Lu Ye was sitting in class, utterly confused as he glanced at the flood of system notifications on his screen.

[Received admiration from passersby, BP+1, BP+1, BP+1…]

[Brilliant tactical command! BP+10]

[Interrupted Quilava’s ‘Blaze’ ability, BP+20]

[Achieved first victory, Evaluation: Outstanding! (BP+100)]

[Remaining BP: 575]

He hadn’t even done anything, but somehow the system had randomly increased his BP by 300, leaving Lu Ye feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Did I glitch the system?” Lu Ye muttered.

Just then, his phone vibrated. Tian Youwei sent a series of question marks expressing his excitement.

[Chat Screen]

Tian Youwei: Dude, you’re insane, Brother Lu!

Tian Youwei: You competed without telling me? And actually beat someone from the Battle Department?!

Lu Ye: Wasn’t I just sitting quietly in class?

Tian Youwei: No way, are you still pretending?!

Tian Youwei: Wait… this wasn’t all part of your plan, was it?

Nearly everyone in the competition knew that some badass had shown up at Field #7 and had destroyed someone from the Battle Department using only a Pokémon on autopilot.

This guy clearly trained his Gastly well in battle instincts. While other rookies still struggled with move power, this dude was already mastering "independent battling!"

Even elite trainers find that hard to pull off!

They say that after the match, Gastly wore a smug "that’s it?" expression, while its Trainer never showed up in person.

Reporters grew more certain this mysterious trainer was the competition’s biggest dark horse.

At this realization, Tian Youwei’s body stiffened. Suddenly, he seemed to understand everything.

Tian Youwei: No way, was refusing interviews also part of your plan?

Lu Ye: ???

Tian Youwei: Bro, you got my respect! If you make it big, don’t forget me!

Lu Ye put down his phone, completely baffled.

What was all this?

I don’t even want to be a Trainer, so why would I enter a tournament?

Then, his phone vibrated again, showing a new message from an unknown sender.

[ID: 3534. Mr. Lu Ye, you have a new competition notification]

[Congratulations on advancing to the ‘Piplup’ Rookie Trainer Cup Group A matches.]

[Please arrive at Field #4 by this Saturday. Good luck!]

Lu Ye was stunned.

Auto-qualification?

He hadn’t even joined the qualifying rounds. How did he make it to the group stage?

A thought flashed through his mind of that sneaky Gastly from earlier, with its sly grin.

Did it… secretly enter the tournament on its own… and actually win?!

Lu Ye suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

This move, this move’s a backstab!

---

In the trash folder, Lu Ye found the deleted registration message from Gastly.

Not only did it secretly sign up, but as a "surprise," it had also deleted the message.

Lu Ye kept a stern face as he waited for Gastly to finally return home.

“Gengarrr!” (I’m back!)

A ghostly face peeked through the door, and Gastly slipped through with a whoosh.

“Ta-da!” (The great Gastly has arrived!)

Pretending to be angry, Lu Ye asked coldly, “Why are you back so late?”

Gastly chuckled, waving its registration pass and lifting its head proudly.

“You went to the qualifiers today?”

“Gengarrr!”

“And actually won?”

“Gengarrr~~!”

“I hear you thrashed the opponent?”

Gastly: (≧▽≦)~~!!

A familiar feeling of exhaustion crept over Lu Ye’s chest.

With a sigh, Lu Ye wobbled back onto the sofa.

I seriously don’t want to be a Trainer!

But why is my Gastly so proactive?

Not only does it train moves on its own, but it even signs itself up for tournaments?!

For anyone else, this would be the perfect opportunity to step into the path of a Trainer.

But for Lu Ye, this was pure betrayal!

With all the easy money he could make, why waste time being a Trainer?

Seeing Gastly so pleased and high-spirited, Lu Ye couldn’t bear to dampen its enthusiasm.

He forced a smile and said, “You did a great job! Keep it up next time!”

“Gengarrr!” Gastly grinned, opening its big mouth in glee.

Sitting on the sofa, hands clasped in front of his forehead, Lu Ye fell into deep thought.

The ‘Piplup’ Cup has a decent reputation in the Zhejiang province.

But the qualifying rounds are a mixed bag, so Gastly probably got through on luck.

In the group stage, however, it would face the top competitors from various Pokémon Academies.

Rather than wasting time on this, it would be better to focus on the livestreams.

He did feel a bit sorry for Gastly.

But if it lost a match, maybe it wouldn’t be so keen on tournaments anymore?

Finally, Lu Ye decided to skip the group matches as well.

“At the group stage, you have to give it your all!” Lu Ye said sternly. “Also, I won’t show up until the finals.”

With conviction, Lu Ye continued, “Group matches alone won’t challenge you.”

“This isn’t just about sharpening your battle instincts; it’s a test of character!”

Gastly blinked, then opened its mouth wide, eyes practically ablaze with determination.

“Gengarrr!”

This was his master’s trust in him!

If he believed in him, then with hard work, Gastly could surely reach the finals!

Thinking of the three Dragonfruit Blocks left in the cabinet, Gastly looked unusually serious.

This solemn expression left Lu Ye worried.

Could Gastly actually make it to the finals?

Nah, Gastly’s only been training for about a month. Even with Dragonfruit Blocks, Speed Boosters, and a Fire Stone…

It still couldn’t beat the Battle Department students who had been training for over a year.

Probably.

The next match was set for Saturday, three days later.

To avoid another incident with the wall, Lu Ye allowed Gastly to train moves outside.

That night, moonlight streamed through the curtains.

Lu Ye opened his eyes to find Gastly gone from the ceiling.

He walked to the window and glanced around, eyes settling on the construction site next to the neighborhood.

[Spirit Vision Lv1—79, Success!]

On the site, clusters of ghostly flames flickered against the purple sky, blending into the night.

As the breeze brushed past, Lu Ye leaned on the windowsill, silently watching Gastly.

After about two hours, the flames faded.

Hearing shuffling by the door, Lu Ye quickly lay back down, feigning sleep.

Gastly sneaked in, gave Lu Ye’s cheek a sneaky lick, and drifted back to sleep on the ceiling.

A slight smile crept onto Lu Ye’s lips as he let out a soft sigh.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read