Chapter 215: How Can Someone Be This Ruthless?!
With the Top 16 matches of the East China Division concluded, Lu Ye had officially advanced to the Top 8. After the match, the forums exploded.
"This level of tactical awareness… is he actually a veteran challenging the new league?"
"Judging by his lineup, he must've raised these Pokémon from scratch… even his Wartortle is still just a Wartortle!"
"Yang Zhichang, who also made the Top 8, once reached the Top 32 in the Kanto League. I wonder how he stacks up against Lu Ye?"
"You guys still don't get it? Lu Ye is obviously a Master-rank Trainer!"
The rumors spiraled out of control. Some claimed he had swept through the Galar League, crushed Raihan, and even fought Lance to a draw. While most of these were clickbait, there were credible details. For instance—before becoming a Trainer, Lu Ye was most likely a chef. After all, he could teach Pokémon moves through cooking.
Professional Trainers analyzing his battles refused to believe he was just a rookie. The precision of his Ice Punch, the depth of his tactics—these were not things a six-month rookie could pull off.
By late October, despite sweeping his opponent, Lu Ye's mood was complicated.
Fact: One Max Potion costs 2,500.
Fact: Wartortle needs at least 10 Max Potions per match.
Question: What are the odds of Lu Ye going broke today?
"…There's no need to calculate," Lu Ye massaged his forehead. "This is a guaranteed disaster."
He regretted signing up, but dropping out now would cause even more trouble. "…Might as well play a few more matches," he muttered. "There's no way I'll keep getting clean sweeps… right?"
With two days before the next match, Lu Ye spent his time developing designs for the Pokémon trading card game and consulting Blue about Wartortle's evolution. With its training enhancing its growth, its potential was on par with his Gengar and Sylveon. But more importantly—its cautious personality. Wartortle had never once revealed its full strength. Yesterday, after defeating Swampert, it started glowing white, but immediately used an Everstone to cancel it.
"Some Pokémon do resist evolution," Blue nodded. "Not every child wants to grow up… for example, my Jigglypuff refuses to use a Moon Stone."
Lu Ye coughed. Like Ash's Pikachu, some Pokémon instinctively rejected evolution. But Wartortle… didn't seem unwilling. It just felt like the timing wasn't right. Lu Ye glanced over at Wartortle, who was casually doing one-armed push-ups. …Truly a master of steady development.
"…Forget it. I think it's fine the way it is." Lu Ye typed, "Evolving or not makes no difference to me."
Respecting a Pokémon's will was a crucial trait of a good Trainer. Blue gave a knowing nod. Most Trainers evolved Pokémon to increase their base stats. But for someone like Lu Ye, stats weren't the deciding factor for strength.
"Then… just let Wartortle keep holding the Everstone for now," Blue chuckled. "Lu Ye, I'm really looking forward to its next meme-worthy moment!"
Lu Ye: ["Sounds good." (Wartortle thumbs-up meme)]
That afternoon, Gengar and Growlithe were training hard for the upcoming Top 8 match. Even Sylveon trotted outside with determination. "Bui! (`皿´)" Today, I'm definitely destroying that Gym Leader's ace!
Meanwhile, Lu Ye, the lone single man, cradled a Pokémon Egg. He opened his livestream and played some casual battles. Since he didn't have a Pokémon with Flame Body, he had to hatch the egg manually. Just like Misty in the anime, he held the Togepi Egg while yelling at the screen: "You dare Intimidate me?! Eat my Machamp's Dynamic Punch!"
Even though he was using a Lapras-based 'one-hit KO' troll team, Lu Ye, a dedicated competitive player, somehow turned it into a legitimate ranking strategy.
"This playstyle… this is the ultimate sweatlord move!"
"Casual teams ranking up, meta teams getting crushed—this is just how things work."
In Sinnoh, Fire-type Elite Four Flint clutched his massive red afro, devastated. "Even when I sent out Arcanine, he predicted it?! What floor of hell is this man playing on?!"
"Competitive players are so scummy!"
"How can a Machamp be THIS cool?!"
"No Sylveon? My childhood is over!"
Lu Ye coughed. "Sylveon is training for the tournament. I'll be streaming today, but tomorrow I might take a break."
"???"
"Wait, your Pokémon train themselves?"
"I've never seen such shamelessness before!"
Suddenly—the Pokémon Egg vibrated slightly. Lu Ye froze. He listened closely, then exhaled in relief. …Still too early. According to Professor Elm's research, a Trainer's emotions could be passed down to an egg, nurturing its growth. This sense of bringing life into the world made Lu Ye extra attentive. Gently stroking its surface, Lu Ye's gaze softened. As long as it grows up safely… After all, my household already has enough troublemakers. One more wouldn't make much of a difference!
October 22nd, Thursday. The East China League Top 8 Matches Begin!
By the time Lu Ye arrived, the stands were packed. Banners waved in the air, mostly held by female fans. "Go, Lu Ye!!" "Lulu, Mommy loves you!!" The male audience members shot glares at Lu Ye as if he were a famous actor. Tch, he's only a tiny bit more handsome than me!
