Chapter 226: A Brave New World and the Mentor
"Is there anything Teacher Lu doesn't know?"
"This could practically be a mini Pokédex… Absolutely amazing!"
"I can't pull an UR card… I'm gonna die!"
What surprised Lu Ye was that a significant portion of the Pokémon card game's player base turned out to be adults. Perhaps for them, Pokémon cards fulfilled a dream they could never achieve in reality. Bilibili was flooded with unboxing videos. "A hundred ten-pulls! Let's see how many URs I get!"
This hype spread into various chat groups.
Lt. Surge chuckled, "Lu Ye… tell me, can you hook me up with two UR cards? I just can't pull any!"
Lu Ye: ??? How the hell am I supposed to do that? I can't even pull them myself!
Gold: "Old man, that's not fair! Give me two as well!"
Lisia added, "A lot of students at the Trainer School recommended it to me too. It's surprisingly popular."
"Well, Professor Oak has been helping with promotion," Crystal smiled.
Gold: @Crystal, Class Rep, come play with us!
"I… I just started and I'm not very good…" Crystal blushed.
"It's fine, I can teach you," Gold said, thinking, Isn't this the perfect chance to crush a newbie?
"Really?" Crystal's eyes lit up.
"Of course!"
Lu Ye was stunned. Could it be that spending so much time around Red had actually raised Gold's emotional intelligence?
His phone vibrated—a message from Cabbage Ice Cream.
[Cynthia: I tried the new game, but I don't really understand some of the rules…]
[Teacher Lu: No worries, I can teach you!*]
Sinnoh – Sunyshore City
Inside Lucian's residence, his old friends Aaron and Flint were staring intently at the cards in their hands. Lucian sighed as he closed his book. "You guys have been playing for two hours! Are you seriously slacking off this much?"
Aaron's green cowlick twitched. "Lucian, weren't you just reading a novel for two hours?"
"Uh…" Lucian growled, "Either way, once you two finish this match, leave!"
Flint ignored him, rubbing his hands together. "Heh, you gotta admit, Teacher Lu is a genius… Simulating Pokémon battles with cards? That's insane!"
"Enough talk!" Aaron adjusted his imaginary glasses. "The formula for victory is already set—go, Beedrill, use Pin Missile! Based on the dice roll, that's five hits!"
Flint smirked and casually revealed his hand. "Destiny Bond."
Aaron: … You put a Gengar in a Fire-type deck? Who the hell taught you to play so dirty—was it Teacher Lu?!
Hoenn – Rustboro City
As the headquarters of the Devon Corporation, Rustboro's Trainer Academy was one of the first schools to catch on. Even Gym Leader Roxanne had pulled an all-nighter to beat Plants vs. Zombies. But right now, her biggest priority was confiscating students' cards. The game had become too popular. "A single pack isn't expensive," parents thought. But in reality, students were secretly playing during lessons. On the bright side, test scores in "Type Advantages" and "Pokémon Abilities" had seen a significant increase. That at least gave Roxanne some peace of mind…
Kalos – Lumiose City
A man with striking red hair, like a lion's mane, sat inside a monitored house. Because of Green's involvement in Kalos, Team Flare's schemes had been foiled. Though Lysandre wasn't imprisoned, he was under strict supervision.
"You're here," he said.
"Yeah." His former friend, Professor Sycamore, handed him a beer. "How've you been?"
"Unchanging." Lysandre pushed the beer aside. "Sycamore… sometimes, I wonder if my ideals were wrong…"
"A beautiful new world?" Sycamore chuckled. "Of course not. A world like that could never exist."
"No… it does exist." Lysandre's gaze sharpened. "Here…" He held up a card. "Its creator calls it… Pokémon Cards."
"Pokémon Cards?" Sycamore stroked his unshaven chin. "Oh… Professor Oak was ridiculed for a while because of this, wasn't he?"
"A bunch of fools." Lysandre's eyes burned. "Only Samuel Oak is a true visionary. A world without conflict… a beautiful world dictated entirely by cards. I think… this is what they are trying to convey…"
Sycamore sighed with a wry smile. "You really are as—imaginative—as ever."
Lysandre didn't argue. "The holographic projection technology at Lysandre Labs… is still under development. It won't be long before the world I speak of comes to life. Someone else will make it happen for me. A force that carries many wills, many dreams… and many sinister ambitions."
"The visiting time is up," Sycamore shrugged. "If that day really comes, I'll be the first to let you know."
In the dim light, Lysandre traced the edges of the card, whispering its name as if receiving a divine revelation—"The Mentor…"
"Whoa, these cards are making a fortune!" Lu Ye grinned as he skimmed the company report.
Olivia reported, "Production on future expansions is underway… Also, it seems Pokémon Cards have gained quite a following in the Kalos region."
Kalos? Lu Ye thought about it—Champion Diantha, Team Flare, and Lysandre with his fiery red lion's mane… That guy definitely looks like a skilled card player.
Lu Ye shook his head. "Forget about other regions for now. Let's secure the market around Modu first. Also, I might be traveling to some other leagues soon."
"Investigating overseas markets?" Olivia nodded. "Understood. I'll prioritize preparations for international branches!"
Lu Ye's expression turned odd. Well… that wasn't wrong, technically.
Recently, Cynthia had been so obsessed with the card game that she didn't even have time to play video games with him. That left him feeling a bit… empty. When he got home, he saw Togepi sitting quietly on the sofa, flipping through Koga's Toxic techniques… The sheer absurdity made Lu Ye sigh. Could it be… was this actually a tactical Togepi?
That afternoon, Lu Ye received a package. He glanced at the sender's name, and his expression grew complicated.
[Dazzling Gleam]
[Sender: Cabbage Ice Cream]
So that's why my right eyelid was twitching all morning. I should've known something was waiting for me…
[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.]