The Nurse Joy that Lance mentioned belonged to the Pokémon Inspection Bureau, responsible for supervising and assessing gyms across the region.

After Lance’s negotiations, the Pokémon Inspection Bureau was willing to provide a flying partner "suitable for a champion."

The condition was that Teacher Lu had to gain Nurse Joy’s and the Pokémon’s approval, and take on the duty of evaluating gyms.

Getting Nurse Joy’s approval wouldn’t be difficult;

the real issue was the bond with the partner…

“So you’re saying I still have to swing by the Kanto gyms?” Lu Ye asked.

“What, from your tone it sounds like you really don’t want to go back to Kanto?” Lance half-joked.

“I’m worried that if I handle the evaluations, no Kanto gym would be able to stay open,” Lu Ye replied honestly.

Lance paused, his expression turning complicated.

He’s asking you to evaluate them, not to go around and shut them down!

“Ahem… the scheduled time is next week. I’ll pass you Nurse Joy’s contact. Seems she’s one of your fans again.”

Lance said casually, then inwardly wondered:

Why did I say again?

“No problem.”

With next week’s plan settled, Lu Ye returned to his regular training routine.

He woke up at eight on the dot, went for a morning run, prepared breakfast, tended to the Pokémon, and suddenly it was noon.

After a half-hour afternoon nap, he went to Prism Tower for his “clock-in while slacking” training session.

The training routine was mainly three steps: Rotom set the plan, Haunter led the team, and the youngsters did competitive extra practice.

On the surface it looked like Teacher Lu had nothing to do—

And in truth that was exactly the case.

After training, Victini replenished energy;

Meloetta’s song eased their mental fatigue.

At dusk, after Bonnie and Clemont waved them off, they returned to the not-yet-open café to prepare dinner.

That evening Lu Ye video-called Mengmengda when Cynthia was free to play games;

or he would stare blankly at his Pokémon.

“Gengarrr…(⊙ˍ⊙)”

Lu Ye: “Hmm, blink first and I win.”

“Gengarrr~(つД`)” Haunter rubbed its eyes.

Waving a mirror in my face is such foul play~

“Ga! (´థ౪థ)σ”

Sirfetch’d lay flat on the carpet, utterly exhausted.

Training like this every day—life can’t go on like this quack~!

Hurry up and go on missions… even if we meet a Legendary, that’s better than staying home~!

Darkrai’s expression shifted slightly;

hearing Sirfetch’d’s Pokémon cries shook him deep down.

Daily training wasn’t enough for it anymore—

It actually wanted to battle a Legendary?!

“An admirable and awe-inspiring Pokémon.” Darkrai watched Sirfetch’d and formed a judgment in his heart.

Lu Ye was currently reading the biography of King AZ of Kalos, flipping two pages each night—more effective at inducing sleep than Sylveon’s “Yawn.”

He also occasionally handled business for the Pokémon Company.

Although Lu Ye tended to be a hands-off manager, Olivia’s business skills were excellent and the Pokémon Company’s venture thrived.

Their main revenue source, Pokémon cards, would soon host the World Championships “battle tournament” in Kalos, attracting enthusiasts like Darkrai and James to sign up.

August 6, Friday, Miare City, Prism Tower.

Today marked the fifth official day of Teacher Lu’s training.

Clemont sat in the invention lab on the sixth floor, looking at the table vibrating non-stop, pushing up his sweat-soaked glasses.

“Teacher Lu… it—shouldn’t collapse Prism Tower, right?”

On the first floor of Prism Tower, Lu Ye stood at the edge of the training field with hands on his hips and shouted with full voice:

“Hey you, Sirfetch’d, don’t be lazy—your Power of Transcendence is on full display!”

“Ga… _(´ཀL`」∠)” Sirfetch’d lay on the ground.

So tired, I feel burned out to nothing…

“That onion juice you sneaked and chewed—don’t think I didn’t see it!”

Lu Ye’s gaze shifted.

