May 31, Monday, cloudy.

The four finalists of the Lily of the Valley Conference were announced with great excitement.

They were Lu Ye, Dakduo, Ash, and Huo Long.

Teacher Lu did not have a deep impression of Huo Long. After asking Meowth, he learned that Huo Long was one of only two trainers in the Lily of the Valley Conference carrying a legendary Pokémon.

Dakduo carried Darkrai, a mythical Pokémon classified as a legendary Pokémon.

This ranger Huo Long carried a Heatran, easily making it into the top four.

Lu Ye suddenly realized: "This is the ranger who registered with Heatran at the opening ceremony of the Lily of the Valley Conference!"

In the anime, this ranger was given a brief spotlight, stirring considerable discussion among the audience.

Now it seemed that the conference was full of legendary Pokémon trainers... the competition inside was truly profound!

Heatran evolved from volcanic fragments and was not unique in the volcanically active Sinnoh region.

Teacher Lu had once encountered a fierce beast on Stark Mountain, a position equivalent to Darkrai in White Poplar Town.

Ash inevitably had to face a fierce battle against Huo Long.

"Avoiding the legendary Pokémon guys, now another Heatran falls from the sky."

Lu Ye sensed malice from the official side and stroked his chin, saying:

"Poor Ash!"

The semifinal against Dakduo was scheduled for June 1, Children’s Day.

This holiday seemed to grant attribute bonuses to a certain champion who loved to play the Baby Cup.

The forum of the Lily of the Valley Conference was already in heated debate over who would win between Dakduo and Teacher Lu.

"I don't get it, how does Dark Void combined with Dream Eater counterattack?"

"You try hypnosis in front of Teacher Lu? He really doesn’t treat the hypnosis master as a human!"

"Teacher Lu, look at what you’ve mastered!"

The Perish Song team was Teacher Lu’s most fluid and entertaining tactic.

But when it came to bonds, the poor-quality hypnosis team was the best fit with Teacher Lu.

The purple chubby guy’s "Dark Void," inherited from Darkrai of White Poplar Town, was illegal.

It not only caused hypnosis but could even shatter Lu Ye’s Rotom’s clones.

As for the "Power of Transcendence" that strengthened bonds and boosted Mega Evolution—

My friend gave it to me;

what does it have to do with legendary Pokémon guys?

In the chat group, members gradually arrived on Lilycove Island.

Among them were A-Jin, still muted;

Xiao Yin, visiting his sister;

and Kris, wearing a white hat.

"Woohoo! I see Lilycove Island!"

The sea breeze blew as A-Jin stood on the deck of the Waterflow, hand shading his black bangs, looking into the distance.

Xiao Yin looked down at the Pokédex and whispered, "The main venue of the Lily of the Valley Conference can hold more than 100,000 people, but all the seats are sold out."

"Teacher Lu will definitely find a way," Kris said shyly while carrying her luggage. "Besides, Lucian and Flint are also in the group."

"No need to look for them," Xiao Yin glanced at the screen. "Sabrina... got scalped tickets."

A-Jin couldn’t help but say, "She’s probably a scalper herself!"

Xiao Yin gave a cold glance.

Kris tried to smooth things over: "A-anyway, it’s good to cheer for Teacher Lu and Ash!"

The white ferry Waterflow cut through the waves, Marshal holding a cigar, feeling a bit puzzled.

"My beloved ship has somehow become the group’s exclusive transportation?"

However... Marshal was very interested in the distant Sinnoh region.

Fighting the so-called "strongest Electric-type Gym Leader" Volkner was the ultimate goal of this trip!

"I won’t lose to that pretty boy!" Marshal grinned, exhaling smoke.

The time showed just past three in the afternoon.

Teacher Lu was having afternoon tea with Cynthia.

On the white round table were ice cream parfaits. Cynthia smiled softly as she tasted them.

Whenever she ate ice cream, the corners of Cynthia’s eyes curved up, and her noble and fierce aura instantly transformed into adorable charm.

Passersby who walked past the café saw the two openly together and whispered.

Their relationship was almost public by now.

Many fans online discussed Teacher Lu’s purpose for competing for the championship.

Rumors carried a faint sourness and tear-inducing sweetness of love.

"My wife is going to marry someone else!!"

"Wuwuwu, Baicai, my Baicai..."

"I can’t accept this!!"

Mengmengda was unaffected by the rumors, leisurely sipping her afternoon tea.

Her blonde hair fell on her profile as she picked up ice cream: (⁎˃ᴗ˂⁎)

Lu Ye drank iced coffee, gazing at her fair and delicate face, enjoying the peaceful and beautiful afternoon.

"Gengarrr~" Haunter sneaked its head out from under the table while Lu Ye wasn’t paying attention, using its long tongue to swipe the dessert clean.

"Don’t eat the plate too!" Lu Ye held Haunter back.

"Gengarrr!" Haunter chuckled proudly.

"Quite a few familiar friends have arrived on Lilycove Island," Cynthia said, resting her delicate hand on her cheek.

