Chapter 404: Mr. Lu: Bluffing? Then I’ll Keep Bluffing
In a dimly lit room,
a single overhead light cast a spotlight on the man stroking the head of a Persian.
He wasn’t wearing his usual red garnet ring. Instead, he wore a long black trench coat, with the fur-lined hood resting atop Persian’s head in his lap.
His phone screen displayed a rare incoming call.
Giovanni calmly poured himself a glass of gin and waited to hear the mentor’s proposal.
“What do you want?”
“Boss Giovanni.”
His voice sounded serious, prompting Giovanni to raise his whiskey glass.
“Would you be interested in… making your debut as an idol?”
Pfft!!
Giovanni slammed down his whiskey and broke into a coughing fit. The echo of the “Godfather’s” cough reverberated through the room. For a long time, he couldn’t respond.
Lu Ye was a bit puzzled.
Boss Giovanni… that shook up?
Well, makes sense. Becoming an idol could not only fund Team Rocket but also help mend things with Silver.
Middle-aged or not, a man should always open a few new doors in life.
Giovanni calmed his chest tightness, took a deep breath, and said dryly:
“Do you… have a death wish?”
Lu Ye wasn’t fazed at all.
Giovanni in the Special manga was very different from the game and anime versions.
The game Giovanni was an evil mastermind who founded Team Rainbow Rocket.
The anime Giovanni in the yellow suit had some cool moments—like the Operation Tempest arc—but mostly resembled a daycare director from Crayon Shin-chan.
But this Giovanni… his main goal now was to reconcile with his biological son.
Having interacted with him for some time, Lu Ye had already found the weak spot of this tsundere middle-aged man.
“Here’s the thing.”
Lu Ye began explaining. “I’ve got a new project—game adaptation based on Red’s story. It’ll include all kinds of key events from his life…”
Giovanni, who once oversaw Silph Co., wasn’t averse to business ventures.
After listening to Lu Ye’s pitch,
not only did Giovanni not object, he actually sensed potential.
After all… the influence of celebrity branding was massive.
Two Legendary Trainers, the Elite Four, eight Gym Leaders, and Professor Oak.
With that kind of lineup, even if the game was trash, it would still rake in money.
The key was… Giovanni narrowed his eyes.
He really had the trust of all those people.
Even I couldn’t pull that off back then…
Giovanni’s expression flickered, but he didn’t agree right away. After a long pause, he said:
“So this ‘idol’ thing you’re talking about… what exactly does that mean?”
Lu Ye didn’t answer directly.
“Well, since it’s based on Red, Team Rocket will naturally be involved too…”
“Including its destruction?” Giovanni asked flatly.
“Didn’t you dismantle the old Team Rocket yourself?” Lu Ye praised. “At worst, that was a tactical retreat. Besides, critiquing outdated ideology fits perfectly with the current Rainbow Plan.”
“Hmph.” Giovanni stroked Persian’s forehead. “Don’t think I can’t tell when I’m being buttered up.”
“Anyway.”
Lu Ye cleared his throat. “The narrative is about differences in belief systems—not good versus evil…”
“Then…” Giovanni interrupted, then slowly asked:
“This so-called ‘idol’… means what, exactly?”
“I firmly believe that every character has their own unique appeal.”
Lu Ye said with a straight face, “Once the game’s out, you’ll probably attract a horde of fans…”
“Game launch events, autograph signings, handshake lines, a couple of video promos…”
“Or maybe be a cat-owner influencer, sending Silver a message now and then…”
Lu Ye slapped his thigh. “See? It’s all coming together!!”
Giovanni: “……”
The stern-faced godfather pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in the dim room.
“Give me a moment…”
The pitch was too smooth. For a second, Giovanni felt swayed.
But this whole idol debut thing… still felt wrong.
“From behind the scenes… to the front stage.”
Giovanni composed himself. “That’s what you’re proposing?”
“You don’t even have to show your face. You could go full VTuber, with a virtual avatar named ‘Giovanni-ko’…”
“Stop right there!” Giovanni’s temple twitched. He shouted, “I’ll authorize the license—just shut up already!”
I didn’t even understand what a triple combo was before… Giovanni wanted to say.
Lu Ye: “Speaking of which, Red already agreed to the license.”
Giovanni froze for a second, then narrowed his eyes.
Evil, justice, battle, pursuit… I, Giovanni, have never fallen behind.
But in times of peace… maybe it is time to enjoy life a little.
“So even he agreed?”
Giovanni sneered. “Does he think I’d be afraid to step into the spotlight and get roasted by the masses?”
“You take care of the licensing. Funding can go through Proton… Just make sure Silver sees the change in ideology!”
Lu Ye slowly smiled.
See? Another one successfully convinced.
“You’re the best, Boss!”
Sure, he could’ve just made up a villain for the game…
But as Lu Ye said:
Every character has their own unique charm.
Through this game, maybe it’ll be the start of new encounters—new bonds being forged.
“One more thing,” Giovanni suddenly said coldly.
“What is it?”
“Buff my stats.”
Giovanni said flatly: “Let those so-called ‘Reds’ taste true despair.”
Lu Ye blinked—then his eyes got misty.
Good grief… finally, someone who doesn’t care about the artwork and actually wants strong stats!
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me!”
Giovanni’s Idol Debut Plan
—was officially scrapped due to strong resistance from the Boss himself.
But Giovanni did start seriously considering the viability of posting cat videos.
On the expensive carpet, Persian stretched elegantly.
“Meow~”
Sensing Giovanni’s stare, its fur bristled slightly.
