Chapter 421: Just Me, Against All of You
February 24th, Tuesday.
The early spring sunshine carried a warm, cozy feeling.
“Brii~” Sylveon closed its eyes, basking in the ray of sunlight that fell upon its cheek, its long pink ears twitching slightly.
The sunlight coated its snowy white fur with a soft golden glow.
Lu Ye smiled faintly, standing next to it by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the yard.
“Awoo~ᕦ(･ㅂ･)ᕤ”
Arcanine looked wise and majestic, standing before a timid little Chimchar, seemingly teaching it moves.
“Gengarr~ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉ”
Gengar was pushing Mow Rotom across the messy lawn.
Ever since Rotom arrived, Gengar—after taking up housework—had now developed a new hobby: gardening! “Nice weather today.”
Lu Ye sighed with emotion, planning to go down for a morning jog.
But stepping inside, he immediately froze.
“Pikachu…”
There on the couch, Ash—who had stayed over—was sprawled out in every direction under a light blanket, drooling at the mouth, mumbling in his sleep:
“Use… Thunderbolt…”
“Pika…”
Still half-asleep, Pikachu climbed onto Ash’s head, sparks crackling on its cheeks.
“Chuu!!”
A flash of lightning burst in the living room, a Thunderbolt erupted into the air, engulfing Ash.
Lu Ye was drenched in sweat.
T-That’s not going to hurt him!?
“Ah, it’s already morning?”
Ash opened his eyes, nearly unscathed, and even looked like he wanted another Thunderbolt to wake up.
Lu Ye gulped.
Good thing my Gengar greets people with Lick.
If it used Shadow Ball to say hi, I’d be GG for sure!
He picked up the enamel mug from the floor.
Lu Ye poured himself a cup of tea to calm his nerves, blowing on the steam.
Super Paul… starts the day by shocking himself with Thunderbolt—terrifying.
Suddenly, Ash frantically threw on his cap.
“Crap, I’m gonna be late!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have a Gym match scheduled this morning with Leader Roark… I’ll have to run all the way to Oreburgh City!”
Ash slung Pikachu over his shoulder, dashed into the yard like a gust of wind, grabbed the still-dazed Chimchar with one hand, and waved toward Lu Ye standing on the second-floor balcony:
“Mr. Lu, thanks for having me! See you next time!”
Lu Ye rested his hands on the railing, stunned by Ash’s carrying capacity, and coughed.
“Safe travels.”
Meanwhile—
A snow-white figure followed Ash into the thick forest.
“Brii~” Sylveon smiled faintly upon hearing the word “Gym.”
It had been annoyed that no wild Pokémon were causing trouble nearby…
Sounds like that place isn’t far. Finish the Gym battle, then be home in time for dinner!
“Brii! (≧∀≦)♪”
With no malicious intent, Sylveon used Quick Attack—
Barely managing to keep up with Ash’s big strides, heading for Oreburgh Gym…
…
In the living room—
“Toge-to-gee~”
Togepi looked focused, pop—uncapped a marker and drew two dark circles on Rotomdex’s screen.
“Beep beep… can’t understand, Roto! (⊙x⊙;)”
“Toge~!” Togepi burst into giggles, toppling over onto the carpet and wiggling its little feet.
Lu Ye picked Togepi up, curious.
“Is it Rotom’s turn to babysit today?”
“Gengarr~” Gengar nodded, flashing a toothy grin, then gave Lu Ye a surprise Lick.
Paralysis effect triggered!
Lu Ye wiped his face, calmly chewed a Cheri Berry, and casually said:
“Mm… I already spoke with Professor Rowan. If you want to train, you can go to his backyard.”
After all, letting these little guys train at home… was way too risky.
Rowan’s lab had proper training grounds and might help prevent explosions… probably.
Gengar paused, then tears welled up in its eyes.
“Gengarr! ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)”
So becoming a tournament champion… wasn’t even the boss’s end goal…
I have to give it everything I’ve got to help him fulfill his dreams!
“Gengarr!” Gengar bounced in place, throwing up a V-sign next to its eye.
Leave the training stuff to me, Gengar!
Lu Ye’s expression turned strange.
Is this… Magical Girl Gengar mode?
But even Giovanni got tricked into becoming a content creator…
Lu Ye’s mental fortitude was no joke at this point.
“Oh, by the way, have you guys seen Sylveon?”
The little ones all shook their heads.
“Hmm… no big deal.”
Lu Ye stroked his chin.
