Wednesday, November 25.
The adventure on Cinnabar Island has drawn to a close.
Teacher Luke has resumed his usual routine of peaceful fishing.
Taking advantage of the holiday, Luke lay on the bedroom floor, propped against Arcanine's warm belly, immersed in a book under the winter sun.
The large and warm body of Arcanine makes for a comfortable pillow during the colder months.
"ao wu ~" Arcanine let out a contented yawn.
The yawn proved contagious as Luke and even Sylveon, lying nearby, joined in.
The winter sun felt especially pleasant.
The snow-white fur of Sylveon caught the sunlight, creating a radiant halo.
After about ten minutes of reading, Teacher Luke closed the book, reached out to playfully pinch Sylveon's cheek, eliciting a cute "vui~" sound.
By the way... With 25kg dumbbells pressing on my body every day, my physique is on the verge of evolution!
Putting Sylveon aside, Luke prepared to leave for Trainer Academy.
The psychological pressure from Blaine's "Fire Blast" had convinced him that bringing Arcanine along for training in the sunroom would be safer than having Gengar practice in secret.
Although the training moves were a ruse, the main goal was to keep Arcanine away from home.
Relying on training could at least deplete Arcanine's physical strength...
Anyway, the Principal had assured that the school's training facilities could be used casually.
Even if things got explosive... it probably wouldn't be a major issue.
Taking the Poké Ball, Teacher Luke set out on foot towards the outskirts of the road.
In the dense grass, numerous Wild Pokémon silhouettes could be seen. However, as the red light flashed and Arcanine raised his head with a whimper, there was no disturbance.
The "Intimidation" Ability significantly reduced the chance of encountering wild enemies.
The Bug Catcher Youngsters squatting beside the bushes wisely chose to pretend not to notice.
While it saved time, it also meant missing out on potential pocket money...
Luke sighed with regret, flipped over, and mounted Arcanine's back, patting its furry head.
"Let's go! Off to Trainer Academy!"
"ao wu ~~"
"No, wrong way, this way!"
Arcanine, as Orient's legendary Pokémon, had always left a favorable impression on Teacher Luke.
As they rode, the wind whistled past on both sides, and the trees quickly retreated.
Ten minutes later, Trainer Academy came into view.
...
Giselle is reviewing the material taught by Teacher Luke last week when suddenly, dust kicks up in front of her, revealing a massive Arcanine standing before her.
"Luke, Teacher Luke!"
Giselle stammers, a sudden annoyance in her voice: "No riding Pokémon in school, not even for teachers!"
"Well, we're not inside the school gate yet," Luke chuckles, returning Arcanine into the Luxury Ball.
"What about Teacher Erika's substitute lesson?" Luke asks.
"It doesn't compare to your teaching," Giselle replies.
"That's quite arrogant," Luke waves his hand dismissively.
Giselle is left speechless for a moment.
Clearly, he's proud of it!
"I was actually looking for you too," Luke continues. "The year-end exchange competition will require student participation. If you're interested, you can start preparing now."
"What about the faculty and staff games?" Giselle blinks.
"Baby Cup doesn't require much preparation," Luke waves his hand. "I'll catch you later."
Watching him walk away, Giselle blushes, realizing that Teacher Luke might have just said something impressive.
...
Entering the office, Erika is clad in her customary green vibrating sleeves, sporting a pair of large-rimmed glasses on her face as she prepares a lesson plan with her bare face.
"Teacher Luke," Erika expresses a bit of surprise, "Didn't you have no class today?"
"Didn't you substitute for me last time?" Luke replies. "I have some time today, so I thought I'd make up for it."
"That's not necessary," Erika smiles faintly. "For the practical course with the young ones... I'm concerned that you might leave them under a psychological shadow."
"Come on, don't make me out to be so improper," Luke coughs lightly. "Since it's not necessary, should I head to training?"
Erika nods slightly, and suddenly it dawns on Teacher Luke that he's still collecting Gym Badges. Last time in Magic City, Erika lost to Luke in a friendly match. Since Teacher Luke can't let it slide...
Erika thinks to herself, she'll wait for the right moment and present the Gym Badge to Teacher Luke.
...
Trainer school, sunroom.
The elderly supervisor of the training facility quivered in fear as he heard the explosions echoing from the training room. Despite being relatively new, the intensity of the practice was truly unsettling.
Unpleasant memories flashed through the old man's mind.
With a trembling hand, he clicked on the monitoring screen in the sunroom.
A confident Trainer, holding a Togepi in his arms, observed the field with seriousness.
