Chapter 249: Backstab Combo with a Cleave?!
The news of Lu Ye defeating Sabrina at Saffron Gym spread like wildfire, sparking heated discussions in the group chat.
"Even with her psychic abilities giving her an unmatched advantage, Sabrina still lost," Brock squinted, nodding with a wise expression. "Teacher Lu's fundamentals are truly unfathomable…"
"Agreed," Gold huffed, blowing his bangs aside. "Even the gorgeous Gym Leader of Saffron City lost to Teacher Lu. The fact that I got completely shut down by him? Makes perfect sense!"
"Sabrina lost…?" Green stood with one hand in his pocket, deep in thought. He recalled how Lu Ye had fought Lance to a draw. Perhaps his strength wasn't far from Champion level… No—if not for his nightmarishly bad luck, if they were to battle right now—Green shook his head, pushing his brown bangs aside with an arrogant smirk. Damn… I'm actually starting to look forward to battling him, just like Red does!
Meanwhile, Lu Ye let out a bitter laugh. You guys, let me explain! Gengar was just applying for a coaching job! I had no intention of challenging her! But a loss is a loss. Even if she didn't go all out, Sabrina wasn't the type to make excuses.
Just then, a voice message from Sabrina popped up. Her tone was both amused and teasing. "Teacher Lu, you're really amazing~"
Lu Ye: ?
Far away on the Sevii Islands, a certain older woman sat surrounded by plush pillows. Lorelei's face flushed red. Crap… why did my mind immediately go there?!
She slapped her cheeks to regain focus. "Ahem… Losing to Teacher Lu and giving him a compliment is only natural, right?"
Blue joined in with a playful jab: "Teacher Lu bullying another girl again?"
Bullying? Lu Ye's expression turned complicated. Did you guys not see how she threw her ancestral Alakazam at me?!
"Now that I think about it…" Yellow pondered for a moment. "Teacher Lu, why are you suddenly taking on Gym Challenges?"
"I'm quite curious as well," Erika nodded. As a professor at Celadon University, he could easily request a direct entry into the Pokémon League. So why bother? Unless… there was a deeper reason?
"I've got it!" Brock suddenly slammed his fist into his palm. "Teacher Lu is going for the Trainer Stipend Bonus after collecting all eight badges!"
Before obtaining badges, all expenses were out-of-pocket. But once a Trainer collected eight, the League Association would provide a monthly allowance. Given his personality, he was absolutely the type to clear all of Kanto's Gyms and demand his paycheck.
"W-Wait, seriously?!" Misty was stunned.
Far away in Johto, Whitney and Jasmine shuddered. If he sweeps through Kanto… is he coming for Johto next?!
"I've already prepared my badge. Teacher Lu can come collect it anytime," Erika blinked.
"I feel the same," Brock nodded firmly. "But I'd still prefer to have a battle between men first!"
"I don't really care, I'm training in the Orange Islands anyway," Misty said with a nervous chuckle. "But if Teacher Lu wants a badge, please… take it easy on my three sisters…"
Lu Ye: ??? What the hell do you guys mean?! I just got one badge, and I was feeling down about it. And now I'm about to collect all of them?! You guys are really out here backstabbing me with a combo attack!
"So, if we put it that way..." Crystal did some quick calculations. "Mr. Lu, you might actually make it in time for the January League Conference!"
Meanwhile, Giovanni, who had been lurking, took a quick glance and remained silent. Gym badges? You actually need to challenge Gym Leaders for them? Wouldn't it be easier to just sneak in and take them?!
"Is this progress really that fast?" Sapphire asked, puzzled.
"You can't calculate it like that," Ruby explained. "When going up against a strong opponent like Mr. Lu, the Gym Leaders are bound to give it their all."
"Exactly," Steven added with a slight smile. "It's like the difference between the first playthrough and the second."
"I get the logic..." Lt. Surge crossed his arms, then suddenly shouted, "But when's the new game coming out?! I can't even pull a UR from that card game—this sucks!"
Gold: "You say that like I can pull one either!"
Blue: "Aren't shiny cards just something you get on a casual draw?"
Steven chimed in, "I actually think the drop rate is pretty decent." Of course, for a billionaire, spending a hundred thousand or so to complete his collection was no big deal.
Gold froze. Damn rich people!
Gold: [Eat my Brave Bird Strike.gif]
"Haha, I was just kidding," Steven smiled gently. "Don't be mad, I'll send you a red packet."
[Group member 'Steven Stone' has sent a red packet.]
Blue's eyes turned into ¥ signs. "Thank you, Boss!"
Gold shouted, "I didn't even get one!"
Mr. Lu: Damn it, I can't claim it either!
Gold: F***! Lt. Surge, did you cheat? You got it in 0.01 seconds!
Lt. Surge: "How could I?!" he grinned. "If you don't believe me, send another one!"
[Group member 'Red' has sent a red packet...]
Gold: Oh, thanks, Red-senpai!
Yellow excitedly said, "I got one!"
Lance raised an eyebrow. "What a shame… I was just a bit too slow."
Clair twitched. "Aren't you a bit too much of a big shot to be scrambling for red packets, Champion?"
Lance: "Didn't you see that even Mr. Steven was trying to grab one?"
"Hahaha," Steven laughed. "I'm still the king of luck!"
Once again, Lt. Surge claimed the fastest hands.
Mr. Lu: Old man, you still wanna say you didn't cheat?!
Lt. Surge: [Running away now! Grinning.jpg]
In the end, the night wrapped up with Lt. Surge treating everyone to milk tea. As for the other Gym Leaders, they all logged off after casually saying, "Feel free to pick up your badges anytime."
Closing the chat window, a very exhausted Lu Ye let out a long sigh. "Why does it feel like… everyone is just throwing badges at me?" Come on, guys, give them to someone who actually needs them!
But then again, Kanto's Gym Leaders were undeniably strong. Most of the badges Ash got were practically gifts anyway.
Lt. Surge's comment reminded him—it was time to put the new game project on the agenda. "The next step… should be diving into online gaming." Sitting in his bedroom, he opened his laptop and started drafting a plan. "It's best if we can launch it alongside a mobile version, cross-platform…" The first thing that came to mind was something like Hearthstone—an online card game. But with the physical cards selling like crazy, there was no need to rush. It'd be better to wait until the hype cooled down. "This plan… should work."
After a long moment of thought, he typed in the name of the new game on his proposal...
[Inorin Note:
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