“Togepi! Oh, Togepi… you don’t need to go onto the training field, stay safe, haha, be careful~”

Sirfetch’d: •́ω•̀)¿¿¿

Such a clear difference in treatment?

To keep everyone from dozing off, Haunter had hung a blue glass whistle to wake them and wore a baseball cap that he’d somehow come into possession of:

“Gengarrr, beep—”

“You can rest now, Roto~”

The Rotom Pokédex cheered, flapping its mechanical arms, then looked at the Blastoise doing deep squats while holding its head.

“Beep beep… cannot comprehend, Roto!” Rotom’s screen flashed a big question mark.

“Blastoise…” Blastoise’s facial muscles tensed, holding a deep squat with hands on its head, sweating profusely.

We must increase the survival rate for the next mission!

Lu Ye’s mouth twitched.

Push-ups are one thing, but a turtle doing squats—how terrifying can a disciplined Turtwig be!

“Nimi~” Victini floated through the arena, flashing its little fangs and using Helping Hand on Arcanine.

“Awooo!” Arcanine opened its mouth and unleashed a roaring torrent of flames that battered the target dummy, shaking the whole field!

Ssssss—

Lu Ye looked at the target dummy smoking black and scarred, its stats faltering, and felt his eyelid twitch.

With Victini’s support, Arcanine’s Fire Blast reached a power nearing the Fire-type ultimate move Blast Burn…

This was clearly the result of Victini’s unbeatable Victory Star boosting the fellow Fire-type Arcanine.

“Is this boost… legal?” Lu Ye rubbed his chin doubtfully.

Hmm, should be legal—after all, Ash’s Infernape’s Blaze ability is not against the rules!

“Awooo~” Arcanine wagged its fluffy tail and howled proudly.

Lu Ye scratched the dog’s head;

Arcanine grinned with an endearingly simple expression.

“Shugou… no, that’s Big Dog Gou!”

“Bu-bii~” Sylveon looked around irritably, distracted and unfocused.

Everyone else’s rapid progress made the big sister feel a little left behind and downcast.

But she wouldn’t be jealous of her teammates;

instead she silently fell quiet, her big blue eyes flickering as she considered sneaking out tonight to train alone…

“Sylveon!” Lu Ye called.

“Bu-bii?” Sylveon turned and saw her trainer as if he’d read her mind.

“Sylveon, don’t be anxious, there’s no rush.” Lu Ye smiled.

Sylveon’s ability was Fairy Aura, which enhanced Normal-type moves.

A similar fairy-related trait could be traced back to Xerneas’s aura, Fairy Field.

Using the Fairy Plate from Arceus—nicknamed the llama—might allow them to lawfully enhance Sylveon via Fairy Field…

This was the solution Teacher Lu thought of when he saw Sylveon’s worry.

Sylveon glanced at the trainer watching her quietly, her ears twitching slightly;

shy and awkward, she turned away and raised her little head:

“Bu-bii! o(´^｀)o”

I’m not anxious, I’m just a little unhappy—now I’m better!

**

That day’s training officially ended.

Lu Ye recalled his own trainer career, rifled through the notebook in his shirt pocket, and felt a tinge of melancholy.

A year and a half—exactly a year and a half.

Total training time amounted to less than a month.

Next step: become a champion-level trainer!

Daily breeding costs alone were astronomical. If not for the berry-stand system, he’d have gone bankrupt long ago.

“Training can’t be this easy?!” Lu Ye cried out in agony.

“Gengarrr! (*≧▽≦)”

Haunter grinned broadly, scratching its little head.

Don’t praise me so much—stop praising me—this is what I’m supposed to do after all!

……

Another outcome of the Unova trip was that Team Rocket had taken over Unova’s logistics business.

Compared to Team Plasma, Team Rocket had become the most prosperous organization in Unova.

Lu Ye learned from Giovanni that a new organization also named Team Plasma had formed in Unova, allegedly composed of Team Plasma members who had not broken the law.

The new Team Plasma’s doctrine promoted emotional bonds between humans and Pokémon.

