Chapter 389: Let Me Help You Upgrade the Pokédex
February 10th, Wednesday, sunny.
According to Professor Oak,
he had to head back first to prepare the hardware needed for the Pokédex upgrade.
Once he gave the signal, Lu Ye could just head to the Oak Laboratory.
Lu Ye didn’t really mind.
After all, the Pokédex was made by Professor Oak himself—listening to him couldn’t go wrong.
It’s just that, when they parted ways yesterday, Professor Oak’s murmured words left Mr. Lu feeling a bit uneasy.
Professor Oak: “Let’s hope that Pokédex doesn’t blow up again…”
The Pokédex can explode?
Professor Oak, did you build that thing with a ‘Clemont Engine’ or something!? But because he trusted Professor Oak,
Lu Ye still went straight home, laid on his comfy bed, and had a nice, long nap.
The half-month-long Indigo League Tournament
had officially come to an end, but discussions online were still going strong.
People were starting to believe that this Trainer from Donghuang might actually have Champion-level strength.
“No wonder in that exhibition match in Miyamon City, it didn’t look like Leon was going easy on him at all!”
“Once you get to know him, you’ll see—besides being super unlucky and heartless, Mr. Lu really has no flaws…”
“He entered the Baby Cup?! I started following Mr. Lu because of the Baby Cup!”
With a newly assembled team setting out once again,
Mr. Lu beat veteran Trainers using their well-traveled teams from across regions.
Strictly speaking, the other competitors may have had the upper hand.
But the way he dominated in commanding, training, and tactics... it made the others feel like they were up against a final boss.
Thanks to his solid character... even those who lost to Mr. Lu ended up rooting for him.
“Wishing Mr. Lu becomes a Legendary Trainer soon!”
“Let’s go Mr. Lu! Sweep the next League too!”
“I’ve been a fan for ten years—Mr. Lu’s dream has always been to win a championship. Hard work really does pay off!”
Lu Ye scrolled through the online comments with mixed feelings.
Come on now, are these people even speaking human language?
Where’s the mod? Mute that ten-year fan right now!
Online, someone even started a thread—
‘Which League will Mr. Lu go to next?’
……
Sinnoh, Sootopolis City, Volkner’s home.
Green-haired Aaron, red-afro Flint, and purple-haired Lucian—
the three Elite Four members sat side-by-side on the couch, watching Mr. Lu’s finals replay.
From their perspective as Elite Four… they were confident they could wipe the floor with most contestants too.
But doing it with the same ease as Mr. Lu… that’s a tall order.
Who knows what kind of power Mr. Lu’s six Pokémon
are still hiding up their sleeves!?
“How do you guys feel?” Lucian asked, flipping through his book.
“I don’t care where he goes,” Aaron said loudly. “As long as it’s not Sinnoh!”
Flint scratched his hair, looking tense. “Given his relationship with Cynthia—”
The three of them fell silent.
If he doesn’t come to Sinnoh, then something’s seriously wrong!
Aaron: “Crap, am I gonna get kicked out of the Elite Four? o(╥﹏╥)o”
“F***, I’m the first one he’s gonna challenge!” Flint shouted.
Lucian pushed up his blue, non-prescription glasses, his eyes suddenly misty.
Whoever it is!
Please, take my place—I’m seriously going bald from this workload!
……
Donghuang, Modu University.
With his flowing white hair, Principal Du Yuanshan choked on his tea as he read today’s Modu Evening News.
He hadn’t been following the other Leagues for a while—wait, the Indigo League is over?
That’s not even the key point.
The key was, in the reposted comments, he saw phrases like: ‘strongest Champion in history’, ‘Dragon of Donghuang’, ‘hexagon warrior’...
All of these were referring to Lu Ye?
That’s my student, isn’t it!?
He turned to look—what, you already won another League!?
Du Yuanshan set down the newspaper, closed the lid on his teacup, and fell into deep thought.
He’d considered the possibility of Lu Ye winning a championship.
But he never imagined it would happen this fast—this suddenly...
And it was a complete 6:0 sweep in the finals.
The only explanation is that Lu Ye’s strength is far beyond what he’s shown so far.
Thinking back to how he dominated without exception during his time in Donghuang...
“This kid.” Du Yuanshan looked shocked.
“Turns out he wasn’t lying to me back then…”
“He actually has the strength of a League Champion!?”
【To Mr. Lu, winning a League Championship might not be the end.
The Elite Four, Champion, even the realm of Legends...
These might be what Mr. Lu is really aiming for.】
This comment came from a guest columnist for Modu Evening News.
As Lu Ye flipped through the newspaper, he was dumbfounded.
Good grief, this male journalist even moonlights as a commentator!?
Even I’m getting fired up reading this.
Wait a sec—the Champion they’re talking about is me?
“Gengaarrr? (*⊙~⊙)”
Gengar was wrapped in a little blanket, sticking out its crimson tongue, rolling a Toxic Orb on the tip and licking it back and forth.
“It’s nothing.” Lu Ye glanced at Gengar, pausing for a moment.
With his upgraded Aura Power, he could sense a change in Gengar’s energy.
In just a single day, that dark purple Aura symbolizing Ghost-type energy had surged again...
Looks like the Cloth of the Spirit World really works.
Lu Ye nodded and commented, “That blanket looks pretty nice.”
“Gengaarrr! (～￣▽￣)～”
Then, Lu Ye began seriously thinking about the online comments.
Without even realizing it, his little ones had already reached the threshold of Elite-level strength.
Probably due to all those golden Pokéblocks he used like candy, and the ridiculously rare berries he threw around.
But... what lies beyond the Elite Four?
That level of power can’t be reached just by hard training.
Even Pokéblocks have started losing their effect as his Pokémon grow.
“…Could it be…”
Lu Ye looked up at the sky.
“Do I have to buddy up with Legendary Pokémon and milk them for benefits?”
Soon after, Lu Ye gave a dry cough and shook his head.
Forget it, no need to go that far.
In this dangerous Pokémon World, staying cautious is still the way to go.
Besides, getting stronger was never Mr. Lu’s true goal.
A peaceful, laid-back life is what really matters.
Lying back on the couch, Lu Ye scrolled through his phone.
Ash, preparing for the Battle Frontier, had gone to train with Green.
The Frontier Brains and Shindai’s Three Regis were tough opponents.
But if they went easy on him, Ash shouldn’t have much trouble clearing the Frontier.
This arc was also a key period of growth for Ash.
Lu Ye was looking forward to what kind of dazzling performance the more mature Hero of Aura would show…
Other than the upcoming game release by the Pokémon Company,
Lu Ye had no other plans for now.
After more than half a month of busyness, he could finally enjoy a break.
While running his fingers through Sylveon’s soft, snowy fur, Lu Ye was about to ask Cynthia to team up for a game.
Bzzz bzzz—
A message came in—it was a congratulatory text from Boss Giovanni.
“Congrats on the championship,” just a few words.
As a return gift, Lu Ye sent him a photo from last night’s gathering, including Silver.
Giovanni: (Thumbs up) *3
Mr. Lu: Is it really okay for you to be using such old-man emojis?
Giovanni: (Smile)
Why does it suddenly feel like he’s gone from Godfather to Grandpa...?
Lu Ye felt conflicted. The phone rang again.
“Hello, Professor Oak?”
BOOOOM!!
The sound of an explosion. Lu Ye froze, then asked nervously, “Are you okay over there!?”
“Haha, I’m fine, I’m fine!”
Professor Oak wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and laughed:
“I finally solved the hardware issue.”
“You can head to the lab now—let me help you upgrade your Pokédex!”