Chapter 481: Teacher Lu Is the True Talent Scout!
Though called a “legendary quality item,” it was actually a “legendary quality tree fruit.”
Teacher Lu knew his own system well enough.
Taking advantage of the interval while the first round contestants were appearing, Lu Ye clicked on the reward, and sure enough, it appeared.
[Lansa Fruit: An extremely precious fruit that can increase the critical hit rate of moves during crises. (Legend says that carrying this fruit brings great happiness.)]
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.
I knew it, my system in the last life was definitely a fruit machine!
In the system space, the Lansa Fruit lay quietly, its appearance red with green stems, looking fresh and tempting.
Judging from its effect, it perfectly suited my Ducklett.
Glancing at the comments behind, Teacher Lu became more convinced of his guess.
Winning effortlessly with happiness... this is just too fitting for Ducklett’s role! “When it’s turned into an energy cube, I’ll just use it as Ducklett’s food.”
Increasing critical hit rate was secondary.
More importantly, it would fatten up Ducklett, making it strong and healthy so it could lay eggs with peace of mind!
A plump, snow-white “duck mother” tucking in her wings to incubate eggs... that image just appeared in my mind.
Lu Ye thought quietly, “Seems like with a few more tree fruits, the tree fruit encyclopedia will soon be fully unlocked...”
In the Pokémon world, mutated varieties like Sandscale Berry and Dragonfire Berry could boost a Pokémon’s Speed and Special Attack.
Currently, Teacher Lu had already collected six types of tree fruits including Dragon’s Eye Berry (increases Defense) and Branch Lychee Berry (increases Attack).
Just one more, the Apricorn Berry that increases Special Defense, and he could summon Rayquaza in full set. (Just kidding)
“In the special episode, I remember Ruby used spicy energy cubes to summon Rayquaza, right?”
Lu Ye looked toward the grand stage with a focused gaze, his mind wandering far away.
“Next time, I’ll make a seven-dragon-ball flavor… I bet I’ll tempt it!”
“Teacher Lu.” Wallace, wearing a white hat, folded his hands and quietly reminded, “It’s time to score.”
Hearing that, Lu Ye had not yet clicked on [Random Poké Ball *1], his gaze fixed on the stage.
The first contestant who had finished performing, a girl with an Eevee perched on her shoulder, looked at him with excited eyes.
“Teacher Lu! I, I...”
“You can take your time.” Melissa, dressed in a strapless gown, smiled gently, “The judges are very patient.”
This is nothing like what I saw in the anime!
Lu Ye was stunned for a long time.
What’s this déjà vu of “musical chairs fighting for students”?
“I...” The girl’s chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath, “I aspire to become a coordinator skilled in battles, just like Teacher Lu and Mr. Wallace.”
“More importantly, I want to form a bond with my Eevee and evolve it into a Sylveon!”
“Bui~” Eevee stood on the girl’s shoulder with a sweet smile.
The entire audience erupted in encouraging applause, and Lu Ye nodded approvingly.
Is she from my community? That makes things easier!
About to say “Which mentor do you choose?” Lu Ye composed himself and said, “Wonderful performance, congratulations.”
Immediately, Teacher Lu gave a high score, unanimously accepted by the judges, allowing her to advance.
“Great!!” The girl spun around holding Eevee, then bowed deeply to Lu Ye, “Th-thank you, Teacher Lu!”
Wallace glanced at Lu Ye, who happened to look back.
“What do you think, will she succeed?” Wallace asked softly.
“Not sure.” Lu Ye pondered, “But as long as you trust your Pokémon, they will respond to you.”
Wallace nodded thoughtfully, a smile tugging at his lips, resting his hand on the chair’s back with a relaxed posture.
“I can understand why Steven said you’re the most unpredictable trainer he’s ever met.”
“Unpredictable?”
“Usually, I can sense a trainer’s personality from their Pokémon.”
Wallace’s emerald eyes looked at Lu Ye, deep and clear.
“But your Sylveon has unwavering faith and a strong desire to grow stronger.”
