Sunday, October 25th.
The highly anticipated semifinals of the East Donghuang Division had officially begun.
Inside the stadium, the sacred flame of Moltres burned brightly as the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Major media outlets gathered, cameras flashing as reporters positioned themselves for coverage.
A man with sharp, sinister eyes stepped out from the player's tunnel, immediately surrounded by reporters.
"Mr. Han Hun! We've heard you've passed the professional trainer certification. Is that true?"
Han Hun frowned, clearly annoyed, and muttered, "Move aside… I need to draw my match."
"What are your expectations for the semifinals, given your 3-0 winning streak so far?"
"What do you think about Lu Ye, who hasn't lost a single point in the tournament yet?"
Han Hun halted, narrowing his eyes. "Say that again?"
The male reporter hesitated. "Teacher Lu… is currently the top favorite to win the championship…"
"A sophomore college student?" Han Hun scoffed after a brief pause. "Refuses to evolve his Pokémon? That's kind of… adorable."
The reporters exchanged glances.
Online discussions about Lu Ye's two Pokémon had been heated. Some believed he had made it this far purely by luck, relying on his unevolved Pokémon.
While the statement carried a hint of jealousy, Han Hun had bluntly voiced it out loud.
"My only goal is the championship," Han Hun said, looking up at the giant screen, his gaze sharp.
"And that backpacker… with the Tyranitar? Tell him to wait for me."
As he pushed through the crowd and walked off, the reporters wore strange expressions.
"What an attitude!" an older reporter spat.
"Well… he is a professional Gym Trainer," someone muttered. "And a former university league champion…"
The VIP seats were already filled.
Song Pengcheng, Du Yuanshan, Tang Hui, Lü Jianghai… several Gym Leaders sat with their eyes fixed on the drawing ceremony at the center of the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the East Donghuang Division semifinals!"
The announcer's energetic voice echoed throughout the venue.
"Once the drawing is complete, the matches will be set. Who will face whom? Let's wait and see!"
"So many people?"
Lu Ye glanced around, slightly taken aback.
From the audience, he spotted Coach Zhai, who was leading a group of young fans, all waving banners.
"Go, Teacher Lu!!" Han Xiaoxiao's voice cracked from shouting too hard.
Even Gu Zhong, usually quiet and reserved, had turned red-faced from yelling.
"Go!!"
Lu Ye smiled slightly and gave a small wave.
The audience roared even louder.
Just then, another semifinalist approached—Chen Tingyue, her face expressionless.
"G-Good afternoon," she stammered.
"Hm? You made it to the semifinals too?"
Chen Tingyue blinked. "D-Don't you check the matchups?"
Lu Ye rubbed his chin awkwardly. "Doesn't matter who I'm up against—I just need to bulldoze through."
"Of the four semifinalists, we're the only two still in school," Chen Tingyue said.
"Those two… are seriously strong."
Lu Ye smirked. "I'm stronger."
"…Huh?"
"You'll see soon enough."
He waved and walked toward the center of the arena.
Chen Tingyue, watching his back, felt her heart skip a beat.
"The drawing is complete!" the announcer declared.
"In the semifinals—Lu Ye from Modu University will face professional trainer Han Hun!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Han Hun stuffed one hand in his pocket, smirking.
As they shook hands before the match, Han Hun smiled. "Your Pokémon are pretty cute."
Lu Ye responded, "Thanks, you too."
Han Hun's smirk froze. His expression darkened as he scoffed and walked away.
Lu Ye chuckled and glanced at the Poké Ball in his hand.
"I've always thought you were cute."
"Veeon~~ (*σ´∀`)σ"
After a short break, the match between Lu Ye and Han Hun officially began.
"Old Tang, what do you think the score will be?" Lü Jianghai asked, his eyes sharp.
"3-0," Tang Hui answered calmly.
"Haha, I thought the same."
Lü Jianghai, for once, found himself agreeing with Tang Hui. "If he wins, I'm buying drinks later!"
"Deal!" Tang Hui laughed.
---
The referee blew the whistle.
"Begin!"
"Go, Typhlosion." Han Hun tossed out his Poké Ball.
A scorching heatwave surged through the front rows of the audience, distorting the air.
With a deep roar, Typhlosion's fiery mane blazed even higher.
All eyes turned to Lu Ye as his Poké Ball flashed red.
"Sylveon!"
The stadium erupted.
"So cute!!"
With his elegant, snow-white Sylveon, Teacher Lu's charm reached new heights.
Seeing such a graceful Pokémon, a collective thought emerged in the audience's minds:
Lu Ye must be a trustworthy Trainer!
"Veeon~~"
Sylveon lazily glanced at Typhlosion and muttered something to Lu Ye.
"Don't worry," Lu Ye said. "Win this match, and I'll buy you a new treadmill."
Sylveon turned back toward Typhlosion, its gaze suddenly sharp.
"Veeon! (▼皿▼#)"
Typhlosion flinched, its flames visibly flickering for a split second.
Han Hun's face darkened. "Flamethrower!"
"Roar!!"
