Chapter 396: Chapter 396

With the Spring Festival arriving, in accordance with Donghuang’s holiday schedule, Mr. Lu shamelessly slipped into full-on vacation slacker mode. Cynthia, naturally in sync with her husband, also stayed in Kanto for a couple of days. Of course, that’s how Mr. Lu imagined things. In reality, apart from their long-awaited reunion and some bonus benefits on New Year’s Eve, their daily interactions quickly returned to: “Listening to the sound of the shower while eating”, and “Lucario guarding the bathroom door.”

“D*mn it… I didn’t even get a good look last time!” Lu Ye glared furiously at Duck Duck. “Gaa! (´థ౪థ)σ” Duck Duck stayed silent. You didn’t see anything—what’s that got to do with me?! Still, after an affection-boosting event like that, the two of them grew even more comfortable around each other. Lu no longer had to hold back during battles.

“3-0.” Lu Ye put down the controller and glanced at the screen flashing ‘Win’. He grinned. “Wanna go another round with the Perish Song team?”

A cold glare shot over. Cynthia, hair tied back with her signature black accessory, sat cross-legged on the carpet, gripping the controller and smiling sweetly: “How about we have a match at the Saffron Gym instead?” “Chomp!” Garchomp brandished her twin scythes, crimson eyes glowing—she was more than ready!

Ever since their trip to Galar, after Lu Ye came clean about his true strength, Cynthia no longer worried about losing to him. If she couldn’t outplay him in strategy… she’d just overwhelm him with raw levels!

That sweet smile on the blonde beauty… was shadowed by a tangible black aura of menace behind her. Lu Ye & Gengar: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ “L-Let’s go one more round! I’ll change my lineup!” “Make sure you don’t hold back~”

Half an hour later. Mr. Lu wiped the sweat off his brow and let out a relieved sigh. “2-3… a close loss!” “Mhm~” Cynthia hummed smugly.

That afternoon. They ate ice cream on the couch while watching a movie. Rotom unwillingly plastered itself to the wall, acting as the home projector. “Thanks for your hard work, Rotom.” Lu said seriously. “Cannot compute, Roto! o(TヘTo)”

The holiday flew by in a flash. Far away in Sinnoh, Lucian, buried under a mountain of paperwork, shakily adjusted his glasses. “Wait a sec… I’m actually the Sinnoh Champion now?”

February 14th – Valentine’s Day. Red was still pestering Green for a duel atop Mt. Silver. Daisy, holding Pikachu outside Pallet Town, nearly turned into a longing stone statue. “Red-senpai! (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)”

Gold went to help Kris at her Trainer Academy. After Silver joined midway, the trio happily put on a performance for the kids. “Hey, I’m the big hero who once saved Johto!” Gold proudly wiped his nose. “Big bro, you’re amazing!” The kids’ eyes sparkled with stars. Silver: “…Idiot.” “What did you say? Let’s fight right now!”

Kris stood awkwardly to the side—unable to get a word in. The only real couple in the group, Sophia and Ruby, posted a giant selfie in the group album. Lorelei: “Can we please kick these lovebirds out already (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)?” Brock squinted: “Another peaceful day with my younger siblings…” Lance sighed, sticking to the script: “Another day of overtime arresting criminals.” Steven wiped his forehead with a smile: “I’m mining again! Anyone want to join me?” “I thought Master Wallace was free today?” Ruby teased. “Oh, he’s with me!” Steven laughed heartily.

For teachers like Roxie and Erika, it was just another ordinary day. Except perfume sales spiked wildly in the store, and Erika was humming a happy tune during class. Wattson scratched his head, struggling to keep up with the younger generation’s pace—then suddenly got excited: “@Gold, stop hanging out with your little girlfriend—Lu's new game is out! Log in now!” Gold: “On my way!”

Mr. Lu’s activity for today: playing cards at home with Cynthia. “648 is so expensive…” Cynthia lay on the sofa, cheek resting on her hand, idly flipping through her tablet. “That’s expensive?” Cynthia rolled her eyes. “You buying it for me?” “Absolutely!” Lu said, full of bravado. “!”

So… easy to please?! Lu Ye nervously wiped sweat again. Millions of yen didn’t even make him flinch, but this made him hesitate…

No—this should be called frugality!

“Togepi, lend me your fingers for a second~!” Cynthia called. “Chagi Dooyiヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ” (Here I come) Togepi trotted over and leapt into Cynthia’s lap, helping her open the card pack.

【Wow! Golden Legend!】 “Thanks a bunch, Togepi!” Cynthia beamed. “Chagi Dooyi~(ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪”

Lu Ye’s mouth twitched. He quietly left the whimsical living room. He pulled Rotom from the air to use it as a tablet. “Connect to the company database and check the sales numbers—thanks, Rotom~” “Beep beep… Cannot compute, Roto! o(TヘTo)”

But Rotom, despite its protests, obediently opened the browser. Across various platforms, Pokémon Company’s new game was getting mixed reviews.

Compared to past single-player titles that started at 9/10, this one hovered around 7–7.5—barely passable.

