As night fell, Blue returned to Professor Oak's lab, slinging his backpack over one shoulder after an entire day of training with Red on Mt. Silver.
"Oh, you're back~"
Professor Oak, still in his lab coat, slurped a mouthful of instant noodles before looking up.
"Could you not use a Bunsen burner to cook your ramen every time?"
Blue sighed. "Your assistant can cook, can't she?"
"She was busy all afternoon, so I let the kid leave work early."
Professor Oak chuckled before suddenly growing serious.
"Blue, I met the Trainer you recommended."
"So? What do you think?"
Blue raised an eyebrow, eager to hear Oak's evaluation of Lu Ye.
"A Trainer with seasoned judgment and precise command."
Professor Oak twirled his chopsticks, lost in thought.
"Incredible tactical depth and reaction speed… possibly the best I've seen in any competitor."
"And most importantly… the bond he shares with his Pokémon."
Sylveon was a species known for only staying with Trainers they truly trusted and that Gengar… its spirit burned as fiercely as the flame on a Charizard's tail.
Professor Oak smiled. "You really have made a great friend in him."
"…Your ramen's getting cold."
"Ah, crap! I was too busy talking…" Oak quickly went back to eating.
Blue, hands in his pockets, fell into thought.
"So… he passed your test?"
He had never underestimated Lu Ye's strength.
Red respected him.
He had battled Lance on equal footing.
Blue had always considered Lu Ye to be at least on his level—No, perhaps even stronger.
After all, even now, Lu Ye had yet to reveal his full hand.
"Yes," Oak nodded.
"I gave him the special Pokédex."
Although the result wasn't surprising, Blue was still curious.
"What was the test?"
"I battled him in a doubles match."
Oak grinned without hesitation.
"And haha—I lost!"
Blue was taken aback.
Sure, his grandfather was getting older, but in his prime, he had been Kanto's Champion.
If he had used Dragonite or Kangaskhan, even Blue himself wouldn't have had a guaranteed win in doubles.
"Phew… I gave it everything I had."
Oak sighed in recollection.
Even after resisting Yawn and pushing himself to the limit—
"In the end, I still lost."
Oak laughed, shaking his head.
Gave it everything… and still lost?
"I see…" Blue fell silent, his evaluation of Lu Ye rising once again.
"And most importantly…"
Blue narrowed his eyes.
"What's Teacher Lu's ability?"
Not just him—even Red couldn't fully gauge Lu Ye's true strength.
According to Ruby from Hoenn, Lu Ye was a Contest Master.
Brock, on the other hand, praised his breeding skills.
Perhaps only his grandfather's insight could truly identify it.
"Tactics," Oak answered bluntly.
No speculation, no hesitation.
Blue froze for a moment.
So all those other talents… were just hobbies?!
"In our battle," Oak said, rubbing his temples, "He anticipated my commands, used Gengar to create false openings…"
"And most critically, in the moment of crisis, he remained perfectly calm—using Ally Switch to set up checkmate."
"Perhaps…" Oak smiled.
"'The Tactician' is the most fitting title for him."
"Tactics, huh."
Blue nodded in contemplation.
Thinking back to all the strategies Lu Ye had demonstrated and even created—this title did seem the most appropriate.
Compared to skills like communications or breeding, Tactics was a direct game-changer in battles.
Even if he didn't want to admit it…
Blue felt a rare sense of envy toward Lu Ye's talent.
After all—this was an evaluation on par with Red himself!
"Well, it is Teacher Lu, after all…"
Blue muttered under his breath, turning away and waving lazily at his grandfather.
His mind was made up.
He was calling Gold over too.
They were going to keep grinding at Mt. Silver!
"Ah, one more thing!"
Professor Oak called out. "You're still in touch with Ash, right?"
Technically speaking, Lu Ye's Tailwind strategy had earned Blue the title of Ash's mentor.
As the "reliable senior" in the group, Blue had once guided Yellow and Silver…
But out of all of them, Ash was by far the most frustrating and troublesome disciple.
"Yeah," Blue replied. "He's training for the Lily of the Valley Conference. He'll probably be back in Pallet Town soon."
"Good. When he returns, ask him something for me."
Oak's expression grew serious.
"See if he's interested in taking the special Pokédex test."
"Hah, so you do have your eyes on him."
Green smirked.
"Well, he does remind me of you and Red."
"I'll ask."
Blue waved as he walked off.
---
Meanwhile, Lu Ye was sitting on the train back to Goldenrod City.
"Gengaar!"
Gengar stared curiously at the Pokédex in Lu Ye's hands.
"Let me study it first."
Lu Ye stroked his chin, fiddling with the special edition Pokédex in his hands.