“That part, I don’t sense in you as a trainer, in fact...”
Wallace crossed his arms, thinking before saying, “It seems you try your best to avoid making a move.”
Lu Ye was slightly startled.
As the Water-type Champion, Wallace’s sensitivity was extremely refined;
he was known as the ‘Artist of Water and Coordination.’
Just like Dragonite Trainer Yulongdu could sense dragons, Wallace’s ability to read emotions was no rare feat.
Lu Ye thought for a moment and nodded, “Indeed, I care more about their safety than victory.”
Wallace furrowed his brows and fell into thought.
“Even the calmest lake surges violently when a sudden rainstorm arrives.”
He instinctively recalled the words his master Adam had taught him.
With Melissa’s strength, she was far from being able to push Teacher Lu to go all out in battle.
Wallace’s emerald eyes quietly fixed on Lu Ye, a rare fighting spirit rising in his chest.
He wanted to see what kind of powerful strength could save the former Hoenn Champion Steven’s life!
“Well then, when the main stage curtain falls, let’s stage a battle between champions.”
Wallace withdrew his gaze and looked up at the dome, where the magnificent white tower appeared.
“Right there... the Space-Time Tower in Poplar Town!”
Of course, if he proposed a match, he would have to offer an appropriate reward...
Wallace thought to himself, “Prize money feels too cliché;
better to exchange techniques among champions...”
As the Water-type Champion, Wallace’s most proficient move was the all-encompassing water technique “Rain Prayer.”
“Rain Prayer” combined water’s beauty and power, and included some personal insights of Wallace himself.
Even if he shared the technique with Teacher Lu, given his level of skill, it wouldn’t be wasted.
But all of that would wait until the end of the Wallace Cup.
Wallace shook his head, looked toward the stage, and continued his judging duties for the day.
The arena spotlights flickered, and the outdoor sky gradually darkened.
Celadon Anemone, with her yellow ponytail, didn’t fully understand, but still cheered for every contestant as much as possible.
The girl known as The Girl yawned, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Celadon Anemone, “Little Yellow, you’re really gentle~”
“Hehe.” Celadon Anemone scratched her head, “I just want to cheer for every contestant as much as I can!”
The Girl chuckled, “Ah~ no wonder Red likes you!”
“Hmm!”
In an instant, Celadon Anemone’s cheeks flushed bright red, heat rising from her head as she froze on the spot.
Red, unleashing a single-target Noble Phantasm on Little Yellow!
Ami, cradling her Magnemite, suddenly blushed and looked down at her flat belly.
Hungry, but the tournament wasn’t over yet...
“There’s a doubles match at the seven-star hotel later, with free meals...” The Girl said.
Ami: “I’m going!”
All eyes turned to the suddenly loud Ami.
Ami bowed deeply, embarrassed and unable to speak, clutching Magnemite’s screws tightly.
Magnemite’s eyes started spinning in circles.
At that moment, a woman dressed eccentrically on stage caught everyone’s attention.
“That’s quite a rare outfit.” Melissa, in her strapless gown, commented with a smile.
Contesta frowned, displeased, “How did she pass the auditions?”
Lu Ye straightened up, alert and fully attentive.
This woman wore bright red and green clothes, with conspicuous red twin ponytails and oversized round glasses on her face.
She would easily be a 9 out of 10 in looks if she dressed nicely, but at this moment, she looked totally tacky.
“Everyone! Welcome to my performance!”
Musashi spread her arms wide and laughed loudly:
“Next up, me, Sweetlina, and my partner Wobbuffet will perform for you all!”
“Soran-si~!”
Maybe Musashi’s outfit was too avant-garde;
the arena fell completely silent.
Contesta next to her slightly frowned, ready to give zero points.
The audience already felt secondhand embarrassment for Musashi.
Lu Ye’s gaze encouraged her with a slight nod.
‘Don’t worry, with a cadre here, she’ll definitely advance this round!!’
Musashi pumped herself up and, together with Wobbuffet, ran to opposite sides of the arena.
Immediately, the two collided face to face, and Musashi was sent flying high!
