Chapter 370: Chapter 370

At the same time— Pallet Town, Professor Oak’s Lab.

Wearing his usual lab coat, Professor Oak waved with a smile.

“Ash, have you already arrived in Lilycove City?”

On the video call screen, Pikachu perched on Ash’s shoulder. Ash beamed.

“Yup! The opening ceremony’s tomorrow. Pikachu and I are heading to check in at the player village now.”

“Good, good. I was worried you might miss the opening ceremony,” Professor Oak nodded with satisfaction—then suddenly remembered something.

“Ash, sorry to pry, but… did you register your Trainer data with the organizers?”

“Eh?” Ash’s eyes widened.

Professor Oak sighed.

“It’s partly my fault for not reminding you earlier… But if you go to the Pokémon Center now, it should still be in time.”

“But the Center’s packed!” Ash panicked. “I’ll go look for Nurse Joy—when’s the deadline?!”

“I’ll help you register from my end. Just send your Pokédex data to Lilycove City.” “But remember to pay attention next time.”

Ash paused, stunned—and then his eyes welled up.

“Saved! Thank you, Professor Oak!”

“Pika-chuuu! (T ^ T)”

For a veteran who’d entered two League conferences, Ash still had the impulsiveness of a newbie.

“Ha ha ha, it’s nothing,” Professor Oak laughed, clearly used to it by now. He scratched his head and asked:

“By the way, during your last get-together, didn’t you all create some kind of group chat?”

“We did,” Ash nodded blankly.

“Do you want us to add you to it?”

“No need, I just wanted to ask—are there any others in the group who’re entering a League this year?”

“Each conference has different procedures. Pre-registering makes things smoother.”

Though swamped with research, this sort of task was easy enough. And the group chat was full of his juniors—Professor Oak was happy to help.

Ash thought for a moment, then clapped his fist into his palm.

“Oh yeah—Mr. Lu’s joining the Indigo League this year!”

Professor Oak blinked for several seconds.

“Lu Ye… is entering the Indigo League?”

Professor Oak coughed, face uneasy.

“With his strength… is that really necessary?”

“He already collected all eight badges.” Ash pointed to his eyes.

“Hhhhss—” Professor Oak winced.

The Indigo League wasn’t exactly a beginner-friendly event. He himself had once won it, way back when. And after Kanto merged with Johto, the Indigo League absorbed top-tier trainers from the Silver Conference—it was even tougher now.

But Lu Ye… The guy who helped save the Tree of Beginning… was entering the Indigo League?

Something about that just felt… wrong.

“Don’t worry, I know Lu Ye very well!” Ash declared, full of conviction. “He loves these beginner-tier tournaments!”

Professor Oak coughed again.

“Alright… I’ll keep that in mind. Focus on your own Lilycove Conference, Ash.”

“Reach out if anything comes up.”

“Thanks again, Professor Oak!”

After the call ended, Professor Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He already had Lu Ye’s Pokédex data—registering him would be easy. Still, he figured he’d get Lu Ye’s confirmation first.

Besides, Lu Ye was using a newly trained team this time. Challenging the League with that… wasn’t unreasonable.

Just as Professor Oak was pondering—

A loud explosion echoed from the backyard.

Clair, covered in soot, slouched into the lab and reported gloomily:

“Professor Oak… I couldn’t catch that Pokémon. It blew up again.”

“Even you couldn’t capture it?” Professor Oak was stunned.

As the “Capture Queen,” Clair had already cataloged the Legendary Birds and Beasts. Yet this one Pokémon, transferred from Orudran City for research, was proving impossible.

“I toss a ball—it Self-Destructs. Then I have to rush it to the Pokémon Center…”

“It never even gives me a chance to act.”

“I see…” But instead of frowning, Professor Oak smiled.

It reminded him of a certain lightning rat back in the day— one that loved to shock people.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Professor Oak patted her shoulder warmly. “I’ll find someone else to bond with it. Let it do its thing for now.”

Lu Ye might be a bit unconventional, but his passion for Pokémon… was something even Oak admired.

Just like Ash and Pikachu.

Sometimes, a Pokémon’s self-destructiveness was simply its coping mechanism. And once it met the right Trainer, a new story might unfold.

“So… do we need to prepare more lawnmowers and bikes to keep it occupied?” Clair asked.

“Leave that to you,” Professor Oak nodded. “I still need to call Lu Ye and ask about the League registration.”

Clair snapped her fingers.

“So it’s true—Mr. Lu’s joining the League!”

“Everyone in the group is talking about it.” Clair grinned. “No way he’d skip a newbie-tier tourney like the League!”

Professor Oak sighed deeply.

I’m officially too old to understand this generation…

Muttering about generational gaps, he dialed Lu Ye’s special Pokédex line. The video call projection opened.

Lu Ye’s Gengar filled the screen, cheek squished comically close to the lens.

Saffron City, Psychic Gym

Lu Ye stood beside the battlefield, facing his sunglasses-wearing Blastoise.

