Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

Lowell's suggestion of a two-player battle here is clearly intended to get Lillie to team up with him. The main purpose, of course, is not for Lillie to fight, but to allow Lillie's Magikarp to gain experience and grow quickly.

Before evolving into Gyarados, Magikarp's combat power is practically useless. It only has one move, Splash, and at level 15, it learns a move called Tackle, which has virtually no power.

Under these circumstances, it is essential to quickly level it up so that it can evolve into Gyarados and become an effective fighting force...

Fortunately, Magikarp only needs to be level 20 to evolve, and it can also achieve a special evolution by accumulating "rage". Of course, the former is obviously more convenient than the latter. The experience of level 20 is a piece of cake for Lobe now.

Upon hearing Rowe's proposal, Lillie understood and didn't think much of it, but she was a little embarrassed to speak up.

"But won't that hold Lowe back?"

"Haha, if Lillie were willing to wear a cheerleader outfit and do a support dance, I think that would be a huge morale boost!"

"Ah wu..."

These words instantly made the girl blush. Although for Luo Wei, who had appreciated all kinds of "works of art" in his previous life, the cheerleading uniform was less revealing than a school swimsuit, and could be described as extremely innocent, it was indeed a bit stimulating for a pure girl like Lillie.

Masked Cat, on the other hand, excitedly came over, only to be helplessly stroked a couple of times with one hand on its head by Luo Wei. "Don't come and join in the fun, my dear princess~"

The appeal lies in Lillie's shyness; otherwise, characters like Masked Cat, who wouldn't show any shyness even when dressed in a cheerleader outfit, would be less interesting.

However, if he were to wear other outfits that would make even Masked Cat blush, then Lo Wei would be unhappy. These kinds of things are fine for private enjoyment, how can they be shown to others in public?

After petting the big cat until it was calmed down, Luo Wei let go of its fur, picked up Sylveon who was standing nearby, and smiled at Lillie, "Just kidding. Anyway, don't worry about holding us back. Everyone starts out bad at growing up, right?"

After all, no one is born knowing how to do things; everyone has to start learning from scratch. It's simply a matter of talent.

Loewy believed that Lillie had great talent, but that this talent needed to be brought out through special methods.

To reiterate, Lillie is best suited for cheerleading tactics, providing only emotional value and leaving the rest to the Pokémon to decide.

Believing that the "love and bond" between Pokémon can overcome all obstacles—that's the so-called "bond-based" tactic...

"In any case, let's find someone to try out quickly. As for the target... well, those two reporters over there who are hiding for some reason, could you two be my opponents?"

As Luo Wei spoke, he stopped and looked at the two figures trying to hide in the shade of a nearby tree.

It was a man and a woman. The man was carrying a small video camera, and the woman was holding an interview notebook and a microphone. After being spotted by Luo Wei, the two of them looked embarrassed.

"Haha, we were discovered right away, huh? Sorry, sorry, we didn't mean to hide..."

The woman in the duo approached apologetically, pressing her hands together in apology. Luo Wei, however, didn't seem to mind and calmly asked, "So, what's this about, you two?"

"Ahem, my name is Mary, and this is my partner, Xiao Dai. We are reporters from Zijing City Radio, not suspicious people..."

As they spoke, the two men pulled out their press passes to prove their identities...

"In short, may we interview you, Mr. Rowe?"

Chapter 224 The Reporter Duo: "I'm up, one move and I'm done for!"

The reporter duo from Mauville City, Mary and Dai, are also considered old friends in the game, because they can be challenged repeatedly and their locations refresh in a fixed pattern. In addition, trainer Pokémon gain much more experience points than wild Pokémon, and you can also farm money along the way.

So in the mid-game, you can repeatedly farm experience and money using these two. As for the late game, you should definitely go find the "Four Heavenly Kings of ATMs".

"We watched the duel between Lord Luo Wei and Lord Qianli before, it was truly spectacular!"

Because at the time, Luo Wei went to the organizing committee of the Grand Contest to negotiate and combined his battle with his father with the Grand Contest ranking matches. After the organizing committee approved the combination, the match was broadcast live in the entire Hoenn region.

After all, Senri is a top-tier and powerful trainer in the Hoenn region, and Lovi is the most anticipated newcomer among his peers. With the addition of Ryukia's performance after this battle, it can be said that they are full of topics.

Therefore, as soon as it aired, it immediately garnered an astonishingly high viewership rating, and Luo Wei has transformed from a highly anticipated newcomer into a hot top star.

