There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [70]
However, A-Le was studying harder than ever. Given his foundation, getting into a Trainer program would require double the effort compared to others. Although getting into a top provincial university might seem unrealistic, as long as he could become a Trainer, even going to a school in another province was something he could accept!
Su Xiangrou hadn't been seen in the classroom for a long time either; she had buried herself in her uncle's lab, working on her research paper. With her academic skills, she could easily pick any of the Top 3 universities in the country.
As for Hu Sheng, he was feeling a bit lost. The nerd he once looked down on had made it this far in the tournament. In a way, the Lu Cheng who had beaten Wang Yingjie could almost be considered his benefactor! How ironic, he thought sourly, feeling a surge of frustration. With a loud slap, he threw his book down and walked out of the classroom without a word.
Watching Hu Sheng's retreating figure, the homeroom teacher, Old Chen, didn't say anything. He simply took a leisurely sip of his tea, feeling pleased. Having a student guaranteed a spot at a prestigious university not only fulfilled this year's quota but had even brought the school principal over to personally congratulate him.
Sigh, the life of a master teacher is just so dull... and uneventful, he thought with a smirk.
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VulpixAbility: Flash Fire
Nature: Modest
Held Item: Charcoal
Moveset:
Psychic (Mastered)
Flamethrower (Mastered)
Fire Spin (Proficient)
Return (Mastered)
Confuse Ray (Competent)
Looking at the Vulpix before him, with its vibrant fur and undeniably adorable appearance, Lu Cheng couldn't help but smile. After days of dedicated training, Vulpix had successfully improved its Fire Spin to a "proficient" level. With this, it had nearly learned all the major moves it could before evolving. Now, all that was left was to find a Fire Stone, and Vulpix would be ready to evolve into Ninetales.
The thought of Vulpix's evolution filled Lu Cheng with excitement.
After finishing the day's training, he returned home, sprawled out on his bed, and began browsing the Pokémon market on his phone, looking for suitable items for his two Pokémon. But with less than 30,000 yuan left in his account, it was mostly wishful thinking.
"Sigh…" Staring at the "Protect" TM priced at 200,000 yuan, Lu Cheng sighed. "If it weren't for the system gifting me TMs, who knows how many years it'd take before I could afford one."
Wait… TMs? Suddenly, a thought struck Lu Cheng, and he bolted upright.
I can trade my extra TMs!
Currently, Lu Cheng had two unused TMs in his inventory: "Brick Break" and "Ice Punch." Both were incredibly powerful moves, especially for Fighting-type Pokémon, but neither was useful for his team. Whether it was Brick Break or Ice Punch, they required the Pokémon to use their forelimbs, and Grovyle was more focused on slashing techniques. As for little Vulpix, it couldn't even learn those moves.
Which meant, Lu Cheng could absolutely trade these TMs for something more suitable!
TMs, like Poké Balls, were issued by the Pokémon Association. However, unlike Poké Balls, TMs were limited in availability and often given as rewards. The most well-known manufacturer of TMs was the Zhongxing Research Group, a subsidiary of the Pokémon Association. They had several branches dedicated to the research and sale of TMs.
TMs were marketed primarily to Pokémon trainers, which made them incredibly expensive. Given their low production volume and the fact that each TM could only be used once, it was rare to find them circulating in the market. Even a "Protect" TM, considered a basic move, could sell for around 200,000 yuan, let alone powerful elemental attacks. At a recent TM auction held in Shanghai, a "Hyper Beam" TM fetched a staggering 3.77 million yuan.
Due to the difficulty in pricing TMs, trainers often preferred bartering, trading TMs they didn't need for ones they did. With this in mind, Lu Cheng logged onto the Pokémon forum's trading section and began searching.
"No luck… none of these TMs are useful for me," Lu Cheng sighed, leaning back in his chair. Most of the listings were for common TMs like "Protect" or "Substitute," and a rare "Thunder Punch" TM had been snapped up almost immediately. Despite searching for a long time, he couldn't find anything that fit his needs.
For Lu Cheng, the ideal TM would be "Toxic." It would perfectly fit his strategy of "Substitute + Toxic," and the first two TMs would be easier to get. However, after scouring the forum and market listings, he came up empty-handed.
Lu Cheng sighed, thinking about grabbing a bottle of Moomoo Milk from the fridge. Just as he was about to get up, a newly posted message caught his eye.
"FitDeer: Anyone want to trade TMs? Looking for Fighting-type moves. I'm offering 'Double Team'!"
Lu Cheng's eyes lit up. "Double Team" was an incredibly rare and valuable move, perfect for confusing enemies. Combined with "Agility," it could lead to devastating surprise attacks. Even better, both of his Pokémon could learn it!
Lu Cheng immediately clicked on the post, seeing the replies pile up quickly.
"ElectricField3 Electivire: Don't have Fighting moves, but I can trade 'Charge Beam.' Deal?"
"FlyingScyther: I've got 'Aerial Ace.' Lots of Fighting-types can learn that too. Think it over!"
"FitDeer: Guys, relax! I've posted my preferred trade list. Anything below the price of a 'Protect' TM won't be considered, so please stop sending me random DMs."
"GothMissToday: Are you a girl? Can I get your contact info?"
"OneHeartDojoYellowBelt: Dude, I wouldn't… You're gonna regret that…."
Lu Cheng scratched his head. Price 3 Protect? What does that even mean? But scrolling through "FitDeer's" trade list, he saw that both "Brick Break" and "Ice Punch" were among the top-ranked offers. Deciding it was worth a shot, Lu Cheng sent a private message.
---
Isshin Dojo. Once a proud establishment, it had fallen into decline after funding cuts. However, in recent years, thanks to rising stars, it began to regain some of its former glory. Leading the charge was the dojo master's eldest son, Gao Chi, who at a young age had won the city's Pokémon Fighting Championship and advanced to the U20 finals, putting Isshin Dojo back on the map.
What few people knew was that this quiet, black-belt champion had a very lively younger sister.
Lying on the tatami, her legs swinging in the air, Gao Lu scrolled through her tablet, sighing, "So many people just messing around!"
"Dad's getting fewer and fewer TM quotas from Zhongxing Research, and lately it's all been support moves..."
"We used to get things like 'Comet Punch' and 'Drain Punch'…" Gao Lu sighed again, resting her chin in her hand.
Earlier this year, Isshin Dojo had received two TMs, both for "Double Team." Respecting Gao Chi's wishes, their father had given both to Gao Lu. And in her effort to teach her Masquerain more moves, Gao Lu had opted to trade "Double Team" for something more useful.
"There's nothing good to trade for!" she groaned, burying her head in frustration.
Suddenly, her tablet beeped—a new message from a user with a Ninetales avatar.
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