It was Monday, August 10th.
The sun slowly rose, casting its first rays of light into the room.
The room, once drenched by the heavy rain, now looked as clean and tidy as ever.
For any landlord, having a tenant who keeps the place so immaculate is undoubtedly a dream come true.
After a night of hard work, Luke had managed to clean up the mess and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Thankfully, the flooring quality is good," Luke muttered to himself. "It didn't leak downstairs."
Otherwise, he had no idea how he would explain the situation to Landlord Sister Liu. Would he say his Pokémon unexpectedly mastered Rain Dance and flooded the house? It seemed like a far-fetched excuse.
Eevee, who had played tirelessly throughout the night, looked a bit tired. It curled up on a soft Silk Scarf, occasionally rolling over and exposing its creamy belly.
Haunter, holding a mop, stood beside Luke and gazed at the rainbow outside the window. This rainbow was probably created by Squirtle's Rain Dance.
"Jie jie~!" Haunter nodded with a sense of satisfaction. It found cleaning surprisingly rewarding!
Luke sighed as he looked at the rainbow formed after the Rain Dance. His feelings were complex. Though the house had been flooded by Squirtle, at least the rainbow looked beautiful.
Luke smiled and hugged Eevee on his head, resting his head against its soft belly. He whispered, "Wake up, Eevee, and watch the sunrise."
"Vui~? (*･ω-q)," Eevee replied sleepily.
Eevee rubbed its eyes, yawned atop Luke's head, and dazedly gazed at the balcony. The rainbow after the rain was faintly visible, while the gray dawn in the east painted the sky with fiery red hues.
A flock of Pidgey flew by the balcony, the breakfast stand on the street emitted fragrant smoke, and Oddish popped its head out of the mud. The scene was filled with the bustling warmth of Pokémon life.
"Vui~ …" Eevee yawned, stretching its paws and revealing its sharp fangs with a playful smile.
"Uirt~," Squirtle mumbled while contemplating the rising sun.
"Jie jie~," Haunter extended its spectral tongue and playfully licked its Toxic Orb.
The room was peaceful and still, with the sun's gentle rays falling upon Teacher Luke's face. His smile, despite his silence, had a profound impact on those around him.
One human and three Pokémon secretly made a solemn vow:
Luke: "I never really wanted to be a Trainer…"
Haunter, Eevee, Squirtle: "We'll help him become the most powerful Trainer!"
...
The Team Rocket invitation had come to an end. Overall, Luke had earned Giovanni's appreciation, but whether this would turn out to be good fortune or misfortune remained uncertain.
However, Squirtle unexpectedly learning Rain Dance had put Teacher Luke through quite a trial. It would have been one thing if Squirtle had learned it, but it had chosen to do so while Luke was at home.
It seemed that even Pokémon had their own peculiar timing for backstabbing.
Luke sighed and, after pondering for a while, prepared lunch for the three little companions. In the afternoon, he had training with the school team, and Coach Zhai had mentioned a surprise.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Luke took the bus to the Magic University Arena.
"Coach Lu!"
Upon seeing him, all the team members gathered around, their eyes filled with admiration. Gu Zhong and Torkoal even seemed stunned and wide-eyed.
Zhai Wenyao stroked his chin, somewhat puzzled. He wondered if he had become the real coach, considering the team's reaction. Why were they more excited to see Luke than him?
"Alright, everyone, take a ten-minute break. We'll continue later!" Zhai Wenyao blew the whistle.
The team members swarmed around Luke. As the team's space player, Wright accompanied by Dusclops excitedly said, "Teacher Luke, I read your tutorial on Space Focused, and your explanations are even better than Coach Zhai's!"
In the distance, Coach Zhai, who was taking a sip of water, suddenly felt much older. He couldn't understand why they were more excited to see Luke than him.
Sally Han chimed in, "Absolutely, don't underestimate Teacher Luke's level!"
Captain Johnny added with a slight smile, "Coach Yilu's tactics, especially Gravity Space, are only mastered better by Teacher Luke!"
Luke glanced at Johnny. What was the truth? He'd settle the score with him later!
Gu Zhong struggled to squeeze out from the crowd, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to speak but ultimately deciding against it.
Coach Zhai scolded the crowd, saying, "Alright, Assistant Professor Lu has more important matters to attend to. Go on with your training!"