The crowd erupted.
“What kind of move is that!?”
“Coordinators actually performing such a flashy stunt?”
“Who cares? Back in the League Tournament, trainers used to fight Pokémon with their fists!”
The next moment, Musashi landed safely on top of Wobbuffet’s head, like a gymnastic move, raising both hands high!
*Ding ding ding!*
The arena fell silent again.
“Amazing!!”
“We’re your fans~ Meow!!”
In the quiet arena, applause suddenly rang out.
Looking over, there was only a blue-haired youth and a talking Meowth applauding.
Only two spectators clapped.
Then Ash joined in the applause.
“Pikachu, that big sister’s performance was amazing!” Ash’s eyes sparkled, not recognizing her at all.
“Pika pi...” Pikachu sighed helplessly, recognizing her.
Musashi maintained her bowing pose, eyes eagerly watching the scoring table.
Contesta’s expression was stern as he raised the scorecard, frowning:
“In a grand performance, such behavior is too crude!”
The first zero score of the contest!
The audience burst into genuine laughter.
Musashi stood amidst the laughter, awkwardly twitching her mouth corners, while Wobbuffet comfortingly patted her back.
“Glad to see such an outstanding performance.”
The arena suddenly quieted, waiting silently for the coordinator master’s judgment.
A handsome black-haired youth smiled slightly and slowly raised his scorecard.
“I see the mutual trust between coordinator and Pokémon that’s worthy of Kalos’s Grand Festival.”
“Contestant Sweetlina, you have the potential to become the ‘Queen of Kalos.’ Congratulations.”
The audience fell silent again until someone incredulously said:
“A perfect score!?”
“The first perfect score since the competition started!”
Both perfect and zero scores appeared on the same contestant!
Musashi sniffled hard, and Wobbuffet’s expression moved.
“Soran-si... ﾍ(;
´Д｀ﾍ) (Cadre... cadre...)”
Fortunately, no one understood what Wobbuffet was saying.
Contesta glared at Lu Ye with displeasure.
As the Chief Judge, Contesta valued glamour and commercial appeal.
Musashi’s performance did not meet his standards at all.
He began to doubt Teacher Lu’s professionalism in scoring.
Even with excellent coordination skills, that didn’t guarantee Lu Ye’s scoring would be accepted by everyone!
The third judge, Melissa, smiled and looked at Musashi, nodding lightly.
“I quite agree;
showing the bond between yourself and your Pokémon in the performance is important.”
Musashi was stunned, then saw Melissa gently raise her gloved right hand.
When the scorecard was revealed, the entire audience was shocked.
“A perfect score, another perfect score!?”
“Why is the difference so huge compared to before?”
“I thought Teacher Lu was seeing things... turns out the insider is the Chief Judge?!”
Contesta frowned deeply.
He admitted Musashi’s performance had merits.
But to him, her rebellious performance was nothing less than a provocation!
For the final scoring round, Contesta looked at Wallace.
Wallace smiled at him,
“Sorry, Mr. Contesta.”
Contesta sighed deeply and reluctantly nodded, “Score then.”
Immediately, Wallace raised his scorecard high.
In an instant, the entire arena shook uncontrollably.
“Three... three perfect scores!?”
“The talent scout, Teacher Lu is the true talent scout!!”
“Suggest investigating the Chief Judge to see if Team Rocket bought him off!”
Amid the teasing, the first day of the Wallace Cup performances officially ended.
Overall, Musashi achieved an average score of 7.5, successfully advancing to the next round!
The Team Rocket trio had no time to celebrate and hurried back to the vendor area to set up their stall.
Musashi cheerfully said, “Thanks to having a cadre as a judge!”
James and Meowth exchanged a glance, scratching their heads:
“Maybe it’s not just the cadre’s credit;
Musashi’s own performance was excellent.”
Musashi was stunned for a long time.
“My, my own performance was excellent?”
Meowth crossed his arms and nodded to himself, “Musashi’s coordination level is still very high, meow! The cadre’s judgment won’t be wrong!”
