Crash!
Dust and smoke enveloped the arena. When the haze cleared, Porygon2 appeared incapacitated on the field.
In Striaton Academy, both teachers and students were in a stunned silence. What was thought to be a closely contested match ended with Cheren, the renowned Gym Leader from Unova, being soundly defeated by Teacher Luke. The Rustboro Academy and spectators erupted into cheers.
"Teacher Luke, you've got this!"
"3:0, 3:0!"
Roxanne nodded in satisfaction. It appeared that Cheren was no match for him after all. It wasn't that they were weak; it was just that Teacher Luke was exceptionally strong. The outcome seemed predetermined.
Cheren sighed with regret, thankful for the opportunity to face a Trainer of Teacher Luke's caliber. Stoutland, with its long beard and coffee-colored fur, returned to the field.
On Luke's side, the seemingly ordinary Squirtle was sent out. As Stoutland bared its teeth in an attempt to intimidate with Growl, the intimidating sound weakened into a whimper. Squirtle's calm eyes indicated that Stoutland was firmly locked on by his mean look.
"Stealth Rock!"
Sharp spikes emerged in front of Stoutland, covering the field. These spikes would inflict damage on any Pokémon that rotated or switched in.
"Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle withdrew, initiating a Rapid Spin that created a gust of wind, instantly removing the spikes. Squirtle, like a rotating blade, scratched Stoutland's neck, leaving a long blood mark.
Cheren swallowed hard. No amount of data analysis prepared him for this Squirtle. It was outrageously powerful. Before Stoutland could be spiked, Cheren had planned to eliminate Teacher Luke's team. Otherwise, Teacher Luke might have swept three opponents in a row in this final.
"Roar!"
The Roar move, the linchpin of the Spikes tactic, could force Pokémon back into their Poké Balls. The replacement for Squirtle was Teacher Luke's third Pokémon – an egg-shaped creature.
"Huh?" Luke paused for a moment. "Why are you playing?"
"Kekekeke~!" Togepi waved its little hand aggressively. It, too, wanted to contribute to its master.
The adorable Togepi drew cheers from the audience. Even Gladion was impressed.
"This Togepi can really fight?" he asked.
"Even Squirtle has been bred to this point," Wally nodded. "Maybe this Togepi is even stronger!"
"That's how it is!" Gladion was surprised.
Back on the field, Cheren realized this was an opportunity: "Stoutland, Crunch!"
Stoutland hesitated but ultimately lunged at Togepi with a fierce Crunch.
"Protect!"
A green barrier lit up around the egg-shaped creature, locking Stoutland's jaws onto it.
"Now, use Toxic!"
Togepi released a burst of purple poison mist from its horn. Stoutland couldn't dodge, turning purple as it succumbed to poisoning.
In the audience, there was a mix of emotions.
"Even with such a cute Pokémon like Togepi, Teacher Luke manages to play a Substitute-Toxic-Protect-Paralysis combo! His tactics are dirty!"
Cheren felt a mix of weirdness and admiration. Teacher Luke was truly a master of unconventional strategies.
Togepi successfully stalled two rounds with its Protect and Substitute moves. Stoutland, with only a sliver of health, was gradually weakened after continuous Toxic damage.
"Ancient Power!"
Togepi waved its finger, repeatedly striking Stoutland with rocks. Its own aura continuously rose.
"This is an additional effect of Ancient Power!"
The narrator exclaimed, "Togepi's stats have been fully boosted!"
"Keke~!" Togepi shook its finger, using Metronome. It landed a Karate Chop on Stoutland's forehead.
Dong!
Dust filled the air as Stoutland whimpered and fell to the ground. Everyone present stared wide-eyed. Togepi not only made it to the final but also emerged victorious!
After a moment of silence, the referee blew his whistle. "Winner, Luke!"
The once-silent arena exploded into enthusiastic cheers.
"Kekekeke~~!" Togepi turned around, happily moving towards Luke.
Once again, it was basking in the glory of its owner.
Luke, in a mix of emotions, chuckled helplessly. "You did well."
"Keke~!" Togepi patted its eggshell, shyly laughing. It seemed that its owner was also very pleased
...
After securing the victory by bestowing zero scores upon Cheren, Teacher Luke took a break. Following in his footsteps, Erika also adhered to Teacher Luke's strategy and achieved a 3:0 score.
"The champion of this year's exchange competition has been crowned!" the host exclaimed. "Let's congratulate Celadon Academy!" Cheers erupted in response.
Simultaneously, Luke received a prompt from the system:
[Ding! Task 'Inter-School Exchange Competition' completed!
Task rewards: orange item*1, Ability upgrade coupon*1, random ball*1]
The rewards were quite generous, and Luke planned to collect the random rewards when he returned home.
Walking back to the audience, Erika inquired with a smile, "The little girl didn't embarrass you, right?"
Luke found himself in a delicate mood. "Is it really okay to score such a huge disparity in a friendly match?"
"It is precisely because of the disparity that there's no suspense for this year's best performance award," Erika explained, blinking. "Guess who will be the final recipient of the award?"
Luke paused, "Best performance award and reward?"
"Of course!" Erika handed her mobile phone over. "You can also choose from the Items provided by the competition."
Luke glanced at it, noting that there were no dangerous items. Even if he won the prize, it wouldn't be a problem.
Just then, Roxanne and Cheren approached.
"Teacher Luke!" Roxanne waved. "This guy wants to see you."
"What's the matter?"
"This is it," Cheren scratched his head. "If it weren't for Roxanne senior's reminder, I would have forgotten the Gym Leader's rules. Even in private matches, as long as you lose in a regular match, the Gym Leader should still showcase it."
Cheren presented a metal Badge to Luke. "This is the Basic Badge of Aspertia City. Please accept it."
Although there was no mention of this Badge in the mission, Luke accepted it graciously. "Thank you," he said with a smile. "You did well."
Cheren chuckled, expressing his honor to compete with Teacher Luke.
Luke gazed at the sky, wondering why every Baby Cup seemed to culminate backstabbing.
While holding the Badge, Erika tilted her head. Suddenly, she poked Luke on the shoulder. "Teacher Luke, I have something for you too."
"Huh, what?" Luke was chatting with someone and accepted it absentmindedly.
[Ding! Task progress update!]
[Badge Collection: (4/8)]
Teacher Luke: ???
"It's the Badge of Celadon Gym," Erika said with a slight smile. "Previously, you took the position of the leader for this little girl, so this can be considered thanks to her!"
Teacher Luke felt a tightness in his chest. Is this how she's thanking me? I worked so hard to lead the team to play the game, and she's giving me a badge as if handing me a knife?
"Happy?" Erika asked with a smile. "This way, you're one step closer to the Indigo Plateau Conference."
Luke's mouth twitched. "Haha…"
In his heart, Teacher Luke silently took out a small book.
On December 10th, overcast, Erika gave me a badge.
This grudge, I, Teacher Luke, have duly noted!