Luke and Coach Zhai walked aside. Luke patted Gu Zhong's shoulder and chuckled.
Gu Zhong hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.
...
"Coach, what's the surprise you mentioned?" Luke asked with a sigh. "It's not another new Pokémon, is it? After the last 'surprise' you provided, my heart still aches."
As a financially challenged individual, he couldn't afford too many shocks.
"No, it's an open challenge at Magic City Gym," Zhai Wenyao replied with a smile.
Luke paused for a moment. While the Orient Alliance did have Gyms like other Alliances, it had only 64 recognized Gym Leaders, which made it much harder to earn badges. It was only after collecting eight badges that Trainers could challenge the regional conference and, if successful, proceed to the Orient conference.
From that perspective, the Orient Conference was much more challenging compared to other Alliances.
Magic City's Psychic Type Gym is one of the eight Gyms in the South Division.
Luke appeared puzzled, raising an eyebrow, and asked, "Coach… you don't intend for me to challenge this Gym, do you?"
Although Gym Leaders adjust their Pokémon's strength based on the challenger's Badge count, Luke had no intention of participating in the Orient Conference. Challenging Gyms brought him no profit at all.
Zhai Wenyao reassured him, "Of course not."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief.
"I want you to represent Magic City University and challenge Gym Leader Tang Hui!" Zhai Wenyao said with a smile.
Luke's expression shifted to one of confusion.
Wasn't this supposed to be a surprise?
Zhai Wenyao continued with a grin, "Gyms don't always remain open. To obtain a Badge, you not only need strength but also luck in finding a Gym Leader willing to accept your challenge."
"During Open Challenges, Gym Leaders won't turn away challengers, so the distribution of Badges increases."
Zhai Wenyao patted Luke's shoulder and encouraged him, "This is a fantastic opportunity, and sooner or later, you'll want to collect Badges."
Luke continued to look puzzled.
"Coach, could you please explain what the 'surprise' is?"
Zhai Wenyao clapped him on the shoulder again and explained, "This is an open challenge for college students. Nearly all colleges and universities in the East Orient Region will participate."
"This is a rare opportunity for you to directly earn a Badge while in university."
"The slots are limited for each school, making them quite precious."
Zhai Wenyao smiled and teased, "Take a guess at who filled in the number of participants for Magic University."
Luke glanced up at the sky.
So, this was the surprise!
"Don't bother guessing," Luke sighed, "I'm mentally prepared."
Zhai Wenyao gave Luke's shoulder another hearty pat and smiled, "You'll be competing against Angela Shen and Johnny as their team leader. The school team will be there to support you."
"I heard that, aside from the Magic City Badge, the individual winner also receives a 1 million bonus and a Move Secret from Magic City Gym's lineage… so you'd better give it your all!"
Suddenly, Luke's eyes lit up with a spark of motivation.
"Whether it's the bonus or the glory, I'll strive to bring honor to Magic University!"
Zhai Wenyao nodded in satisfaction.
He was right to believe in his capable teaching assistant. Luke's commitment and sense of responsibility far surpassed that of others.
"Get off to a strong start and secure the Magic City Badge directly!" Zhai Wenyao encouraged with a smile.
...
Wednesday, August 12th.
High-speed trains, airplanes... students from universities across the East Orient Region flooded into Magic City like a school of fish crossing a river.
For many, this was their first experience with Open Challenges, and they were excited to interact and compete with students from other schools.
"I wonder who will be the champion of this individual competition... a 1 million bonus is up for grabs!"
"Sven, the Rookie King from JS Province, seems solid. His Scyther is incredibly powerful!"
"Duan Cheng from L Province? He's not to be underestimated; his Onix already has a Badge!"
"Oh... these opponents look really strong. I feel like we're easy prey."
Amidst these discussions, Teacher Luke, leaning against the window, couldn't help but feel somewhat humble.
"Haha, no need to worry," the plump student beside Luke said confidently, handing over his business card. "I'm Tommy Lu from Luckie Prefecture, not exactly top-tier but I'm the Rookie King there... buddy, if you happen to meet anyone from Luckie Prefecture, just mention my name. Maybe we can lend you a hand!"
Teacher Luke nodded and looked out at the clouds through the window, deep in thought.
"At this level..."
"I can probably win with ease... there shouldn't be any issues, right?"