“It’s nothing,”
Giovanni said flatly. “That kid was just talking out of his ***. I can tell.”
“Meow?”
“Still…”
Giovanni muttered to himself, “Now that things have quieted down, maybe it’s time to find something to do…”
After the call ended,
Night had already fallen.
Lu Ye thought back on his conversation with Giovanni and couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Father and son—both tsundere. Who knew when they’d reconcile.
Even though Silver had already saved Giovanni’s life in the Ilex Forest…
The two still left things unspoken, and unbroken.
This was family business… all Mr. Lu could be was a catalyst. In the end, it was up to them.
“Got Giovanni’s authorization…”
Lu Ye murmured to himself,
“Time to keep bluffing—gotta get this project finalized before I head out!”
After washing up,
Lu Ye got ready for bed. Sylveon had already rolled herself up in the blanket.
Good thing he’d told Gengar to hang an extra one earlier that morning.
“Heh, I’ll roll up too!”
“Buii! ヾ(^▽^*)))”
Maybe it was the Rainbow Wing, but the room was comfortably warm.
Lu Ye planned to wake up early and give it another boost of Aura.
Looking up, he called out:
“Rotom, lights off!”
“Roger, Roto!”
“Gengaa!? Σ(°△°|||)︴” Gengar panicked, spitting out a puff of resentment and sulking in the corner.
You’ve changed… you used to let me turn off the lights~ (｡•́︿•̀｡)
Lu Ye blinked, then smiled helplessly.
“Gengar, turn it back on and off again, will you?”
Gengar perked up: “Gengaa！（๑`▽´๑)۶”
February 18, Thursday.
A warm breeze rustled the shaded trees in Pallet Town.
Ash had gathered his original teammates, ready to challenge Jindai again.
“Don’t be fooled by its small size,”
Professor Oak handed Ash Bulbasaur’s Poké Ball and smiled. “It’s a top-notch conflict mediator~”
“Thank you, Professor!” Ash said with determination, looking around at his old partners.
Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Pikachu…
“Guys!” Ash raised his fist. “Let’s tackle the Battle Frontier together!”
“Rooaaar!” Charizard breathed fire—right onto Ash’s head. Pikachu’s Thunderbolt sparked menacingly, then fired off.
“Pika-chu!!”
Professor Oak’s face changed: “Are you alright, Ash?!”
Covered in soot, Ash slowly exhaled a puff of black smoke and dusted off the ashes:
“No problem!”
Professor Oak: !??
Nearby, a young man in purple passed by with documents, standing beside Oak.
“I heard Mr. Lu’s coming by today too,” Green said.
“Oh? What for?”
“Red’s coming home today, right?”
Green shrugged. “Maybe he’s here for a battle.”
“Battle?” Ash’s eyes sparkled. “Can I watch?!”
Green: “You’re too weak. You wouldn’t understand it.”
Ash: “I’ve grown a lot, okay! ヾ(｡｀Д´｡)ﾉ彡”
As they chatted, a flash of red mane appeared in the distance—Arcanine was galloping over.
Green squinted at Lu Ye’s Arcanine, frowned slightly, and thought:
Could I raise one that outshines Mr. Lu’s?
He didn’t have an answer yet.
“Yo!” The handsome, black-haired young man waved. “Ash is here too.”
“Mr. Lu!” Ash grinned and waved back.
‘Charizard’ also remembered this Trainer well and let out a respectful low roar. “Roarrr!”
Lu Ye patted its head and then smiled.
“Professor Oak, Green—there’s something I’d like to ask you both!”
When it comes to titles, Green was indeed worthy of being called “senior”—one of only two legendary Trainers.
Among the often-messy group chat members, Green was a rare and reliable moderator…
Still, both Red and Green respectfully called him “Mr. Lu.”
Everyone just used their own style of address. That was fine.
Professor Oak’s Lab – Reception Room.
The plain-looking Trainer in red—Red himself—asked curiously, “Based on me?”
“Yes,” Lu Ye smiled. “Maybe it’ll inspire more kids to dream of becoming Trainers and to love Pokémon.”
Lu Ye continued, “After all… it was a game that made me fall in love with Pokémon.”
Games, anime, manga… all were starting points for passion.
Even if Mr. Lu himself wasn’t too into Trainer battles…
As long as he could share peaceful, cozy days with Pokémon, he was already deeply fulfilled.
“So I just show up briefly?”
Professor Oak chuckled. “That card game already used my likeness once—what’s one more time?”
Red nodded slightly, then asked, “What about Giovanni and Team Rocket…”
Lu Ye said vaguely, “Maybe Sabrina and Proton can work something out.”
Red’s expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Green, then said, “I’ve got no problem with it. But…”
Green had his arms crossed, face looking conflicted.
As history’s shortest-reigning Champion… that part of history would definitely be dragged up again…
But in the end, Green gave a firm nod.
Red looked at him, mildly surprised.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Green scowled. “I’m the strongest Trainer there is. Aside from those few times I lost to you… I accept it, okay?”
Red cracked a small smile.
Green: “…Wipe that smug look off your face.”
The reign was short, sure…
But I still beat Lance, didn’t I? Lu Ye thought.
“So… about Agatha?”
Green shifted the topic away from his Champion record and asked, “Who’s going to contact her?”
Professor Oak, gray-haired and aging, suddenly glanced around nervously and laughed, “Let me go get you all some coffee!”
In a flash, everyone’s eyes turned to Professor Oak.
Under all that scrutiny, Oak coughed and raised a fist to his mouth.
“You all know… Agatha and I haven’t gotten along for years.”
“This one… I really can’t help with…”