Typhlosion stomped, launching a searing orange-red fire blast. The heat rippled through the air, causing nearby stones to tremble.
Boom!
A fiery explosion engulfed the battlefield.
Like a volcanic eruption, flames roared upward, their deafening noise echoing across the arena.
The front-row spectators gasped.
Could Sylveon have been one-shot?!
"Veeon!"
As the flames closed in, Sylveon split into two—its Substitute clones darting left and right toward Typhlosion.
Han Hun's lips curled into a cruel smirk.
A wide-range Flamethrower like this? There's no way it could get close unscathed!
Snap!
With a flick of Han Hun's fingers, Typhlosion's flames flared even higher. A sudden burst of heat exploded outward in all directions.
"Holy sh*t?!"
The audience stared in disbelief.
"N-No way!!"
Han Hun narrowed his eyes at the approaching Sylveon.
A faint blue glow surrounded it—Light Screen, effortlessly blocking the raging heatwave.
Sylveon's eyes shimmered with deep azure, charging straight through the heatwave unscathed!
"He read Han Hun's follow-up move," Tang Hui murmured in the VIP seats.
Du Yuanshan stroked his beard, nodding in satisfaction. "Of course… that's his battle awareness at work."
Han Hun clenched his teeth. "Giga Impact!"
The audience gasped in shock.
A long-range fighter like Typhlosion… hiding a devastating close-combat move like Giga Impact?!
Typhlosion's muscles tensed, brimming with explosive force. Its body lowered, glowing white as it prepared to unleash its all-or-nothing strike.
The moment of collision—BOOM!!
The entire audience instinctively looked up, swallowing hard.
A massive shadow flickered across their view—Typhlosion had been sent flying!
For half a second, it hung in the air before crashing violently into the ground.
THUD!!
The impact shattered the stadium floor, sending dust and debris into the air.
When the dust settled, Typhlosion lay unconscious in the crater.
"…Holy sh*t!"
"How is Typhlosion the one that got blown away?!"
"This is what you call Giga Impact?!"
Han Hun stood frozen, completely dumbfounded.
There was no way these two were in the same weight class!
Even if Sylveon had Pixilate, turning Normal-type moves into Fairy-type ones, it shouldn't have been this powerful!
Sylveon landed gracefully, looking down at its fallen opponent with a disdainful gaze.
That's it?
It almost seemed… disappointed.
Han Hun's face turned sour as he recalled Typhlosion.
"…Go, Hariyama!"
You like close combat? Fine!
Han Hun's voice boomed. "Hariyama, Belly Drum!"
A hulking Hariyama, with massive hands and thick, powerful arms, took the field.
The moment it appeared, it slammed its belly with full force, its bloodshot eyes brimming with power.
Belly Drum—sacrificing half of its HP to maximize its Attack!
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
"Force Palm!" Han Hun roared.
Like a battle drum signaling its charge, Hariyama let out a furious bellow and lunged forward, sending gusts of wind in its wake.
The sheer force of its movement had the audience sucking in cold breaths.
But then—
A snow-white blur streaked forward like lightning.
Han Hun's eyes flashed with anger.
"You're asking for it! Force Palm again!"
Lu Ye remained unfazed. "Iron Tail. Aim for its ankle."
A flash of light.
Sylveon's ribbon-like feelers gleamed with the cold sheen of Steel Tail, striking Hariyama's thin, fragile ankle.
CRACK!
A sound like bones shattering echoed through the arena.
Hariyama grunted in pain, its balance completely thrown off.
THUD!!
The sheer weight of its massive body made the stadium tremble as its head slammed into the ground.
And before it could recover—
Sylveon leaped gracefully into the air, forming a pitch-black Shadow Ball at the tip of its ribbon.
BOOM!!
The Shadow Ball detonated against Hariyama's back, causing the battlefield to cave in beneath it. Stones cracked and scattered.
In less than thirty seconds—Hariyama lay unconscious.
The crowd erupted.
"Just now, it was all brute force… and now he's playing with precision?!"
"Teacher Lu is INSANELY sharp!!"
"3-0! 3-0!"
Chants filled the stadium in perfect unison.
Han Hun's forehead was drenched in sweat, his expression ghastly.
Why… why does he always predict my moves?
He was just a college student—how the hell was he this strong?!
Han Hun gritted his teeth and threw out his final Poké Ball with all his might.
"Go, Gyarados!!"
His ultimate trump card.
A towering 7-meter-long Gyarados, covered in rugged, vicious scales, rose like a skyscraper.
Its fangs gleamed, and with a thunderous roar, it unleashed its Intimidate ability.
The audience fell silent, chills running down their spines.
Lu Ye glanced at Sylveon. "Want to switch out?"
Though Sylveon was still in top condition, Intimidate lowered its Attack. Switching to Gengar, a Special Attacker, would be a solid move.
Sylveon shook its head.
Then, staring up at the enormous Gyarados, it bared its not-so-sharp teeth.
"Veeon!! (▼皿▼#)"
Why the hell are you screaming so loud?!
