Chapter 391: Gengar: I Caught Rotom!
Professor Oak’s backyard.
Towering mountains, rolling hills, winding rivers, shaded groves.
Lu Ye had complicated feelings.
Are these seriously words used to describe a backyard!?
No wonder the Oak Laboratory employed such a wide range of roles—rangers, caretakers, researchers…
But from another perspective—
Even in old age, Professor Oak still remained on the front lines. That alone commanded respect.
“Gaa~!”
A beam of white light shot out from the Commemorative Ball.
Sirfetch’d took a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled. Ah, that familiar scent!
The good old days when he didn’t have to train… truly bliss!
“Gaa! (´థ౪థ)σ”
As he thought back, Duck Duck suddenly felt miserable.
Weren’t we all supposed to be slackers together!?
Turns out I didn’t join a slacker squad—I joined a freakin’ all-star team!
Lu Ye calmly returned “Scallion Pancake” to the ball.
Is it a duck thing? Just like Psyduck—do all of you like auto-releasing yourselves from your Poké Balls?
“Professor Oak’s over by the Berry Grove.”
Krystal led Lu Ye as they walked along.
“Senior Green sometimes comes by on Charizard patrol too. He’s a really skilled researcher!”
Well, he is Professor Oak’s grandson. Lu Ye nodded in agreement.
As a member of the original duo, that protagonist aura was no less than Red’s!
Though… he was the shortest-reigning Champion in history.
Lu Ye coughed lightly, wary of catching Gold’s “self-destruct syndrome,” and looked ahead at the Berry Grove.
Wenju Berries, Oran Berries, Pecha Berries… The branches were heavy with ripe fruit, hanging right in front of them.
Lu Ye casually picked a Pecha Berry and gave it a try.
Lu Ye: (￣～￣) chew
Krystal: “I-Isn’t that spicy?”
Lu Ye: “It’s fine… I’m used to it.”
As they chatted, Professor Oak’s figure came into view.
Lu Ye was just about to greet him.
“Shh…” Professor Oak held up a folder and turned around, putting a finger to his lips.
“Is it acting up again?” Krystal whispered. “It took me forever to calm it down.”
“No worries.”
Professor Oak smiled. “Next step is for Lu Ye to capture Rotom!”
For a moment,
the info dump was so heavy that Mr. Lu’s brain short-circuited.
Rotom? Capture? Pokédex upgrade?
Lu Ye: ?
“Gengaarrr!”
Gengar stared at the confused Lu Ye, heart pounding.
So Master’s “Trick” can be this convincing too!?
“Did I forget to explain?”
Professor Oak froze for a second, then smacked his forehead.
“Here’s the thing… With Rotom’s help, your Pokédex can be upgraded into a Rotom Pokédex.”
“This trip was actually to entrust Rotom to you!”
Lu Ye’s breath caught.
So the surprise gift… was a Rotom Pokédex!?
No wonder they talked about upgrading—
Professor Oak, you sly old man!!
“This is Rotom’s Poké Ball.”
Professor Oak handed him a red-and-white ball while tilting his chin toward the distance.
“That over there is the lawnmower Rotom has possessed!”
As an Electric + Ghost-type Pokémon, Rotom can possess various electrical appliances.
The lawnmower was one of its battle forms.
Sunlight streamed through the Berry Grove. On the overgrown lawn, a red lawnmower was humming along.
But unlike the usual toothy-grinned battle-hungry Rotom mower,
this one looked unusually peaceful, snoring away with a snot bubble.
Lu Ye steadied his mood and asked in confusion, “It’s… asleep?”
“Uh… how to put it,” Professor Oak scratched his cheek, “Compared to your usual outgoing Rotoms, this one’s got a much gentler personality.”
“And!” Krystal said seriously, “If you touch it without warning, it’ll trigger a stress response!”
“By stress response, you mean…”
“Beep beep… Roto~! (๑´∀`๑)”
The lawnmower Rotom opened its eyes, sniffed the strong aroma of berries, and smiled.
Next second, it let out a big sneeze—blue electricity crackled all over!
Appliances can sneeze too!?
Lu Ye’s heart skipped a beat.
Then—BOOM!
A loud explosion rang out, and the entire mower was officially declared scrap!
Lu Ye’s expression shifted.
This thing’s going in my house? Seriously??
“Beep beep… Roto?”
The little orange creature formed from charged ions floated up from the mower and scratched its head with a jolt of blue electricity.
What just happened, Roto?
“Looks like another one down.” Krystal sighed.
“No problem!”
Professor Oak laughed heartily. “I’ve already researched this. Once it’s loaded into the Pokédex, the stress reactions will drop drastically—by at least 99%!”
“Just like Ash’s Pikachu, it’ll use Thunderbolt way less often. Hahaha!”
Lu Ye felt a tightness in his chest.
Less Thunderbolts, you say? That’s your idea of ‘less’!?
Still… 99% drop was a pretty safe margin.
Lu Ye looked up at the floating Rotom.
“Beep beep… Roto?”
The little orange guy glanced at Lu Ye, its eyelids drooping again as it started snoring mid-air.
Lu Ye: ???
How are you this sleepy!?
You’re a tool-type Pokémon! You sure it’s okay to not work at all!?
But Lu Ye could understand. Different Pokémon had different temperaments.
Compared to Ash’s clever (and chatty) Rotom,
this one… seemed kinda dopey?
Lu Ye opened his Pokédex and scanned its base form.
