Chapter 9

Cai Zhong looked blankly at the fallen Parasol Mushroom.

As an expert in grass-type Pokémon, he knew everything about the Parasol Mushroom's habits and combat style.

However, his opponent's unconventional move caught him off guard.

"Using the Toxic Orb to trigger the Parasol Mushroom's Poison Heal ability?" Cai Zhong muttered.

"What a bold idea!"

In reality, the Poison Heal strategy for Parasol Mushroom had been proposed before, but it was usually a passive tactic.

The toxicity of the Toxic Orb would put a significant strain on the Pokémon, even with the 'Poison Heal' ability, which couldn't fully absorb it.

Therefore, grass-type trainers generally chose the 'Technician' ability for their Parasol Mushrooms, enhancing their close-combat capabilities on top of the grass-type's endurance.

But the tactic used by "Teacher Lu" seemed to open a new world for Cai Zhong.

"What if the endurance effect of Leech Seed could counteract the toxicity of the Toxic Orb?"

Cai Zhong began to construct this strategy in his mind, combining it with real-world scenarios.

"Using Substitute to share the toxicity, Poison Heal could fully absorb the toxicity of the Toxic Orb!"

"Leech Seed, Toxic, Toxic Orb, Substitute... What a bold breeding method!"

Cai Zhong's face showed a fervent expression. "This strategy can definitely be applied in real life!"

For a moment, Cai Zhong's breathing quickened, and he opened "Teacher Lu's" homepage, eager to learn more.

"Top ranking... World 7th!?"

Cai Zhong's eyes widened.

He glanced at the fan group he had just joined, and his expression changed.

"Mr. Red is actually here too!"

"And Champion Green!"

"Even they are fans of Teacher Lu!?"

Cai Zhong felt a bit overwhelmed and muttered, "Such a famous grass-type master, Miss Rika must know him."

"I wonder if I can learn from him at this year's Type Expert Tournament..."

He opened a Poké Ball, and a red light flashed.

Cai Zhong looked at his other Parasol Mushroom with the 'Poison Heal' ability and began to recall the battle scene in detail.

"So he wasn't deliberately provoking me; the essence of the Poison Heal strategy is indeed like that..."

Cai Zhong's eyes regained their determination, and he clenched the Poké Ball.

"I need to keep working hard!"

---

After the broadcast ended, Lu Ye's live stream channel gained 70,000 subscribers.

In just one night, Lu Ye received nearly 2,000 yuan in tips.

Although the exact income still needed to be calculated, it was enough for Lu Ye to treat himself.

He took a can of cold cola from the mini-fridge, opened it with a hiss, and leaned back in his gaming chair.

"System, check remaining BP points!"

[BP Points: 970]

Due to the excellent show effect, Lu Ye gained nearly 200 BP points, and it wouldn't be long before he could do another ten consecutive draws.

In the room, Gastly was still floating intently over the breeding manual, studying it seriously.

Like a strict teacher, Gastly's expression was stern as it stared at the document, and its small black claws held an Oran Berry.

"Kya!"

As if reading something interesting, Gastly nodded in satisfaction and bit into the Oran Berry, juice spilling out.

Lu Ye's expression became peculiar.

Good grief, using academic papers as a meal!

Hearing the noise, the black mist suddenly closed.

Gastly turned around in surprise, immediately grinning widely and extending its tongue to lick Lu Ye.

"Kya~!"

Lu Ye tried to pet Gastly's head, but his hand passed through the black mist, feeling a cold and numbing sensation at his fingertips.

Suddenly, the system's emotionless voice rang in Lu Ye's ears.

[Gastly, a thin gas-like life form, can cause even an Indian elephant to collapse within ten minutes if surrounded by its gas.]

Lu Ye's expression changed. "Damn, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Fortunately, Gastly liked Lu Ye's touch and consciously controlled its toxins, forming a mist that circled around Lu Ye's hand.

Lu Ye sighed in relief and smiled. "Do you want some midnight snack?"

Gastly's eyes widened, and it blinked.

Gastly: (⊙ˍ⊙)

"Here, take the phone and order whatever you want."

Lu Ye handed the phone to Gastly and took the document that had been dampened by saliva.

Glancing at the [Gastly's Breeding Manual], Lu Ye was surprised. "Good boy, you even took notes!?"

"Kya!" Gastly, holding the phone, lifted its head proudly.

Earlier, Lu Ye had half-jokingly asked Gastly to annotate the usage of Oddish's Light Screen.

In less than two hours, the manual was full of wet, sticky saliva underlines, all made by Gastly itself!

"You're a real genius, kid!"

"Kya~~(๑´ㅂ`๑)"

Lu Ye didn't mind much, putting the breeding manual back and scolding with a smile.

"Stop grinning and order the food!"

Mastering a move isn't something that happens overnight.

Mastering "Light Screen" in two hours was clearly wishful thinking.

Fortunately, Lu Ye didn't have high expectations for Gastly; the main goal was to save on electricity...

"Kya!"

Gastly carefully placed the phone on the table, its eyes gleaming as it stared at the various dishes on the screen, sucking back its saliva.

But it couldn't help but smile like a pervert, extending its long tongue to lick the Leek Duck on the menu.

Gastly: (¯﹃¯)

"Leek Duck... We had it last time, let's try something different."

Lu Ye rubbed his chin. "How about barbecue? The lamb skewers here have good reviews."

Gastly: (✪ω✪)

Gastly's eyes gleamed in agreement.

"Extra spicy, cumin, and ice beer... All set!"

Half an hour later, Lu Ye set up a table by the window.

The evening breeze was refreshing, and the aroma of the grilled skewers made his mouth water.

Gastly, drinking MooMoo Milk, had a red face from the spiciness but still licked the oily skewers enthusiastically.

"Slow down, no one's competing with you!"

"Kya~~~!"

Although a spirit, after finishing the skewers, the black mist around Gastly seemed more condensed.

[Consuming 'Delicious' Braised Lamb, Host BP Points +40]

[Remaining BP Points: 1010]

Taking a sip of the cold beer, Lu Ye smiled. "How did you end up here?"

"I read online that Gastly's habitat isn't in towns."

Gastly paused, looked up, and remained silent for a while before burying its head in the lamb skewers.

"Don't want to talk about it?"

Lu Ye gently poked the black mist around Gastly and smiled.

"It's okay, we're family now."

The evening breeze blew, and Gastly suddenly looked up—

Its eyes were wavy, tears streaming down its face.

"Kya Kya~ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)!"

"Don't wipe your snot on my clothes! No, don't!"

Lu Ye narrowly escaped being enveloped by Gastly, experiencing the "suffocating African elephant."

He took out a suspicious blue drink [Speed Enhancer (Enhanced Version)] from the cabinet as Gastly's breakfast for the next day.

Lu Ye arranged for Gastly to rest on the ceiling as its bed.

It must be said that waking up to see a grinning ghost every morning gave Lu Ye a sense of security.

"Turn off the lights, Gastly."

"Kya!"

Following Lu Ye's command, Gastly cut off the power in the room.

However, even Lu Ye didn't notice that after he fell asleep, a faint glow slowly appeared around Gastly, like fireflies circling.

This was exactly what Lu Ye had asked Gastly to master in the morning—

"Light Screen"!