Chapter 440: Mr. Lu: We Must Root Out the Mole!
March 6th, Saturday.
The early spring sun was warm and perfect for a morning jog, petting cats, or reading books.
Wearing a white hoodie, Lu Ye sat on a rattan chair on the second-floor balcony, gazing at the shimmering shoreline of Masago Beach in the distance.
When the weather warmed up a bit more, the beach would get livelier with tourists. The coastal hills, now tinged with fresh green and yellow, would soon burst into cherry blossoms.
By then, Wingull would soar across the blue skies; Cherrim would shyly hide in the blossoms; Shellos would lazily drink by the shore.
“This place is perfect for retirement.”
Lu Ye chuckled at the image in his head and reached for Sylveon.
“Bui~” Sylveon gracefully leapt away from his grasp, stretching out on the wooden deck of the balcony.
Its two pink ears, adorned with white bows, glowed under the sunlight—making it impossible not to want to cuddle.
“Gulp.”
Lu Ye swallowed hard.
Too adorable!
But Rotom was cooking—so it couldn’t take the hit if Sylveon smacked him with Iron Tail.
Since Sylveon refused to be hugged, Lu Ye picked up Togepi instead.
“Toge~? (ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ”
Togepi was focused on its game console but, as its feet left the floor, it paused for a moment before kicking its legs happily.
Up we go, up we go! ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ
Togepi was only four months old this year. The Everstone it wore had been repurchased by Lu Ye—
After all, the old one from Blastoise had been completely cracked under pressure…
Even Saiyans would be sweating from that kind of power surge.
“Morning, Mew.”
Lu Ye glanced at the video call. “You’ve been online this whole time?”
“Mew~! ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*)”
The pink little cat on screen giggled energetically.
The crystalline World Tree filled the background, tangled with inexplicable wires.
That was the Wi-Fi Team Rocket had installed for Mew.
Lu Ye figured—
If Gengar could go online and register for competitions, Mew probably had no trouble ordering a few toys.
Worst case, the delivery guy just leaves it at the World Tree’s door. Mew shapeshifts and signs for it—easy.
“Toge~! ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟゞ)”
Togepi kept playing cards with Mew over the network. Lu Ye got up, walked to the railing, and called out, “Lunch is ready!”
“Wooof! ᕦ(･ㅂ･)ᕤ”
Arcanine howled proudly. Its fiery red fur and robust frame radiated a comforting sense of security—
Though the messy yard and its derpy expression really gave off husky running wild energy.
Lu Ye sighed. “Gengar, remember to mow the lawn this afternoon.”
“Gengaaah! (￣▽￣)／”
Gengar waved confidently.
Leave it to me!
The snow-white, sharp-eyed Sirfetch’d was currently sparring with Blastoise, wielding its leek blade.
“Ka-me!”
Blastoise removed its sunglasses. Facing the mighty Leek Sensei, it dared not make the first move.
In an instant, its shell gleamed with metallic luster—
Iron Defense activated!
“Gah!”
Sirfetch’d remained calm and still, staring down Blastoise without backing off.
Blastoise frowned and used aura to probe Ducklett—
Nothing but openings… or maybe an impenetrable defense?
“Ka-me!”
Blastoise doubled down—another Iron Defense!
“Gah!”
Sirfetch’d’s gaze only grew sharper, even flashing with light—
Ding.
Watching the deadlocked scene, Lu Ye twitched at the corner of his mouth.
“You guys gonna reenact a historical drama? Western Gate Turtle and Lone Leek Warrior?”
Ducklett, supposedly brave by ability, was visibly shaken.
“Gaaah! (´థ౪థ)σ”
He’s been staring at me this whole time—I’m too scared to attack!
Ref, sub me out!!
Over the three days in Celestic Town, Sirfetch’d had made remarkable progress too.
Under pressure from Cynthia’s Togekiss, Ducklett’s mastery of Brave Bird had improved significantly.
As one of the top-tier Flying-type moves, Brave Bird wasn’t easy to learn.
In Lu Ye’s team, there wasn’t a single flier.
No one had ever used Flying-type moves.
So if Ducklett could master Brave Bird, it would truly be groundbreaking.
“No takeoff rail… how’s it gonna launch?”
Lu Ye made a face. “If it crashes, no newbie could fix it!”
Come to think of it, Red once let his Aerodactyl grab his backpack strap and fly by dragging him through the air.
Even that brutal flying method could be called “Battle Style.”
Around noon.
The rice cooker-shaped Rotom shuddered and pinged:
“Done cooking, Lotooom!”
“On my way.”
Lu Ye stepped into the kitchen. “Thanks, Mr. Rotom.”
Certified in multiple professional fields, Rotom suddenly grew sentimental.
I, Rotom, once dreamed of being a Formula 1 racer...
But here I am—a living rice cooker.
The Pokédex holds my dreams, but the rice pot holds my reality…
“Oh, right. I paid your electric bill for the next six months.”
Lu Ye said, “Just eat slow and don’t blow the house up.”
“Long live understanding, Lotooo~! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ”
Surrounded by his little Pokémon, they enjoyed a simple but gourmet meal.
That afternoon, Lu Ye received a call from Lance.
“It was a smooth mission.”
Wearing his cape, Lance spoke into his Bluetooth headset. “Cynthia was part of the action too.”
“She didn’t get hurt, right?”
“How could she?” Lance sounded puzzled. “That’s the Sinnoh Champion we’re talking about.”
The invincible Cynthia and her Garchomp—
Even Lance had suffered multiple defeats at her hands.
Wiping out a bunch of poachers was nothing.
Then, Lance paused—realizing this was a worried boyfriend asking after his girl.
He coughed. “Why not ask her yourself?”
“Oh. Then I’ll hang up.”
Lance: ???
Could you BE any more obvious?
“Actually, aside from the Sinnoh League, even Team Rocket got involved.”
Lance coughed again, frowning slightly.
“I’m not sure… but it’s possible someone leaked the intel.”
“There’s a mole?!”
Lu Ye cried indignantly. “We have to root out the traitor!”
“Well, to be fair, Team Rocket provided substantial help…”
Lance actually started defending them. “Maybe it’s just a League agent who sympathizes with Rocket’s cause.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Lu Ye nodded thoughtfully. “That’s possible too…”
“After all, there’s no such thing as absolute justice.”
Lance said calmly. “Sometimes, it takes flexibility to achieve true justice.”
“You’ve gone from Justice Ally to Justice Emissary, huh?”
Lu Ye grinned.
Lance paused, then chuckled.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Lu Ye vaguely remembered the Regigigas rampage in Sinnoh, and the wrath of the Lake Guardians—
All linked to those damn poachers.
Dealing with these threats early was partly for Lance’s pursuit of justice—
But also… so Cynthia could slack off more.
Besides, he had to maintain appearances for Jessie, James, and Meowth.
Lu Ye sighed, “Man, I really go all out for everyone…”
Group Chat.
Ash suddenly popped in.
“Can I invite a senior member?”
“Senior?”
Gold felt his group status under threat. “Can I beat him?”
Ash blinked. “Probably… not?”
“What?! I need to show off my moves in the wild then!”
Lu Ye joined the chat. “Who is it?”
“One of Sinnoh’s Elite Four.”
Ash scratched his head, glancing at the purple-suited man next to him, who was reading a book.
“Psychic-type Elite—Lucian.”
Lu Ye froze.
It’s you… Baldy King of the Four!