【Rotom (Base Form), Electric + Ghost
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Thunder Wave, Rest, Will-O-Wisp, Substitute…】
Lu Ye’s thoughts suddenly shifted.
Holy sh*t, this guy was made for me!
Just give it Ally Switch and it’s ready to mess up anyone’s day!
“Rotom?” Professor Oak called gently.
Pop!
Rotom’s snot bubble burst. It opened its eyes and saluted.
“Roto!” (At your service, Roto!)
“I hope you’ll enter this Pokédex.”
Professor Oak took the Special Pokédex from Gengar and gave it a little shake at Rotom, smiling as he said:
“He’s a very trustworthy Trainer!”
Rotom looked at Lu Ye and tilted its head in confusion.
Trainer?
What’s that? Does it taste better than sleep?
Lu Ye also looked straight at Rotom.
Self-destruction wasn’t even one of Rotom’s learned moves.
In other words, the explosions from possessing appliances happened because Rotom got drowsy, causing the devices to malfunction.
From what Professor Oak said,
once it entered the Pokédex, these self-detonations could be avoided.
Besides… this Rotom didn’t even know any offensive moves.
Judging by its capabilities, it might even be a notch below Psyduck.
Lu Ye gave a slight smile.
Loves to sleep? That’s perfect!
I don’t need the Rotom Pokédex to be some overpowered helper. As long as it chimes in when needed, that’s enough.
If Rotom could slip into the oven, fridge, or microwave… maybe it could even make the food taste better.
Lu Ye swallowed.
So after my backup ingredient (crossed out)… and kitchen assistant “Scallion Pancake,”
our team was finally welcoming the legendary kitchen appliance Pokémon!?
Slacker or not, an ordinary Rotom was still a perfect fit for Mr. Lu.
“Join my team, Rotom.”
Lu Ye looked up at the floating Rotom with a gentle smile.
“All you need to do is help with the Pokédex… and you can sleep whenever you want.”
“Even an ordinary Rotom can still be incredible!”
Professor Oak looked at Lu Ye in surprise.
He thought Lu Ye would be disappointed with this Rotom.
After all… not every Trainer could accept a Rotom with zero motivation for work.
For some reason, Professor Oak smiled.
Perhaps Lu Ye was right—
He truly treated Pokémon like family.
“Roto?”
Rotom blinked at Lu Ye in confusion.
Sometimes, excessive electric overload made it sleepy.
Thinking too much left it dazed every day.
The other Rotoms in its batch had all been chosen by Trainers.
Only it ended up at Professor Oak’s lab… and now, it had finally met its first Trainer.
One who didn’t look down on it—and even encouraged it...
Maybe, just maybe,
Rotom really could become strong!
I’ve got to do my best too!
“Roto!”
Rotom nodded firmly and flew straight into the Pokédex in Gengar’s hands.
“Gengaarrr?”
Gengar looked down curiously while holding the Pokédex.
Beep beep—
The display lit up with static before a digital smile appeared in the center:
“Happy to be of service, Roto! (◦˙▽˙◦)”
The voice wasn’t far off from Ash’s Rotom Pokédex in Alola.
Probably had the same combat prowess too.
Lu Ye nodded in satisfaction.
Rotom? No need to ever send it into battle!
Sure, “Heat Rotom” and “Wash Rotom” were infamous ladder pests,
but I never used that kind of cheesy playstyle.
The Rotom Pokédex and my phone are more than enough!
Seeing Rotom enter the Pokédex on its own, Professor Oak smiled contentedly.
“Looks like it really agrees with your philosophy.”
“Always consider your Pokémon’s feelings…”
Krystal, who had failed at capturing it several times, nodded quietly.
Feels like Mr. Lu taught her something again.
“Gengaarrr!”
Gengar grinned from ear to ear, holding the Rotom Pokédex while thoughts ran wild.
Now I can use the Pokédex to build more detailed training plans~~
Training alongside it will definitely make Master happy!
Suddenly, the Rotom Pokédex floated up into the air, extended its digital hands, and spun in a circle.
“Scanning target user… Beep beep, target locked! Username: Lu Ye. Confirm, Roto?”
Lu Ye: “Change it to Gengar.”
“Roger that, understood Roto!”
Professor Oak: ???
Krystal: ???
The two stared in shock, glancing back and forth between Lu Ye and Rotom, watching as it changed the user.
What… just happened?
Could this be some kind of… unique training method!?
Professor Oak didn’t want to pry, so he cleared his throat and said:
“Well then, Lu Ye, leave the Pokédex with me. I’ll tweak some of the internal parameters.”
Lu Ye nodded. “Thanks, Professor Oak!”
He hadn’t expected to capture a new Pokémon during this trip to the lab.
Pokédex upgrade, the Indigo League gift, Professor Oak’s multi-step master plan…
Even now, Mr. Lu still felt a slight tightness in his chest.
But in a way—
With the addition of the Rotom Pokédex, Gengar had taken yet another solid step down the path of a Trainer…
“Gengaarrr~”
Seeing Gengar grinning from ear to ear, Lu Ye had mixed feelings.
Wait… wasn’t that my line to say?
“This is Rotom’s Poké Ball.”
Professor Oak chuckled as he patted Gengar on the head. “Take good care of it, alright?”
“Gengaarrr!”
Gengar held the Poké Ball with both hands and nodded happily.
Then clenched it tightly and gave a toothy grin.
I caught Rotom, Gengaarrr!