Under Sylveon's Baby-Doll Eyes, Gyarados visibly flinched.
Realizing what had just happened, Gyarados felt humiliated, its fangs sharpening with a chilling layer of ice.
Ice Fang!
"Dodge it and use Yawn." Lu Ye instructed.
Han Hui's heart sank.
Crap!
"Only use Yawn when you're down to your last Pokémon and can't switch out."
Up in the guest seats, Principal Du stroked his beard with a smile.
"This kid has quite the patience."
Lü Jianghai's face turned a deep shade of red, nodding stiffly.
"Mr. Lu is so dirty, dirty, dirty!"
"So this is what it means to be a tactical master?"
With such a huge size difference, Sylveon easily dodged Ice Fang.
It squinted its eyes and let out a cute yawn.
Gyarados' body stiffened.
Despair welled up in Han Hui's heart, but he still roared out:
"Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!!"
At the very least, he had to take down that Sylveon before anything else!
Gyarados let out a furious roar, its tail surging with swirling water as it slammed down.
Boom!!
The audience's eyes widened in shock.
Sylveon crossed its ribbons to block the roaring Aqua Tail.
Its snow-white fur was drenched, and it was knocked back several meters, baring its teeth angrily.
"Veeon! (艹皿艹)"
Swoosh!
A layer of glistening water coated Sylveon's ribbons, turning them into razor-sharp water blades.
Mimic!
With a flicker, Sylveon leaped into the air.
The water blades slashed down, carving two deep, bloody gashes across Gyarados' belly!
"Hiss—"
A collective gasp echoed through the stadium.
This Sylveon… is this thing always this violent?!
How does Mr. Lu even survive day to day?!
Gyarados fell into a deep sleep, and a barrage of Shadow Balls exploded in rapid succession.
Amid the shockwaves, the fierce yet adorable Sylveon burned itself into the memories of every spectator.
Han Hui's face was ashen, his lips trembling.
Did he just… get completely wiped out?
"Winner: Lu Ye!"
The referee blew the whistle.
The stadium erupted in cheers.
The blinding "3:0" on the scoreboard made Han Hui want to dig a hole and disappear.
And the pre-match interview… wasn't that recorded by reporters?
This was… peak social death.
---
In the guest seats, Tang Hui let out a sigh of relief and patted Lü Jianghai's shoulder with a grin.
"Let's go get a drink later!"
Lü Jianghai replied, "You guys go ahead, my stomach hurts."
Du Yuanshan stroked his beard, smiling without a word.
He had been contemplating whether to teach Lu Ye the training method for Aura Sphere, Du Yuanshan had his pride.
But after witnessing this battle, he felt that Lu Ye, as a Trainer, had already earned the right to inherit his knowledge.
"Letting him study it might not be a bad idea." Du Yuanshan stroked his beard and nodded with a knowing smile.
---
Amid the deafening cheers, Lu Ye lifted Sylveon into his arms.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
"Veeon, Veeon! (｀皿´)ﾉ"
"Oh, right… I'll check you over again when we get home."
"Veeon!（○｀ 3′○）"
Sylveon pouted and quietly wrapped its ribbon around Lu Ye's arm.
"Mr. Lu really made it to the finals!"
"A non-professional trainer making it to the finals—this has to be a new record, right?"
"What? Mr. Lu is registered as an amateur trainer?"
---
The semifinals concluded.
Lu Ye stormed through every battle and made it to the finals.
Before the match, Han Hui's "I only have my eyes on the championship" became one of the most iconic moments of the tournament.
In Group B, Yang Zhichang faced off against Chen Tingyue and advanced to the finals effortlessly with his Tyranitar.
Then, for once, the system actually responded.
[Ding! Mission detected: 'Divisional League Champion']
[Mission Goal: Win the tournament finals and claim the championship.]
[Mission Reward: Skill Upgrade Ticket, Random Orange-tier Item ×1]
"...The hell? We're already in the finals, and you're just now giving me a mission?"
Lu Ye's mouth twitched. "So if I lose the finals, I get nothing?"
That said, a Skill Upgrade Ticket was still a huge deal.
At the very least, the long-stuck [Cooking Lv4] could finally reach the realm of 'God of Cooking.'
---
Back home, Lu Ye tried to grab Sylveon.
"Are you hurt or not? Let me check!"
"Veeon! (〃＞皿＜)" Sylveon yelped and bolted around the house.
Squirtle poured Gengar a cup of hot tea.
The ghost and the turtle sat on the couch, blowing on their tea, radiating an air of peace and harmony.
"Awwoo~~" (I wanna play too~~)
Growlithe panted excitedly and leaped into the chase, only to get smacked away by Sylveon's Iron Tail.
"Awwoo (O_o)??"
Growlithe flopped onto the floor, utterly confused.
Amid the lively and joyful atmosphere of Lu Ye's home—
Crack~
Another crack appeared on the surface of the Pokémon egg.
"Gengarrr?" Gengar glanced over, blinking its big eyes.
A new family member was about to be born.
How delightful, how delightful~