The rumors about Gastly and "that man" from venue 7 are still spreading in the Trainer circle.
Some people believe that "that man" is a powerful Trainer who tamed Gastly and is now using it in the novice competition to level up.
Others think that Gastly is being overhyped and that "that man" was just an easy opponent in the first round.
There are also speculations that the whole thing is just a publicity stunt organized by the competition organizers.
Regardless of the speculations, Gastly's popularity has caused the attention towards the "Piplup" Cup competition to skyrocket.
This caught the attention of the final decision director, Le Bloom.
In preparation for the group stage, Gastly trains hard every day. Although the Pokémon Pokédex shows that it has not learned any new moves, it has thoroughly mastered all the knowledge from Blue's "Breeder's Handbook."
With the continued popularity of the videos featuring "Substitute-Toxic-Protect-Paralysis" and "Shrink Squad," Luke's live broadcast room has now surpassed 100,000 subscribers.
[Ding——The task "I'm really not the host of beauty" is completed!]
[Task description: achieve the small goal of reaching 100,000 subscriptions]
[Task reward: 1000 BP points, Random Skill level 1, TM "Substitute" *1]
[Cooking Level 1: Enhance your cooking skills, including knife skills and fire control. (Your cooking will remind people of the flavors of home.)]
Luke used to order takeout, but now his cooking ability has improved, and he can occasionally make delicious meals.
The other reward is a small grey USB flash drive containing TM "Substitute."
This USB flash drive contains detailed information on how to train and use "Substitute" with different Pokémon.
With the help of TM, a simple move can be learned within three days.
TM can be reused, and it is also possible to copy its content.
However, the pirated versions on the market may have defects, errors, and omissions compared to the genuine TM.
No matter how poor you are, you should not compromise on education, and no matter how hard you try, your Pokémon should not suffer.
That's why Trainers are willing to spend a high price to buy genuine TM.
Most people study TM together with their Pokémon to find the most effective training methods.
But Luke's approach is to simply give the USB flash drive to Gastly and say, "If you don't understand, ask me!"
"jie jie~?"
Gastly was surprised, holding the USB flash drive in its mouth and plugging it into the notebook, then using its tongue to move the mouse.
It clicked on the file named "#092 Gastly" and concentrated on studying its contents seriously.
In the video, a Gastly is seen using Haze to create a Substitute under the guidance of its Trainer.
The Haze splits into two clusters of gas, forming two grinning Gastly replicas.
After taking a hit, the smaller Gastly disappears quietly.
"jie jie~!" Gastly nods thoughtfully.
No wonder the master asked me to watch the video and learn on my own. It's so simple, I don't need to ask him at all!
Gastly starts to make some creative associations, holding a pencil in its mouth and sketching on a piece of white paper.
I can use Substitute to continuously use Will-O-Wisp...
I can also use it to distract the enemy and then launch a surprise attack...
Gastly's scratch paper is filled with ideas.
After much brainstorming, Gastly looks pale and weak, holding the pencil in its mouth.
It seems that learning the "Substitute" move is more challenging than expected.
Should I ask the master for help?
Or is there a better way that I haven't thought of yet?
Taking a deep breath, Gastly pops two Oran Berry Pokeblocks into its mouth with its long tongue and then drinks a can of Moomoo Milk next to it.
Gastly: (￣～￣) Chew!
Suddenly, Gastly's eyes light up, and its fighting spirit is renewed.
I can do this! I'll keep learning!
—
That night, Luke's live broadcast created quite a buzz.
It was his first broadcast after the release of the "Shrink Squad" video, and it was also his first live broadcast with his face revealed, instantly gaining over a million viewers!
In front of the camera, a beautiful boy with sharp features and deep eyes rested his cheek in one hand, gazing quietly at the game interface.
His gender-neutral appearance captured the hearts of the audience.
But when Luke spoke, his youthful charm collapsed.
"Do you still dare to Snarl?" Luke exclaimed, "Incineroar, we'll Snarl back!"
"Oh my god, did that just MISS?! I'm losing it!"
Throughout the broadcast, Luke displayed what it truly means to be unlucky.
His commands and predictions were spot on, but the moves kept missing.
The opponent landed fancy critical hits and managed to land Protect in various three-move chains, which made the audience burst into laughter.
"I can't take it anymore!"
"This is just too much for my heart to handle!"
Throughout the night, Luke's ranking declined, but the live broadcast room was filled with happy laughter and cheerful voices, creating a joyful atmosphere.
Despite the unfortunate results in the game, the live broadcast was a huge success and garnered the highest viewership and popularity in history.
Luke couldn't help but sigh deeply, "No more brushing, please!"
"Thanks to the rocket sent by [Teacher Luke's fan]... the house management had to seal the rockets from now on."
"I've said it so many times, I'm really a technical streamer!"
Despite the embarrassment, the show's effect was explosive, and Luke received nearly 5,000 yuan in rewards overnight, with his BP increasing by nearly 300 points.
[Remaining BP points: 1780]
In theory, the prize pool for ten consecutive draws includes not only Pokémon Items but also Lego Star Destroyers and Snorlax pillows.
However, every time Luke tried to draw from the ten consecutive draws, Gastly's influence always led to cheaper items, and this time was no exception.
The list of ten draws consisted of only one purple-quality Petaya Berry, along with Sodapop (a carbonated drink similar to Fei Zhai Happy Water), and four Leppa Berries in high demand.
Leppa Berries are known for relieving Pokémon's fatigue after using moves, thus increasing their training time, and are widely used in the Trainer community.
"After making Pokéblock, it should relieve Gastly's fatigue," Luke mumbled to himself.
Stepping out of the room, he found Gastly still holding a pencil, completely focused on taking notes.
Seeing Luke, Gastly raised his head with a pale face and a weak smile.
"You are unbelievable! You are way too eager!" Luke exclaimed.
Gastly's eyes widened with excitement, and they even turned bloodshot.
With a Growl from Gastly, a cloud of gas separated from his Haze and slowly formed another grinning Gastly.
This "Substitute" merged into the shadows but didn't dissipate, acting as a sentry to guard Gastly.
Noticing Luke's surprised expression, Gastly smiled ruefully.
Simultaneously, the "Substitute" hidden in the shadow unleashed a coquettish Confuse Ray!
"This is..." Luke swallowed.
"A Substitute attack?"