Chapter 160: Did I Make Caitlin Cry?
As one of Unova's Elite Four, Caitlin owned multiple villas worldwide and even allowed Cynthia to use them. For this proud and self-assured young lady, Cynthia was the only Trainer she acknowledged and aspired to surpass.
However, Cynthia had been too busy gaming lately and declined Caitlin's battle invitations. In a fit of extreme frustration, Caitlin had ground her way up to the Master Ball tier in Pokémon: Battle in just a day.
The two slacking Sinnoh Elite Four members could only wail in misery.
A green-haired man with a single strand of hair sticking up—Aaron—cried out: "Not only do we have to get wrecked by Teacher Lu, now Caitlin's here too?!"
The red-haired Flint clutched his head in despair. "It's over… My rank is doomed."
"Caitlin's another rank climber! Just like Lucian, she plays Trick Room teams!" Aaron gritted his teeth. "No way, I'm joining them too!"
Lucian adjusted his light blue, frameless glasses and sighed. "It's bad manners to talk behind someone's back when you're gaming at their place, you know?"
Aaron froze for a moment, then chuckled awkwardly. "Oops… Force of habit…"
Lucian smiled faintly and clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. Before he could erupt, Flint quickly coughed and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, isn't Teacher Lu streaming today? Let's go copy some of his teams!"
Lucian pondered for a moment and slowly nodded. But the moment they opened the stream, they were stunned. Caitlin, the rising star of the Master Ball tier, was up against the ultimate trickster, Teacher Lu?!
Sinnoh-Johto Frontier: Battle Castle
Unlike the Battle Chateau in Kalos, which belonged to Diantha, this Battle Castle was Caitlin's private property. Inside her royal chamber, luxurious décor adorned the space—tassels, lace, and an incredibly soft bed.
A slender girl with golden wavy hair lay sprawled across a velvet bedspread, wearing a bored expression. "So annoying… Why not just surrender already?"
Her goal was simple—to match against Cynthia, defeat her, and hear her praise. Even in a game, as an Elite Four of Unova, there was no reason for her to lose. This was the arrogance of a pampered yet extremely dangerous young lady—the arrogance of a princess.
Suddenly, the intercom on her bedside table crackled, and the castle's steward, Darach, spoke. "Milady, your opponent's record is astonishing. Please be cautious of his tactics."
"...How annoying."
After a brief silence, Darach added, "By the way, your opponent has defeated Miss Cynthia before. They've even played games together all night."
BANG!
The intercom instantly fell silent.
Darach sighed and muttered to himself, "Did she blow it up with Psychic again…?"
Golden waves of hair floated in midair, bathed in the blue glow of telekinetic energy. Caitlin took a deep breath and locked her gaze on the battle screen—her eyes turning sharp.
The Battle Begins
Duraludon stood its ground, while Amoonguss took a defensive stance. Gothitelle tried to trap Amoonguss with Shadow Tag, but Caitlin's real target was elsewhere. Meanwhile, a perfectly aimed Thunder Wave from an unseen Pokémon struck Gothitelle dead-on.
"Wait… A Duraludon with a Wide Lens?"
"With Teacher Lu's luck, even if Gothitelle gets paralyzed, Trick Room will still go up!"
Lu Ye blinked in surprise. Despite the paralysis, Gothitelle struggled through and successfully set up Trick Room!
"Is this… the true bond between Trainer and Pokémon?"
"Hahaha! Teacher Lu's luck is too cursed!"
The battle had taken a turn for the worse. Under Trick Room, Lunala unleashed a devastating Moongeist Beam!
"U-turn!" Lu Ye commanded. "Amoonguss, Spore!"
The moonlight erupted upon Duraludon, forcing it back into its Poké Ball as red light engulfed its body. Meanwhile, Amoonguss fired off its Spore—only to have it land on Gothitelle, who had just used Ally Switch to take Lunala's place.
Lu Ye frowned slightly. Caitlin, however, curved her lips into a smile.
"Wait, even when paralyzed, she can still move freely?!"
"This is just Teacher Lu's cursed luck at work. I love it!"
Lu Ye sighed. Even though he had predicted Caitlin's moves, probability was still an unpredictable beast. "But that's fine!"