With the Top 8, the format shifted from 2v2 to 3v3. "Representing the Red Side, a veteran trainer from the Qilu Gym—Qin Zhuang!" "And on the Blue Side, a tournament seed, undefeated thus far—Lu Ye!"
A veteran trainer? Seems weaker than that quasi-professional martial artist from the last round. As for Lu Ye himself… he still didn't have an official Trainer ranking. At best, he was just an enthusiastic amateur.
Qin Zhuang, true to his name, was a towering brute of a man. With a hearty smile, he extended a handshake. "Lu Ye, I'm a fan of yours!"
"Pleasure to meet you," Lu Ye was slightly taken aback. Are half of the Top 8 just my viewers?!
Qin Zhuang knew exactly what he was up against. "…I'll just do my best not to get swept," he muttered. "Go, Nidoking!"
BOOM! A cloud of dust erupted as Nidoking landed. Its deep purple hide gleamed ominously, its poisonous horn jutted out menacingly. It was said its tail could snap a telephone pole in half. "ROOOOARR!!" Nidoking pounded its chest, letting out a thunderous roar.
In the VIP Section, the Qilu Gym Leader observed with a serious expression. "…This is Qin Zhuang's ace. Looks like he wants to end the fight quickly."
Tang Hui remained silent. Nearby, the Jinling Gym Leader, an elderly woman, turned to him. "You look like you haven't slept well."
Tang Hui sighed. "…I got wrecked by a Sylveon this afternoon. Even with my strongest Pokémon, I couldn't win…"
The Qilu Gym Leader nodded, assuming Tang Hui simply had no faith in Lu Ye. But the moment he glanced at the battlefield—he froze. A Growlithe… was trading blows with Nidoking?!
Growlithe's Tackle shone with a bright white light. BAM!! The two Pokémon collided head-on—and Nidoking staggered backward half a step. The Gym Leader pursed his lips. This Growlithe hasn't even evolved yet… If it were an Arcanine, wouldn't it have just flipped Nidoking over?!
"Flamethrower," Lu Ye commanded. Growlithe opened its jaws, unleashing a blazing inferno that swallowed Nidoking whole.
"ROOAARR!!" Nidoking roared in pain.
By the time Qin Zhuang snapped back to reality—it was too late. From beneath the ground, Growlithe burst forward—slamming its head directly into Nidoking's stomach. The moment Nidoking lifted its head—a point-blank Flamethrower engulfed it completely!
"What an absolutely flawless combo!" "That was way too aggressive!" "Wait… is Lu Ye actually a Coordinator?!"
Qin Zhuang didn't even have time to react. The battle was already over.
"A dual-offense Growlithe, switching seamlessly between physical and special attacks…" the Qilu Gym Leader muttered. "Old Tang, what level of Trainer is Lu Ye exactly?"
Tang Hui hesitated, coughed lightly, and replied: "Eh… about even with me."
The match was nearly over. With a flying leap, Growlithe clamped down on Fearow's slender neck. Qin Zhuang went pale. And his third Pokémon, a Gloom meant to counter Wartortle, was instantly incinerated by roaring flames. A flawless victory. Lu Ye advanced to the semifinals.
"Awooo~~凸(｀0´)凸" Growlithe squatted on the battlefield, tilted its head back, and howled triumphantly.
For a brief moment, the audience was silent. Then, they erupted into chants. "Lu Ye, you're a beast!!" "Charge for the championship! Lulu, destroy them all!"
As the cheers echoed, Lu Ye stared at Growlithe, looking conflicted. …Did I just bullshit my way into the Top 4? If I lose the next two matches, I won't even get prize money. That would be an even bigger disaster! …Guess I should take things a bit more seriously. Lu Ye rubbed his chin and sighed. "At the very least, I need to stop hemorrhaging money."
Discussions about Lu Ye's real skill level grew hotter online. "Wait, isn't Lu Ye already a Master-rank Trainer?" "He's obviously just here for the Baby Cup prize money! Classic Lu Ye!"
Training for the semifinals? Not really Lu Ye's style. It took a massive effort to wrangle the rampaging Growlithe and rub its head to calm it down. Then, Lu Ye sat on his sofa, cradling his Pokémon Egg, while playing a staring contest with Gengar.
Gengar: (:3」∠❀)
Lu Ye: Pffft!
Meanwhile, his Pokémon TCG project was progressing smoothly. That night, Mallow called Lu Ye, asking him to review the initial card designs.
"I think it's not good enough," Lu Ye said. "We need to mark the rarity more clearly. R, SR, UR, Silver Rare, Gold Rare, Prismatic Secret Rare…"
"One card should be profitable in at least ten different versions. You get what I mean?"
Mallow's jaw dropped. Her pen slipped from her hand and hit the floor. …Can a single person even be this ruthless?! She opened her mouth to curse—but swallowed the words back down. "…Truly, you are Lu Ye."
[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.]