Quartz Conference, Opening Ceremony.

“Why is this old man talking for so long?”
Gold yawned lazily from the stadium stands, showing up fashionably late.

“That’s Damalanji, Chairman of the Pokémon League Committee.”
Whitney shot him a disapproving look. “At least show a little respect for your elders!”

“He calls Professor Oak that too,” Silver said blandly from his seat.

“Hmm… well in that case, this old guy’s still not on Oak’s level,” Whitney corrected herself.

Lu Ye, sitting nearby, blinked in surprise.
It took only a few seconds for Miltank to get infected by Gold’s attitude?

This won’t do… I need to stay alert. Better keep a bit more distance from Gold!

“Why isn’t Kristal here?” Blue asked curiously.

“She’s at the lab,” Gold replied casually.

So that’s your excuse for coming to watch the tournament with Whitney?!
Lu Ye muttered to himself, “This is a literal masterpiece…”

“I’m starving. When does Teacher Lu’s match start?”
Gold leaned back with his arms behind his head. “After watching, can we sneak into the Contestant Village for free food?”

“Only contestants get free meals and lodging.” Blue sighed. “Otherwise I’d be sneaking some too.”

“Hey, isn’t that Mr. Brock?”
Daisy of Viridian cradled her Pikachu, resting her straw hat on her lap and pointing toward the edge of the venue, her smooth blonde ponytail fluttering.

“It really is!” Gold’s eyes widened. “Mr. Brock’s handling security?”

Blue nodded, covering her mouth with a giggle. “Most of the organizing committee are folks from our chat group~”

Instantly, everyone turned to look at Teacher Lu.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“No wonder—it’s you, Teacher Lu,” Gold said through clenched teeth, with a tinge of envy. “Even the tournament committee’s in your pocket!”

Silver remained silent.

Compared to stealing Badges to enter the tournament…

Bribing the committee really was a level above…

“What do you mean bribing—these are all my people!” Lu Ye glared.

Gold patted his shoulder with a knowing look. “I get it.”

“Lance is coming out now!” Daisy blinked, changing the subject just in time.

“Where?” Gold pulled down his goggles, peering out at the crowd.

The venue was packed and the jumbotron was slightly pixelated.

Lu Ye turned around. “Blue, can I borrow your binoculars?”

“Just ¥20!”

“?”

“Just kidding~” Blue whispered. “Unless you want to pay…”

In the end, Lu Ye successfully borrowed the binoculars.

“I remember Meowth has some high-tech binoculars too…”
Lu Ye thought. “I’ll have them whip up a pair next time I see them.”

In the center of the venue stood Kanto Champion Lance, dressed in his signature blue champion outfit and cape.

Swish!

As Lance swept his cape open, the entire arena erupted in cheers.

Lu Ye broke into a cold sweat.
Yup… this guy’s true form is definitely his cape.

“I heard Lance has an entire cabinet full of identical capes. Wonder if that’s true,” Whitney whispered gossip.

“Yuhong Department Store even sells a Champion Cape replica,” Blue added with a complicated expression. “What if he… buys his own merch?”

Everyone fell silent.

Lu Ye scoffed quietly.
Didn’t Cynthia also have a closet full of black trench coats?

Wait a second—
With her indecisiveness… Doesn’t that mean if I suggest something, she’ll wear it?

Brilliant! Lu Ye’s eyes sparkled.

Inside the stadium, Lance gave a short congratulatory speech, then exited coolly.

The crowd buzzed with admiration.

“As expected of Champion Lance!”

“Kanto’s most dedicated Champion in the past ten years… even the crime rate dropped.”

“I heard he used to be a criminal himself… don’t know if it’s true.”

“That guy’s just overly obsessive,” Silver muttered quietly.

Blue, like a big sister, patted his head, then clapped her hands.

“I gotta head to the plaza! Silver, come help me later!”

Silver nodded and silently glanced at Gold.

“What are you looking at? I’m not helping!”

After the opening ceremony, Lu Ye made his way to the sub-arenas for his match.

Daisy followed beside him, confused. “Where did Gold and the others go?”

“Off to help Blue.”

Lu Ye thought for a moment. “There’s a match at 2 PM. After that, let’s all grab dinner together.”

“Okay!” Daisy smiled. “Then I won’t disturb your prep—I’ll go find Blue~”

The ponytailed girl bounced away with Pikachu in her arms.

Lu Ye rubbed his eyes.

If I’m not mistaken… that male Pikachu is probably Grandpa Red’s, right?

There was still time before the afternoon match.

Even in the preliminaries, the Quartz Conference followed a 3v3 format.

Instead of worrying about wasting potions, Lu Ye focused on avoiding injury to his team.

Battles may be enjoyable…
But getting hit still hurts.

