I Really Didn’t Want to Be a Trainer

An intense aura radiated from Blastoise.

Ash swallowed hard.

“Squirtle!? Σ(°△°|||)︴”

Squirtle looked at the Blastoise before him, the one wearing sunglasses, and didn’t know how to react.

Then, sweating profusely, he forced a small smile.

“Ka-meh! ヾ(⌐■_■)” Blastoise gave a solemn nod.

So Master actually sent me out to battle this Squirtle…

Could it be…

A glint flashed in Blastoise’s eyes.

Does this Squirtle have some hidden ace up his sleeve!? “Ka-meh…” Blastoise wiped away a cold sweat, his expression deadly serious.

Looks like I’ll need to go all out too!

“Show some backbone!”

Ash raised his arm and shouted loudly:

“Squirtle, use Water Gun!”

“Blastoise, use Water Gun.”

Squirtle gathered his courage, took a deep breath, and fired a stream of water toward Blastoise.

Blastoise stood firm, lifting his twin cannons, which were already fully charged!

Boom boom boom!

Two torrents of water roared forth, like raging water dragons, crashing toward Squirtle!

Squirtle: “Aba aba (◑▽◐)”

He was blasted out of the field by the Water Gun, retreating into his shell.

“Ka-meh…” Blastoise let out a sigh of relief.

That was close… mission accomplished!

Ash silently recalled Squirtle, having been completely shut out.

He had challenged Mr. Shindai with the same lineup and even defeated the formidable Regice.

But against Teacher Lu…

He couldn’t even beat a single Pokémon…

This was the kind of overwhelming defeat that could break a Trainer’s spirit.

Yet Ash adjusted his cap, exchanged a glance with the now-awake Pikachu, and managed a faint, content smile.

“Pikachu!” Ash called out.

“Pika pi?”

Pikachu tilted his head, then squinted and whispered:

“Chuuu!”

The audience was still immersed in the previous battle.

A Trainer who had defeated a Battle Frontier Brain… was swept aside this easily by Teacher Lu!?

Just how strong is Teacher Lu when he's giving it his all!?

“Teacher Lu, and you still say you’re not entering the Baby Cup!?”

“That was insane… d*mn it, I missed my flight!”

For the stream chat crowd, Teacher Lu being ‘inhuman’ was nothing new.

Such an eccentric ‘Champion’...

Might just be the perfect calling card for a Trainer.

This Champion was powerful, cool, and 100% genuine.

Maybe his only weakness… was having terrible luck.

Spectators who’d joined the crowd out of curiosity were stunned.

“What did he just say again…”

‘I’m not good at battling’?

“F***, too real, Teacher Lu!”

Lu Ye recalled Blastoise and nodded thoughtfully.

One name off the grudge list…

“Guess I can beat Ash after all!” Lu Ye thought with a grin.

Suddenly, the Rainbow Wing tucked in his inner pocket seemed to grow warm.

He glanced at the time.

Lu Ye stepped forward and gave Ash a pat on the head. “Let’s go. Don’t just stand there! (´･ω･)ﾉ(._.`)”

“Oh!” Ash snapped out of it.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the two headed toward the departure hall.

“Teacher Lu.”

Ash suddenly said, “I think I may have found my path.”

“Hm? What path?”

“I’m Ash, from Pallet Town.”

Ash continued speaking to himself, then suddenly looked up, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

“My goal is to become the strongest Pokémon Master!”

Not just a Pokémon Master—he even wants to be the strongest?

Lu Ye chuckled softly.

That goal… maybe only Red in the entire Pokémon World has achieved that.

But if this super rookie puts in the work…

He just might become the strongest Pokémon Fighting Master?

“Go for it!”

Lu Ye placed his large hand on Ash’s head and gave him a good rub:

“The future is yours!”

Ash, hair now a complete mess, squinted and let out a happy chuckle.

“I’m heading out too.”

Lu Ye looked ahead, his gaze shifting slightly.