With Sylveon’s power, this level-up area was a massacre.
Once it finishes clearing out a few local bosses… it’d probably be home for dinner.
“Gengar, remember to balance training with rest.”
Lu Ye reminded, “I’m taking Togepi with me. After I fix the bike, we’ll be back for dinner~”
“Gengarr! (￣▽￣)／”
“Gaa! (´థ౪థ)σ” Upon hearing that, Sirfetch’d wept bitterly.
He thought moving into a new house meant escaping the endless days of Gym training…
But barely a few days into rest, it was back to training again…
Too hard on me, duck~!
…
Afternoon.
Lu Ye gave the [Rainbow Wing] a burst of Aura Power.
With the Rainbow Wing around, even the indoor air felt fresher…
Lu Ye: “I get it now! This thing’s basically an air purifier!”
The Rainbow Wing’s glow dimmed, showing signs of turning black.
But with gentle Aura flowing again, the feather shimmered back to life.
Eh… whatever feels good~!
Before leaving, Lu Ye contacted Team Rocket's trio.
Pushing the nearly-charred bike, he arrived near Twinleaf Town—
And found yet another one of James’s villas.
(Lu Ye: Are all the houses around here his!?)
“Don’t worry, leave it to us!”
As soon as “repair” was mentioned, James and Jessie lit up:
“Even if we have to use Meowth’s gold coins, we’ll fix it for you!”
“Are you sure about that, nya?” Meowth trembled.
“Less talk, more fixing!”
The Rotom Bike was a precision machine. James and the others hammered away, sweat pouring down their faces.
“Togetoge~! ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ”
Togepi jumped from Lu Ye’s arms, dug into the bag, and handed the trio some soda and chips.
The three froze—then burst out nosebleeds, their eyes blazing:
“We must fix this for our boss!”
It was just a bike repair.
Yet they pulled out drills and welding masks—sparks flew everywhere.
Lu Ye wiped cold sweat.
It might be a 99% success rate, but it still made him nervous…
Luckily, Togepi’s buff worked.
The [Rotom Bike] was fully repaired—and seemed to be even better than before.
“I’m exhausted!” Aside from chasing Pikachu, the all-rounder trio collapsed in a heap.
“Togetoge~ヾ(●´∀｀●)”
Togepi wobbled over, gently wiped their foreheads, and smiled sweetly.
“Yaaah! So cute!!”
Their screams echoed through the forest.
“Thanks for the hard work.”
Lu Ye mounted the Rotom Bike and placed Togepi in the front basket. “Want to come to my place for dinner?”
The trio exchanged glances and shook their heads.
What mattered more now… was catching Pikachu and earning the boss’s favor!
Just fixing a bike… couldn’t compare to Pikachu’s value!
“Take care!” they said, rubbing their hands together. “Next time you need anything fixed, just call us!”
“Sssnorrrunt!”
Lu Ye didn’t insist.
Judging by the time, dinner should be ready just when Sylveon gets back.
Then I’ll spar with Cynthia to warm up…
And start the rank grind livestream!
As sunset rolled in, mountains stretching afar, smoke rose from chimneys in the little town.
Lu Ye swung by Professor Rowan’s lab to pick up the little ones.
A few senior rangers watched the departing Pokémon, looking dazed and wistful.
“What’re you thinking?” one asked.
“I’m wondering what the point of training even is,” the other said solemnly.
After over ten years of training—still got beaten by a Gengar and a Rotom…
Where’s the justice in that!?
“But… those were Mr. Lu’s Pokémon, right?”
“Mr. Lu?! Then it’s fine!” The rangers brightened up.
“Losing to the Champion’s team… bro, we can totally brag about this!”
…
Oreburgh City, Oreburgh Gym.
Built on mining veins, Oreburgh was rich in coal resources and even yielded rare gems.
Leader Roark specialized in Rock and Fossil Pokémon.
Structurally and thematically, the city was very similar to Pewter City in Kanto.
At that moment, in the Gym’s battle arena—
“Pikachu, Volt Tackle!”
As Pikachu charged forward in a flash of lightning—
Helmeted Roark calmly called, “Rampardos, Headbutt!”
The horned, spiked Rampardos roared and clashed with Pikachu.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Pikachu was sent flying and hit the ground hard. “Pika…”
“Looks like you’re not quite ready yet.”
Roark adjusted his glasses, curious. “Steven mentioned you’ve traveled through many regions… why not use your old Pokémon?”
