Chapter 295: Teacher Lu’s Turn to Backstab
As soon as Lu Ye turned his head, he saw Sirfetch’d’s feathers turning slightly purple.
“It’s poisoned,” Sabrina stood up and said calmly.
Getting poisoned was normal during Poison-type move training.
Lu Ye wasn’t too flustered.
He took out a Pecha Berry he’d prepared in advance and popped it into Sirfetch’d’s yellow beak.
“Gaa~” In a daze, Sirfetch’d tasted a burst of sweetness going down its throat.
Sirfetch’d’s Poisoned status was cured!
“You even licked the poison-coated leek…”
Lu Ye blinked,
“You’re really training that hard?”
“Gaa…” Sirfetch’d was on the verge of tears.
Lu Ye fell into thought.
Looks like, after joining the team,
Sirfetch’d had the same desire to grow stronger as the rest of his Pokémon…
Lu Ye said, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall behind Togepi!”
“Gaa? Σ(°△°|||)︴”
Training was proceeding steadily.
Gengar’s talent was downright freakish.
After all, it had been acknowledged by the Nurturing Legend himself, and had a strong sense of self-discipline.
Gengar’s Sludge Bomb was already beginning to take shape. “Gengarrr~” Gengar grinned menacingly, holding two pixelated “Oligei” blobs, and flung them at the target dummies.
For a moment, the whole scene was… not suitable for younger viewers.
Lu Ye’s mouth twitched. “Is this move really tournament-legal?”
“Muk’s Sludge Bomb does rely heavily on stench as its main attack method.”
Sabrina replied flatly, her face slightly pale.
“As for Gengar… just boost the toxin’s range.”
Lu Ye nodded.
No doubt… this kind of physical and mental assault
was dirty as h*ll…
On the other side,
Sirfetch’d was shouting “Gaa Gaa!” while charging forward with his leek like a lance.
Charge, quack~!!
“At this rate, he’ll probably master Poison Jab soon,” Sabrina nodded.
Lu Ye looked up at the ceiling, thoughtful.
At the speed his team “backstabs” their way to results…
That “soon” might mean a day? A night?
“Ahem!” Lu Ye cleared his throat.
“I’m also planning to prep another move for Sirfetch’d.”
“Hm?” Sabrina asked, “Is it because the Fighting Tournament is about to start?”
“Yeah.”
Lu Ye nodded. “Most of the others already have multiple techniques by now.”
“Sirfetch’d just joined. I can’t let it be the odd one out…”
“How thoughtful.”
Sabrina gave a small smile, flicking her long black hair.
“By the way… how many Badges have you collected now?”
“Huh? Why are you asking that?” Lu Ye blinked.
“Curiosity,” Sabrina answered bluntly. “I want to know how long it’ll take for our instructor to reach the top of the Kanto League.”
Lu Ye sighed, feeling complicated.
“Five for now…”
Sabrina nodded slightly.
Knowing Lu Ye’s style, he always added Gym Leaders to the chat group after beating them.
Which meant, the ones not in the group… probably hadn’t handed over their Badges yet.
Sabrina quickly ran the numbers in her head and got her answer.
“I see,” she said.
“What do you see?” Lu Ye asked, confused.
“Don’t worry.”
Sabrina tucked her hair behind her ear, then suddenly lifted her chin and smiled sweetly:
“I won’t let you down, Instructor!”
One afternoon passed.
Training progress on both Sludge Bomb and Poison Jab was already halfway complete.
If Sirfetch’d got sent to the Fighting Tournament in his current state,
he’d likely get wiped in one shot—good at nothing but gobbling down food.
Even for proud Sirfetch’d, that wasn’t the kind of result he wanted to see.
“Maybe…”
Lu Ye glanced at the Fighting Dojo nearby and muttered,
“Next time I’ll try that place?”
Even though…
Sabrina’s smile before leaving had been a little too spine-chilling,
Still, as the instructor of Team Rocket,
he wasn’t about to let her climb over his head.
“No big deal.”
Lu Ye nodded. “Worst case, I’ll just pay for some property damage.”
As Lu Ye’s figure walked farther away,
Sabrina turned and stepped into the shadows.
She pulled out her phone and called an old contact.
“It’s me… Got time for a chat?”
Vermilion City, Vermilion Harbor.
A burly, blond man in camo cracked open a can of soda with a pop.
“Shoot.”
Lt. Surge propped one leg on the table and said lazily,
“What’d you call me out here for?”
Sabrina’s brow twitched subtly.
“Watch your tone,” she said coldly.
“What, being a celebrity makes you all high and mighty now?”
Lt. Surge’s face fell and he scoffed.
“No.” Sabrina replied frostily. “I’m here on behalf of our Instructor.”
Lt. Surge frowned, lowered his leg, and softened a bit.
“Go on.”
“You’re aware that the Instructor is currently in the Kanto League, right?”
Sabrina sipped her tea. “I don’t want you causing him any unnecessary trouble.”
“He’s in Kanto—what’s that got to do with me?”
Lt. Surge snapped. “I want nothing to do with Team Rocket!”
The mood instantly grew tense.
Sabrina’s gaze turned cold as a snow-covered mountain.
“Fine.”
Lt. Surge muttered reluctantly,
“Name your terms. I’ll see what I can do…”
“When Teacher Lu comes to challenge your gym,”
Sabrina said, “I want you to just hand him the Badge.”
“Teacher Lu?” Lt. Surge opened his mouth to object, but then froze.
“…No way.”
He let out a dry chuckle.
“Wait, those two… are the same guy?”
Sabrina said nothing.
“…I don’t know where you got that info from,”
Lt. Surge took a deep breath, tapped the side of his head, eyes narrowing.
“But I’ll judge with my own eyes and brain.”
“Even if what you say is true… I want to see for myself whether he really has the courage and skill to lead Team Rocket!”
“You serious?” Sabrina said slowly.
“Get lost.”
Lt. Surge tossed his leg back up on the table with a cold grunt.
When he opened his eyes again, Sabrina had vanished into thin air using Teleport.
In the dead of winter, Lt. Surge suddenly felt a chill.
“Worst case,”
he muttered, arms crossed,
“I’ll send him a little gift after the battle…”
December 18th, Friday.
Fighting Dojo.
“GAA!” Sirfetch’d swung his leek downward, splitting three bricks clean in half.
“Whoa!”
Karate King Wude watched from the side, eyes wide.
“That spirit, that form… I’ve only seen this kind of precision from the true masters!”
Sirfetch’d stood calmly, but his heart was weeping.
Holy light above!
Two straight days of training…
All I wanted was to be a slacker!!
Lu Ye looked at the move list—Poison Jab and Brick Break—and was just about to comment when—
“Toge-pee-chaaaa!!”
Togepi leapt high, little hands glowing white.
CRACK!
The three bricks were instantly shattered into powder!
Lu Ye & Sirfetch’d & Wude: Σ(°△°|||)︴
Lu Ye: “We’ll… keep training, Sirfetch’d!”
Sirfetch’d: “Gua-ga… (⊙ˍ⊙)”