November 6th, Friday
Modu University
Coach Zhai knocked on the door of the Battle Department's office.
The department head, Deng Rui, looked at him seriously and nodded.
"The school team's recommended candidates—have they been finalized?"
"Shen Tingzhi has applied to further her studies at Striaton Academy in Unova."
Coach Zhai handed over a list. "And here's the recommendation for Celadon University."
Celadon University's Battle Department provided prestigious training opportunities at top institutions across various leagues.
Its status was comparable to Kanto's Pokémon Certification Center.
Graduates of its courses were eligible to compete in league tournaments without needing to collect Gym Badges.
Even in Modu University, such opportunities were extremely rare.
Coach Zhai had made his choice based on Lu Ye's astounding performance in the university league—defeating five opponents in a row.
Deng Rui glanced at the list and immediately wore a strange expression.
Lu Ye?
Wasn't he the old principal's personally selected candidate for a guaranteed spot?
At such a young age, he had already won the championship in the regional tournament—Even Deng Rui himself had to admit defeat.
But what was even more ridiculous…
This peerless battle prodigy—wasn't he a Finance major?!
Deng Rui took a moment to find the right words, folding his hands together.
"Coach Zhai, as it turns out, Principal Du had the same idea as you…"
Coach Zhai's eyes widened after hearing this.
Good lord… Even the old principal has his eyes on this kid?
But thinking back to Lu Ye's absolute dominance in the regional tournament, it was understandable.
With his talent, after some advanced training, winning the Kanto League Championship wasn't out of the question.
"The new generation always surpasses the old."
Coach Zhai sighed. "Lu Ye really is the most outstanding student of this year's class."
Deng Rui's expression grew even more complicated. He hesitated before reminding him—
"Coach Zhai… I don't think we can take credit for training him."
Coach Zhai froze for a moment, then cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Well… anyway, this spot is settled, right? Should I check with the principal again?"
"No need," Deng Rui replied. "I'll be calling him myself in a bit."
Just then, the landline phone rang.
"Huh? We were just talking about him, and now he's calling?"
Deng Rui picked up the phone. After a long pause, his face turned utterly bizarre.
"What did the old principal say?" Coach Zhai asked, curious.
"He said…"
Deng Rui looked like he had just seen a ghost, struggling to get the words out—"Celadon University has invited Lu Ye… to become a professor?"
"Are you sure you didn't get the wrong person?"
Du Yuanshan looked utterly dumbfounded.
Celadon University? The number one university in the world.
And Lu Ye? A sophomore Finance student.
If they were recruiting an experienced professor, that would at least make some sense.
He had been considering recommending Lu Ye for further studies—
But now, they were outright hiring him as a professor?!
"Yes, we mean Teacher Lu from Modu University—Lu Ye."
On the other end of the call, Erika's voice was gentle but firm.
"Celadon University is inviting him to be a professor in the Battle Department—specifically, for the newly launched Simulated Battle Course."
Du Yuanshan opened his mouth but was too stunned to respond.
Celadon University.
The institution that had produced Professor Oak.
A holy land for Trainers.
And not just Trainers—the business world, political sphere, even the music industry had countless alumni from Celadon.
And now, this quietly unassuming Lu Ye… was about to start teaching at the world's top university?!
This was beyond the realm of "genius."
This was obliterating every other genius who had been fighting tooth and nail to get into Celadon!
With a strange look on his face, Du Yuanshan nodded.
"The university won't pressure him—it'll be entirely his choice…"
"Celadon University will be sending him an official job offer as well."
Erika smiled. "We'd appreciate it if you could pass it along to Teacher Lu. Thank you!"
After hanging up, Du Yuanshan sat there in a daze for a long time.
He glanced down at the list of recommended students for further studies.
His feelings were… complicated.
"Well, going to Kanto isn't bad either."
Du Yuanshan shook his head. "If he really wins a championship, it'll bring plenty of glory to Modu University too!"
---
At Lu Ye's Home
Construction workers were busy repairing his shattered flooring.
The foreman was curious. "What move was it this time? Another Dig?"
Lu Ye looked up at the ceiling, recalling what had happened that morning—
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a radiant glow over Sylveon's snow-white fur…
Lu Ye yawned, then noticed Togepi happily standing by the window.
"Oh? You finally learned Dazzling Gleam?"
Glancing at the Pokédex, Lu Ye quickly put two and two together. He let out a helpless chuckle.