With her long black hair cascading down her back, Sabrina crossed her arms and examined the man before her. Her gaze sharpened.

After months apart, her mentor exuded a powerful aura—something close to Aura Force itself.

Only with her psychic abilities could she even sense it.

Why didn’t I detect it the last time he visited?

Sabrina narrowed her eyes.

Is his Aura Force strong enough to hide even from my senses?

Now, he was initiating Mega Evolution. No—he wasn’t trying. He was simply… doing it.

For a strong Trainer, Mega Evolution came naturally.

Aura energy stirred the air, whipping Lu Ye’s hair and jacket. The Keystone in his glove shimmered with dazzling rainbow light.

“Blastoise!” Lu Ye raised his arm.

“Kame!!” Blastoise roared and dramatically tossed aside his shades.

In that instant, a torrent of aura burst outward, forming a vortex centered on Blastoise.

Sabrina’s hair streamed behind her as her expression shifted in alarm. She quickly tossed a Poké Ball.

“Mr. Mime—use Light Screen!”

But her pupils shrank.

Brilliant white light fused with blue aura, forming shimmering threads like chains that linked Lu Ye and Blastoise.

Lu Ye clicked his fingers.

A howling gale surged forward. Sabrina shielded her face with her arms.

“Blastoise, Mega Evolve!!”

White light engulfed Blastoise. Two massive, tank-like shoulder cannons emerged, glowing with a deep, ominous energy.

His gauntlets expanded into dual launchers, pulsing with terrifying aura.

Aura surged into the Mega Launchers on his back— Aura Pulse, fully charged!

You call this Mega Evolution?

My Alakazam never looked !

Lu Ye also paled slightly.

“Minimum power, please!”

Saffron Gym trembled violently. Glass shattered everywhere.

Even with Light Screen shielding, the entire gym was a mess.

Sabrina licked her dry lips.

And that was just aftershock. If that Aura Pulse had been fired…

Lu Ye exhaled. Blastoise’s Mega form dissipated.

“Kame!” Blastoise panted, wiping sweat from his brow.

This drain was no joke. Time to go home and chug a Revival Herb.

Even with his 6V constitution, Lu Ye found the energy cost high. Or perhaps he just hadn’t yet learned to manage it efficiently.

Commanding Mega Blastoise for an entire match? Still difficult. Which was fine—Lu Ye had no intention of using him in actual battles.

This trump card… was better kept for emergencies.

Sabrina took a deep breath.

Only now did she grasp the true depth of her mentor’s power.

She also finally understood what Surge had warned her about—

No wonder you came here to test Mega Evolution…

You’ve nearly flattened my entire gym!

The floor was cracked. The windows were shattered. Even the ceiling had a gaping hole.

“Cough,” Lu Ye cleared his throat.

“I’ve got a VIP account with a repair crew… Should I call them?”

Sabrina stared at him silently, then slowly nodded.

His Pokémon all stared, dumbfounded.

Even with the short duration, Mega Blastoise had clearly pushed their team’s power to a new peak.

“Gah! (´థ౪థ)σ” Sirfetch’d shed tears.

I haven’t even learned to crawl, and you’re already flying?!

When will it be my turn to shine?

“Byii… (▼ヘ▼#)” Sylveon turned and headed out, clearly going to train with the apprentices.

Lu Ye remained unaware that… with Mega Blastoise now in the roster, his entire team was once again climbing to greater heights.

“Gengaa~ (︶︿︶)” Gengar, however, looked quite content.

As long as I can help my Trainer win it all, it doesn’t matter who powers up.

Still, he clenched his little fists, eyes burning with resolve.

I won’t fall behind… I need to train even harder!

Suddenly, Lu Ye’s special Pokédex began to ring.

“Gengar?” He opened it—Professor Oak’s projection popped up.

“Hey there, Gengar.” Professor Oak waved.

“Gengaa!” Gengar adjusted the camera and pointed.

Lu Ye was trembling as he sat down.

Too tired… even worse than staying up all night gaming with Cynthia.

“Oh, it’s nothing major,” Professor Oak chuckled, rubbing his chin.

“I just wanted to confirm if Lu Ye’s entering the Indigo League.”

“If he is, I can register him from here…”

“Gengaa! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶” Gengar leapt up, eyes blazing.

This was the perfect training opportunity!

“Alright, alright, calm down…” Professor Oak sweat-dropped.

“I’ll handle Lu Ye’s registration.”

After all, as his partner, Gengar knew his intentions well.

With that, Professor Oak rubbed his chin again.

“It might be a little underhanded, but…”

“I’m kinda looking forward to seeing how Lu Ye takes on the League!”

Lu Ye was negotiating with the renovation team.

“Rest assured, sir—your VIP service comes with 30% off!”

Suddenly, Lu Ye froze.

A familiar system notification echoed in his mind:

【Ding! Task Progress Updated!】 【New Goal: Place at least Top 4 in the Indigo League】 【Task Note: Becoming Champion… isn’t it just ‘press A to win’?】

Lu Ye blinked slowly.

“What the h**l is this??”