Chapter 295

Thursday, December 17

Last night, Koga's two poison manuscripts had mysteriously disappeared into Gengar's "four-dimensional pocket." To Luke's amusement, Gengar seemed to use its ghostly stomach as a sort of interdimensional storage.

"So... nothing's corroded in there?" Luke raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Gengar, grinning mischievously, reached into its belly and pulled out an untouched bag of cucumber-flavored chips. With a practiced "pop," the bag opened, and Gengar handed it to Luke proudly.

Gengar: (￣～￣) Chewing!

"...Forget it," Luke sighed, taking a chip as Gengar crunched away happily, clearly unfazed by the oddity of it all.

Luke took two chips and handed them down to Togepi, who was hopping in anticipation.

"Toot! ~(o▽)o" Togepi chirped, stuffing the chips in with a delighted grin, cheeks puffed out like a little chipmunk.

The morning was still early, and the yard was alive with energy. Arcanine bounded around, stretching his legs, while Squirtle—sunglasses firmly in place—was watering the flowerbeds with a 'Squirtle'-shaped spray bottle. There was something oddly serious in his stance, like a bald-headed boss meticulously tending to his plants.

"Gah! _( ω "∠)_" Sirfetch'd, thick-browed and noble, was dozing on his shield, clearly feeling the urge to skip training.

Luke, however, wasn't going to let him slack off so easily. With a cheerful grin, he plucked a few of Sirfetch'd's soft feathers, earning a half-hearted quack of protest.

"Don't worry," Luke said with a laugh, "I've already got everything lined up for your Poison Strike training!"

The two manuscripts Koga had left last night—Sludge Bomb and Poison Jab—were no mere moves but filled with Koga's own notes and insights. According to him, it would cost a good 4 million to get Gengar proficient in Sludge Bomb, and while Poison Jab was a little less costly, it still required some pricey venom extractions.

Patting Sirfetch'd on the head, Luke said, "I'm counting on you, so don't make my hard work go to waste!"

Sirfetch'd blinked, as if processing this unexpected commitment. Weren't they supposed to be the slackers, the easygoing pair?

"Gah…" he muttered, his stare blank and pleading.

Didn't we agree to be lazy together?

..

In the chat group, an offer popped up from Green.

"Poison Orbs? I think I've got a couple on hand," Green said casually.

Teacher Luke replied, "Perfect! Just pick out two and I'll buy them from you."

"Consider it done!" Green responded happily.

Yellow chimed in with a gentle reminder, "Poison training, huh? Make sure to be careful!"

"No worries," Gold said with a grin, "Teacher Luke's training is the real deal. He knows what he's doing."

Then, as if thinking of something, Steven spoke up. "I also have a couple of Poison Gems in my collection. If you don't mind, I'd be glad to give you two."

Luke paused, surprised. Steven's collection items were no joke—they were at least epic in quality. "Thanks a lot, Steven-san!" Luke replied, genuinely touched.

Just as he was about to finalize his plans, a new message popped up.

"@Teacher Luke," Sabrina messaged, "Are you heading to the Saffron Gym for training this afternoon?"

Luke thought back to yesterday's schedule, when he'd been too busy with a publicity event to drop by. Since he'd missed his usual training session, he could imagine Sabrina's annoyance.

"Hmm…" he pondered. For psychic moves, he could easily let Gengar practice independently. But for poison moves, it was better to supervise closely.

Just as he was about to respond, Erika joined the conversation.

"Grass and poison go hand in hand," she said with a soft smile. "Wouldn't it be more effective to train at the Celadon Gym?"

Janine, the Poison-type gym leader of Fuchsia City, felt a little blindsided. *Why's everyone suddenly so interested in poison training?*

Sabrina's expression darkened slightly. She didn't appreciate Erika's intervention, and her brows knitted in irritation.

Erika, noticing this, smiled to herself. *It's not good to let anger show on one's face,* she thought with a serene expression. *It might just make the skin look worse.*

The screen buzzed as Luke replied, breaking up the tension. "I think I'll go to the Saffron Gym," he typed. *It's closer to home, after all…*

Erika froze, her pleasant expression faltering just a bit.

Sabrina, meanwhile, brushed back her dark hair with an air of satisfaction. After all, she was technically still Gengar's official trainer.

*Victory: Sabrina.*

Erika let out a sigh, resigning herself to defeat for now.

...

