"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—the dream of becoming a Trainer, something they could never achieve in reality.
On Bilibili, a flood of unboxing and deck-building videos had emerged.
"The art of superstitious pack openings."
"I threw a Ghost-type into my pure Fire deck!"
"A hundred ten-pulls! Let's see how many URs I get!"
This incredible hype even spread into various chat groups.
[Lt. Surge: Teacher Lu… tell me, can you hook me up with two UR cards? I just can't pull any!] Lt. Surge chuckled
[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!] Gold chimed in righteously.
[Erika: A lot of students at Celadon University recommended it to me too.] Erika added.
[Crystal: It's surprisingly popular among the Trainer community. Well, Professor Oak has been helping with promotion] Crystal said with a smile.
[Gold: @Crys, Class Rep, come play with us!]
[Crystal: I… I just started and I'm not very good…] Crystal blushed.
[Gold: It's fine, I can teach you] Gold said, thinking to himself, Isn't this the perfect chance to crush a newbie?
[Crystal: Really?] Crys's eyes lit up.
[Gold: Of course!]
Lu Ye was stunned as he read the chat logs.
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.
[Cabbage Ice Cream: I tried the new game, but I don't really understand some of the rules…]
[Lu Ye: No worries, I can teach you!]
---
Sinnoh – Sootopolis City
Inside Lucian's residence.
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 in annoyance, "Either way, once you two finish this match, leave!"
Flint ignored him, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
"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, Pin Missile deals 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 Devon Corporation, Rustboro City's Trainer Academy was one of the first schools to catch onto the card game craze.
Not only that, but thanks to the city's open-minded gaming culture and promotional strategies, many students and teachers had become die-hard fans of the Pokémon Studio.
Roxanne, for instance, once pulled an all-nighter to beat Plants vs. Zombies.
But right now, her biggest priority was confiscating students' cards so they wouldn't disrupt class.
After all… the game had become too popular.
With Professor Oak endorsing it, many parents had eagerly bought dozens of packs for their kids.
"A single pack isn't expensive, and I still have money left for tutoring."
That's how parents saw it.
But in reality, students were secretly playing during lessons.
It was a double-edged sword.
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…
"I heard that Teacher Lu might come teach in the Battle Department?"
"Don't get your hopes up. Why would he come to a small place like this?"
"Yeah… but it'd be awesome if he did!"
Leaning against the wall, Roxanne listened to the students' casual chatter... and found herself tearing up.
---
Kalos – Lumiose City
A man with striking red hair, like a lion's mane, sat inside a monitored house, unable to step beyond the warning lines.
Because of Green's involvement in Kalos, Team Flare's schemes had been foiled long before they could come to fruition.
Though Lysandre wasn't imprisoned, he was under strict supervision.
In the dimly lit room, Lysandre sat in a suit, his expression serious yet full of self-importance.
"You're here," he said.
"Yeah."
His former friend, Professor Sycamore—now sporting scruffy stubble—handed him a beer.
"How've you been?"
"Unchanging."
Lysandre pushed the beer aside and frowned.
"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 instantly. His fiery red hair, like a lion's mane, stood on end, exuding an air of natural authority.
"Here…"
He held up a card, showing it to Sycamore.
Sycamore blinked in confusion. "What's this?"
"I requested it from the outside. The officers delivered it to me."
Lysandre said, "Its creator calls it… Pokémon Cards."
"Pokémon Cards?"
Sycamore stroked his unshaven chin, as if recalling something.
"Oh… Professor Oak was ridiculed for quite a while because of this, wasn't he?"
"A bunch of fools."
Lysandre's eyes burned with intensity.
"Only Samuel Oak is a true visionary."
"A world without conflict, without war… a beautiful world."
"A world dictated entirely by cards."
Lysandre gently caressed the card in his hand, his gaze softening.
"I think… this is what they are trying to convey…"
Sycamore opened his mouth but ended up sighing with a wry smile.
"You really are as—imaginative—as ever."
Lysandre didn't argue. Instead, he folded his arms and muttered,
"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 through this technology."
"You still… haven't given up on that idea?" Sycamore narrowed his eyes.
"No."
Lysandre shook his head. "But someone else will make it happen for me."
"A force that carries many wills, many dreams, and many… sinister ambitions."
"I believe… that organization will reveal itself soon."
"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 in his palm, whispering its name as if receiving divine revelation—
"The Mentor…"
---
"Whoa, these cards are making a fortune!"
Lu Ye grinned as he skimmed through the company report Oleana had provided.
Oleana reported, "Production on future expansions is already underway… Also, it seems that Pokémon Cards have gained quite a following in the Kalos region."
Kalos?
Lu Ye thought about it—The Champion was Diantha, and the villains were Team Flare.
Then there was Lysandre, with that fiery red lion's mane… That guy definitely looked 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?"
Oleana nodded. "Understood. I'll prioritize preparations for international branches as well!"
Lu Ye's expression turned a little 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 Teacher Lu feeling a bit… empty inside.
When he got home, he saw Togepi sitting quietly on the sofa, flipping through Koga's Toxic Insights…
The sheer absurdity of the scene 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 his right eyelid had been twitching all morning.
I should've known something was waiting for me…