November 5th, Thursday.
Three days after the release of the Pokémon TCG, the craze had already spread to the surrounding areas of Modu City.
On-campus convenience stores were initially skeptical about stocking such a plain-looking new tabletop game.
But soon, its overwhelming popularity had the shopkeepers grinning from ear to ear.
With popularity came piracy.
The anti-counterfeit markings on the cards were one of the measures taken to prevent fakes.
Thanks to supportive policies, the cost of making knockoffs was too high.
Plus, the Pokémon TCG followed a low-profit, high-volume sales model, making bootlegs easy to distinguish at a glance.
The Pokémon cards had practically taken over the campus market, becoming as popular as yo-yos once were.
Of course, since the battle rules were a bit complex, most players preferred the simpler "card flipping" version—basically, seeing who could flip the opponent's card over first...
---
"This past period has been tough on everyone."
In the office, as Oleana announced a break, the team erupted in cheers.
The next projects on the schedule were the Christmas DLC for Plants vs. Zombies and the Johto Expansion Pack for Pokémon TCG.
Of course, there was no rush.
In the now-empty office, Oleana sat in her chair and continued working.
The phone rang. She picked up.
"This is Pokémon Studio."
"Hello, I'm the Devon Corporation representative stationed in Modu City. I wanted to update your company on the overseas distribution situation…"
The Pokémon TCG was making an even bigger splash overseas.
With Devon Corporation's assistance, several prestigious Trainer Schools had embraced the card game trend.
Although they had declined a buyout offer, the Pokémon Studio and its founder, Lu Ye, had still become highly valued business partners for Devon.
"In just six months, you've launched multiple hit projects."
The representative couldn't help but remark, "That's some rare business genius."
"Indeed."
Oleana nodded, though her thoughts were elsewhere.
For Teacher Lu, whose goal was to become Champion, this was just a side hustle.
Just like how Diantha was a movie star and Wallace hosted Pokémon Contests.
Making money was just a means to better nurture his Pokémon.
For the sake of his dream, I have to work even harder.
---
A cold wind sent a shiver down Teacher Lu's spine.
He glanced at the Dazzling Gleam TM in his hand and couldn't help but shudder.
Lu Ye was well aware of how popular the Pokémon TCG had become.
But since the game followed a low-margin, high-volume sales model and had only recently launched, his personal account was still empty.
Training Dazzling Gleam was bound to cost some money.
Sitting back on the sofa, Lu Ye was feeling conflicted when his phone suddenly vibrated.
"Did you get the package?" Cynthia asked.
"…Yeah."
"I thought about it, and this move suits you perfectly," Cynthia said. "I remember Sylveon's Ability is Pixilate."
"While Dazzling Gleam isn't as powerful as Return, it does help Sylveon refine its control over Pixilate."
"As for Togepi," Cynthia added with a smile, "it can learn it quite easily with some light-based training."
Lu Ye blinked in surprise.
His Sylveon was a physical attacker precisely because of its Pixilate Ability.
This unique trait covered Sylveon's pure white fur with a special aura. Even its soft pink ribbons would momentarily sharpen due to this effect.
In a way, Pixilate was somewhat similar to Armament Haki.
After all, Armament Haki was also called Ryuo, which perfectly suited Sylveon's elegant appearance…
And Dazzling Gleam would enhance this ability while improving Sylveon's ranged attacks.
Just from a self-defense standpoint… Lu Ye was tempted.
"So… how much are we talking about?" Lu Ye asked.
"Well, Bright Powder improves training efficiency, and there's also a Fairy Gem…"
Cynthia thought for a moment. "For a single Pokémon, it should be around 1,000,000 Pokedollars. Not too expensive."
After hanging out with these elites for a while, Lu Ye had started to grasp their sense of "reasonable pricing."
Since they used only the best training methods, they naturally opted for the highest-quality resources.
Lu Ye's face darkened.
After a moment, he exhaled and nodded.
