Because Professor Oak's lab collaborates with Modu University's Pokemon Breeding House, whenever they run into academic problems, the Breeding House also seeks answers from the industry leader—Professor Oak.
And this time… the issue came from a Pokémon that Modu University's Pokemon Breeding House had temporarily housed in Professor Oak's backyard.
Professor Oak had already spoken with President Du from Modu.
Rather than saying the Pokémon was too strong, it was more that its overwhelming presence intimidated the others.
Any Trainer who tried to capture it, without exception, had failed due to a lack of strength.
Professor Oak stroked his chin.
Lu Ye was originally a student at Modu… with his strength and status, it would be quite natural for him to tame this Pokémon.
Just as he was about to call Lu Ye, Professor Oak suddenly remembered, "Isn't that kid busy preparing for a tournament right now?"
Having graduated from Celadon University, Professor Oak had heard about the exchange tournaments between Trainer academies.
As a teacher at the academy, Lu Ye's current top priority would surely be preparing for the upcoming event.
"Let him come to the backyard after the tournament is over."
Professor Oak smiled slightly.
"After all, I still owe that kid a thank-you gift… I should prepare a surprise for him!"
---
Saturday, December 5th
Among the three participants, Wally was arguably the strongest.
In addition to Gallade, he also had a dual-type Magnezone—Steel and Electric.
Whether it was for defense or offense, he could perform reliably.
Despite being physically weak, Wally continued to follow his daily training schedule.
Even the usually prideful Gladion couldn't help but acknowledge Wally's dedication and hard work.
In a way, every student in Lu Ye's class had their own sense of purpose.
Gladion was seeking strength and hoping to find traces of his father.
Wally wanted to prove to everyone that even someone like him could become an excellent Pokémon Trainer.
Giselle started out thinking Teacher Lu was cool, and later came to admire his skill.
And that card-shark student with the fancy hairstyle… might just want a few extra URs?
With the exchange tournament just around the corner, Gengar was also diligently training the little ones.
Originally, he could just send Erika to dominate the faculty match…
But unfortunately, those dates happened to overlap with her scheduled Gym inspection from the League.
In the end, the school decided: Lu Ye, recommended by Erika, would lead the team and participate in the inter-academy exchange.
He thought he could slack off, but instead he got saddled with responsibility.
Lu Ye felt a weight on his chest, 'Is this your excuse for skipping work?!'
"Three days until the exchange tournament," Erika called, hesitating slightly before saying, "Please… go a little easy on them…"
'If Teacher Lu went all out… no one there would be able to stop him!' Erika thought.
Lu Ye: "Don't worry, the students will score the points. I'll just slack off."
Erika had a complicated look, 'Every time you say you'll slack off… it ends in a bloodbath, doesn't it? Are you planning to blow up another tournament this time?!'
Erika sighed faintly: "In any case… please use your best judgment."
Realistically… completely sweeping the other side in a friendly match did seem a little inappropriate.
After ending the call, Lu Ye glanced at Gengar beside him.
"We're going to promote friendship and camaraderie, you get that?"
"Gengarr~!" Gengar nodded naturally.
Just building friendships.
I'm good at that.
I build friendship with Gym Leader Tang all the time!
---
The weather turned colder.
Today was one of the rare rest days before the tournament.
Lu Ye sat by the indoor fireplace in a rattan chair, with Sylveon curled up on his lap.
The large, lion-like Arcanine was lying lazily at Lu Ye's feet, yawning.
"Tchugki~briee~"
Togepi clutched a phone, rolled down from Arcanine's back with a rumble, and landed on the carpet.
Arcanine picked it up gently in its mouth and placed it back on its back.
Lu Ye closed the book in his hands, feeling mixed.
Every time he saw this scene, he worried Arcanine might accidentally chew Togepi to bits…
But with Togepi's luck, its danger-evasion stat was basically maxed.
He bent down to ruffle Arcanine's mane and opened the report from Oleana.
On the Pokémon Studio's side, the online version of PTCG was still in development.
Once the online platform launched, Lu Ye could finally let Togepi open booster packs for him.
Also, to build hype, the Sinnoh expansion pack was set to release by year's end.