As a quasi-religious group, human–Pokémon friendship, romance, and family ties were recognized and blessed.

“Humans marrying Pokémon?” Lu Ye said in astonishment.

“Strange, right? I was shocked the first time I heard it too,” Giovanni said. “But that’s the new Team Plasma’s teaching—an obscure group. It goes against modern morality, but apparently in ancient times such things were commonplace.”

The Sinnoh Suimài City library did have records about “humans marrying Pokémon.”

And perhaps humans in the Pokémon world evolved from Pokémon… this was evolution theory within the Pokémon world view.

Lu Ye thought of the idealistic student N—he had probably become the “King” of Team Plasma, fighting for his ideals.

“From a historical perspective, humans marrying Pokémon has been phased out by society. Progress cannot be reversed.”

Lu Ye said, “But accepting ‘human–Pokémon marriage’ and instead advocating ‘human–Pokémon friendship’—that’s also N and Team Plasma’s success.”

A glint of interest flashed in Giovanni’s eyes.

“You mean he realized the former couldn’t happen and pushed for the latter instead?”

“Like opening a window when the room is too dark. People won’t allow tearing down the wall, but if you suggest removing the roof, they’ll be willing to compromise and open a window,” Lu Ye explained.

Giovanni was silent for a long while, then shook his head helplessly: “I can’t argue with you… but I agree with your view.”

“I heard a legend about humans raised by Sawsbuck in the rainforest.”

Giovanni leaned back on the sofa and said hoarsely, “For that abandoned infant, Sawsbuck would be kin—according to Team Plasma’s doctrine, that would be blessed, right?”

“You get particularly sensitive whenever family comes up, Boss Giovanni.” Lu Ye smiled.

“Is that so?”

Giovanni fell into a long silence, then sighed deeply:

“Maybe I’m getting old…”

Lu Ye felt a tug in his heart but said nothing.

Giovanni, the villain with the most charismatic personality, could well be called a tragic hero.

Still, that could not change the reality of aging…

“Let’s not talk about this.” Giovanni changed topic. “After the Unova missions, I plan to promote your three subordinates to officers. How does that sound?”

“Jessie, James, and Meowth?”

“Is that what they’re called…” Giovanni’s wrinkled face showed a moment’s thought. “Ahem, whatever—those three!”

Lu Ye’s expression turned complex.

You totally forgot about them, didn’t you!

By rights the trio should have been promoted already;

back in the Pokémon: BW anime, the Storm Plan even saved Giovanni’s life.

Now it’s all complete;

they’re just one step away from high-ranking officers—the “three cadres.”

“I’ll pass the message along,” Lu Ye said. “By the way, Hoenn has been hit by bad weather recently;

the tokusatsu show has been off for two weeks. Brock’s brother is very upset.”

“Hoenn?”

A cold light flickered in Giovanni’s eyes.

“I understand. I’ll handle it.”

If it means keeping a show running for his son to watch, going alone to Hoenn is no big deal!

**

After the promotion announcement, the trio hugged and sobbed with joy.

“What a great feeling~”

“Sono~ nashi! o(╥﹏╥)o”

“If you perform poorly, you could be demoted.”

Lu Ye said coolly, “Also, what are your upcoming missions? Who can tell me?”

“We have missions coming up?” James scratched his head.

“Idiot!” Meowth leapt onto the back of James’s neck, grabbed his hair, “The Vertress Conference in Unova is starting soon—don’t you get it, meow?”

“It’s about funding, more funding!” Jessie cupped her hands and her eyes turned into dollar signs.

Lu Ye nodded with satisfaction, his face full of “teachable youth.”

“Looking forward to good news from you.”

Lu Ye said, “See you in Kalos after the Vertress Conference!”

“Roger~!” The trio saluted in unison.

When the call ended, the trio huddled together grinning slyly.

“Officers now, we’re officers~” James chuckled, “No need to go back to inherit the family business!”

“Show it off to that watermelon-head glasses girl, make her look down on us!” Jessie clenched her fists.

