihan never even had a chance to counterattack. The relentless, storm-like aggression left him shaken. He subconsciously glanced at the man beside him.
"…Ah." Leon, still watching the screen, nodded with a smile. "His playstyle… is very similar to mine." Leon had always been an instinctive battler, and seeing Lu Ye's improvisational and tactical prowess, he couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship.
Raihan's expression twitched. He didn't want to admit it, but… in terms of battle strategy and command ability—Lu Ye might actually be on Leon's level. "Tch, are all Donghuang trainers monsters?" Raihan sighed. "First, it was Master Mustard, and now it's Teacher Lu…"
"If this had been an offline battle, Lapras's Ice Beam would've ended the match immediately," Leon grinned, adding another jab. "Yep, you were completely outplayed."
A vein popped on Raihan's forehead. "…I didn't ask for your opinion."
Leon laughed heartily and stood up. "Well then, I'll be off to the next Gym! See ya!"
As he turned, Raihan sighed loudly. "…Leon, the exit is the other way. You're heading into the bathroom."
"…Ahaha. My bad." Leon scratched his head awkwardly.
With this victory, Lu Ye's global ranking soared to #8. The stream's viewership skyrocketed past 4 million. "Thanks to 'Lu Ye's Leg Hair' for the donation. Much appreciated," Lu Ye nodded sincerely.
The Tailwind strategy was simple yet effective, perfect for beginners. Both Interpol and Team Rocket appreciated the effort. Tailoring battle strategies to specific audiences… That's why he was Teacher Lu!
Even as the stream's popularity peaked, Sylveon yawned in Lu Ye's lap, cutely tugging at his hand. Taking the hint, Lu Ye prepared to end the stream. But just as he was about to log off, a notification caught his eye. "Thanks to 'Cabbage Ice Cream' for the Super Rocket gift."
Lu Ye smirked knowingly. "No need for words between friends—big spender, I see you." And with that, he lightning-fast ended the stream.
Viewers were left in stunned silence.
"BRO, THE STREAMER DIPPED IN 0.1 SECONDS?!"
"That's the single life reflexes right there!"
"EVERYONE, STAND UP!"
Later that night, he recorded two matches with Gold. "Don't use a Sunflora team, please. Try a different strategy," Lu Ye sighed.
Gold grinned. "Fine, I'll run the exact same Tailwind team you just taught. I got this!"
Thirty minutes later…
Lu Ye: "…Thanks, Gold."
Gold: "Goodnight."
After sending the message, Gold's profile went dark immediately. Lu Ye, looking at the footage, nodded in satisfaction. He made a late-night snack for his Pokémon before grabbing a bowl of instant noodles for himself. Not because he was broke. Sometimes, you just crave instant noodles.
As he slurped the noodles, he watched in silence as Gengar floated out of the house, carrying three Poké Balls. "…Be careful," Lu Ye sighed. "And don't wake up the neighbors."
"Gengarrr!" Gengar flashed a toothy grin and gave a thumbs-up.
The next morning, Gengar returned, bringing back steaming hot buns as an offering. Lu Ye bit into a bun, one hand petting Sylveon, the other clicking his mouse.
[Your video has been successfully uploaded!]
[Click to view: 'Teacher Lu Teaches You to Battle #10—Tailwind Teams!']
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]