Monday, November 12th.
Just one day left before reporting to the Trainer Academy.
The newly crowned 'The Tactician' Teacher Lu, was jolted awake by a loud rumbling noise.
"Arrooo~~"
Growlithe blazed through the living room like a fiery wheel, flames trailing behind it.
"Tchugki-briee~~"
Togepi wobbled its fingers, and droplets of Life Dew fell from above, instantly extinguishing the flames.
Squirtle, in the middle of doing one-finger push-ups, glanced at the shimmering droplets with a contemplative look.
If Aqua Ring was formed by Life Dew… wouldn't that mean I could take less damage?!
"Squirtlee..."
Squirtle rubbed its head, then suddenly clapped its hands together.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
As expected of me, Squirtle!
"Hello, is this the renovation company?"
Lu Ye calmly dialed the phone. "Yeah, it's not far from here."
Looking at Squirtle, who was tilting its head and patting its shoulder, Lu Ye paused for a moment.
Pokémon gradually take after their Trainers...
Could this be what people mean when they say that?
Analyzing the situation logically, it was probably the charcoal that had enhanced Growlithe's flames.
Judging by the timeline, it wouldn't be long before it mastered Flare Blitz.
Lu Ye massaged his temples with a headache.
How was his Pokémon's strength improving so ridiculously fast, even without much training?!
If Growlithe couldn't withstand the Flare Blitz flames, it would definitely need a Fire Stone to evolve.
Arcanine, being a large canine Pokémon, stood between 1.6 to 2 meters tall.
Compared to Pokémon like Gyarados, Arcanine was still relatively small, but if it started wrecking the place…
A chill ran down Lu Ye's spine as he glanced at the lively Growlithe.
"Arrooo? (O_o)"
"Nothing… just, uh, eat a little less. That way, you won't have the energy to tear the house apart."
Growlithe: ???
I may not be human, but you're straight-up evil!
---
Being a VIP client had its perks. The construction crew arrived in no time and completed the repairs in under half an hour.
Lu Ye stared blankly at the renovation team leader.
"Is there a problem?" The crew leader asked, confused.
"No…" Lu Ye's expression turned odd.
"I just wanted to ask… do you happen to have a brother in Donghuang who's also in this line of work?"
"Ah!" The team leader's eyes lit up.
"That's my cousin! He runs a renovation company in Modu… You know him?"
Staring at the man who looked eerily similar to his Modu counterpart, Lu Ye's expression grew complicated.
There it was—the Kanto-region variant of the renovation team leader!
Could it be that, like the Joys and the Jennies, they were part of some hidden, mysterious family lineage?!
After confirming that there were no other long-lost siblings in the business, Teacher Lu let out a long sigh of relief.
If a new renovation company popped up wherever he traveled…
That'd be way too ridiculous!
---
Today's agenda mainly consisted of watching anime with Togepi.
One person, one egg, snuggled into the sofa, clutching an enormous bucket of popcorn.
"Tchugki-briee~"
Togepi held up the oversized popcorn bucket, completely obscuring itself from view.
Growlithe, sitting beside them, looked utterly baffled.
Since when did popcorn buckets start making noises?
Just then, Professor Oak called, asking Lu Ye to fill out some basic information.
"This is to register your Trainer qualification in Kanto," Oak explained.
"Same as when you were in Donghuang—once you're registered, you'll be able to challenge Gym Leaders."
"Professor Oak, I don't plan on challenging Gyms, though."
"Oh, right… Well, the Trainer Academy allows direct entry to the Quartz Conference anyway," Oak replied.
"Regardless, I'll register you first. It'll make traveling more convenient."
Lu Ye wasn't planning on entering the Quartz Conference either, but he still nodded.
"Then I'll trouble you with that, Professor Oak."
After hanging up, not long after, a long-forgotten system notification popped up.
[Ding! Trainer Qualification Activated!]
[Large-Scale Mission Detected: Kanto League!]
[Mission Overview: Take the first step toward becoming a Legendary Trainer by collecting Gym Badges and challenging the League.]
[Mission Objective (1/3): Collect all eight Kanto Gym Badges.]
[Progress: (0/8)]
[Mission Reward: Key Stone]
[Mission Rating: 'Becoming a Champion isn't just about having hands, is it?']
Lu Ye stared at the mission for a long time.
Wait a minute…
Was the Trainer registration Oak mentioned just now the trigger for this nonsense?!
His expression turned strange as he carefully examined the mission details.
For a "Legendary Trainer System," issuing a Gym Badge collection quest made sense.
But wasn't the whole point of being a Trainer Academy instructor that he could directly enter the Quartz Conference?
Wasn't this completely unnecessary?!
And then there was the reward…
A Key Stone.
As an essential item for Mega Evolution, it was indeed rarer than Z-Crystals or Wishing Stars.
Finishing this mission to earn a Key Stone was definitely a worthwhile deal.
The problem was, obtaining a Key Stone meant he'd have to collect the corresponding Mega Stones too…
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Lu Ye's forehead.
The cheapest openly sold Mega Stones started at tens of millions.
Without the luck of Red or that idiot Blue, who knew how long and how much money it would take to gather them all?
It was obvious—this mission was a massive trap set by the system!
"Heh… You think you can outsmart me?" Lu Ye sneered.
"As long as I don't challenge any Gyms, nothing happens. I'm not falling for this!"
This mission was just going to sit there and gather dust.
Streaming and ripping off game ideas was still the true path for Teacher Lu!
Lu Ye casually exchanged a few berries and tossed them to Gengar, who happily opened its mouth.
"Gengarr! (￣～￣)"
Hmm… Even though I usually feast on rare berries like Scale Seed and Dragonfruit…
Sometimes, a simple Pecha Berry really hits the spot, like a fresh mountain veggie!
---
Ignoring the system's quest for now, Lu Ye called Oleana.
"We're currently working on the Plants vs. Zombies Christmas DLC and expanding the Johto region's card set," Oleana reported smoothly.
"If you're interested, we can also establish a branch office in Saffron City."
"Let's put the branch office on hold for now."
Lu Ye cleared his throat. "Once things settle down, I'll send over the new project proposal."
A gleam flashed in Oleana's eyes as she responded respectfully, "Understood, sir. I'll see to it that it's executed flawlessly!"
With Oleana managing the company, Lu Ye had much less to worry about.
Satisfied, he nodded and hung up the call.
Glancing around the living room—
"Gengarr!"
Gengar was deeply engrossed in the Pokédex, looking like it was formulating a serious strategy.
If I grind through the Gym Leader battles, won't I be able to fill up this Pokédex faster?
Where's the Saffron Gym again…?
Oh! The Pokédex has a built-in map function!
Gengar grinned like a kid who had just found a brand-new toy.
"Squirtlee…"
Squirtle soaked in the fish tank, still pondering ways to combine Aqua Ring and Life Dew.
Hmm… If I just use a whole bunch of Life Dew, it should work!
"Everyone's so well-behaved."
Lu Ye chuckled.
"If only things could always be this peaceful!"
---
As night fell, Lu Ye picked up Sylveon, slung Togepi over his shoulder, and settled into his gaming chair.
He opened his livestream, ready to introduce a new battle strategy.
As 'The Tactician', how could he not update his tactics regularly?
Otherwise, wouldn't that make him the "Master of Procrastination"?!
He changed the title: [New Tactic—Climbing the Master Rank with Ease]
"Hey everyone, this is Teacher Lu," he greeted.
"Today, we're going to dominate with a scientific Hypnosis strategy!"