“Well, let’s make some more money to repay the cadre!” James laughed.
“Soran-si~!”
Pulling along a grinning Musashi, the trio returned to the vendor area to continue planning tomorrow’s stall content.
After unanimous discussion, they decided to start selling Sylveon merchandise the next day.
“With the cadre’s popularity, we’ll definitely make a big profit, meow!”
“Such a great feeling~~”
“Soran-si!”
...
After the first day’s performances ended, Lu Ye left the arena and met up with Ami and the others.
Unexpectedly, Ash had arrived first and was challenging Melissa at the gym:
“I came all the way from Kizuna City just to get the badge!” Ash’s eyes burned with determination.
Melissa was surprised, then smiled, “No problem, after dinner, we’ll have a gym battle!”
She had already prepared to go easy on him.
More importantly, this boy seemed quite familiar with Teacher Lu.
Maybe she could find out Teacher Lu’s address from him and send the badge later...
The Kizuna City Gym could not withstand Teacher Lu’s strength barging in for demolition!
Melissa shook her head helplessly, said goodbye to everyone, and went to prepare for the gym battle.
Ash was full of excitement.
“Teacher Lu! What lineup should I use when I enter?”
“Uh... just use your self-created Counter Shield.”
“Huh? Didn’t you teach me that?”
“No, you created it.” Lu Ye said seriously, “I say so, that’s it.”
Ash scratched his head curiously, then lowered his head and said “Oh.”
Ami gently tugged on Lu Ye’s sleeve, blushing, whispering:
“Teacher Lu, can you team up with me later for the doubles battle?”
Lu Ye was surprised, “Doubles battle?”
“The winning doubles team can eat free meals for a week!”
The Girl hugged Celadon Anemone’s neck, “Little Yellow and I are already ready to enter!”
Lu Ye nodded, glanced at Ami, then turned his head and said righteously:
“Whether it’s free or not doesn’t matter;
the main thing is to fulfill Miss Ami’s request!”
“What about me?”
Ash pointed to himself, “Who will I team up with?”
“You? You’ll go out with Pikachu, if the rules allow.”
“But... if I don’t have a partner, I can’t even register!” Ash exclaimed.
Lu Ye looked up at the sky.
“Speaking of partners... I can recommend a few candidates for you.”
...
That night, in the doubles battle at the seven-star hotel, Ash and a disguised James signed up to compete.
Throughout history, there have been scenes of Ash and James crossdressing.
But this time it was just ordinary disguise... and Ash didn’t recognize him at all.
Before the battle, Meowth stood on Wobbuffet’s shoulder, patting James’s shoulder:
“Good luck! For Meowth’s next meals!”
James shivered, “But the cadre will appear too...”
“What’s there to be afraid of~” Musashi hummed, “The cadre will definitely go easy;
then we might win~”
“Are you sure... the cadre will go easy, meow?” Meowth’s face was full of doubt.
You know... the cadre’s favorite thing is to not go easy in these water friend matches!
Very quickly, Meowth’s suspicion was confirmed.
“Rotom, use Thunderbolt!”
“Gloria, we’ll use Thunderbolt too!”
Two dazzling bolts of electricity lit up the battlefield.
Teacher Lu and Ami’s team swept away all other community teams with overwhelming power, essentially a massacre!
The electric light illuminated the complex expressions on the community members’ faces.
“Teacher Lu not only brings Pokémon, but also the Gym Leader to compete!?”
“Shocking! The champion is competing for a free one-week meal voucher!”
“How could a champion participate in such a competition? If it’s Teacher Lu, then never mind!”
Thanks to Teacher Lu’s publicity, a huge crowd was attracted.
The shop owner was grinning from ear to ear, but regretted only having the subway to get around!
However, after witnessing Ami and Haunter’s appetite,
The shop owner’s joy instantly turned sour.
Haunter &
Ami: (￣～￣) chew!
A staff member hurriedly came running:
“Boss, I checked! That lady is a four-time consecutive big eater champion!”
The shop owner was tearful.
Damn, this is a huge loss!!
...