So even for a Baby Cup-level match—

He had to research his opponent and be thoroughly prepared!

Brimming with ambition, Lu Ye headed for a quiet corner of the plaza and made a call to a certain intel expert.

“You there? Proton, send me that Trainer data?”

Team Rocket Base.

Proton adjusted his glasses, struggling to hold back his emotions.

You’re entering a rookie tournament, and you still want to study your opponent?

Please… be human!

“No!”
Proton snapped. “We don’t do privacy invasions anymore. Team Rocket’s out of that game.”

“Click.” Lu Ye smacked his lips.
Why do you sound so disappointed?

Wasn’t it you who led the Team Rocket reform movement?!

Proton’s temple twitched, but facing his superior, he still forced a smile.

“Why not ask those three bumb—uh, elite agents? They’re still sharp.”

“They made it to Indigo Plateau?”

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. “I thought maybe their phones got cut off—couldn’t reach them at all.”

“I’ll check…”

A moment later, Proton muttered, “Yup, phones were suspended. Been disconnected for half a month.”

Lu Ye’s face twisted.

Where the heck is your budget going?

“Can you still reach them?”

“Meowth’s gold coin has a tracker. I’ll send you the coordinates.”

Good grief…
No wonder Boss Giovanni could reel them in from anywhere!

“Thanks.”

After hanging up, Lu Ye instinctively sniffled.

When it came to gathering intel, those three were no less competent than Proton himself.

“Let’s see… Meowth’s location…”

Lu Ye blinked.

Following the signal, he soon found James performing magic tricks in the middle of the celebration plaza.

“Don’t miss out as you pass by!”

“Meowth jumping through hoops! One-of-a-kind!”

Suddenly, the trio looked up and spotted a familiar face.

Tears nearly welled up.

Boss~! ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)

Contestant Village, Buffet Hall.

Watching the trio devour food like wild animals, Lu Ye twitched at the corner of his mouth.

“Didn’t I tell you to save money…”

“It’s Jessie’s fault! She came up with the dumb idea of opening a fake Pokémon Center to gather intel!”

“My fault? I’m a certified nurse! Those Jennys just didn’t appreciate talent!”

“In the end… the fake center got shut down, and the funds went poof—meow o(╥﹏╥)o”

So money really is the biggest limiter for this trio…

Lu Ye massaged his forehead.

“I’ll give you startup funds… Just sell PTCG at a booth in the plaza.”

“The tournament lasts half a month—you’ll have food every day.”

Still, even with funding…
They’d probably still get blasted away by Pikachu anyway…

Maybe this is just… fate across the worldlines?

Trio: “We’re saved! (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)”

“Oh, and about intel.”

Lu Ye said, “Just to be cautious, I still want opponent profiles…”

“I don’t care if you make Trainer Cards or pose as reporters—just get it done, fast.”

The trio blinked.

A boss this strong… still studies opponents?

This guy’s even more meticulous than Boss Giovanni!

“Got it—leave it to us!”

“Yesssirrr~!”

2 PM.

Team Rocket’s booth was set up.

Their beautifully crafted Trainer Cards attracted a steady crowd.

“They’ve even got a Lance card?”

“Wait, is this even authorized?”

“Authorized?” Jessie smirked. “We even got Teacher Lu’s authorization!”

“Perfect! I want one!”

Jessie and James exchanged smirks.

Hey—we weren’t lying!

Soon after, Meowth gathered lots of info under the guise of making cards.

His eyes lit up as he handed over the latest data to their boss.

“This is it?”

Lu Ye raised a brow at the report.

His opponent: Keita, a veteran Johto Trainer whose ace was Donphan… also his first-round matchup.

With this level… wouldn’t Togepi be enough to wipe the floor?

“This is it.” Meowth nodded, a bit sheepish.

“But it’s just the first round… Boss, you’re too cautious.”

“Thanks for the work.” Lu Ye nodded.
“I’ll treat you all to a late-night snack after the match.”

“I want a double portion—meow! (✪ω✪)”

2 PM.

Rock-type Arena, Sub-Arena.

“There are so many people in the audience…”

Gold had slipped away from Blue’s stall and was scanning the packed venue.

“Most are probably here for Teacher Lu.”
Daisy cradled her Pikachu with a smile. “He’s a top contender for the championship!”

Gold nodded. The cheers around them suddenly surged.

“Go Teacher Lu!!”

“This is so brutal… I can’t bear to watch.”

“Please, Teacher Lu, go easy!”

Keita’s supporters looked around, confused.

Wasn’t Keita a seeded Johto Trainer?

The title of veteran Trainer was highly prestigious in any league.

In Donghuang, they were practically considered pros.

So why… did the crowd seem so sure of the outcome?