Meowth crossed his arms and shook his head with a ‘tsu tsu’: “Your ambitions are too small, meow.”

“What do you want then?” James and Jessie asked in unison.

Meowth grinned and bubbles rose into the air as his imagination ran wild:

[A black-haired youth sits on a sofa, his large hand stroking Meowth’s gold coin on its forehead;

Sylveon sits on the carpet jealous!]

“Wahaha, what an amazing feeling meow~!” Meowth laughed exaggeratedly.

“Feels like Meowth is thinking very dangerous things…” Jessie shrugged.

“I think so too.” James said faintly.

“Sono~ nashi!”

……

It was already Sunday afternoon after the promotion announcement.

Lu Ye wasn’t training today.

Teacher Lu planned to give himself, the Pokémon, and Prism Tower a day off…

He lay on the back-room sofa reading when he saw Togepi struggling to climb onto the couch, its bright eyes fixed on him:

“Chajiduyi~ ξ(✿＞◡❛)”

“What’s up?” Lu Ye closed his book. “Anything you want to discuss?”

“Duyi!” Togepi nodded vigorously.

After a bit of effort, Lu Ye figured it out—Mew was coming over to visit today.

“Of course, and it can stay for dinner too.” Lu Ye smiled. “It won’t take long since it teleports over.”

With Teacher Lu’s permission, Togepi, like a kid inviting classmates home, hopped off the sofa and dashed off:

“Chajiduyi~ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ”

Lu Ye watched Togepi’s little back run off.

The little eggshell doesn’t run fast, but it’s quite cute…

Near dusk, the Blastoise in the water tank sensed an abnormal fluctuation and recognized it as Mew, retracting its charged cannons.

“Mew~”

The pink, cat-like Mew floated in the garden, circled once, its tail swaying lightly.

Lu Ye and Mew did a high-five as they grinned, “Long time no see, Mew.”

“Mew!” Mew nodded adorably and curiously looked around.

Victini and Meloetta also exchanged curious glances at Mew.

“Nimi…” Victini mustered courage and offered a macaron to Mew.

Mew’s eyes lit up;

delighted, it took the macaron, circled once and chirped happily: “Mew~ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*)”

“Chajiduyi~(ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪”

Togepi stood on tiptoe, tiny hands waving happily in the midst of the three mythical Pokémon.

“Mew!” Mew’s eyes shone a blue light and Togepi floated under its Psychic power.

The two little ones hovered in midair, face-to-face, giggling.

Lu Ye crossed his arms and watched the four little cuties.

Goodness… they could already fill a table for mahjong!

His glance landed on the big phoenix tree in the courtyard and an idea popped into his mind:

“Mew, could you make this big tree a gateway to the World Tree?”

“Mew?” Mew looked at Lu Ye with a hint of puzzlement in its eyes.

“That way, it’ll be much easier for you to visit the shop.” Lu Ye smiled. “If not, it’s okay—I’ll ask Palkia to help next time.”

Darkrai’s face in the shadows changed drastically.

There mustn’t be a next time—no second chances!

Mew thought seriously for a moment, then nodded: “Mew!”

Mew’s Secret Power can create special spaces in trees, grass, or caves;

the Secret Power used by Mew can also transport through space.

Making the courtyard tree an entrance to the World Tree… it could even serve as an emergency escape route!

Teacher Lu and Blastoise thought that was brilliant!

Sparkling motes of light filled the courtyard.

“Mew~!” Mew hovered by the newly refreshed, vibrant tree.

The trunk twisted into a white light curtain through which the aura of the Tree of Beginning flowed richly.

Lu Ye was stunned for a moment.

Wow—this aura is an epic-level buff for Blastoise!

Mew, Victini, Meloetta… the café’s team grew ever stronger.

Anyone stepping into the backyard would have their worldview overturned.

Lu Ye looked at the thriving tree, rubbed his chin, and his gaze settled on the topmost treetop.

“If Ho-Oh would come visit the café,” Lu Ye murmured, “then the Sacred Ash would have a place to be…”

…