Chapter 566: News of the Aura Power
The villa in Goldenrod City served as Teacher Lu's former residence in the Kanto region. Scheduled cleaning services from the maid company's Indeedee ensured the place remained spotless without issue.
"Blastoise...ヾ(⌐■_■)" Blastoise blocked Teacher Lu's hand from opening the door. Even in familiar surroundings, one must never let their guard down, master!
Lu Ye felt somewhat awkward but still allowed Blastoise to conduct a full scan before striding into the room. "Ah—that familiar feeling!" Lu Ye sighed nostalgically.
"Larvitar?" The little dinosaur tilted its head.
"Oh right, you've never been here before... Don't chew that! Those things aren't for chewing!"
Rotom used Ally Switch with Larvitar, causing Larvitar's bite to land on empty air as it pouted slightly in disappointment.
"Gengarrr~" Haunter patted Larvitar's blunt horns, pulling out a Pomelo Fruit and Electric Gem from its pocket. Ta-da~ Today's card game winnings!
"Larvitar!" The little dinosaur's eyes sparkled as it chomped down with an audible crunch.
Lu Ye smiled wryly and set down his luggage. The Labor Day holiday combined with weekends gave him five full days to stay in Goldenrod City.
Pokémon was scheduled for release on May 3rd... Olivia led the team working overtime, with even Matori being called in to assist with management. "I'm a Team Rocket member, you know!" Matori complained loudly. "This makes it seem like I'm moonlighting again!"
Lu Ye chuckled warmly. "Same difference, same difference."
Eventually Matori resigned herself to handling a significant workload. After all, even Giovanni valued this project highly... To demonstrate "Giovanni of the Earth's" strength, even in-game exceptions couldn't be made!
That evening, Haunter floated over to Goldenrod Gym, though Teacher Lu didn't accompany it. When Nassi heard Teacher Lu was coming, her face had immediately filled with wariness—who knew what mischief he might cause in the gym this time!
However, upon seeing Haunter after its Sinnoh journey, Nassi fell silent, her eyes revealing unconcealed surprise. A Haunter of this caliber, combined with Mega Evolution and various strategic moves, could genuinely rival Champion-level Pokémon...
Nassi proactively called Teacher Lu. The screen displayed a coldly beautiful ice queen. Lu Ye glanced behind Nassi and coughed dryly: "Haunter, stop stealing sodas from their vending machine!"
"Gengarrr~" The purple puffball froze mid-action, scratching its head sheepishly.
"Haunter's improvement is... unusually rapid," Nassi said stiffly.
Lu Ye paused, considering her words before interpreting: "Are you suggesting... my Haunter is illegitimate?"
Now it was Nassi's turn to fall silent. Suppressing the urge to retort, she said: "No... that was meant as praise."
Few had earned Nassi's recognition—only Giovanni, Red, Ash... and now this purple puffball.
According to Nassi, if a Pokémon couldn't break through to Champion level, pursuing the trainer's own strength might be preferable. Of course, this didn't mean physically brawling like Ash.
Rather, utilizing special abilities like the Power of Viridian, psychic powers, or supernatural forces like aura abilities.
"These are just some personal insights," Nassi said coolly, tucking her black hair behind an ear. "I hope they prove useful to you and Haunter."
Lu Ye rubbed his chin. So Haunter was genuinely approaching Champion level? Wait... something felt off here. Shouldn't it be me, the trainer, becoming Champion?
Lu Ye shook his head. I roughly know where to obtain aura power... but the risks are too great. Might as well wait for tomorrow's game release to make some easy money first.
After thanking her, Lu Ye rode Arcanine to Goldenrod Gym to pick up Haunter. It felt reminiscent of their Kanto days when he'd commute from Celadon University to bring Haunter home.
"Gengarrr!" Haunter grinned widely, waving goodbye to Nassi. Arms crossed, Nassi gave a slight nod before turning back into the gym.
Watching Nassi's retreating figure, Lu Ye recalled her childhood. Labeled a monster for her psychic abilities... she developed a cold personality yet ultimately pursued a career in fairytale-inspired performances.
A childlike innocence still lived within Nassi—evident from her interactions with Ash.
The night breeze ruffled Lu Ye's hair as he rubbed Arcanine's warm, fluffy head. "Let's head to Pokémon Company!"
"Arrooo! (｀0´)"
"Gengarrr~" Haunter cheered loudly, its canned soda glinting under streetlights.
To reward the overtime staff, Lu Ye brought midnight snacks stored in Haunter's dimensional pocket. Haunter naturally lowered surrounding temperatures, but through antimatter manipulation, it could now control this ability precisely.
Arriving at Pokémon Company's Silph Co. headquarters, employees watched teary-eyed as Haunter produced steaming snack bags from its pocket. Amidst cheers, Olivia stood beside the smiling Lu Ye and whispered:
"After work tonight... may I stay behind..."
Her eyes burned with passion: "To research Gigantamax further?"
"Of course," Lu Ye blinked. "Just mind your hair... I mean, health."
Olivia's gaze drifted upward as she murmured: "Maybe changing my bangs... would be better..."
The new game would launch on Devon Corporation's Oras platform—some Hoenn region project acronym. As the month's most anticipated title, Pokémon already topped the charts.
In the group chat, A-Jin excitedly declared: "I can wait all night!"
Old Man Ironspin laughed: "Wahaha! I've got my software ready to see how fast I can crack it!"
Teacher Lu: ???
The hacker boss was among us?
The old man claimed cracking was just a hobby—he simply wanted challenges. Electric-type experts truly had remarkable technical skills.
Take "tech geek" Volkner, who modified his entire gym and city, frequently causing blackouts. Or "perm enthusiast" Clemont, whose inventions always exploded unexpectedly, giving him new hairstyles.
"Saburo and Shiro are excited too," Brock said calmly. "But I'll strictly control their playtime."
Lu Ye paused. Typical male mom Brock!
Xiao Yin maintained his stoic expression watching A-Jin's animated gestures. "We still have the Unown Ruins investigation," he reminded.
"I know! We've got this long holiday—two days of gaming first won't hurt." A-Jin elbowed Xiao Yin mischievously. "Aren't you the Communication guy? Help me trade evolve in-game?"
Xiao Yin's temple twitched. "My ability doesn't mean that kind of communication!"
"Same difference, haha, same difference!"
Xiao Yin ignored A-Jin's nonsense. The red-haired teen stared coldly at A-Jin's screen before suddenly asking: "Will there be... Giovanni in this game?"
A-Jin scratched his head in surprise. "Well, yeah..."
Xiao Yin: "Then we're finishing the game before leaving."
A-Jin: ???