All eyes were fixed on the handsome young Trainer.

A student from the Finance Department of Modu University made it all the way to the Piplup Cup finals, crushing a wave of geniuses?

The audience was silent for a moment before erupting in thunderous cheers.

“Lu Ye is awesome!!”

“Haunter, go for it!”

In the judge’s box, Song Pengcheng couldn’t help but nod approvingly.

Advancing to the finals without a hint of arrogance—this kid really has the demeanor of a seasoned expert!

But in reality, Lu Ye wore a baffled expression.

“This doesn’t make sense… Why are they so weak?”

When he first entered the tournament, his goal was simply to avoid any regrets for his Haunter.

Even though most of his BP-redeemed items had been fed to Haunter, and he’d received advice from several pros in the group...

But I haven’t really been training much!

And now I’ve made it to the finals?!

“The newbies this year aren’t that great,” Lu Ye muttered.

Han Xiaoxiao had lost in the semifinals, but she showed no hint of disappointment; instead, she seemed completely satisfied.

Getting to battle against the Tactics Master Teacher Lu was reward enough for her!

“Teacher Lu, let’s take a picture together later!” Han Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled.

“I’d also like to learn more about your specific training methods!”

Lu Ye’s face turned awkward.

What was my training method again?

Wait… do I even have a training method?

Why don’t I know about it!

“Well… I’ll share it in my livestream sometime soon.”

“Great! I’ll send you gifts right away!” Han Xiaoxiao beamed.

The semifinals ended.

News of Lu Ye making it to the finals shook the entire Modu Trainer community.

With the online buzz about the Tactics Master and the rapid growth of his Haunter, people couldn’t help but wonder about Lu Ye’s true strength.

Could a rookie Trainer really be as legendary as the internet claimed?

But the deeper people dug into Teacher Lu’s background, the murkier things became.

Many Gym Leaders praised his tactics, and even Koga, the Poison-type Elite Four member, had shared his videos.

Rumors even suggested he had personal ties with the World Champion Red...

In the Modu City Pokémon Association,

Chairman Song Pengcheng set down the documents, his expression complex.

“Could he be… the illegitimate child of some big shot?”

The intent of testing his Pokémon in the Piplup Cup was obvious.

But Lu Ye’s records were so perfectly normal—there was no sign of anything being covered up.

He seemed just like an ordinary freshman from Modu University’s Finance Department!

The more mundane his background appeared, the more Song Pengcheng’s heart raced.

How could a freshman with no connections possibly be linked to the World Champion?!

“It’s best not to dig any further.”

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Song Pengcheng muttered,

“Let’s just treat him as a regular participant…”

Meanwhile, Lu Ye had no idea he was already being treated like a hidden master.

Rejecting a barrage of media interviews, he hurried home anxiously.

“Eevee seems to have learned Bite, right…?”

Lu Ye murmured, his hands and feet icy.

“It shouldn’t be too bad; it’s been behaving normally these past few days.”

Despite trying to reassure himself, Lu Ye braced for the worst.

“As long as the place isn’t trashed, we can work things out…”

According to the “Schrödinger’s Everything” theory,

Whether a Husky has wrecked the house or not can only be determined the moment the door opens.

Before that, a Husky exists in a quantum state of both wrecking and not wrecking the house.

In some sense, Eevee, which is a type of fox, also belongs to the canine family...

Cautiously, he pushed open the door.

Scanning the room, he let out a long sigh of relief.

The room was intact, the walls pristine, and the faint scent of lavender still lingered—everything just as he’d left it.

“See? I was overthinking it.”

Lu Ye chuckled, “Eevee is so cute; why would it trash the place?”

“Gengarr?”

Haunter scratched its head, unable to find Eevee, but noticing a trail of paw prints leading outside.

The prints disappeared under the small pet door at the bottom of the entrance.

Like a detective, Haunter rubbed its chin thoughtfully and nodded.

“Huh? Where’s Eevee?” Lu Ye frowned.

“Gengarr!”

Haunter pointed at the pet door.

Lu Ye’s expression shifted. “Don’t tell me it ran away?!”

The previous tenant’s Meowth used to wander outside and come back at meal times, which is why there was a pet door.

But Eevee probably didn’t know the area!

“Let’s go, Haunter; we need to look for it.”

Sighing, Lu Ye was about to leave when his phone buzzed.

A message from Sister Liu, his landlord, popped up. Her tone seemed stiff.

“Lu Ye, are you free now? Please come to the Pokémon Center on Line 3.”

She usually didn’t use his full name. Sensing something was wrong, Lu Ye was about to reply when another message arrived.

It was a picture of a Growlithe wrapped in bandages, looking teary-eyed.

“The security guard said Eevee beat it up…”

Lu Ye froze.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the doorway.

An injured Eevee squeezed through, baring its teeth in a grin.

“Eevee!”

…

This all happened while Lu Ye was having a friendly match online.

Eevee had been rolling around on the bed, then suddenly perked up, eyes gleaming with alertness.

It darted out through the pet door.

Eevee patrolled the neighborhood out of habit, just like it used to do in the mountains.

With its Anticipation ability, Eevee would scout for potential threats.

But unlike other Eevee with Anticipation, Lu Ye’s Eevee seemed to have its own unique interpretation of the ability.

Suddenly, its ears twitched, and it darted into the bushes.

Two young boys walked by.

“My Nidoran won’t lose to you!”

“Let’s see! My Caterpie just evolved into Metapod!”

As Nidoran and Metapod clashed, a flash of lightning shot from the bushes.

Eevee snagged two easy KOs, wagging its tail nonchalantly as it left.

If Lu Ye’s system were here, it’d be screaming sarcastically:

“Eevee’s gaining experience!”

The boys stared at each other before bursting into tears.

“Mom! An Eevee!”

The neighborhood had plenty of stray Meowth, which annoyed residents to no end. But they couldn’t do much about it.

Eevee strolled around until its ears twitched again, and it bared its teeth.

Anticipation activated!

Instead of retreating, it charged into a group of Meowth.

With fiery determination, it sharpened its combat skills—

I need to get stronger!

“Meow!!”

The Meowth scattered in panic.

Licking a trickle of blood from its brow, Eevee smirked.

“Eevee!”

Just then, a curious Growlithe wandered by, wagging its tail.

It froze, feeling a surge of dread.

“Growl!” (I’m just passing by!)

Eevee turned, licked its lips, and gave Growlithe a friendly smile.

“Eevee~!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read