Lu Ye tossed out another Poké Ball. By using Whimsicott's Protect and Focus Sash, Lu Ye managed to stall for several turns.
Caitlin furrowed her brows ever so slightly. Metagross replaced Gothitelle, its iron fist descending like a meteor towards Amoonguss!
"Bwoooomph!" With a final, pitiful cry, Amoonguss collapsed.
Lu Ye wiped away a nonexistent tear. "Thank you, Amoonguss!"
At that moment—a majestic Arcanine leaped onto the battlefield, its amber mane blazing and black stripes fierce.
Lu Ye smiled. "This is the classic speed control combo—Whimsicott and Arcanine!"
Thanks to his previous Pokémon's maneuvering, Caitlin had no Trick Room setter on the field. With Whimsicott's Tailwind, Lu Ye's momentum skyrocketed!
"It's happening—Teacher Lu's legendary speed control!"
"WOOHOO, LET'S GOOOO!"
Caitlin clicked her tongue, feeling a strange sense of unease. It was a helpless feeling—one she couldn't quite place, yet it made her anxious.
"Bronzong, go. Trick Room!"
Just then, Caitlin's instincts screamed at her. She snapped her gaze up—
Whimsicott's Beat Up landed on Arcanine! A fierce howl echoed across the battlefield. Arcanine's Justified activated—its Attack boosted to absurd levels!
"Awooohhh!!"
Scorching flames erupted, wrapping around Arcanine's legs like blazing wheels. With a Justified-fueled Flare Blitz, it instantly obliterated Bronzong!
Caitlin froze. "Metagross, restrain it!"
But Arcanine lunged forward, its fire-coated fangs sinking deep into Metagross's steel-plated body! Two KOs in seconds!
The chat exploded.
"Holy sh*t, what is that damage?!"
"Teacher Lu's new strat is BROKEN!"
Arcanine rushed at Lunala, smashing it out of the fight in under two seconds. All that remained was a sleeping Gothitelle, helpless.
The entire chat filled with question marks.
"Dude, she's an Elite Four! How did she get steamrolled?!"
"This thing is unstoppable!"
"There's always someone questioning Teacher Lu right before he does something insane!"
Moments later— VICTORY.
Lu Ye let out a long breath. "Phew… That was close. Almost lost there!"
The chat rolled their eyes. They were used to Teacher Lu's shamelessness. But this time, he had won with a self-made strategy, despite his terrible luck, and had even secured four KOs in a row…
"I can't believe he actually pulled that off."
"New viewer, huh? This is just standard Teacher Lu gameplay."
"This guy is ridiculously skilled but also insanely unlucky."
The stream's viewer count shot past 4 million, gifts flooding in. But after his battle with Caitlin, Lu Ye was sore and exhausted. He gently stroked the sleeping Sylveon in his arms and smiled.
"Alright, that's it for today's stream!" With practiced speed, he instantly ended the stream.
The chat erupted.
"That end-stream speed… Single for 20 years confirmed."
"ALL RISE!"
"See ya, Teacher Lu!"
Caitlin stared at the screen, biting her cherry-colored lip. The "Defeat" message burned into her soul. I was only supposed to lose to Cynthia…
BANG!
Her LCD screen shattered into pieces, the console emitting black smoke. Hearing the commotion, Darach carefully pushed open the door. Caitlin sat with her back facing the entrance, her golden hair cascading down, clearly sulking.
Darach sighed in relief. "Milady, it's just a game. No need to be upset."
He had watched Teacher Lu's entire stream. Judging purely by tactics and execution, Lu Ye was on par with Cynthia. And without psychic abilities to rely on, Caitlin was simply outmatched. Perhaps the reason Lady Caitlin was so upset was that feeling of helplessness when facing Teacher Lu.
With her back to the door, she murmured softly, as if talking to herself, "Darach… Sometimes I feel like I can't do anything right…"
Darach sighed and smiled. "Here we go again."
"Even if you had nothing, milady, you would still be the most esteemed lady of the Battle Castle."
Arrogance stems from inner fragility. Darach shook his head helplessly. Despite how Caitlin always tried to put on a strong front, whenever she faced setbacks, she would curl up like a hedgehog.
Caitlin wiped at the corner of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she turned around with a blank expression and said flatly, "You're so annoying."