Ash picked up Pikachu and said firmly, “Because I met someone.”
“I will win using the Pokémon I catch in Sinnoh!”
“That’s a great mindset.”
Roark smiled and nodded. “Then I look forward to our next match.”
“Brii~”
Suddenly, a snow-white figure stepped through the Gym doors.
Sylveon walked gracefully in the shadows, ribbons swaying, eyes proud and piercing.
Roark blinked. “Is this… a new challenger?”
Ash gasped. “That’s Mr. Lu’s Sylveon!”
“Mr. Lu?”
Roark looked up thoughtfully, thinking of the time he played Gold Miner.
Ever since the co-op version launched, Steven kept dragging him into mining…
In real life, Roark and Steven were friends.
Steven had bought many rare stones from Roark.
And even though Roark was a fossil enthusiast…
Steven just paid too much.
“Brii! (`皿´)”
Sylveon stepped onto the battlefield and pointed a ribbon straight at the powerful Rampardos.
“Roar!?” Under Sylveon’s piercing gaze, Rampardos froze, an inexplicable fear rising.
“So it’s…”
Roark looked at Ash and asked awkwardly, “Challenging me?”
Ash paused, then nodded:
“I heard Mr. Lu not only plays in the Baby Cup, but also lets his Pokémon challenge Gyms solo.”
“Maybe it’s like Master Blue letting Pokémon guard the Gym on their own—just a unique hobby!”
Roark blinked.
He’d heard of Viridian Gym’s tradition.
But Blue was Champion-level. If he didn’t go easy, nobody could earn that badge.
But letting a Pokémon solo challenge a Gym…
Was this what people meant when they said, “Mr. Lu never acts like a normal person”?
Turning down Mr. Lu’s challenge might make him look like a coward—
I may not be as strong as my dad, but I’m no pushover either!
Roark nodded calmly and told Ash:
“Then you be the referee.”
“One-on-one Singles… that okay?”
“Brii! (▼皿▼#)”
Sylveon lifted its chin with pride and jabbed a ribbon at Roark’s Poké Balls.
Singles?
I’m here… to fight all of you!
Roark swallowed hard.
How can Mr. Lu’s Pokémon be this cocky?!
And worse—it’s too cute to be mad at!
“Then, Rampardos.”
Roark commanded, “Go in with Headbutt!”
“Roar!!”
Rampardos charged toward Sylveon with heavy, echoing steps—then froze, eyes wide in terror.
“Brii! (#｀皿´)”
Sylveon leapt up, glowing with fierce white light, and crashed down like a comet!
Boom!!
Rampardos hit the ground hard, body embedded in the floor.
Roark and Ash stood there, mouths agape, speechless for a long time.
…
[Ding! Gym Challenge Successful!]
[Badge not counted toward mission progress. Host, please review mission details carefully!]
Lu Ye was humming a tune while prepping spicy tteokbokki, when he paused.
The notification sound was a bit abrupt…
Lu Ye: “Wait—what was the mission detail again?”
The system pulled up the research mission again.
Lu Ye suddenly understood.
So as long as I don’t finish this research task… no more major (betrayal) missions will appear?
Didn’t think the system could be this considerate!
Lu Ye chuckled, carrying the hotpot into the living room.
“Brii~” Sylveon crawled back in through the cat tunnel.
It bared its cute little teeth and tossed a metallic object onto the table.
Clang!
A crisp sound echoed.
Lu Ye froze, wiped his hands on his apron, and carefully picked up the item, shimmering with a deep sheen.
[Coal Badge: Badge from Oreburgh Gym, said to be carved from mineral stone with a fossil-like luster. (Might fetch a good price from rock maniacs)]
Lu Ye gasped.
That familiar choking feeling surged again.
I even moved to a countryside town with no Gyms…
How do I still end up with a new badge!?
Wait—it doesn’t count toward mission progress? Then never mind!
Lu Ye bent down and touched foreheads with Sylveon, smiling.
“Great job—let’s eat.”
“Brii~⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄”
Sylveon gently wrapped a ribbon around its Trainer’s arm and turned away.
“Brii! o(´^｀)o”
It was a bit tiring…
But for him, it was totally worth it!
…
At the same time.
Ash had just stepped out of Oreburgh Gym and looked up at the sky.
Why is it that Mr. Lu’s Sylveon can solo an entire Gym?!
Not only win—sweep it!?
Pikachu, when are you going to learn a thing or two!!