Seeing the data appear before him, Lu Ye stared blankly for a moment.
[Scope Lens: A lens that spots weak points. A Pokémon holding it has an increased chance to land critical hits. (Whether it actually crits or not, you know in your heart.)]
'You wanna say that again?' Lu Ye.
The lens was a compact monocle, resembling those worn by British gentlemen, designed to raise a Pokémon's crit (CT[1]) chance.
But for Teacher Lu, even if it did crit, it probably wouldn't make a difference…
Besides, Togepi's Ability was Serene Grace, which didn't really pair well with Scope Lens.
If it had been Super Luck Togepi, combined with the lens, it could've reached a 100% crit rate.
That's actually a classic battle setup.
"I'll just hold onto it for now," Lu Ye murmured. "Not like I need it anytime soon."
As for the Skill Upgrade Ticket, Lu Ye was still debating which move to upgrade.
In terms of efficiency, Fishing and Performing were both solid picks.
But emotionally, upgrading Ancient Language Lv3 made the most sense.
"Not that flirting matters to me," Lu Ye stroked his chin. "I just genuinely enjoy researching ancient languages!"
[Ding! Skill Upgraded!]
[Ancient Language Lv4: Allows you to decipher most tablets and inscriptions. Grants recognition, writing, and basic pronunciation skills. (You may now begin preliminary research into the field of super-ancient Pokémon.)]
The upgrade added "basic pronunciation" as a new feature.
Not that Lu Ye knew what that was useful for.
But considering Mew, Regigigas, and even Arceus communicated in ancient language and Pokémon speech, with Ancient Language Lv4, qualifying for a research title shouldn't be too difficult.
As for a maxed-out Ancient Language skill, Lu Ye figured it'd be like the movie The Power of the Crystal Tower—Use Unown to summon an Entei, or even create an entire "Crystal World."
Lu Ye shuddered involuntarily.
Just cobbling together a Reality Marble out of Unown?
Yeah... Pokémon really is a high-fantasy world.
Lastly, the random Apricorn Ball: Lu Ye drew a Sweet Ball.
Pink exterior, heart-shaped design.
Terrible catch rate—but man, it was cute.
Too bad both Togepi and Sylveon were already in standard Poké Balls.
Otherwise…
A pink Sylveon in a pink Sweet Ball…
Mm… now that's peak masculinity.
'Well, you never know. I might catch another cutie someday.' Feeling completely justified, Lu Ye tucked the Sweet Ball away.
---
Back at Celadon Academy, The chubby Principal greeted them personally.
"You've all worked hard." The Principal beamed. "And don't worry, the school's not going to shortchange our hardworking staff!"
"Hm?" Lu Ye's instincts tingled. Something felt off.
"The training facilities have been fully upgraded," The Principal said. "So, no need to worry about wear and tear anymore, Teacher Lu!"
Lu Ye opened his mouth, but held back, 'Principal... it's because you upgraded it that I'm more worried now!'
"And your teaching duties for this term have been completed," The Principal added with a smile.
"There's nothing else on the schedule. You can now fully focus on preparing for the Quartz Conference!"
Lu Ye blinked.
The Quartz Conference?
"It was this lady who suggested it to the Headmaster,"
Erika said with a gentle smile. "Surely, for Teacher Lu, the most important thing right now is the Quartz Conference, no?"
Lu Ye: "I-Is it?"
"Isn't it?" Erika tilted her head playfully.
Ahem! Lu Ye cleared his throat. "In any case, we're not skipping any Simulation Battle classes!"
Compared to Erika's theory-heavy lessons,
Lu Ye's classes were way more relaxed and engaging.
Trying to take over his classes while he was gone? Not a chance!
The students nearby were teary-eyed.
Teacher Lu was giving up his own prep time for the League… just to keep teaching them.
This... This is true nobility! A teacher for the ages!
Although the term's lessons had ended, Wally and Gladion decided to stay for more classes.
Maybe after New Year's, once Teacher Lu transferred, they'd return home.
Lu Ye was pretty satisfied with his students.
Two classes a week, hang out and spar with them a bit—Not a bad way to live.
---
December 11th, Friday.
After a week-long trip, Lu Ye was finally home again.
He dropped his bags and let out a lazy yawn.
Time to tally up the haul from this trip to Jubilife City:
Three badges, plus odd little items like the Soothe Bell, Life Orb, and Scope Lens.
"Tchugki~briee~~"
Togepi rolled happily across the floor, the crisp jingle of its bell echoing throughout the room.
Lu Ye smiled faintly, 'Well, seeing his little ones this happy—yeah, this trip was totally worth it.'
The sun began to set.
Lu Ye whipped up a hearty meal and opened the chat group on his phone.
The newbie Roxanne had started to catch on.
Teacher Lu… might actually be a Champion?!
Lorelei chimed in.
[Lorelei: Registration for the P1 Fighting Tournament just opened, FYI~]
[Lu Ye: Thanks, Lo—Lorelei-sis.] He quickly corrected himself and cleared his throat.
[Lu Ye: Are you one of the judges?]
[Lorelei: Nope. The Fighting Elite, Bruno, is handling that. But if you want, I can help you with the draw.]
[Lu Ye: No need for that…]
Whitney jumped in excitedly.
[Whitney: Can I go see it live?!]
She was a huge fan of Bruno, she even had a poster of him at home.
Lorelei smiled.
[Lorelei: Sure, I can get you a front-row ticket.]
[Green: I'll take one too, thanks.]
Lu Ye looked at the screen, expression twitching.
You're totally planning to resell it, aren't you?
Professor Oak's assistant, Crystal, chimed in.
[Crystal: @Teacher Lu, the exchange tournament's over?]
[Lu Ye: Yeah, It was a tough one.] Lu Ye nodded.
[Crystal: Professor Oak said he's got something for you.]
'Professor Oak? Looking for me?' Lu Ye blinked.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A familiar number—it was Principal Du Yuanshan from Modu.
As soon as he answered, Du's cheerful voice came through:
"Lu Ye! I saw the Modu Evening News! I knew you weren't some average joe!"
"Modu Evening News?" Lu Ye was puzzled.
"Don't play dumb," Principal Du said. "Didn't the report say you're challenging the Kanto League? Go for it, kid! Modu University will always be your strongest support!"
Lu Ye paused.
He opened a split-screen and tapped into the Modu Evening News site.
And right there, bold as day, was that clickbait headline: [Kanto Lead: I'm Not as Strong as Him! Teacher Lu Sets Sights on Kanto!]
That reporter's name looked way too familiar. You guys already expanded operations to Kanto too?!
"Principal, let me explain…" Lu Ye said.
Principal Du stroked his beard. "Speaking of which, I do have a small favor to ask."
"Sure, go ahead."
"During our last research collaboration with Professor Oak's lab, we transferred a Pokémon from our academy's Breeding House to his lab. If you get the chance, could you check on it? I'm a bit concerned."
Lu Ye laughed. "Come on, it's Professor Oak. What, is he gonna eat it or something?"
Principal Du opened his mouth… but said nothing, 'That's exactly what I'm worried about…'
After hanging up, not long after, Professor Oak himself called.
"Lu Ye, are you free to drop by the lab tomorrow?"
Professor Oak chuckled. "I have a small gift I'd like to give you."
[1] (Note: CT = Critical hit)