The Indigo League Finals had officially come to an end.

Following his clean sweep in the semifinals, Teacher Lu went on to completely dominate the championship match as well.

Whether in the stadium or watching the official livestream—

When Lu Ye held the championship trophy high, the entire crowd exploded in celebration.

Even Steven sent a red packet in the group chat to congratulate him, which had everyone laughing with joy.

“Group dinner tonight?” Gold asked eagerly.

“It’s certainly worth commemorating,” Lorelei said with a smile. “I’m in.”

Ash: “Heck yeah!”

“So… who’s cooking?” Erika asked curiously. “No way Brock can handle it all by himself, right?”

“Let Teacher Lu do it!” Gold's eyes sparkled.

So I win a championship and still have to cook personally?

Lu Ye glanced at the group chat logs and sighed.

Still, professional pride as a chef kicked in, and Teacher Lu nodded.

“Fine by me!”

“Congratulations, Teacher Lu,” Steven messaged. “The Moltres Tail Feather is quite a rare prize.”

Lance huffed in reply.

If it wasn’t for Lu Ye entering this year, I wouldn’t have given up the feather that lights the torch!

At that reminder, Lu Ye’s smile stiffened slightly.

What happened to my fat stack of prize money?

Gone?

All I get is a feather?!

He looked down at the dazzling red plume in his hand, vivid flame-like light flickering within.

[Moltres’s Eternal Tail Feather: Said to burn for over a hundred years, imbued with powerful life energy. (Budget version of Rainbow Wing)]

According to Lance, this was an excellent resource for Fire-type Pokémon.

If converted into raw value, it might be worth even more than the original cash prize.

But there was just one problem—

How do I even use this thing?

Lu Ye waved the feather in front of him, pensive.

Maybe… he could use it like a sparkler? It doesn’t even need to be lit?

“...Guess I’ll have Arcanine wear it.”

It was, after all, the grand prize of the Indigo League.

After battling for nearly half a month, the team deserved some real pampering.

The Moltres Feather’s life energy would help Arcanine recover from recent injuries—and maybe even boost its spirits further.

“...Let’s just hope it doesn’t accidentally burn the hotel down.”

As for the other Poké Balls, Lu Ye brought them all to the Pokémon Center for healing.

“Thanks again, Nurse Joy from Goldenrod City!”

“I’m actually from Viridian City~”

“Same thing, same thing…”

Just then, a flash of white light burst from one Dive Ball—Blastoise popped out, gaze fixed on the friendly shop next door.

“Ka-meh...”

“Little Blue’s giving out discounts,” Lu Ye said.
“Let’s grab some Full Restores over there instead.”

“Ka-meh!”
Blastoise pushed his shades up and nodded like a boss.

In the end… Little Blue still made a profit off this?

Lu Ye stared at the sky.

“At least Team Rocket’s stall brought in solid revenue these past weeks.”

Based on their revenue split, 30% of the profits went into Lu Ye’s account—with detailed reports steadily coming in during the tournament.

But to be fair, he was pretty much holding on to that money for Team Rocket…

Who knew? After making bank, those three might blow it all and end up broke and starving again.

After returning to the hotel and placing the trophy inside the cabinet—

Lu Ye’s long-forgotten system interface suddenly popped up with a new notification.

Ding! Quest “Indigo League” Completed!

Objective: Win the Indigo League Championship

Rewards:
Special Upgrade Voucher ×1
Gold Crown ×1
Orange-grade Items ×2

“Holy crap, a giant loot box!”

Lu Ye blinked, stunned by the gleaming golden items in his inventory.

He began going through them one by one—

And realized each of his little guys could benefit.

The Special Upgrade Voucher was for Lu Ye himself.

It boosted system-granted abilities—namely, his Aura.

Until now, Lu Ye’s “Aura Sense” had only been at basic level, and he’d never had the chance to seriously train it.

But after shattering the Voucher, his Aura sensitivity improved dramatically, elevating him to intermediate level.

Not only could he now sync with Blastoise using Aura—

He could even issue silent commands and apply buffs to his other Pokémon.

Still far from telepathic communication, but this was a true Aura Guardian entry-level rank.

“...Wait. Does this mean at high levels I’ll be able to toss Aura Spheres like that dumb kid?”
Lu Ye was half-hopeful, half-dreading.

The second item, the Gold Crown, boosted a Pokémon’s overall stats and reaction time.

In game terms, it raised all IVs to perfect 6V.

This “modded” version of the Gold Crown… looked just like a gold-foil chocolate coin.

Lu Ye had already taken a bite himself.

After confirming it was safe, he fed it to Sylveon, his dual-wielding fairy assassin.

“Brii?” Sylveon tilted her head, eyes sparkling blue.

“Tastes good,” Lu Ye smacked his lips. “I already tested it for poison!”

“Brii...”
She blushed a little—being hand-fed like this was a bit embarrassing.

She opened her mouth just slightly, gently biting the chocolate in Lu Ye’s hand.

Come to think of it, this was her first time being hand-fed by Lu Ye.

In the past, Sylveon always scarfed down her food quickly and wouldn’t even let Lu Ye watch her eat.

Then suddenly—

“Brii~ (ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪”

Sylveon lazily rolled on the floor, belly up like she’d just hit a catnip high.

Apparently, the Gold Crown also boosted intimacy?

Not bad.

“My Sylveon… is way too adorable!”
Lu Ye grinned like a fool.

The last two orange items were:

Cloth of the Spirit World

Eviolite

The first was rumored to contain mystical energy and could lead trainers into the spirit realm.

In reality, it was a dull gray cloth with a soft, silky texture—

Perfect blanket material.

“Kukya?”
Gengar, all bundled up in the spirit cloth, looked downright cuddly.

On cold winter nights, only a warm blanket… and Cynthia…

Could give Lu Ye comfort.

“Think I could sew it into a cloak or something?”

He muttered, deciding the cloth suited Gengar perfectly.

As for the Eviolite, it enhanced the stats of unevolved Pokémon.

Lu Ye tossed it to Togepi, who happily treated it like a new toy.

After tallying up all the tournament loot—

Lu Ye couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

He didn’t earn any prize money, and probably spent more than he gained.

But still…

He was on the path to wealth and prosperity.

Just one trip to Sinnoh—and he’d have everything he needs!

His team had grown tremendously.

Even the Elite Four’s domain didn’t seem so unreachable anymore.

But still—

Pokémon weren’t tools for battle.

To enjoy the journey, to encounter life with his companions—

That was the belief Teacher Lu held dearest.

“Kukya~”
Gengar curled up in his little ghost blanket, beaming happily.

“Let’s go,” Lu Ye patted his head, smiling warmly.

“I’ll cook you all a proper victory feast myself!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read