Chapter 231: I Like Braised Pigeon
Under the admiring gazes of the onlooking trainers, Lu Ye followed Gym Leader Tang Hui to the Modu Association's archive room.
"As a Professional Trainer, you're entitled to claim one TM every year," Tang Hui explained. "Since you just passed the assessment, you're eligible to pick one today." Leading the way, he suddenly turned back. "I heard you're heading to another league for studies soon?"
Lu Ye corrected him, "Not for studies—I'll be teaching."
Tang Hui paused. "Which school?"
"Celadon University."
Tang Hui let out an "Oh"—then abruptly froze. Wait a minute… Did he just casually drop something insanely big?!
The archive room was set up like a library, with rows of bookshelves holding various training manuals. Lu Ye scanned the neatly arranged TMs and felt a bit overwhelmed. If I wanted to learn all of these… how much would that even cost?!
"You can pick one move to learn right now," Tang Hui coughed lightly. "I recommend status-inflicting techniques—they suit your style perfectly."
What kind of person do you think I am?! Suppressing the urge to roast him, Lu Ye asked, "Uh… Gym Leader Tang, can I skip the TM and just take the equivalent in cash?"
Tang Hui nodded seriously. "That makes sense. These beginner-level moves probably don't interest you. Follow me!"
Watching Tang Hui stride forward, Lu Ye's expression turned odd. Hold on… Did we just have completely different conversations?!
Unable to refuse, Lu Ye picked a practical, cost-effective move—Snarl. A sudden roar that disrupts the opponent's concentration, lowering their Special Attack. "Hmm… this is actually a great fit for your Growlithe," Tang Hui praised. "With Morning Sun and Snarl, you'll have solid battlefield control."
Lu Ye imagined his overly enthusiastic Growlithe letting out a deafening howl. …Yeah, that did sound kind of badass.
With the certification complete, Lu Ye—who came here just to stomp on rookies—ended up with an official Professional Trainer License.
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: 'Professional Trainer'!]
[Achievement Reward: 3 Random Gems!]
The system, quiet for a while, chimed in. Lu Ye's expression twitched. Berries one day, gems the next… Is this system secretly sponsored by the Tohsaka family?!
Still, getting two Fire Gems and one Psychic Gem for free wasn't bad. "Gengar, open wide!" Without hesitation, Lu Ye tossed the gems into Gengar's awaiting mouth. Hmph, look at me now—so rich I don't even blink at gems worth tens of thousands!
"Gengarrr~ (￣～￣)" Gengar lazily licked its teeth, looking like a smug delinquent.
"Now that I think about it, the house hasn't caught fire in a long time," Lu Ye mused, chuckling as he recalled the first time Gastly summoned a fire truck. "You really have grown up, huh?"
"Gengar! (๑`▽´๑)۶"
After wrapping things up, Lu Ye returned to bid farewell to Chairman Song Pengcheng. "So soon?" Song Pengcheng asked in surprise.
Lu Ye shrugged. "This wasn't even a Junior Cup event. Honestly, this is me taking my time."
"That's true…" Song Pengcheng nodded. "You only took the Junior-level exam, after all."
Standing off to the side, Tang Hui's expression twitched. He opened his mouth as if to speak—but ultimately swallowed his words. Chairman, he didn't just take the Junior exam… He obliterated the Professional-tier assessment first. This level of strength… Lu Ye, are you still insisting you're not a Master Trainer?!
The visa process was surprisingly quick. With some friendly negotiation with Chairman Song, Lu Ye received his Kanto visa that very evening. Every single one of his Pokémon got their own visa, not one left behind. When Gym Leader Tang Hui heard Lu Ye was finally leaving, he seemed emotional. And by emotional, that meant closing the gym for three days and throwing a huge farewell banquet.
"Finally got rid of this little brat! Hahaha!" Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. Instead, during his speech, he said with great solemnity: "Today, we bid farewell to an outstanding trainer. I believe he will bring excitement and surprises to the Kanto League."
The gym apprentices were sweating profusely. Gym Leader, you're totally laughing, aren't you?!
Meanwhile, at home, Lu Ye began packing. There wasn't much to bring, but he struggled with where to start. First, Sylveon's treadmill was a must. As for Gengar's dumbbells… they looked insanely heavy. But when Lu Ye casually picked them up, he was surprised they weren't that bad. "Holy crap… am I actually this strong now?" He instinctively touched the top of his head. After confirming his hairline was safe, he checked his reflection. Hmm… his six-pack was still there. Maybe it was all the Liechi Berries… or maybe it was from carrying around a 25kg Sylveon every day. His arm strength had visibly improved.
[System Analysis: Host's physique is classified as 'Slightly Stronger Than a Weakling.']
"Shut up! Don't ruin my daydream!"
"Wartortle.ヾ(⌐■_■)" Just then, Wartortle walked out of the bedroom, carefully carrying its fish tank. Moving to a new place was dangerous. How could it leave its beloved fish tank behind? Their eyes met. In Wartortle's gaze, Lu Ye saw pure sincerity.
"...Fine." Lu Ye sighed. "Anyway, Gengar's four-dimensional stomach can store our luggage."
"Gengar???" Gengar blinked in confusion.
The night passed in a flurry of last-minute preparations. That night, Lu Ye went live to announce his upcoming break.
"Teacher Lu is ghosting us again, tragic!"
"I like braised pigeon~~"
Lu Ye coughed. "Don't worry, just three days. I'll be back with new battle strategies."
"Wait, that's a huge win!"
"I'm actually going to Celadon University to teach," Lu Ye explained. "Might also drop by Professor Oak's place for a chat."
The chat flooded with "hahaha"s. "Classic Teacher Lu, telling cold jokes again!"
But then, Lu Ye got up and pointed his camera at the official employment letter. The entire chat instantly fell dead silent. Holy sht. This is real?!*
At that exact moment, from Team Rocket's internal network to the International Police's intelligence division, a single piece of news quickly spread. Teacher Lu would be landing in Kanto in two days. The undercurrents began to stir. All these different forces had the same thought—We must welcome him in person!
[Inorin Note:
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