After all, being able to defeat Senri in such a battle proves that his strength is already at the level of a proper dojo master, and he has even begun to approach the level of the Elite Four. No matter how you look at it, this is no longer the level that a rookie should have.

Of course, given that there was just an even more unreasonable cheat in this world that refreshed everyone's understanding of "genius", although Lowe's performance was quite terrifying, it was not so excessive compared to Red's achievement of beating the Indigo League at the age of ten to become the champion.

In any other place, Luo Wei's performance would be considered dazzlingly brilliant, like a protagonist's halo, but here, it's not even in the most overpowered tier...

This is simply the world of Pokémon; miracles happen everywhere!

Regardless, a genius like Crimson, who is a once-in-a-millennium talent and redefines public perception, is ultimately something that can only be encountered once in a millennium. In comparison, someone like Luo Wei, who can be considered a once-in-a-century talent, is at least within the range that normal people can accept.

Therefore, the two reporters followed Luo Wei all the way here, hoping to interview him in person.

In fact, there are quite a few reporters like the two in Hoenn, but those with such strong initiative are indeed a minority. They had made inquiries in many places before finally locking down Luo Wei's whereabouts, and when they came to meet him, they suddenly began to worry that it might seem too abrupt to just come up and talk to him directly.

After all, it seems that only now have they come to their senses and realized that this sudden request for an interview is no different from that of paparazzi.

While he was struggling with this dilemma, Luo Wei discovered his whereabouts and then confessed his identity.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to secretly follow you. We just didn't find the right moment to approach and talk to you. Um, we definitely didn't take any photos. You can check our cameras and the navigator..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Wei quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need. I believe you didn't say anything. Well, that's what my partner told me."

As he spoke, Rowe gestured to Gardevoir behind him. The Psychic Queen remained silent, like a well-behaved maid, merely tilting her head with a slight smile. Yet, deep within her beautiful eyes shone a light that seemed to pierce through the soul.

Gardevoir, the Queen of Psychic, has a pre-evolution Ralts that possesses the ability to read other people's minds through telepathy. After evolving into Gardevoir, this ability is further enhanced, almost to the point of being able to read minds.

As journalists, the two naturally knew this kind of knowledge. After all, journalism is a profession that requires a lot of knowledge, otherwise, it is inevitable that some terrible tragedies like the "ancestral meat Ganoderma lucidum" will be made.

In short, the two were well aware of Gardevoir's mind-reading ability, so they understood that rather than Lowell believing them, it was Gardevoir who, through telepathy, confirmed that the two of them were indeed not lying.

The reason why Luo Wei was able to discover them was naturally because of Gardevoir. She now uses her psychic powers to create a scanning network around her at any time. Under normal circumstances, when Gardevoir releases her psychic powers, she can see everything within a radius of several kilometers. Of course, under normal circumstances, there is no need to go that far. Usually, this psychic scan is only maintained at a distance of about a hundred meters.

However, this is enough to make ordinary stalkers and malicious people nowhere to hide. It can only be said that this is the power of Pokémon, which is indeed very useful and convenient.

"...So, you two want to interview me, right?" Seeing them nod repeatedly, Luo Wei smiled. "Perfect! Two against two, let's have a team battle. If you can last ten minutes, I'll grant you the interview!"

"...Ah, thank you so much!"

The two were immediately overjoyed, while Luo Wei, with a wry smile, said, "I never said I'd agree so easily! The condition is that you have to last for ten minutes!"

“No problem…” Mary held up her Poké Ball seriously. “We’re often out and about, and I’ve earned two badges, so please take care of me!”

"Hmm, not bad momentum~"

Indeed, after all, journalists are supposed to be on the front lines gathering news material, and it would be absolutely unacceptable for them to be completely ineffective.

However, being able to obtain two badges does indeed make her more impressive than the average trainer. With such abilities, she became a reporter, which suggests she genuinely enjoys her job.

Otherwise, they should be able to find a better job within the league.

That's indeed the case. Mary loves being a journalist, but the biggest problem now is that the news agency she works for is doing increasingly poorly lately.

Therefore, she urgently needed a big news story, which is why she took the initiative to find Rowe. If it were this young trainer who was currently enjoying unparalleled popularity, she would definitely be able to get some very exciting news.

As for the conditions offered by Luo Wei, she didn't think there was any problem with them. After all, it wasn't about winning, but just holding out for ten minutes, which she thought shouldn't be a big issue.

The opponent is very strong, but no matter what, simply persisting shouldn't be too difficult...

