Chapter 148

Erika had reserved a hotel on the Bund and was preparing to start her journey the following day. She stood up to bid her farewell.

After inquiring, Luke discovered that the recruitment period was one week, which meant Erika had six more days of paid vacation.

Luke's emotions were mixed.

You're quite something, Erika!

"Just say your goodbyes here," Luke suggested.

Standing in the hallway, Erika had her hands gracefully folded in front of her skirt as she smiled and said, "Thank you very much for your hospitality."

Luke nodded and suddenly asked, "Have you not joined the group yet?"

"Eh? What group?"

"The food exchange group, or you could call it a group of food enthusiasts."

Erika was slightly taken aback, her face turning slightly red, and she nodded eagerly.

"Please let me join, if you would!"

[Group owner 'Teacher Luke' invites group member 'Mt. Cherry' to join the chat group]

"Sure."

Erika softly said, "I think I've heard Red mention this."

"Really?" Luke asked. "Red talked about it?"

"Of course," Erika blinked.

"That's right..."

If you wanted to find Red, you only needed to visit Pallet Town, Viridian Gym, or Mt. Silver, and he'd probably be shuttling between them.

The master chat group:

Gold: Welcome to the newcomers! Please share photos, stats, and progress updates!

[Group member 'Gold' has been muted by 'Blue' for five minutes]

Brock: Ah, it's Miss Erika! Welcome!

Misty: Hello, Erika Teacher!

…

Teacher Luke had added new members to the Online Friends Group, which was quite gratifying!

"There are so many familiar faces," Erika remarked, pursing her lips. "This is... quite interesting."

Luke also felt a bit emotional. From the solitary Gold to now having more than ten members...

Teacher Luke was truly delighted!

But he set the matter of the friends group aside for now.

Erika waved goodbye and stood in the dimly lit hallway, her eyes sparkling as she suddenly asked, "By the way, Teacher Luke, have you studied obstetrics and gynecology?"

The [Gynecological Master] plaque hanging on the wall had left quite an impression on Erika.

Luke was momentarily surprised but nodded solemnly. "I'm quite skilled in massage."

"Really, really?" Erika seemed momentarily stunned, then exclaimed, "As expected of Teacher Luke!"

This strange system might even introduce a [Tuina] ability someday.

Luke remained composed, nodding. "Indeed."

…

Upon returning home, Luke stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the crack in the wall.

Haunter imitated the same pose, its hands resting on what could be considered its waist.

"jie jie~!"

But it was because of me!

The renovation team won't be able to come tomorrow.

It seemed that less than two days had passed since the last renovation had been completed.

Luke's expression was complicated.

Sister Liu's house is certainly durable!

Teacher Luke sighed, crouched down, and reached for Eevee.

Eevee approached, blinked, and let out a soft cry. "vui~?"

"Do you want to learn Shadow Ball too?" Luke asked.

Eevee hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Luke massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Let's start by practicing with Haunter... Master the technique first, and I'll gather the necessary resources for you later."

Eevee wagged its tail, revealing a tiny fang. "vui~!"

Watching this scene, Squirtle couldn't help but clench its tiny fists.

The lord has placed so much trust in me; I can't afford to let him down!

"uirt~!"

I need to accelerate my Aqua Tail training!

…

Monday, August 24.

Mossdeep City in the Hoenn Region.

Wailmer leaped out of the deep blue sea, and the sun cast its golden rays on a stone-gray villa.

The man with light blue hair and deep eyes had changed into a formal suit and was seated in front of his computer.

He opened "Gold Miner" and mined for stones for two hours. Satisfied that he was far ahead on the Integral Points leaderboard, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Hmm..." The phone buzzed.

Steven glanced at the incoming call and was pleasantly surprised as he answered with a slight smile, "Aren't you two on your honeymoon? What made you think of calling me?"

"What honeymoon? I'm just helping Professor Birch complete his Pokédex... Ouch! Sapphire, that hurts!"

On the other end of the phone, the lively female voice changed:

"Mr. Steven! Can you arrange two visas for the Orient Region? We want to observe the comet!"

The comet?

The best place to observe the Millennium Comet was indeed near Xiangchu in Orient.

But these two individuals weren't interested in astronomy... Why would they want to go there?

Steven suddenly realized.

It was all just an excuse; it was clearly Qixi Festival!

With a smile, Steven replied, "Of course, I happen to have something to ask both of you as well."

"You barbarian, give me the phone! I need to talk to Mr. Steven!"

"Ruby, give it back!"

Steven separated the noisy mobile phone from his ear and suggested with a smile, "Both of you can take turns to talk on the phone."

"Hey, Mr. Steven, I've subdued Ruby. Are you there?"

A bead of sweat formed on Steven's forehead.

Ruby... It couldn't be anything bad, right?

"Oh, here's the thing."

Steven explained, "The Space Center in Mossdeep City has commissioned me to bring the suspected Jirachi Meteorite back to the comet observation point."

"If our analysis is correct, this could also be a great opportunity for you to gather data," he added with a slight smile.

"Jirachi, the super cute Pokémon?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I can take care of that!"

"Ruby, please let Mr. Steven finish," Sapphire interrupted.

"Sorry, Ruby," Steven apologized and continued, "I've been in touch with the Space Center. If it turns out to be Jirachi's Meteorite, releasing it back into space would be the best choice."

Ruby nodded in understanding.

Maxie had harnessed the power of Jirachi to create a false sea monster, and that power was incredibly destructive. Besides, Jirachi had only just recovered in the past seven days, and the vast cosmos was its true home.

"I understand," Ruby said seriously. "If it's confirmed to be Jirachi, I'll make sure it's safe!"

Sapphire was about to say something but looked at Ruby's sincere expression, causing her to blush and remain silent.

"Haha, there's no need for that. I will personally escort this Meteorite," Steven assured them.

"And besides, I have a friend in the Orient who you can meet and enjoy the meteor shower together."

Ruby's expression turned slightly ambiguous.

Escorted by Mr. Steven... Who would dare to cause trouble?

Wait a minute... Isn't this just a free trip to the Orient to watch the comet shower?

Sapphire exclaimed, "Mr. Steven's friend! Is he also a Trainer?"

Steven tapped his chin as he thought, his light blue eyes gleaming.

"He's a Trainer who can rival Mr. Lance," Steven replied with a smile.

Silly Couple gasped in amazement.

"This, this is too incredible," Sapphire stammered.

"Could he be difficult to get along with and not want to travel with us?"

"Teacher Luke is quite easygoing," Steven reassured them with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll help you with your visas."

"And the meteor shower will last for an entire week, so you can consider it an extension of your honeymoon."

"Um..."

The Silly Couple blushed and scratched their cheeks in embarrassment.

"Alright then, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Steven!"

After hanging up, Sapphire's eyes sparkled as she grabbed Ruby's shoulder and exclaimed, "A Trainer who can rival Mr. Lance! We're going to watch the meteor shower with two Champions!"

"Easy, easy, don't shake me!"

Ruby stumbled.

"I wonder what kind of Champion he is. Sapphire, maybe you can ask him for advice too."

"I'm not that naive. I've got a Champion appointment of my own," Sapphire teased.

"It's you, but what if Teacher Luke, like Mr. Wallace, is a coordinator?"

Ruby snorted and took out the Pokéblock box. He said casually, "On the Coordinator stage, I'm just a little short of senior Wallace..."

"Even though I can't beat Teacher Luke in battle, when it comes to Pokéblocks, I'm no slouch!"