"Yes, A-Jin and the others will be here soon," Lu Ye thought aloud. "Bruno is training with Flint in the battle zone, Ami is promoting the restaurant, and Aogen is helping Ash prepare for the next match..."

Because of Ami’s performance at the buffet restaurant, the owner was amazed and immediately invited her to be the promotional ambassador.

Ami, as a four-time eating champion, had a good personal image and attracted a lot of customers to the restaurant.

By the way, Ami had a fairly large fan group marked by ‘Magnemite.’ Their scale nearly rivaled Marnie’s cheer squad.

"Flint is battling Bruno..."

Cynthia nodded lightly. "Both sides can gain a lot of experience."

Both were straightforward temperaments. Challenging strong opponents was Bruno’s persistent belief.

Flint, a young fire-type genius, also wanted to see the style of the Kanto Elite Four.

They fought fiercely in the battle zone. The arena’s barrier started to crack, but Flint ultimately lost.

"That was lucky," Bruno raised his arm and shook hands firmly with Flint.

"Losing once only," Flint grinned with a sharp gaze. "I’ll win it back next time!"

Bruno nodded slightly in approval. "I’ll treat you to Angry Steamed Buns."

"I prefer Lava Snail Curry Rice!"

They left the battle zone laughing, leaving behind the heavily damaged barrier that desperately needed repair—

Only Lucian’s overtime made that happen.

That night, A-Jin and the others arrived on Lilycove Island.

The night was deep;

Lilycove Island was brightly lit with rows of food stalls, and tourists smiled warmly.

"Time for me to show off!" A-Jin looked at the various stalls and entertainment, carrying a pool cue and wiping his nose.

Soon, Gold the Fifth took the lead in balloon shooting, basketball throwing, and fishing for Kingler, winning a large number of plush toys amid the store owner’s teary eyes.

"Here!" A-Jin threw a Totodile plush to Xiao Yin, who caught it with surprise. "This is for you!"

Xiao Yin blinked slightly, a smile curving at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you."

"And for the class monitor—this is for you!" A-Jin stuffed a big pile of plush toys into Kris’s arms.

"For, for me..." Kris looked a bit shy, cheeks slightly flushed, lowering her head.

"You hold them for me first." A-Jin scratched his head and laughed, "Because I can’t carry them all, haha!"

Kris: "..."

What exactly am I hoping for...

Marshal, dressed in camouflage, went straight to find Volkner, the reclusive ‘fourth generation’ Electric-type Gym Leader, who was inventing technology in the lighthouse.

"Hey!" Marshal crossed his arms, taunting, "I heard you’re the strongest Gym Leader in Sinnoh and an Electric-type expert—"

Volkner’s hands hung on his knees as he raised his tired eyes.

Marshal had a mischievous thunder bomb launcher on his shoulder.

"Want to have a match with me?" Marshal’s eyes gleamed sharply as he grinned.

"I’m still..." Volkner’s slow speech showed he rarely saw strangers. "I’m still researching electric devices."

He stretched his hand back, pointing to Hearthome City across the coast and introduced to Marshal:

"I’ve transformed all of Hearthome City into a large power generation system, solving energy limitations—"

Volkner’s speech sped up like a glue fanatic sharing assembly details, growing excited:

"The next goal is to renovate the entire Lilycove Island!"

A strong shock hit.

Marshal froze in place.

As an Electric-type expert, Marshal’s proudest works were the power supply of the Acorn Gym and this launcher.

Compared to Clemont renovating Prism Tower and Volkner transforming Hearthome City... it was somewhat embarrassing.

Marshal awkwardly hid the launcher behind his back and laughed:

"Let’s fight next time;

I suddenly remembered something!"

"Huh?" Volkner was stunned. "As an Electric-type expert, shouldn’t you be good at these things?"

Marshal: "..."

Sorry, I have let down the Electric-type experts!

Marshal, defeated, left the lighthouse and returned to the Waterflow’s captain’s cabin to drink whiskey alone.

Meanwhile,

Teacher Lu returned to his residence and began studying the lineup to face the legendary Pokémon guy tomorrow.

"Dakduo’s team also has a Latios, which can self-heal and is extremely skilled—"

Lu Ye sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the eight Poké Balls before him, deep in thought.

"Could have Rotom use ‘Trick’ to exchange scarves, or just have Ducklett go up and slaughter the god."

"Quack?! Σ(°△°|||)︴" Sirfetch’d stiffened, sword and shield in hand.

What are you saying, Duck?

"Just kidding," Lu Ye comforted, "A mere Latios doesn’t need you to act."

"You get to play when we fight the nightmare god!!"

"Quack!? (´థ౪థ)σ" Sirfetch’d struggled to hold back tears, feeling hopeless.

Lu Ye smiled gently.

After crushing Arceus, Ducklett’s strength was at least at the Elite Four level.

But Ducklett was too timid;

the so-called "Brave" ability meant it didn’t tremble in front of Arceus.

The Fighting-type had a type advantage over the Dark-type Darkrai, so Sirfetch’d would be the Plan B.