"Yes, I'll take my leave now." Darach placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly, thinking to himself: As expected of Teacher Lu… He actually made Lady Caitlin cry from a game. If I ever get the chance to meet him, I must ask for an autograph!
Sinnoh Region
"I can't believe it… Teacher Lu actually managed to beat Caitlin," Aaron sighed.
"Well, it's just a game," Lucian said plainly. "Caitlin's true strength lies in her uncontrollable psychic powers. The game takes that away from her."
"But Teacher Lu's battle commands were incredible too!" Aaron argued.
"That's right!" Flint nodded seriously. "If Teacher Lu could beat Caitlin, then us losing to him is completely reasonable!"
Lucian pressed his fingers against his forehead and let out a long sigh. So now you guys are hyping up Teacher Lu just to save your pride?
"…But," Lucian muttered, stroking his chin, deep in thought. "This strategy might not be useful in a Champion-tier match… but in other fields, the Beat Up strategy could be very effective."
"What kind of fields?" Aaron asked, tearing open a bag of chips and munching on them.
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained." Lucian smirked coldly. He pushed up his light blue glasses, his mind racing. Last time, Teacher Lu's Rock Slide strategy indirectly led to Sinnoh's Pokémon Center medical reforms… The true purpose behind his strategies… is probably the same thing I'm thinking of.
Late Night
By the time Lu Ye turned off the stream, it was already past midnight. Even though Sylveon was drowsy, its feelers were still wrapped tightly around his arm, unwilling to let go.
Lu Ye chuckled, gently picking up Sylveon and placing it in its cozy bed.
The little one stirred and murmured sleepily, "Buii?"
"I'm not leaving," Lu Ye sighed. "I'm just going to make some midnight snacks for you three."
Sylveon pouted but reluctantly unwrapped its feelers.
After preparing late-night snacks for his Pokémon, Lu Ye yawned and returned to his desk, opening his editing software. To record Episode 9 of Teacher Lu Teaches You to Battle: The Beat Up Strategy, he needed to call upon an old friend—our dear punching bag, Gold.
The moment Lu Ye invited him, Gold immediately logged in at lightning speed.
Gold: Come, let me show you my new Sunny Day Baton Pass team!
Lu Ye was slightly surprised. Even you, Gold, have started playing tactical teams?
Teacher Lu: Alright, let's see what you got!
One hour later. Lu Ye hesitated for a moment before asking, "Wanna go again?"
Gold let out a long sigh. "Forget it… I'm not feeling great today. Let's do it another time."
Lu Ye understood and nodded sympathetically. "You worked hard, drink some hot water. Oh, and next time, use a different account. Otherwise, people are gonna think I hired you as an actor."
Gold went silent. Just then, Cynthia logged in.
After a few casual matches, Cynthia suddenly asked, "You ran into Caitlin today, didn't you?"
Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes…
He coughed lightly. "Oh, yeah, just a random match."
"…Darach told me that you made Caitlin cry." Cynthia's tone carried an unmistakable trace of amusement.
Lu Ye froze. I… I made an Unova Elite Four cry?!
First, "I went toe-to-toe with Lance." Now, "I made Caitlin cry." A new achievement unlocked!
"…Damn, I'm awesome," Lu Ye muttered under his breath.
Cynthia chuckled. "You're not sleeping tonight."
"Huh?"
"Perfect timing. I wanted to test out your new strategy myself."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Lu Ye's forehead. "Ahem… Uh… Do I get a commission for this?"
"Obviously."
"Well, money's not important," Lu Ye said quickly. "I just want to spend time playing games with you."
Cynthia giggled softly.
August 30th – Sunday Morning
As the first light of dawn seeped through the curtains, Lu Ye, with dark circles under his eyes, yawned as he finally finished editing his video. As the file uploaded, he couldn't fight off sleep any longer and collapsed onto his desk.
Gengar draped a blanket over him.
Squirtle grabbed a small bag and waddled off to the convenience store to buy breakfast.
Sylveon, sensing his body warmth through its feelers, curled up against him, making sure he wouldn't catch a cold.
The room fell into a peaceful silence… until a soft notification chime sounded from the computer.
[Upload Complete!]
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