A cold sweat rolled down Keita’s temple.

He had studied roll-based tactics from Johto’s Goldenrod City and even borrowed some of Teacher Lu’s stealth rock strategies.

In terms of annoying tactics, Lu Ye was a mountain too high to climb.

If someone better than you also had dirtier tricks…

What the h*ll do you do?!

If anyone’s surrendering, it’s me!

Keita reached out to forfeit—but then paused.

“So cute~” Daisy beamed.

“Togekiss!” Togekiss Taro growled with glowing eyes.

“Togekiss! You’re blocking my view!”

A red flash.

Lu Ye’s Togepi and Keita’s Donphan appeared on the field at the same time.

On a Rock-type field, Donphan could use the slopes to boost Rollout power.

Especially when facing such a fragile-looking Togepi—

Keita’s eyes lit up.
This might actually work!

“Donphan, Rollout!”

Donphan turned into a spinning wheel, kicking up dust and charging toward Togepi with momentum.

Just imagining Togepi getting steamrolled made the crowd wince.

Crack!

They could almost hear the eggshell shatter—

“Gengarrr! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧”

“Oh? You want to command? I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Lu Ye handed control over to Gengar with full trust.

Almost instantly, Gengar wagged a finger.

“Togepi~! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶”
Togepi, receiving the command, raised her glowing fingertip.

BOOM!!

A stream of water erupted from her finger, merging into a massive Hydro Cannon, roaring on impact!

Donphan, charging in, was blasted point-blank and completely lost control.

Crash!
Donphan slammed into a rock pillar, woozy and dazed.

“A Hydro Cannon? From a Togepi? Then it’s fine!”

“Holy crap—Hydro Cannon? It even broke Sturdy!”

The crowd had mixed expressions.

Keita swallowed hard, his heart sinking.

“Don’t tell me I’m getting 1v3’d… by a single Togepi?”

Still, Keita’s tactical instincts were strong—he wasn’t a pushover.

Seeing Donphan’s Sturdy trigger, he barked, “Donphan, Rest!”

Near death, Donphan fell asleep, gradually recovering health.

Keita smirked.

This was the annoying part of the Sturdy ability.

What are the odds… you land another Hydro Cannon?

Lu Ye glanced at Gengar.

“Gengarrr!” A lightbulb popped above Gengar’s head.

“Togepi! (▼へ▼メ)”

Nasty Plot!

Togepi’s eyes sharpened.

“A brilliant move!” the announcer gasped. “Capitalizing on the Rest turn to dramatically boost its power!”

Lu Ye looked conflicted.
This strategy… was exactly what I was thinking too!

Keita’s expression shifted.

Who would’ve thought this greedy little Togepi would even have Nasty Plot?!

The next second, a dazzling Dazzling Gleam blasted out—Donphan screamed again.

Waking up just to get smacked… this was too cruel!

“Tch… Return!” Keita recalled the sliver-HP Donphan.

A Togepi had pushed him this far…

Keita forced a bitter smile. “Scizor, Bullet Punch!”

On the field, the crimson-armored Scizor appeared like a warrior, launching its Bullet Punch with blazing speed!

A glass cannon like Togepi would be one-shot for sure—

Keita’s jaw dropped.

Before Scizor got close, Togepi’s fingertip shimmered with orange fire—

“Togepi~! (ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪”

Crackle—!

Mystical Fire erupted, engulfing Scizor.
His red armor crackled and split.

Scizor fell before even landing a hit, reduced to charcoal.

“An incredible prediction!” the announcer cried.
“They anticipated the switch and used a super-effective Fire-type move with high penetration!”

“As expected from the famed Tactics Master!”

The audience gasped, then applauded the masterful execution.

Lu Ye looked complicatedly at Gengar.

“Gengarrr?”

“…Nothing. Just thinking I might not need to show up tomorrow.”

“Gengaarrr~” Gengar grinned.

I’ve been with the boss long enough—I’ve picked up a few tricks!

In the stands, Gold asked, confused, “What’s ‘penetration’ mean?”

“It refers to punishing a predicted switch,” Daisy explained gently.
“Fire-types are broadly effective and can one-shot certain threats. That’s a classic Teacher Lu move.”

Gold nodded. “The opponent’s kinda bad. If it were me, I’d just keep Rollouting with Donphan!”

Daisy paused.

With Teacher Lu’s reading skills…
He might actually not have an edge against Gold…

Keita was on the brink of a breakdown.

And Teacher Lu was holding back, only using Togepi…

But as his Pokémon fell one after another, Keita looked like he might cry.

Too strong, Teacher Lu!

“And we have our winner!”
The announcer’s voice cracked in excitement.

“Using… using just a Togepi… to complete a 1v3…”

“The winner—Lu Ye from Donghuang!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read