Sunday, October 6th.
In a rare dream, Luke found himself in an unusual setting. He was lying on a bed covered in Alcremie, with icing sugar all around, getting ready to stuff his cheeks with sweet treats.
As he opened his eyes, he noticed Sylveon's ribbon being tugged by the little Pokémon itself. Sylveon gazed at Luke with its bright blue eyes and made a playful sound, looking slightly annoyed.
"Vui~! (#｀Д´)"
In a gesture of apology, Luke extended his arm, and Sylveon promptly settled itself comfortably on a pillow.
"Vui~!o(´^｀)o"
The chandelier on the ceiling flickered, and Gengar, who was hanging from it, swayed.
Luke's expression changed slightly, and he muttered, "During rest... this light shouldn't be falling, right?"
Despite Gengar appearing like gas, it still had a considerable weight of 40.5 kg!
"Jie jie~?" Gengar woke up, levitated to the bed, and bounced to stand on it.
"Clang, clang, clang!" Gengar placed its hands on its hips and greeted Luke with a good morning.
"Good morning," Luke patted Gengar's head. "Take Growlithe for a walk!"
Gengar saluted and took Growlithe out for a stroll, resembling a diligent patrol security guard.
The elderly security guard by the door was stretching, and when he spotted Gengar, he called out to his fellow security personnel.
After the walk, Luke had already prepared a table of breakfast.
There was fresh orange juice, perfectly poached eggs, and toast with crispy ham.
"Jie jie~ !(￣～￣)"
"This afternoon, an express delivery will arrive, remember to sign for it," Luke reminded.
Luke had placed an order for materials necessary for 'Psychic' training through Devon Corporation's channel. Leveraging various transportation methods had made the 'last mile' of delivery much more convenient.
In the afternoon, the doorbell rang.
Sylveon made a crashing sound as it rushed to the door.
Gengar answered the door, looking curiously at the delivery person.
The delivery person wore a dark uniform and a hat, and his appearance bore a striking resemblance to some Team Rocket members.
"Rocket Logistics," the delivery person said as he handed the package to Gengar. "Don't forget to leave us a five-star review!"
"Jie jie~!" Gengar gave a thumbs up, grinning widely.
Luke watched the energetic delivery person and couldn't help but feel baffled.
Aren't these people associated with Team Rocket?
He quickly checked his phone for information, and his expression became rather complicated.
Could it be...that this is a legitimate company?
Based on the company's announcement board, it did indeed possess a valid business license.
It seemed that Team Rocket had a legitimate venture, which was rather surprising.
Luke scratched his head and said to himself, "Well, I guess... I won't have to pay for express delivery!"
The authority given to Team Rocket's Top Rank Executive covered even the small details!
However, when thinking about the long-term implications, transitioning into the service industry might be a smart move for Team Rocket's transformation.
Upon opening the package, Luke started to check the contents. His heart sank with each item he took out: "Psychic Gems, Bright Powder, Dawn Stone..."
These were all one-time use items, unlike TMs, which could be used multiple times. With each item he retrieved, Luke's chest felt heavier.
"It's alright," Luke reassured himself. "Once Gengar learns these moves, I can teach them to other Pokémon."
In the afternoon, Luke accompanied Gengar to the Taurus's Club, a rare occurrence.
Mastering 'Psychic' was a crucial step for Gengar's Confusion-Flying.
Consequently, Luke was highly attentive during Gengar's training.
Gengar's transformation had garnered attention from the entire club.
Xena and the young ladies at the front desk swarmed around Gengar, petting, touching, and even lifting him.
Amid the excitement, Gengar turned slightly red and scratched his head apologetically.
"Jie jie~ !o(*▽*)q"
During the training, Luke worked with Xena, the granddaughter of the elderly security guard, to impart his expertise.
"Arbok, use Crunch!"
The vibrant Arbok raised its upper body, executing a swift and electrifying attack, with its fangs gleaming menacingly.
"Dodge using Levitate!" Luke ordered. "Use Psychic!"
