"Greetings, everyone. I'm Teacher Luke."
"Today, I'm here to provide you with a tactical lesson—"
"Simplifying Space Focused; even grandma can achieve Master Rank!"
In a dimly lit room, a skylight cast a magical beam of light onto a man sitting on a sofa. He wore a suit, and the sun's rays made it challenging to discern his features. He gently stroked his Persian's fur with his broad palms.
"Meow~" Persian purred and rolled over, displaying its glowing ruby on its forehead.
The man's gaze remained fixed on the LCD screen in front of him, where Luke's commentary filled the room.
"Space Focused offers various playstyles."
"Teacher Luke prefers using Rhyperior for offense, and Snorlax is also a solid choice..."
"Just keeping it simple with Space Focused, Sprinkle Sleep Powder like this... Wait, can it miss?!"
"Space Focused... is it really that straightforward?"
The man murmured to himself, "What an interesting young Trainer..."
When it came to Ground Type perception, the man was confident that no one could surpass him. After all, he had been one of the top trainers in the Alliance—Giovanni of the Earth.
On the screen, Rhyperior, with its blood-red eyes, relentlessly defeated Sabrina's Pokémon one by one.
Giovanni, who had recently recovered from a long illness, felt a dormant fire deep within him, something that yearned for action, like blood that had lain still for too long.
Giovanni squinted his eyes as he thought about the past, realizing that it had been a long time since he had admired someone so much.
The sound of a bell interrupted his contemplation, and Persian let out a discontented mew.
Giovanni picked up the microphone adorned with a red agate ring on his hand.
Matori's voice came through the speaker, precise and composed, "The 'Matori Matrix' couldn't infiltrate Orient and can't carry any threatening Pokémon, so I will handle the recruitment task alone."
"Thank you for your efforts," Giovanni hoarsely replied.
"But be careful not to provoke him."
"Competing with a Trainer who has mastered unique moves is not something to take lightly."
"I understand," Matori responded.
"How do you plan to recruit him?" Giovanni inquired.
Matori pushed up her glasses and replied, "With your genuine intentions and our Team Rocket—"
Giovanni frowned, interrupting her, "All that is just empty talk, Matori."
Matori fell silent for a moment, then Giovanni continued, "Offer benefits and freedom."
He squinted his eyes, a hint of intrigue in his gaze. "Only these two things, do you understand?"
Matori hesitated briefly, then nodded firmly. "Yes!"
...
August 9th, Sunday.
On the second day after Teacher Luke's video release, "Teacher Luke's Battle Instructions 08: Space Focused" had surpassed 10 million views and was featured on the homepage.
Fans who had come to watch the intense battles couldn't help but be impressed by the overwhelming victories.
"Teacher Luke, are you even human?!"
"At this rate, Teacher Luke might as well challenge the Viridian Gym Leader Blue!"
"Brother, do you call this tactic simple?!"
"Hello everyone, after facing Viridian Gym, Blue's tactics seem extremely ruthless!"
Although Space Focused required complex commands, many of Teacher Luke's fans were not Trainers themselves, yet they found the content highly engaging.
The comment section was filled with praise:
[A Clever Tactic to Defeat Aggron]: I woke up this morning feeling cold all over. How can there be such a sneaky tactic? But looking at the avatar, I see it's Teacher Luke, so it's all good!
[Gardevoir and I are Egg Hatching Buddies]: Is there any Trainer who can't defeat Rhyperior? In the wild, you just need to grab Rhyperior's arm, and it won't be able to use Rock Wrecker. At this point, avoid its Horn Drill and slice through its abdomen.
[Caterpie Uses Electro Web]: Teacher Luke: My apologies for mistaking you for someone else.
The cost of breeding a Space Focused team was considerably high, and not many Trainers were well-versed in this field. Whether it was the aggressive aesthetics of Team Building or the simplified explanations, Teacher Luke's video quality reached new heights.
"Teacher Luke is truly amazing!"