This understanding was completely shattered in less than two minutes...

With a whooshing sound, she released Magneton, which was forced close by Meowth. Before she could even see how it made its move, it was sent flying backwards after a burst of pink light and was instantly defeated.

Luo Wei didn't use any cheat codes at all; the outcome was decided in the blink of an eye...

Sorry, we've taken the first game!

"..."

Chapter 225 Making Big News

"!"

In a single exchange, less than two minutes later, the Magneton that Mary sent out was instantly defeated by Rowe in one move...

Looking at her Magneton flying away, the reporter's expression remained blank. She was clearly still in shock, as if she didn't understand what had just happened.

"……Oops!"

On the other side, Xiao Dai, the photographer traveling with them, was also forced closer by the masked cat that was following closely behind.

Because the speed was too fast, Xiao Dai could only raise his hand hastily, and a deafening roar erupted from all the holes all over the sound monster's body!

According to the Pokédex, Explosive's long howl can travel more than ten kilometers away, and this move, which uses sound waves to create a physical impact, is its signature move, "Explosive Wave"!

As the sonic boom swept in, sand and stones flew everywhere in an instant, and the invisible sound wave transformed into a surging airwave, crashing down with a deafening roar.

Masked Cat, however, neither dodged nor avoided, but instead leaped up and raised its long, fluffy black-stockinged leg, slamming its leg down from top to bottom!

This kick forcefully split the incoming air blast in two from the center. The two halves of the air blast flew off to the left and right from Rowe's side, but they didn't hit Masked Meow at all. When the kick landed, the shockwave turned into a black light that burst out from the ground and hit Explosive Monster's chin.

The booming monster's long howl stopped abruptly, and its body lifted off the ground. While it was flying, it could still struggle for a moment, but the moment it landed, it was completely silent.

"..."

One after the other, neither Mary's nor Dai's Pokémon could withstand a single attack, and so far, the time has not exceeded three minutes.

In an instant, only a long, deathly silence remained on the scene...

Previously, Rowe had said that he would accept an interview invitation if the two could last more than ten minutes against him. However, unexpectedly, the two, who had both won two badges, couldn't even last a single round against Rowe.

Even though he didn't use any of his ultimate moves like Mega Evolution, Ultimate Power, or Ultimate Secret Technique, he successfully suppressed the battle by simply using techniques similar to skill transformation.

This was a 2v2 match. As for Lillie's side, she simply had Magikarp appear wearing an Exp. Teach device and act cute before the battle was over.

"Haha, so fast!"

Lillie couldn't help but complain. She was worried that she might drag Luo Wei down in the 2v2 match, but Luo Wei took down the opponent so easily right away, which meant that Lillie got the experience for free.

Originally, Rowe had teamed up with Lillie just so she could follow behind and gain experience. But now that the battle was over, Marie and Dai reluctantly recalled their Pokémon and let out a long sigh.

"So strong! No wonder you could defeat the serious Lord Qianli. I didn't expect we couldn't even last three minutes. It seems we were indeed too arrogant just now..."

At this point, Luo Wei felt a little embarrassed. "Uh, it's not that exaggerated. It's just that the training methods are different..."

"Ugh, the big news story we finally got onto is gone..."

Mary gave a wry smile. According to her, she wanted to create a big news story to revitalize her news agency because it had been struggling recently.

At this very moment, the most dazzling newcomer in the entire Hoenn region is none other than Luo Wei, who has just defeated Senri and displayed astonishing strength throughout the entire Hoenn live stream...

...As the son of Senri, it's normal for him to receive a lot of attention, especially since he reportedly passed the League's test at the age of six and obtained his own partner Pokémon ahead of time.

However, he started his journey two years later than the average Pokémon trainer, but his speed of conquering the world was indeed astonishing. In just about half a year, he had already swept through five gyms, which reminded people of the overpowered Pokémon trainer who had redefined public perception back then.

Naturally, most people could sense that this newcomer must have some great news material. Putting aside everything else, there's how he grew up so quickly, and the fact that he supposedly had conflicts with Team Magma and Team Aqua, who are currently causing a lot of trouble in the Hoenn region.

All of this was enough to make for a decent interview, so Mary decided to bring her partner to ambush the person. They did manage to catch him, and he agreed to the interview on the condition that he could hold out for ten minutes.

They initially thought it wouldn't be difficult, but now they realize it's actually quite a challenging condition.

"Sorry, could you give us another chance to challenge us? I know we were too arrogant just now. We will definitely prepare well next time and come back to challenge us!"