Chapter 502: Ultimate Premium Edition - Rainy Perish Song
April 3rd, Saturday.
Wispy clouds floated across the blue sky as the melody from the Tower of Time and Space drifted through the window.
Lu Ye stepped out of the inn, gazing once more at the magnificent structure with a touch of nostalgia:
"Another travel destination unlocked."
Counting the World Tree, Aura Kingdom, and now the Tower of Time and Space...
He could bring Mengmengda along to revisit these places during their free time.
Though poor Aaron would probably have to rearrange his schedule again...
Lu Ye cleared his throat and walked to the Pokémon Garden, waving at Darkrai.
Darkrai glanced over and said flatly, "I've taught you everything I could..."
"Understood." Lu Ye smiled. "Rotom, bring out the goods!" The Rotom Pokédex pushed a small cart with its mechanical arms, loaded with crystal-clear glass jars filled with various flavored Pokéblocks.
Haunter drooled: "Gengarrr~ (¯﹃¯)"
Darkrai's eyes flickered, the dark mist around its body wavering slightly as it closed its eyes.
"You... should leave now."
"These won't last forever, so make them count."
"Just go!" Darkrai snapped angrily.
Lu Ye chuckled wryly - he never liked the melancholy of farewells.
Perhaps some lighthearted banter made for better goodbyes.
"Let's go, Haunter." Lu Ye turned and waved. "We'll visit you next time we're in White Poplar Town~"
"Gengarrr~(￣▽￣)／" Haunter popped its head out from Lu Ye's shadow, waving enthusiastically at Darkrai.
Darkrai watched the departing pair's backs in silence.
Thanks to their exceptional compatibility, Haunter had already grasped the basics of Dark Void - now it just needed continuous training to master it fully.
The nightmare energy perfectly suited Haunter's nature, especially with its ability to merge with shadows.
One could say Haunter's current strength rivaled that of a newly-minted Elite Four's main Pokémon.
And if you factored in Mega Evolution, with Haunter's body fully integrated into the shadow realm...
Even veteran Elite Four members would struggle against it...
Darkrai frowned deeply.
Such power from Lu Ye didn't surprise Darkrai.
What truly caught its attention was actually the most unassuming member of the team - Sirfetch'd...
Lu Ye suddenly turned back.
Darkrai froze, then involuntarily smiled.
Lu Ye: "No need to see us off~(￣▽￣)／"
Darkrai: "I wasn't planning to!"
Lu Ye: "Oh right, you never told me about that treasure chest buried in White Poplar Town..."
Darkrai: "Get lost! Just get lost already! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"
Outside White Poplar Town.
"That deceitful Darkrai, going back on its word..." Lu Ye grumbled through clenched teeth.
Beside him, Haunter swam through shadows using freestyle strokes: "Gengarrr~"
Lu Ye: "..."
Haunter switched to butterfly stroke, glanced at Lu Ye, then changed to backstroke: "Gengarrr~"
Lu Ye: "Even if you invite me, I'm not joining your shadow swimming session."
Lu Ye took a closer look at Haunter.
After days of Teacher Lu's homemade lunches, Haunter had actually gained some weight...
"Gengarrr~" Haunter produced an ice-cold cola from somewhere, placing it on a floating board in its 'pool' and taking a sip.
"We shouldn't train at home after we get back."
Lu Ye coughed dryly. "Professor Rowan's backyard would be better... and give me one of those colas too."
"Gengarrr~(≧∀≦)♪"
Lu Ye looked back at White Poplar Town one last time.
The townspeople had gathered silently at the town's edge, their quiet farewell radiating profound respect.
At the front stood Baron 'Lickitung', accompanied by Tony and Alice, waving at Teacher Lu from afar.
Looking up, at the towering peak of the Tower of Time and Space, Darkrai's shadow stretched long in the sunset.
Then it turned to Lu Ye and gave a slight nod.
Masago Town, the quiet night broken only by palm trees rustling in the wind.
Sinking into the couch at home, Teacher Lu let out a long sigh: "We're back~"
"Gengarrr~" Haunter echoed the sentiment from beside Lu Ye.
Sylveon leaped onto its running wheel, gradually picking up speed as it stretched its limbs gracefully: "Syl! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ"
Lu Ye stood up and placed the three newly acquired Water Stones into Blastoise's tank, bubbles rising with a 'glug' sound.
"Well... that should cut down on water changes." Lu Ye told Blastoise.
Blastoise broke out in a cold sweat: "Bla-blastoise!"
I-I haven't even inspected those Water Stones yet!
Lu Ye roughly understood the concern and smiled helplessly:
"Don't worry, they'll definitely pass quality inspection!"
Additionally, he'd obtained advanced Rain Dance techniques from Wallace this time.
Weather systems being essential for Master Class battles, Teacher Lu's team now had complete coverage with Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Hail.
The latter two were already mastered by Arcanine and fridge Rotom respectively.
After all, as a tactical specialist, mastering weather systems was fundamental.
"Trick Room setups can be handled by Haunter and Rotom too."
Lu Ye murmured: "For double battles, we might even try Rainy Perish Song..."
Combining weather systems with other tactics often yielded surprising results.
Like A-Jin's signature 'Sunny Baton Pass' or Teacher Lu's conceptual 'Rainy Perish Song'.
Not to mention the dual weather 'Sunny Sandstorm' combo Teacher Lu had demonstrated before.
To advance further on the path to becoming a Pokémon Master,
Beyond the Pokémon's individual strength, the trainer's tactical acumen was equally crucial.
Rainy Perish Song leveraged water-type Pokémon's mobility and offensive pressure during rain to buy time for Perish Song.
As the iconic Pokémon for this strategy, Politoed could both set rain and sing Perish Song.
While Lu Ye didn't have a Politoed...
In double battles, Haunter and Blastoise could fill those roles instead.
This was practically... the ultimate premium version of 'Rainy Perish Song'!
"Perfect since Haunter excels at Perish Song... and Blastoise can start training Rain Dance now."
Teacher Lu nodded: "We can use the wetlands behind Professor Rowan's lab... probably."
Loading the USB contents into Rotom's computer form.
Haunter and Blastoise donned sunglasses, munching popcorn as the reflected video played across their lenses.
Lu Ye's mouth twitched.
Why did this feel so much like a driving lesson scene!
Though it was something of a family tradition by now... Togepi loved watching move tutorials too.
It wasn't much different from doctors showing training videos to operators in certain mobile games... perfectly reasonable (not)!
"Quack~"
Under Sirfetch'd's care, a gray-green Pokémon egg continued incubating.
Even back home, Ducklett remained dutifully in its 'mother' role - truly worry-free parenting.
Lu Ye pondered for a moment.
Given how inactive it still looked... this egg would need more time.
Who knew what would hatch... hopefully nothing with A-Jin's vices...
As Team Rocket's instructor, I stand firmly against gambling and drugs!
After placing the Rainbow Wing in a potted plant and setting the Lunar Wing by his bedside as a dreamcatcher...
Lu Ye set an alarm, yawning: "Haunter, Hypnosis, extra strong tonight!"
"Gengarrr~(ૢ˃ꌂ˂⁎)" A small dark vortex began forming in Haunter's hands.
"Whoa whoa, not Dark Void! Rotom, Ally Switch!"
"C-cannot compute, Rotom~! Σ(°△°|||)︴"