[Special Edition Pokédex: Personally crafted by Professor Oak, an extremely rare Pokédex with more comprehensive features. (Though calling it 'comprehensive' might be a stretch.)]
Lu Ye: ???
The System hasn't shown signs of life for a few days, and now it's getting all tsundere again?
That said, the symbolic value of the special edition Pokédex far outweighed its practical use.
From what Lu Ye had researched, Pokédex Holders could enjoy store discounts and free lodging at Pokémon Centers.
A special edition Pokédex had to mean extra discounts, right?
This is about savings and free stays!!
As for the ideals and beliefs that the Pokédex represented…
No matter what, Lu Ye couldn't help but feel a growing sense of responsibility.
After all, he was now officially a peer to the legends in the group chat.
At least from now on, he wouldn't feel awkward when they gathered for a meal and someone asked to see his Pokédex!
"I should have a title too, right…"
Lu Ye muttered as he toyed with the Pokédex.
"I left in such a hurry, I forgot to ask Professor Oak."
Every Pokédex Holder had an associated title.
For example, when Red revealed his Battle Legend title in battle, it was unbelievably cool.
"…Please, just don't give me something ridiculous like The Shameless One or The Cursed One!"
Lu Ye's expression turned strange.
Statistically, Stantler's naked Hypnosis should have had less than a 30% chance of landing—
Yet it still managed to put Sylveon to sleep.
At this point, Lu Ye was starting to question whether he had been a chieftain in his past life.
And as for that final Ally Switch play… Even he felt a little guilty about that one.
"I never use Ally Switch normally."
Lu Ye coughed lightly and nodded to himself.
"This move is way too dirty—I have to remove it sooner or later."
The sky was dark, and there was still some time before his train arrived at Goldenrod City.
Lu Ye placed Sylveon on his lap, casually flicking its ribbon while scrolling through the chat.
"Veeon! (#｀皿´)"
---
The group chat was already in chaos.
[Gold: TEACHER LU GOT A POKÉDEX?!]
[Crystal: Pipe down…]
She sighed. Teacher Lu was invited, passed the test, and received the Pokédex directly from Professor Oak himself.
[Gold: Uuuu, I begged that old man for ages, and he never gave me one…]
Gold was practically in tears.
But Teacher Lu did it in just one day—no, just one afternoon…
[Lance: I've heard of the special edition Pokédex tradition. What was the test?]
[Green: A doubles battle with Professor Oak. Teacher Lu won.]
The chat went dead silent for a moment.
Until Yellow posted a Squirtle meme:
[Yellow : [I don't dare say anything.jpg] ]
[Erika: Professor Oak was once Kanto's Champion…]
[Lorelei: Yes, and he even set records by defeating Grandma Agatha.]
[Lance: Hmm… actually, that makes sense.]
Lance recalled their battle.
If Lu Ye could fight him to a draw, beating a seasoned veteran wasn't surprising.
[Green: What about the evaluation?!]
She was the most excited one.
Discussions like these were perfect for gossip.
When she got the title 'The Evolver', she had been hyped for weeks.
After all, a title given by Professor Oak carried serious weight.
Lu Ye stroked his chin and glanced at the sky.
…It won't be something weird again, right?
[Green: Tactician.]
Crystal, who had witnessed the entire test, sighed in admiration.
[Crystal: Teacher Lu… truly took tactics to the limit.]
Lu Ye blinked.
After a long silence, Steven finally typed with a smile.
[Steven: That's a really cool title.]
[Yellow: ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ Teacher Lu is awesome~~]
[Lt. Surge: @Teacher Lu, now this is the real deal!]
Sabrina, tossing her long black hair, remained silent.
As a high-ranking Rocket Executive, she rarely praised others.
Yet even she had to admit…
For Professor Oak to give this kind of evaluation to Lu Ye—
Even Sabrina found herself feeling a sliver of respect.
[Gold: That's cool and all, but let's be real—it should be 'The Cold-Hearted One' instead!]
Having suffered through countless of Lu Ye's dirty tactics, Gold couldn't help but complain.
Sure, it was part of battle strategy…
But did Lu Ye really have to play that dirty?!
[Lu Ye: I'll take that as a compliment!]
[Gold: ???]
[Steven: ???]
[Erika: ???]
---
After seeing everyone's reactions, Lu Ye coughed lightly and nodded.
Alright… at least this was a respectable title.
Though…
Why did it feel like his weird titles were stacking up again?!
Lu Ye counted on his fingers, then sighed.
"…I can't even keep track anymore."
The Tactician title was probably awarded because of that final Ally Switch move.
Even Professor Oak got played by that one.
How could Ally Switch be such a cool move?!
Lu Ye patted his own shoulder and grinned.
"No doubt about it—Teacher Lu, you're looking real good right now!"