The stout Arcanine, with its fangs bared and crystal-clear saliva dripping, gathered a turbulent flame in its mouth!
The old man's expression changed.
This Arcanine seemed oddly familiar. Wasn't it the Growlithe that wreaked havoc on the facility during the last training?
Bang!!
A burst of large, orange-yellow flames shot out from Arcanine's mouth, hurtling toward the Ability Ring target.
If it were just a training session, there shouldn't be any issues...
Just as the old man started to relax, an explosion resonated, causing him to grip his reading glasses tightly.
Fire Blast... failed?
Could a move really miss at such a close distance?
Luke also appeared surprised and uttered in an unsure tone, "Again, Encore?"
"Ao wu!"
Arcanine howled confidently.
This time, it was absolutely impossible to miss!
Bang!!
Fire Blast exploded again, hitting the wall this time, causing the entire sunroom to tremble slightly.
Two consecutive misses with Fire Blast left Teacher Luke frustrated.
He had brought Togepi along specifically for today, and the bad luck was hard to fathom!
"One last time!"
Luke declared, "Arcanine, use Fire Blast!"
"Ao wu ~~"
Arcanine howled to the sky, and the flame burst forth, displaying remarkable power.
In just one afternoon, Fire Blast had taken shape.
Teacher Luke couldn't help but once again commend Arcanine's innate training talent.
But this trajectory... was a bit outrageous!
The Fire Blast was not aimed at the Ability Ring target but was rather inclined toward the sky.
The old man's eyes widened suddenly.
The flame whizzed toward the ceiling.
Amidst the falling debris, a beam of sunlight poured down from above.
"Ao wu ~~ (｀0´) !"
Majestic Arcanine shook its flowing mane and grinned, baring its teeth.
It truly lived up to its reputation!
As the top light bathed the room, Teacher Luke stood in the sunlight, his expression somewhat complex.
His house didn't explode... but the school seemed to be a different story.
Well, better to lose something than everything...
No. Teacher Luke shook his head, wearing a perplexed look.
He was genuinely here to train moves!
Who would have expected Fire Blast to miss three times in a row, with such a bizarre trajectory!
...
Mr. Earl, who hurried over, wiped his forehead, looking quite flushed with shame upon hearing the commotion.
It hadn't been a week, and yet, why did it explode again?
The designers recruited last time proved to be too unreliable!
"Are you injured, Teacher Luke?" Principal Earl inquired with concern.
Luke replied, "No injuries, thankfully."
Principal Earl reassured, "That's good. I'll get the construction team here soon. Meanwhile, feel free to use other facilities."
"Let me contribute a bit, Principal," Luke insisted, feeling a sense of responsibility.
"How can that be? I mentioned it last time," Principal Earl chuckled. "The educational value of your teaching always surpasses these incidental matters, right?"
Luke paused for a moment, deeply moved, and nodded, saying, "Let me call the construction team, Principal. I have a VIP connection!"
"Oh? That's fantastic. I appreciate your help!"
...
In the afternoon, Arcanine's "Fire Blast" had already shown improvement.
Although in the Limit Four game, Teacher Luke would undoubtedly choose "Flamethrower" for its higher hit rate, he believed that handling it himself was safer than relying on Gengar's secret teaching.
This time, Teacher Luke was on the 5th floor!
As the sun gradually dipped, a flock of Pidgey flew by in the dusk.
Luke bid farewell to the leader of Kanto's Interior Decoration team with a handshake.
Leaving, he became more determined to participate in the exchange competition.
Repaying the principal's favor was a commitment he felt obliged to fulfill!
Back in the office, Luke glanced at the teaching tasks and delved into contemplation.
"Finding three students to participate in the competition... Where can I discover these potential candidates?"
Just as Luke pondered, students known for their card-playing skills urgently burst into the office.
"Luke, Teacher Luke!"
One of the students stated hastily, "Senior Giselle are having a confrontation with students from outside the school at the entrance!"
"Take it slow. Tell me what happened."
"A guy from Alola is challenging the students of our Trainers Department one by one."
"Senior Giselle, she's about to lose to him!"
Luke was slightly surprised. "What does he look like?"
"Golden hair, somewhat non-mainstream hairstyle, and, most irritatingly, a really sour expression!"
Listening to the student's description, Teacher Luke contemplated for a moment.
Judging by the description, it seemed to be Alola's Big brother?
Guided by the students, Luke walked to the school gate, where a Lycanroc in the form of a dark night, with scarlet eyes and an intense gaze, awaited.
Teacher Luke's eyes lit up.
Potential candidates for participation... had just presented themselves!