Afternoon

It was late December, and the chill had started to set in. Luke wrapped himself in a brown windbreaker as he and Sylveon strolled down the empty street, their breath fogging in the cold air.

Feeling a comforting warmth, Luke glanced down at Sylveon's ribbon gently wrapped around his arm. Sylveon blinked up at him with her wide, blue eyes.

"Are you feeling cold?" Luke asked, squatting down.

He opened his windbreaker, and with a little wiggle, Sylveon nestled into his arms, her head poking out with a cute, determined expression.

"A little heavy," Luke chuckled. "If you move around too much, I might drop you!"

"Bu-buyi!" Sylveon protested, fluffing her fur indignantly.

The toxic orbs Luke had ordered from Green that morning were promptly delivered by Rocket Logistics to the Saffron Gym, ready for Gengar and Sirfetch'd to begin their afternoon training.

As they arrived at the stately Saffron Gym, Gengar floated along happily beside Luke, making a playful face. "Koujie! (~￣▽￣)~"

From inside, Luke heard a chorus of voices calling out, "Good afternoon, Coach!" He smiled, letting Sylveon down before entering the training area.

Sabrina, the dark-haired gym leader with her usual calm expression, was already waiting.

"The training area is set up," Sabrina said, gesturing to a section of the gym. "And your toxic orbs are ready."

Luke nodded, recognizing the glinting orb as he approached it. He remembered getting his first from Devon Company back in Shanghai, and now, seeing another, Gengar was absolutely delighted.

"Koujie!" Gengar gave a pleased cackle, sticking out his long, red tongue and giving the orb a little lick.

"Koujie! (*⊙~⊙)"

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Is that…a training technique?"

Luke shrugged, grinning. "It's something Koga showed me, so not much surprises me anymore."

Sabrina nodded thoughtfully, watching as Gengar began his "Sludge Bomb" training. With a 30% chance to inflict poison, it was shaping up to be Gengar's ace Poison-type move.

"Koujie!" Gengar continued to taste-test the orb, completely absorbed in his task.

Luke watched, feeling amused. This was probably Gengar's fifth training session in the last half year. "You've really been putting in the work!" he said, giving Gengar a proud nod.

Sabrina, crouching down beside them, rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on Gengar. "Can it eat poisonous objects?" she asked, curious.

"Koujie!" Gengar nodded proudly.

"Hmm…what about poker chips?" she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

Gengar hesitated. "Kou…koujie?" (Maybe…?)

"And what about a bowling ball?" Sabrina's eyes sparkled at the thought.

Gengar froze in shock. "Koujie! Σ(°△°[|])︴"

Thankfully, Sabrina's expert supervision meant that if anything went wrong with Gengar's attempts at "training," she'd be quick to react.

With his trusted team by his side, Luke was confident they'd handle even the wildest of training sessions.

Luke's gaze drifted to Sirfetch'd, standing tall and pristine with his snow-white feathers and characteristic sternness.

"It's your turn," Luke said with a friendly smile.

"Gah!" Sirfetch'd grumbled, resigning himself to his fate. He picked up his signature leek, his eyes sharpening with determination.

But… how exactly was he supposed to train with poison?

"Alright, for mastering 'Poison Jab,'" Luke mused, "the first step is to coat the weapon with poison…"

Luke explained that just as some Poison-type Pokémon release paralytic toxins from their bodies, others, like certain seasoned fighters, channel poison through external tools or weapons. For Sirfetch'd, it would mean coating the tip of his leek with poison, rather than relying on direct body contact.

"We'll take this slowly," Luke reassured him. "If you can't get it right away, no worries."

For Luke, not mastering it wouldn't be the worst outcome—he cared more about Sirfetch'd experiencing growth and fulfilling his potential.

But Sirfetch'd wasn't having any of it. If Luke wanted this, he would deliver, even if he didn't know exactly how to go about it. Gritting his beak, he glanced over at Gengar, who was happily slurping away on the Poison Orb.

In that moment, inspiration struck.

With a glimmer of confidence, Sirfetch'd stretched out his tongue, determined to coat his leek just like Gengar. Carefully, he began to lick the tip of the green onion with a focused, "prprpr~".

And then…

"Gah!? w(Д)w"

A flash of dizzying blackness clouded Sirfetch'd's vision as the world swam in front of him. He'd overdone it and landed himself right in a "poisoned" state!

Luke, stifling a laugh, patted Sirfetch'd's back. "Maybe leave the licking technique to Gengar," he said, grinning.