“Toward… the road to my future.”

“Teacher Lu.”

Ash suddenly asked curiously:

“What made you become a Trainer in the first place?”

The elegant, dashingly handsome young man let out a long sigh and, for once, gave a rare wry smile.

“I really didn’t plan on becoming a Trainer!”

“Gengarr! (/ω＼)” Gengar, floating beside Teacher Lu, covered his cheeks bashfully.

“I wasn’t talking about you, dammit!”

…

In the group chat—

Lance: “Has Teacher Lu set off yet?”

“Didn’t Ash go see him off? Should be soon,” said Lorelei.

For some reason, the blonde Daisy of Viridian shivered and murmured:

“I kinda feel bad for the Trainers in Sinnoh…”

“Have you decided yet?”

Green @Ash: “For the next tournament, are you staying in Kanto or heading somewhere else?”

“I’ve decided!”

Ash looked toward the disappearing figure in the distance, eyes burning with determination:

“I’m going to challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh, and become the Champion there!”

“You might run into Teacher Lu,” Gold mocked mercilessly.

“Eh!? T-then I’ve at least gotta beat one of his Pokémon!”

Teacher Lu asked curiously: “When did Gold rejoin the group?”

Lorelei blinked: “I was wondering the same thing!”

“It was Lance-senpai!”

Gold immediately threw Lance under the bus and wiped his nose smugly:

“I asked Silver to ask Lance to let me back in…”

【Group member ‘Gold’ has been removed from the chat by admin ‘Lance’】

Lance asked in confusion: “What just happened?”

“Let him back in after 24 hours…” Lorelei adjusted her glasses and said thoughtfully.

“Poor guy. Maybe just 12 hours?” she added, suddenly feeling a bit sympathetic.

“Auntie is so kind,” Daisy smiled—then her face turned bright red and she frantically tried to retract it.

W-Where’s the delete button!?

Lorelei smiled calmly, though a vein pulsed on her temple.

Considering Yellow really was a whole generation younger, Lorelei let out a long sigh.

Forget it. If it’s Yellow, I’ll let it slide…

Lu Ye shivered.

Never expected the ‘reckless virus’ to spread this fast.

“I better be more careful from now on…” Lu Ye murmured.

…

【Flight to Sinnoh, Jubilife Airport, is now boarding…】

An airport announcement echoed in his ears.

Lu Ye found a quiet corner and let out all his little ones.

“Gengarr!（๑`▽´๑)۶”

Gengar stood on the ground with a tiny backpack, shaking his butt excitedly.

“Bui~ o(´^｀)o” Sylveon’s snow-white ribbons wrapped around Lu Ye’s arm. She turned her head with a tsundere huff.

“Awoo~! (｀0´)” the Husky let out a wise smirk, attracting curious stares.

“Ka-meh…ヾ(⌐■_■)” Blastoise adjusted his sunglasses and scanned the airport for any hidden bombs with Aura.

“Chagi Dooyi~ (ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ” Togepi sat atop Arcanine’s back, holding a game console and swinging his little feet.

“Gaa! (´థ౪థ)σ” Duck Duck cried.

How is everyone so strong? What the h*ll am I even doing here!?

The Rotom Pokédex suddenly floated in front of everyone and shouted:

“Say cheese!”

Instantly, a chorus of howls, “bui” sounds, and chaos erupted.

Lu Ye halfheartedly threw up a peace sign and said casually:

“Rotom, you’ll have to earn the electricity bill for our new place in Sinnoh.”

“Does not compute, Rotom! o(TヘTo)”

“All right.”

Lu Ye was ready to go.

Sunlight streamed through the glass of the airport lounge, casting a glow on the side of Teacher Lu’s handsome face.

He glanced around at his little ones.

“Everyone!”

A smile spread across Teacher Lu’s face.

“Let’s step into our brand-new journey!”

…

…

【Volume 2: Teacher Lu’s Bizarre Adventure – End】