Chapter 353: Chapter 353

As night fell, the year-end celebration neared its end.

People stepped out of the warm, cozy venue into the cold night breeze, still buzzing with excitement over the day’s events.

Meeting and taking photos with their favorite UPs, watching thrilling exhibition battles, and witnessing the public “punishment” of the Top 100 Pigeon King—

No doubt about it: this ticket was worth every cent!

“Can’t wait for the highlight reel of the awards ceremony.”

“Lu Teacher looks even more handsome in person than on video!”

“Waiting on that multi-angle cut of the exhibition match!”

Inside the gradually emptying venue, UPs were still chatting happily.

But Lu Ye wasn’t too interested in this kind of networking. Besides, Togepi was starting to get tired.

Sonia smiled at the sight and said softly, “Well then, Lu Teacher—until next time~”

Lu Ye nodded. “That invitational tournament…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll notify you ahead of time,” Sonia said with a smile. “I believe those kids will be thrilled to have you there!”

Lu Ye gave a small nod.

Just earlier, the system notification had shown the reward for [Top 100 UP of the Year] had been delivered.

Looked like it was a one-time achievement reward—no resets.

In that case, his small goal in the UP realm was officially checked off.

Lu Ye planned to look over the system rewards in detail once he got back to the hotel.

But before that, there were still things like photo ops to get through.

Half an hour later, the time reached 11 PM.

“It’s cold out—put on your coat before heading out!”

“See you next year~~”

“Oh right, Spring Festival’s not far off either…”

People said their farewells warmly.

“I’m beat.” Lt. Surge yawned lazily. “I’ll hit the hay first—head back out to sea tomorrow.”

Lu Ye hadn’t slept the night before, and after today’s friendly battle, was feeling pretty drowsy too.

Waving goodbye to Sonia, he and the others made their way out of the venue.

“Lu Teacher, please wait a moment!”

An assistant wearing an event badge jogged over, adjusting his glasses.

“Um, it’s … since you’re one of our partners,”

“The organizers prepared a small gift for you,” the assistant said sheepishly. “It’s nothing expensive, but it’s a token of appreciation…”

Lu Ye suddenly remembered—oh right, he was technically a creator from a rival platform.

He nodded. “Thank you for going to the trouble.”

The gift didn’t matter much—he was more curious about what surprise they’d prepared!

After waiting in the guest lounge for a bit—

The manager showed up, carrying a plastic bag.

Now that was grounded.

But considering how tight Bilibili’s budget was, Lu Ye cleared his throat and asked curiously, “What’s this?”

“This is a hometown-grown leek,” the manager said, scratching his cheek. “Great for making wraps.”

“Don’t misunderstand! It’s not just edible. In Galar, they say it’s also used as a Farfetch’d’s weapon!”

The manager spoke with righteous conviction and opened the bag.

For a moment, Lu Ye thought he was seeing things.

Wow. A golden legend (crossed out)... a golden common!

[Leek: A very long and sturdy stalk. When held by Farfetch’d, increases the chance of landing critical hits. (Though it looks ordinary, it’s said to taste amazing when stewed.)]

In the games, when Sirfetch’d holds a Leek and uses Leaf Blade, the critical hit rate reaches a ridiculous 100%.

Another bizarre cooking ingredient to add to the stash!

A beam of white light shot out from the commemorative ball at Lu Ye’s waist.

“Gaa! (¯﹃¯)” Sirfetch’d drooled while looking at Lu Ye with solemn determination.

Not for food! He just didn’t want to be dead weight anymore!

Lu Ye: “…Wipe your mouth first.”

The manager looked at Sirfetch’d in surprise.

A Pokémon that could come out on its own—either it had insane talent or was very close with its Trainer.

Just like that Gengar that flew out during the award show—clearly maxed out affection.

The manager had once been a Trainer himself, and didn’t dare treat it lightly. He handed over the leek with both hands.

“Gaa! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧” Sirfetch’d bit onto the leek, and a sharp gleam flashed in its eyes with a ‘ding!’

The manager sighed in relief and smiled.

Looks like one of Lu Teacher’s hidden aces was quite happy with the gift!

Lu Ye twitched at the sight.

With that leek in its beak—was Duck Duck trying to cosplay Zoro?

One Leek Blade Storm with one leek… does two leeks mean double crit rate?

But looking at Duck Duck’s earnest expression, Lu Ye cleared his throat.

Maybe he just thinks it’s a midnight snack… and not an actual weapon?

Also, in formal matches, you’re only allowed one held item…

Three-sword style isn’t legal, bro!

Seeing Lu Ye’s hesitant expression, the manager chuckled.

“No need to say more. This is something we’re happy to do… and I hope we get to work together more in the future.”