Even though the weather was getting colder, the announcement of the Pokémon TCG Sinnoh expansion had players fired up.
Sure, it had been delayed a few times… But no one remembers those on-time garbage releases.
Besides, the art style was being strictly supervised by Jasmine—it was all about top quality.
Each card even had to include related Pokémon data, making it a massive undertaking.
In this Sinnoh expansion, Lu Ye had also prepared the first-ever PTCG Trainer Card:
[-Trainer Card · Cynthia-]
Unlike the original Trainer cards, this new one had much more collectible value.
And there were only two copies of this first-ever Trainer card in the world.
One was in Lu Ye's hands.
The other was intended for Cynthia.
If he was printing cards… obviously, the first should be for his wife!
Lu Ye messaged Cynthia about the new card.
"I'll give it to you in person," Lu Ye said. "I'll be visiting Jubilife City soon anyway."
The inter-academy exchange was being held in Sinnoh's Jubilife City—not far from where Cynthia lived.
"Mm," Cynthia responded, then asked, "Where are you staying?"
"At a hotel with the students."
"You can bring the students over to my place."
"Huh?" Lu Ye picked up something odd in her tone. "You have a villa in Jubilife too?"
There was a trace of pride in Cynthia's voice. "Of course."
"Then allow me to thank you with a home-cooked meal."
Lu Ye asked, "What do you want to eat?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Cynthia's elegant face looked slightly troubled as she murmured softly, "Any… anything's fine?"
Seeing her speak so gently was rare—Lu Ye chuckled.
"I've got two cards here. Which one do you want?"
Cynthia: .....
"Just kidding," Lu Ye cleared his throat. "I'll give you both."
'That's more like it' Cynthia thought, then asked softly: "Is there a female student?"
"There's one."
"Then wait till I arrive. I'll host them myself." Cynthia's tone was firm.
Lu Ye froze for a second, then smiled: "No problem!"
---
Three days later
After the usual morning training, Lu Ye led the students to Jubilife City in Sinnoh.
As a long-standing tradition, the annual Academy Exchange Tournament always drew considerable attention from locals.
Over the course of three days, the Jubilife City radio station would live broadcast every match.
On the train, the frail, green-haired boy looked clearly nervous.
"It's alright—just perform the way you normally do," Lu Ye smiled encouragingly. "Your parents might be watching these matches too."
Wally nodded.
Many times, he had wallowed in self-pity, resenting that he hadn't received a special Pokédex.
But whether it was Professor Oak, Teacher Lu, or even Ruby—None of them had ever given up on him.
The soft-spoken, green-haired boy now had a determined look in his eyes, 'I can't let them down!'
Next to him, Gladion stared at the scenery flying past outside the window, eyes flashing.
'Will my family… see this match too?' Thinking of his mother and sister far away in Alola, Gladion clenched his fists tightly, 'I can't afford to lose—not even once!'
Seated between them, Giselle seemed to feel an overwhelming pressure.
She asked weakly, "Teacher Lu… if I lose, you won't punish me, right?"
"You'll write the type-advantage chart 100 times," Lu Ye said without turning around.
He'd already fed her energy cubes, taught her tactics… If she still lost, it'd be a stain on his reputation!
Giselle sighed with slight regret and asked again:
"W-What if I win?"
"What do you want?"
"100 autographs?" she asked cautiously, then quickly added, "10?"
"10 is more reasonable."
Lu Ye muttered, then added: "And you better not sell them—I haven't even tried that myself yet!"
"Don't worry!" Giselle smiled sweetly, 'I'll keep them safe… they're bound to go up in value someday!'
Led by the organizing committee, the group arrived at the hotel.
Lu Ye explained: "There are four academies in total. Matches will be held over two days. Each match includes a student match and a faculty match. Each team has three instructors and three students."
Lu Ye folded his arms and smiled, "My expectations aren't that high, each of you just needs to win three in a row. That's not too hard, right?"
The three students nodded with fierce determination.
Off to the side, Teacher Wen Zi was momentarily stunned, 'If you guys win them all… what's left for us to fight? But still… is this what Teacher Lu's leadership style is like?!'