"Good job!"
"Tchugki-brie!"
Togepi beamed, wiggling its tiny fingers. A faint white glow began to form around its hands.
Lu Ye's face instantly changed.
Crack!
With a loud thud, the floor beneath them sank slightly as Togepi's tiny fist slammed into it, snapping several wooden planks apart.
[Rock Smash]!
"Anyway… thanks for the help." Lu Ye coughed.
"No problem!" The renovation foreman grinned.
Togepi's 'Finger Wiggle' mishap was purely accidental.
At least it hadn't rolled something insane like Precipice Blades or Dragon Ascent.
Lu Ye glanced at Togepi, who was happily chugging from a giant bottle of cola.
Rubbing his chin, he muttered,
"Hmm… with my luck, it probably wouldn't have rolled those anyway."
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Lu Ye glanced at the caller ID—it was the old principal, the same one who had been teaching Squirtle Aura Sphere.
"What's up, Principal Du?" Lu Ye answered.
"Listen, don't be surprised by what I'm about to say." Du Yuanshan's tone was serious.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Lu Ye straightened up. "Go ahead!"
"Celadon University has invited you to join their Battle Department as a professor."
Du Yuanshan paused.
"Listen carefully—a professor, not a student!"
An awkward silence followed.
Lu Ye: "…And?"
Du Yuanshan was baffled. "You're not even the slightest bit shocked?!"
"Should I be?" Lu Ye asked, genuinely puzzled. "It's just a faculty position, not a full professorship… probably doesn't even pay that well."
Du Yuanshan sat there, stunned.
Is it me who has the problem… or is it you?
"You're still just a sophomore in Modu's Finance Department…" he reminded cautiously.
"Which only makes Modu University look even better, don't you think?" Lu Ye chuckled.
Du Yuanshan froze for a moment.
…Now that he put it that way, it really didn't sound like such a big deal anymore.
"Ahem, well, either way, the school supports your decision," Du Yuanshan said, clearing his throat.
"If you head to Kanto, I'll even send you off personally."
Lu Ye nodded. He had already made his decision.
He had promised Erika before.
Besides, meeting new people and encountering new Pokémon—that was the true charm of the Pokémon World.
That said, there was still some time before he would leave for Kanto.
In the meantime, he could save up some extra money…
Speaking of which, Lu Ye felt a pang of heartache.
Training Dazzling Gleam had cost him another million Pokédollars in loans from Steven.
…So aside from Cynthia, could he also freeload off Steven's money?
Thankfully, Pokémon Cards were still exploding in popularity.
With just the revenue from his share, he'd be able to repay Steven within half a month.
A mere 1,000,000 Pokédollars?
Chump change.
After hanging up, Lu Ye scrolled through Bilibili, checking out the latest buzz about Pokémon Cards.
More and more introduction videos were popping up, and the card game craze was beginning to spread beyond Lu Ye himself.
He browsed through videos from other Gaming Content Creators—
"Alright, today we're playing Pokémon Cards!"
In one video, a creator with a thick accent was passionately playing with their friends.
Meanwhile, over in the Meme Section, clips featuring Lu Ye had started sprouting up like mushrooms after the rain…
[Teacher Lu: You Dare Intimidate Me?!]
[Fa♂Instruments: Old Lu's Philosophical Adventure]
[Teacher Lu's Cooking Disaster Show]
Lu Ye had always been tolerant of meme edits.
Gold, on the other hand, kept spamming him with links to these videos, laughing hysterically.
[Gold: HAHAHAHA, LOOK AT THIS! TOO FUNNY!]
With a straight face, Lu Ye silently muted Gold in the group chat—for 24 hours.
Just then, Erika sent him a message.
[Erika: Teacher Lu, have you decided when you'll be heading to Kanto?]
[Lu Ye: Once my visa is sorted, I'll probably be there by December.]
[Erika smiled. That's perfect! The Kanto League Tournament is in January—you'll make it just in time!]
Two months to clear an entire league?
What do you think I am, Ruby and Sapphire? Traveling across Hoenn in 80 days like it's a honeymoon?
Lu Ye coughed.
[Lu Ye: I'm not really interested in competing.]
Erika thought for a moment before grinning.
[Erika: Then December is just in time for Christmas!]
Christmas?
That meant… a romantic event where things could get complicated.
Lu Ye looked up at the ceiling and murmured, "I wonder how the 'The Fighter' spends the holidays…"