Of course, there was also the option of having the little purple chubby guy throw a "Dark Void" in the face—

Lu Ye closed his eyes, trying to use "Power of Transcendence" to contact Darkrai resting in White Poplar Town.

A faint beam of light extended to the Darkrai in the courtyard.

The murky fog churned as Darkrai opened his deep blue eyes, expression cold and aloof.

Did he encounter another difficulty?

So late at night, using "Power of Transcendence" to send me a message...

Darkrai heard Lu Ye’s familiar voice echo in his mind.

"Watch me crush your little brothers tomorrow!"

Darkrai: ???

So late, and you only send a voice message?

Besides, they aren’t really my little brothers;

it’s just that everyone happens to be Darkrai!

Darkrai shut his eyes angrily but felt a subtle sense of anticipation arise.

He wondered how exactly he would face that Darkrai.

But no matter what, Darkrai was already mourning on behalf of the other party...

The night grew deeper.

A-Jin and the others had a big haul, almost clearing out all the plush toys at the stalls.

Xiao Yin and Kris, even their Pokémon, carried arms full of plush toys.

A-Jin carried a pool cue, parading proudly;

Xiao Yin and Kris almost wanted to bury their heads in the ground.

Although in formal battles, Gold the Fifth’s tactical level was worse than Ash’s.

But in this kind of casual setting, A-Jin seemed to excel at everything...

"What are you going to do with all these extra plush toys?" Xiao Yin asked.

Under Kris’s expectant gaze, A-Jin casually said, "Give them to everyone on Lilycove Island."

Xiao Yin planned to send a batch of new goods to Sabrina and whispered, "Sell some to me... I have sales channels."

The two quickly reached an agreement and left, leaving a confused ‘Crystal’ behind.

Kris was stunned for a moment, adjusted her hat, and hurried after them: "Wait for me, hey!"

...

The next day, Children’s Day. Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveI★Fire.net

The noisy stands, A-Jin handed small plush toys to Ash, Ami, and the others.

Ash received a Pikachu plush, which he gave to the Pikachu on his shoulder, who happily said: "Pika~!"

Ami got an Electivire plush and smiled lightly, saying, "Thank you very much."

Xiao Yin was outside the nearly empty venue, setting up a stall with Sabrina.

"Why is there no business?" Xiao Yin asked.

"I want to know too!" Sabrina looked like she wanted to cry but had no tears.

In sharp contrast was Meowth’s booth inside the venue, which had opened sales through Cynthia’s good reputation.

"Don’t compete, everyone gets Teacher Lu’s merchandise, meow!"

"Darkrai plush? Sorry, we don’t make those~"

"Buy merchandise, get posters and cheer sticks, don’t miss out!!"

"Swoosh~~ Nanshi!!"

Customers discussed among themselves:

"No Dakduo, only Teacher Lu’s support posters..."

"Whatever, free is free!"

Following the trio’s strategy, a strange scene appeared in the arena.

Almost everyone was supporting the same player, waving posters and cheer sticks without realizing it.

The three card club members sat shivering amidst the tsunami of cheers.

"It seems we... became the insiders?"

"How about we just betray?"

"Good idea—Go Teacher Lu!!"

Dakduo, cloaked, looked towards the audience with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Lu Ye’s popularity is as fiery as ever!" The commentator smoothed the atmosphere, "Who will advance to the finals? Let’s wait and see!"

Dakduo adjusted his mood;

he was not a trainer easily affected by outside influence.

With steady steps, Dakduo shook hands with Teacher Lu and said in a low voice:

"May I make a request?"

"Please go ahead." Lu Ye was curious.

"If I win..." Dakduo’s gaze burned, "I want a Darkrai from the Kalos expansion pack!"

Hidden in Dakduo’s shadow, Darkrai had a black line across his face.

Compared to me, you seem to care more about the paper version!

"I’ll consider it." Lu Ye chuckled silently.

Dakduo nodded calmly and returned to the command seat, showing extraordinary focus.

As a trainer, Dakduo’s strength far exceeded some Elite Four members of certain leagues—

Yes, I’m talking about you, the Alola League retirees!

However, Teacher Lu was quite fond of the relaxed atmosphere in Alola as well...

Shaking his head, Lu Ye looked towards the second-floor spectator seats. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he seemed to see Cynthia crossing her legs and resting her chin on her delicate hand.

Looking away, Teacher Lu’s face showed seriousness.

Sorry, I am the “Falling Fierce Man” of this Lily of the Valley Conference!

Ash leaned on the railing of the stands, shouting: "Go Teacher Lu!"

"Stop yelling." A-Jin picked at his ear disdainfully, "You’ll make people think this is a close match."

Bruno crossed his thick arms and nodded: "Rather, Dakduo forcing Teacher Lu to adjust his state is the highlight of this match."

"I think," Ami said softly, "Teacher Lu never holds back in the Baby Cup."

"Besides, today is Children’s Day..."

Beat up the kids (scratch that)... slaughter the legendary Pokémon guy!

Dakduo and Teacher Lu’s eyes met.

"Lily of the Valley Conference, Group A semifinals!"

The referee raised the flag and swiftly waved it down.

"The match begins!!"

...