"Teacher Luke might excel in the gaming world, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's good in reality..."
"Even Red and Blue endorse Teacher Luke by sending him Mega Rockets... I won't delve into it any further; I get that interests are intertwined."
Luke was taken aback for a moment.
After reading the comments again, he couldn't help but shed tears. Finally, he had found a like-minded friend!
"I'm really just a gaming content creator, trying to make some extra money!"
...
The BP income from videos and live broadcasts allowed Luke to acquire Water Stones. Following Green's breeding method, Squirtle needed to be refreshed with water for at least three days. Each time, Squirtle became more resilient during the shell removal process.
Luke was pleasantly surprised.
"It's skin quality didn't harden..."
"I can't help but think that this breeding method might not be reliable!"
As Luke pondered, his phone vibrated.
[Green: Teacher Luke, how is Squirtle's progress?]
Luke glanced at Squirtle, who was happily bubbling in the fish tank.
...
"Squirt~"
Squirtle soaked in the fish tank, deep in thought.
Three days had passed, and it hadn't mastered the new move yet.
This progress... wasn't great!
Squinting its eyes, a determined look flashed in Squirtle's eyes.
It wouldn't hurt to have more tricks up its sleeve. What if it encountered a Pokémon outside that was even more powerful than Haunter?
...
Luke remembered the scene where Squirtle had used Water Gun to defeat Onix last time.
A shiver ran down his spine.
[Teacher Luke: It's alright, Squirtle is just contemplating life in the fish tank.]
Green smiled and sent a voice message.
"It's also a good idea to carry an Everstone; it helps you master certain moves in advance."
"Follow my instructions, and Squirtle should be able to learn Rain Dance soon."
Luke was surprised. Squirtle had only been on the team for less than ten days. Could its growth rate be this astonishing?
Luke looked puzzled. "How does Rain Dance work?"
"The recipe I provided enhances Squirtle's connection to Water Type energy," Green explained with a smile. "It allows you to manipulate the moisture in the air, creating short-term rainfall."
"With Water Type Legendaries, the rainfall can even cover hundreds of kilometers."
Luke was left stunned.
So, Green's recipe not only helps Squirtle harden its shell but also allows it to learn new moves? Why hadn't Green mentioned this earlier?
Glancing at the cautious Squirtle, Luke muttered, "Just don't flood the house..."
...
In the evening, Coach Zhai called and mentioned that he had a surprise for Luke, asking him to visit tomorrow. Luke was a bit wary of this "surprise," but he agreed to go.
With limited food at home, Luke decided to take his three companions with him to buy some groceries.
The evening breeze was gentle, and flocks of Pidgey flew across the orange-red dusk sky, transforming the day into shades of purple.
"vui~" Eevee rested on Luke's head, hugging it affectionately and gazing around with curiosity.
"jie jie~~~~" Haunter floated beside Luke, carrying bags of various sizes, wearing a happy grin.
"Squirt~!" Squirtle sported sunglasses, looking like a secret agent as it observed its surroundings carefully.
Luke suddenly teased, "Eevee, you seem to be gaining weight again, huh?"
"vui~?!"
"Hahaha, just kidding!"
"vui~! (#｀д´)"
Eevee playfully smacked Luke's hair. Luke laughed and continued walking through the night.
Suddenly, Squirtle stopped and tugged at Luke's pant leg.
"What's wrong, Squirtle?"
"uirt~..." Squirtle's face wrinkled, and it looked somewhat serious.
At that moment, the system issued a warning.
[Ding! A suspicious target detected within 500 meters. Host, please remain vigilant.]
Luke's expression became serious.
Even when he faced Onix last time, he didn't receive such a warning.
But strangely, as the situation grew more intense, Luke found himself becoming calmer.
He continued walking along the road, glanced at a corner's reflection, but there was no sign of any suspicious figures.
This, in fact, confirmed Luke's suspicion.
He muttered to himself in a low voice, "Am I being...?"