"Yeah… that's not too bad."
Ever since he paid off his debts, he'd been feeling a little too confident!
A mere 1,000,000 Pokedollars? Worst case, he could ask Steven for an installment plan!
"Oh, by the way, can the card game be played online?" Cynthia asked.
"There's no online version yet, but we'll develop one in the future."
"I see." Cynthia sounded slightly disappointed.
"How about a battle in the meantime?"
She perked up, eyes gleaming. "Let's go!"
---
Training Dazzling Gleam turned out to be surprisingly easy.
All he had to do was hand Dazzling Gleam over to Gengar.
Once Gengar figured it out, it could pass it on to the other Pokémon.
Since Gastly originally came into existence from optical pollution, it had a natural affinity for this type of move.
Not to mention, Gengar could already learn Dazzling Gleam, so the progress was ridiculously fast.
After finishing his livestream that day, Lu Ye took a trip to the Tauros Club.
Watching Gengar train Dazzling Gleam alongside Togepi and Sylveon—
"Gengarr~!!"
With a cry, a dazzling wheel of light burst from Gengar's eyes.
The near-Laser Beam-like Dazzling Gleam swept across the training targets, leaving a row of scorched marks with a sharp sizzle.
Xia Quan, who was watching from the side, swallowed nervously.
These training targets had just been installed recently, designed to withstand professional-level attacks.
And yet, in just six months, Teacher Lu had already raised a Gengar strong enough to match a Gym Leader's Pokémon.
This top-tier training skill was far beyond what a rookie could achieve.
Thinking back to the time when a regional champion had pretended to be a beginner, Xia Quan couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration.
---
Meanwhile—
Sylveon's Dazzling Gleam helped refine its Pixilate ability.
The glow from its ribbons not only blinded and damaged opponents but also created an opening for Sylveon to close the distance for an attack…
As for Togepi—
The little one clapped its tiny hands happily, glowing with a soft, angelic radiance.
Its move wasn't very powerful yet, but then again, Togepi had only just hatched.
Even so, its sheer talent left Lu Ye rubbing his forehead.
"Just like Gold's Togepi… This one's a perfect 6IV, huh?"
At that moment, Lu Ye's gaze fell on Sylveon.
After using Dazzling Gleam, its pristine white fur shimmered with a faint glow, looking absolutely stunning.
That was exactly why Dazzling Gleam was often used in Pokémon Contests.
Lu Ye smiled slightly and turned to glance at Gengar—only for his smile to freeze.
Gengar was grinning wide, its body glowing with a soft pink hue.
It hopped once and flashed a peace sign at Lu Ye.
"Gengarr (ง˃̀ꄃ˂́)۶!"
Its eerie, bloodshot eyes flickered mischievously—Honestly, slap a bow and a magic wand on it, and it could pass for a magical girl!
"I get why Sylveon and Togepi learned it, but…"
Lu Ye stared blankly for a moment before shouting—
"What the hell is Magical Girl Gengar?!"
"Gengarr?"
"Dude, your eyeballs are falling out! Are you sure you're okay?!"
---
As the sun set—
Lu Ye glanced at his move list, where Dazzling Gleam had been newly added, and sighed.
Togepi hadn't quite mastered it yet, but with its talent and Gengar's dedicated guidance, it was only a matter of time.
Lu Ye looked up at the sky.
Now that he thought about it… Gengar, Sylveon, and Togepi—
This trio could straight-up form an idol group!
For the sake of becoming Champion… debut, Gengar-chan?!
Lu Ye shook off the weird mental image.
Turning to Gengar beside him, he sighed with a complicated expression—"You've worked hard, Gengar."
"Gengarr! (*≧▽≦)"
For Gengar, every training session was pure joy.
Not only did it get to snack on top-tier Pokéblocks, but it also got to help its Trainer achieve his dream.
Making the team stronger?
That was just a small thing—nothing its Trainer needed to thank it for!