A pale pink aura surrounded Gengar as Arbok's movements visibly hesitated for a moment.
"Seems like the target is suppressed, and Confusion affects it, all while lowering special defense..." Xena pondered.
It appeared that using 'Psychic' wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.
After Gengar landed on the ground, he released a Shadow Ball playfully, and it soared towards Arbok.
Bang!
Xena stared at the scorched Arbok in the pit, her face turning pale.
Just how... had Gengar gone from a weak Gastly to a powerful Gengar in such a short time?
He was now on par with a Gym Leader's main Pokémon!
Luke, too, was left bewildered.
He had asked Gengar to practice Psychic...
Not to fry the opponent!
"Jie jie~!" Gengar scratched his head sheepishly.
It was an accident!
"Luke, Teacher Luke," Xena hesitated as she began, "Have you ever considered attending next month's regional conference?"
"Regional conference?"
Xena nodded in response, "Compared to the Alliance conference, the Orient Region conference is the initial step in the Orient Alliance battles."
"With your strength, advancing to the Orient conference wouldn't be difficult," she added, still visibly impressed.
Luke absentmindedly stroked his chin as he contemplated.
Orient was vast in its expanse, and the competitions held there served as a means to select participants for the Alliance conference. However, he had other plans, primarily involving Kanto, and the regional conference didn't pique his interest.
"I won't be participating," Luke replied with a reassuring smile. "I'd rather leave that opportunity to the younger Trainers."
Xena was slightly taken aback by his response.
The look in Luke's eyes had shifted suddenly.
It appeared that Gengar's rapid growth was no accident.
Before departing, Gengar once again floated toward a vending machine.
As he watched Gengar manipulate the machine to retrieve a Coke from another dimension, Luke couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
It seemed as though Gengar's evolution had slightly increased his penchant for mischief.
From a strict standpoint, this marked Luke's third training session. Nonetheless, Gengar's progress was notably impressive.
"I suppose I should continue with this method," Luke muttered as he gently stroked his chin.
After dinner, Luke received a private message within the group.
Crystal: "Teacher Luke, may I come to Magic City to seek your assistance?"
Teacher Luke: "What's the matter?"
Crystal responded with a smile, "Professor Elm wishes to entrust you with the task of hatching a Pokémon egg. If you agree, you may also keep the hatched Pokémon as a reward."
Luke's expression shifted slightly. He had no particular animosity towards Professor Elm, so why was he suddenly being handed this task?
"Oh, and he sent me an audio message to pass along to you," Crystal added.
Upon opening the audio file, Luke listened to Professor Elm, who spoke with a sense of melancholy.
"Luke... please allow me to address you as Teacher Luke. Every newborn Pokémon is inherently pure and innocent."
"By being raised by a distinguished Trainer, they gain more vitality and grow healthier."
"Gold is undeniably an exceptional Pokémon caretaker, but..." Professor Elm's voice trailed off as he cleared his throat.
He continued, "If you're willing, please help hatch this Pokémon."
"But if you have no intention of keeping it, you may regard it as a reward. Please think it over carefully."
Luke couldn't help but feel a sense of pity. He wouldn't trust Gold to incubate Pokémon eggs, but in all fairness, there was a certain level of sympathy between fellow egg caretakers.
"Never mind, it's just a Pokémon in my care," Luke decided.
As he spoke, he glanced at Gengar's belly, deep in thought.
Should he place the Pokémon egg in there as well? It might benefit from staying with a Trainer... or rather, staying with Gengar.
Crystal, upon receiving Luke's reply, made arrangements to travel to Magic City and entrust the Pokémon egg to Teacher Luke.
The clock eventually struck seven.
After three days of contemplation, Teacher Luke returned from his collection trip in Johto and commenced the live broadcast as scheduled.
The audience flocked to the live stream, noticing the "new tactics" mentioned in the title.
"Ooh!"
"Exciting!"
"All right, let's get ready for some Pokémon battles today!"