“Too much pay-to-win! My whole pack was just blue skies and white clouds!” “It combined all the pros and cons of trading card games—definitely a mash-up.” “Whatever. You give me a UR, I give you my money. Simple as that!”

Still, compared to physical card collecting like PTCG, the digital version was much cheaper. The online release made PvP battles more accessible and expanded the game’s reach.

Lu Ye had expected this polarized response. But with TCGs, gacha monetization is part of the deal. His real intention was to raise funds for the next game. His plan: to develop a classic RPG, Pokémon: Fire Red.

Gym Leaders and Elites from Kanto—even the villain Giovanni—were all contacts he could reach out to. Licensing and image rights, which would usually be a huge headache, were ironically the easiest part for Lu Ye.

As long as a few of the big names in their group approved it, public opinion and reputation would follow naturally. “The most important thing is promoting the physical card game.”

From the Rotom tablet came a report from Olive: “The Sinnoh Expansion Pack was extremely well received. Unova and Kalos packs are already in development.” Lu Ye looked up at the sky. Before departing for Sinnoh, he’d finally built up a decent fortune.

But compared to Giovanni’s Silph Tower, Rose’s Macro Cosmos, and Lusamine’s Aether Foundation… He still had a long way to go. Mr. Lu, even the villains are richer than you—how can you, a behind-the-scenes mastermind (double agent), not keep grinding?!

“And also, the Ranked Ladder mode has entered testing. The first player to hit the top has emerged.” “Who’s that much of a grinder?” Lu blinked in surprise. “They hit the top on day one? Did they even sleep?”

“Er… according to the username.” Olive paused. “It’s someone from Sinnoh… Darkrai.”

(Note: Darkrai’s player character is based on the 2009 PTCG World Champion, who used a Darkrai deck.)

Sinnoh – Sootopolis City – Newmoon Island. “Sir, are you sure you want to go to that island?” The sailor stared at the cloaked, silver-haired man before him, teeth chattering. “I’ve heard the people there suffer from constant nightmares!” The man’s long, flowing hair shifted as he turned, exposing a Poké Ball under his cape. “Just get me there. I’ll handle the rest.” “You’re… a Pokémon Trainer!” The sailor’s eyes widened. “You’re going to catch that monster in their dreams!”

“Hmph.” Darkrai let out a cold snort and said nothing. “Excellent!” the sailor cheered, gripping the wheel. “I’ll take you there right away!”

Newmoon Island. A small, eerie, silent island. Trees rustled softly in the wind. Darkrai arrived at the only town on the island. The residents were plagued with nightmares, unable to sleep.

“You… You’re here to catch Darkrai, aren’t you?” The village chief leaned on a cane, dark circles under his eyes. He begged: “Please… you have to save our village!”

“I heard…” Darkrai paused. “You own an ultra-rare ‘Darkrai’ card.” “I challenge you—for it!” His eyes gleamed.

The chief’s tired eyes suddenly lit up. He flung away his cane. “I’m the best card player in this village!”

Watching in the shadows, Darkrai was stunned. Wait… he’s not here to catch me? He’s ignoring me completely? That’s humiliating! Should I… just go beat him up?

The most disrespected Darkrai in history stared at Darkrai—who was focused on the card game—and fell into deep thought...

“Darkrai?” Lu Ye blinked. Isn’t that the legendary Pokémon guy from Sinnoh? Though the character was officially inspired by a real-world PTCG champion… Once he remembered that flowing hairstyle, Lu nodded in understanding.

Regardless, Pokémon Legends had achieved huge commercial success.

Gold and Wattson pulled an all-nighter on Valentine’s Day, theorycrafting new ranked decks. Steven, though, wasn’t that interested. The Gold Miner champion and certified grind lord smiled faintly. “If I joined in… I’d be #1 by now.”

For promotions, Lu Ye left it to Olive and Rotom. As for Pokémon: Fire Red, he planned to consult the veterans after the holiday break.

Once he got his revenue share from the game, the very first thing Lu did—

He paid Rotom’s electricity bill for the entire year and declared proudly: “Eat all you want!” “Long live understanding, Roto! ヽ(≧∀≦)ﾉ”

Pokémon Legends’ commercial buzz continued growing—players loved it and hated it.

“Sacrifice one community manager to the gods already!” “Wait, the manager is Rotom!?” “D*mn it, I pulled ten packs of nothing but clouds. This is all Mr. Lu’s fault!”

Amid all the “RNG pain,” Lu Ye’s lazy holiday came to an end. Cynthia stretched with a lazy yawn. “I’ve got to head back and cover Lucian’s shift.” Lu blinked. “Wait, you didn’t even take time off?” “Nope,” Cynthia said matter-of-factly. “Of course you didn’t!”

As they chatted, Rotom reported: “Beep beep, incoming call, Roto!”

A call from the Team Rocket Trio. Lu glanced at the screen and asked, “What’s wrong?”

From the phone came their desperate voices. “Boss, help us! ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)” “We’re stuck in a pyramid near Pewter City!” “It’s so dark, so scary, so awful!” “So~naaace!”