Lu Ye: “Next time for sure.”

The manager smiled—knowing this was the traditional response of Bilibili creators—and waved goodbye.

“A good leek makes a huge difference for Sirfetch’d in battle,” Brock nodded. “That was a thoughtful gift.”

Lu Ye looked conflicted.

He suspected this manager was from Shandong Province, seeing how he even managed to get a leek like that!

Then he turned to Sirfetch’d, who was swinging the leek around eagerly.

“Gaa~! (´థ౪థ)σ” Sirfetch’d teared up with joy.

After all this time, he was finally getting a buff!

At least now, he wouldn't get completely rolled by Togepi!

Lu Ye fell into thought.

His duck may be a luck-based attacker…

But with a Leek, he could boost his crit rate even more.

And as for Sirfetch’d’s built-in leek—it was poison-coated.

Two leeks meant options to switch based on the situation.

“Witchers carry silver and steel swords…”

Lu Ye cleared his throat.

“A greatshield can’t dual-wield daggers… makes sense!”

Lu Teacher was a bit worried about potential property damage…

But thinking about how long Sirfetch’d had been with him—and how little he'd ever cost him—he softened.

The only two stat-boosting items he’d had—Scope Lens and this Leek—one came from a system draw, the other was a gift...

Life is hard, Sirfetch’d! (ಥ_ಥ)

“You can keep this one,” Lu Ye said, clearing his throat. “But don’t eat it. You might actually need it…”

“Gaa… (￣～￣)” Sirfetch’d was already chewing on it like sugarcane.

“You’re eating it already?!”

“Gaa?” Sirfetch’d chewed on the extra leaves and raised a brow.

He was sharpening his blade—to make it deadlier, duck-style~!

The year-end awards had officially wrapped up.

Besides the Leek gifted by the manager from Shandong,

There were also system rewards to check.

“Are these even rewards…”

Lu Ye muttered as he returned to his hotel and pulled up the earlier notification.

[Quest Reward: Skill Upgrade Ticket ×1, Golden Crown ×1]

The most cost-effective uses for the Upgrade Ticket were Ancient Language and Fishing.

“Even if I max fishing, all I’m gonna get is a damn Magikarp.”

Lu Ye muttered as he crushed the upgrade ticket and applied it to his battle-saving skill: Ancient Language.

After leveling up, he clearly felt his comprehension improve.

At Lv4, he could only hold simple conversations.

But now at max level—Lu Teacher had even learned how the Zu’an bros trash-talked each other!

Though to be fair, Zu’an boys could only send five messages per match...

“Gotta play it safe. Can’t use this recklessly,” Lu Ye wiped his cold sweat. “If I meet the Pillar King in Sinnoh and slip up...”

“If he gets mad and summons a few more giants… that won’t be a joke.”

As for the other reward—Golden Crown—

Lu Ye vaguely remembered that in the original setting, giving a Golden Crown to an NPC would max out a Pokémon’s stats.

But this system-modded Golden Crown could be used directly.

[Golden Crown: A rare, golden bottle-cap-shaped item. Actually a piece of chocolate. Consuming it boosts all stats. (What kind of bootleg sweet is this?!)]

Lu Ye: “Wait, if it’s chocolate, does that mean I can eat it too?”

Last time, Lu Teacher had drawn a MooMoo Calcium item, supposedly to boost physical fitness (read: HP).

His Close Combat and Aura Power corresponded to Attack and Special Attack, respectively.

If the Golden Crown was edible, boosting self-defense was a good deal.

After all, in this high-stakes Pokémon world, staying alive came first!

Thinking of that “Ultimate Rookie” physique, Lu Ye coughed awkwardly.

He unwrapped the golden foil around the chocolate and handed half to Gengar for poison testing.

“Gengaar! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧”

Lu Ye then looked down at the rich, liquor-filled chocolate…

Bottoms up, brothers!

“Doesn’t feel like much... maybe my effort values are too low?”

[Ding! ‘Close Combat’ skill upgraded!]

[Close Combat Lv4: Master-level hand-to-hand combat skills. Now holds a Black Belt Rank 9. (Trainers do have a limit—unless they break it!)]

Maybe it was due to his improved physique—Close Combat had leveled up immediately.

With his eyes closed, he could even sense a slight increase in Aura Power…

Lu Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

Wait a sec… am I a 6V Pokémon now?!

Sure, his base stats couldn’t compare to an Ultimate Rookie—

But in unrestricted formats, he wouldn’t be too disadvantaged!

Lu Ye nodded in satisfaction—then froze.

Hold on… could this stuff have side effects?

I got stronger… but am I also going bald?

Receding hairline—DANGER!!