The vast stadium was so silent that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
The expressions on the faces of the Battle Department students ranged from disdain to shock, shock to confusion.
Luke retrieved Gastly with a complex expression, remarking, "Looks like I've won."
Angela Shen remained standing there, appearing somewhat dazed. After a long pause, she slowly nodded.
"Our class had reserved this venue," Luke said, glancing at Angela Shen. "Is that alright?"
Angela Shen shook her head, still looking somewhat bewildered.
Luke felt a twinge of regret.
He's genuinely a straightforward person, but his social skills leave something to be desired.
At that moment, someone timidly inquired:
"Luke, did you just... win?"
"You defeated the school team?"
"Wow, seriously? You pulled it off!" Damien exclaimed in amazement.
"Brother Luke, you're absolutely incredible!"
The Finance Department's class erupted into cheers and excitement.
Meanwhile, the Battle Department students were left questioning reality.
This shouldn't be happening, right?
Angela Shen was already the strongest in their class, and even the school team coach had acknowledged her prowess.
But now, she had been defeated by an unknown student from the finance department...
Something seemed off.
"Did you all watch the match closely? The whole process?"
"Yeah... Gastly's speed was astonishing!"
"No, I mean both sides' trainers' commands!"
As Battle Department students, they could naturally perceive the difference in power between the two Pokémon.
Though Gastly had impressive speed, it still fell slightly short in terms of raw strength compared to Granbull.
However, with the guidance of a trainer's commands, Gastly nearly achieved a completely dominant situation.
This implied that Luke's command skills had far surpassed those of the school team's Angela Shen!
"Is something off here? Isn't he from the finance department?"
"How could someone from the finance department possess such a high level of command!?"
"Sister Shen got outplayed by a pre-read earlier!"
Being able to pre-read is either a stroke of luck or a huge gap in skill between the opponents.
Angela Shen was pre-read just now, and luck alone couldn't explain it.
This left only one possibility...
"Let's go, let's get out of here!"
"We can't afford to offend him, can't afford it."
"I don't get it... how can someone from the Finance Department do this?"
The Battle Department students departed in frustration. Angela Shen glanced at Luke and murmured to herself for a moment.
"Would you consider... trying out for the school team evaluation?"
With Luke's command skills, even with Gastly's current strength, making it onto the school team was almost certain.
Angela Shen, who had lost to Luke, no longer had the face to stay in the school team. Perhaps taking this opportunity...
"No, I won't," Luke said firmly.
Angela Shen seemed taken aback.
What was Luke's aim?
His goal was to make money, become a successful entrepreneur, and buy himself a mansion!
Before that, he needed time to focus on his live streaming and content uploading business. He couldn't afford to neglect his studies.
The Magic City University team?
What's the big deal?
Even if the world Champion is his fan, so what?
However, in Angela Shen's eyes:
Exemplary strength, remarkable skills, gentlemanly demeanor...
She bowed deeply to Luke, expressing her gratitude. "Thank you," she said.
Watching Angela Shen walk away, Damien slapped Luke on the back.
"She's thanking you for losing, what's that about?"
"I'm not sure," Luke said, scratching his head. "Maybe it's because I'm handsome?"
Damien scrutinized Luke for a moment and clicked his tongue.
"Not bad, a little more handsome than me!"
The dispute settled, Gao Teacher was immensely appreciative of Luke.
For the "Pokémon Battle" course, Luke undoubtedly earned a perfect score.
At this point, Luke had secured the top spot in all three courses.
Thinking about the 6,000 yuan scholarship he would receive at the end of the term, Luke's excitement knew no bounds.
This plan was paying off handsomely!
After the match with Angela Shen, the system also provided a corresponding evaluation.
[Received the exclamation from classmates, BP+1, BP+1 ...]
[Read first! BP+50]
[Tactical'trash talk' used successfully! BP+50]
[Win the battle , Evaluation: tactical crush! (BP+100)]
Angela Shen is worthy of being a member of the school team. She is simply an elite monster, providing Luke with more than 500 BP points.
[Remaining BP points: 3280]
Although an elite monster worth was 500 BP, Luke is still a little dissatisfied.
"I've recorded a video with over 1,000 BP," he murmured.
"It looks like being a Trainer isn't such a lucrative deal after all! If the money's not good, the live stream is a bust!"
Luke also noticed something peculiar about Angela Shen.
The Trainer who had battled Luke in "Pokemon: Battle" was most likely a skilled one, at least a Master-level player. Unbeknownst to him, this had even further honed Luke's command abilities.
However, even the cleverest person can't accomplish much without resources.
Luke couldn't escape the fact that raising Pokémon comes with its own financial burdens, requiring a significant amount of resources.
For now, Luke's main focus was on securing the end-of-term scholarship.
As for the Piplup Cup Rookie Trainer competition...
Well, he thought with a grin, he would just go with the flow.
Surely, he wouldn't actually become the Champion, right?
—
During that night, Gastly managed to grasp a new move.
Luke:?
Perhaps the victory over Granbull had accumulated a substantial amount of experience points for Gastly. As a result, Gastly's comprehension of the move "Substitute" had reached a new and improved level.
The so-called "new move" was actually a fusion of "Night Shade" and "Substitute".
"Night Shade" had been one of Gastly's initial attack techniques and was quite significant in its arsenal. This move manifested as a ghastly apparition about a meter tall behind Gastly, inflicting damage through illusions and fear.
Luke couldn't help but jest, "Don't tell me you're trying to pull off something from 'Naruto.' This is obviously Susanoo, okay?!. It's fine if you let Substitute go up and fight with others, and now you actually have one Susanoo!, Will-O-Wisp is approximately equal to Amaterasu?
Jokes aside, Luke remained diligent in preparing Pokéblocks for Gastly. Considering the intense activities from the previous night and the strenuous battles of the day, Gastly hadn't shut its eyes for almost two days straight.
Luke crafted a mild-effect Pokéblock using ingredients like Moomoo Milk, Pecha Berry, and Honey purchased online. After consuming the Pokéblock, Gastly cleverly settled on the ceiling to rest.
This sight couldn't help but evoke a faint smile from Luke.
Despite occasional moments of unexpected mischief, Gastly seemed to rest well when it chose to do so.
At two in the morning, Gastly's eyes abruptly opened.
In the dim night, those large, slightly green eyes seemed to radiate an intense focus.
The second round of group matches was scheduled for the next day.
Training had to continue!