Valerie had mixed feelings about her new teacher. On the one hand, her grandfather was eager for her to learn under the man; on the other, he was a complete unknown. There was no information about him on Battlenet, no team information, no badges, no photos. She even sneaked into her grandfather’s League account, but there was nothing on him, just vague statements about his strength and warnings about approaching rashly.

  Seeing his strange Braviary intensified those feelings. A powerful flying type like no other. She almost felt like it could read her soul like a book. It intensified even more whenever she stared at the flames that erupted from its head. The sensation of vulnerability was disgusting like there were no secrets she could hide from it.

  Any doubts she had over the Pokemon’s strength vanished when he began to ‘test’ the first group. He didn’t say any move or strategy out loud, he just pointed out mistakes that her new peers made. Sometimes she would see a strange glint in his eyes, but that was a trick of the light. ‘Right?’

  “Thomas, more initiative!” The man called out before the Braviary sent the Solosis flying with a gust of wind. “Haven’t heard a single damaging move from you!”

  The pink-haired boy nodded on the verge of tears. His eyes fixated on his unconscious Solosis.

  “Bite!” Reece called heavy expression on his face.

  The Sandile let out a roar before launching itself at the flying braviary. The Pokemon dodged without major problems and delivered a decisive wing attack. Sandile came crashing to the ground, skidding for several meters before stopping in front of its trainer, swirls spinning in its eyes.

  “Good form! Need to work on timing!”

  “Swadlon!” Amelie cried. Her earlier cheerfulness was replaced with a determined expression.

  The leafy insect sent a string shot, trying to limit the Braviary’s movements. Just like before, it artfully dodged the attack and sent a blade of concentrated Flying energy towards the bug. Amelie cried in alarm before her Pokemon rolled unconscious on the ground.

  “Good job there, we just need to work on your transition from attack to defense.”

  The boys and girl panted as they returned their Pokemon. Their test lasted no more than 5 minutes, but she imagined it felt like an eternity for them. She only ever saw Pokemon with that level of control in her father’s ‘elite challenges’ against Ace trainers. It still didn’t assuage her… reservations, but she would give it an honest try.

  “Alright class.” He whipped his hand towards the side and a green ray of light emanated from his hand. A minifridge appeared on the ground, stunning everyone into silence. “There are some drinks and potions for your teams over there, feel free!”

  Nobody moved for a moment. Valerie was aware of several projects to store other items inside Pokeballs, but nothing close to this. The last she heard, the berries used to test the prototypes ended up as baby food. She took a small step forward, steeling her nerves. With each step, she gradually regained control of her senses.

  The fridge felt solid, no illusion or trick of the light. Inside, the cans of lemonade and soda were almost freezing. Valerie reached out cautiously, her fingers brushing against the cold metal, before carefully selecting a can of lemonade. With a quick, satisfying pop, she cracked it open.

  “Tastes… sweet?”

  It was a different formula she used to drink on a cold day. Much sweeter, less acidic, and much more… bubbly? She was not enamored by the flavor, but it would be incredibly rude if she were to voice her complaints.

  Her peers approached and took a can of lemonade each. Some were pleasantly surprised, like Thomas and Nate. Kiran ended in a coughing fit. Valerie sighed and used Reece as a cover to prevent stray mucus or juice from hitting her.

  “What-” Another cough, followed by a burp. “This is not lemonade!”

  “Takes a bit to appreciate it.” Daniel chuckled and shook his head. “Come on, my boys! We need to finish this test!”

  While the first group healed their Pokemon with the provided potions, Valerie and her teammates made their way back to Daniel. Linda stretched like a gymnast, drawing full arcs in the air and bending far more than Valerie’s limits. Kiran whispered to himself, but she wasn’t interested in what the boy was saying. With a huff, she grabbed her Drilbur’s Pokeball.

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  “Ready?” The older man asked. The teens nodded, throwing their Pokeballs.

  Three Pokeballs sailed through the air before revealing their occupants: a Pidove, a Musharna, and her Drilbur. Daniel tilted his head, staring at the Musharna. Seconds stretched in silence as tension filled the air. Kiran stood with an annoyed expression, but a closer look made her note his trembling lip and slightly quivering legs.

  “What do you want?!” His voice cracked at the end, but he rolled with it.

  “You take good care of that Musharna,” Daniel answered with a smile. “She told me she loves your sing-”

  “S-SHUT UP!” Kiran screamed in full panic mode. With a punch forward, he exclaimed. “PSYBEAM!”

  “muuu~”

  The floating Pokemon whispered. Its pink smoke glowed as it fired a beam of psychic energy to the Braviary. However, a shimmering protect defended it. Valerie used that as a cue to begin her strategy.

  “Drill run!”

  “Drill!”

  Her Drilbur cried, jumped into the air, and dove into the ground like a drill. The mole Pokemon accelerated and displaced earth as it moved toward their target. Linda nodded with a smile and pointed at the Braviary.

  “Let’s help our friends! Gust!”

  The smaller bird hooted, flapping its wings with frantic speed as it summoned a miniature tornado aimed at the larger Braviary. The gust rocked the bigger bird in midair, but its expression was almost smug as if it was nothing more than child's play. Flying aura swirled around its wings, and with a powerful flap, it sent an even larger tornado hurtling back toward the Pidove.

  “Nooooo! Try to ride it, Marcus! Ride it!”

  Linda called frantically as her Pokemon spun uncontrollably inside the violent winds.

  “Hypnosis!”

  Kiran chose that exact moment to strike. Musharna’s eyes flickered open, glowing with intense psychic energy. The Braviary’s confident expression wavered, its eyelids growing heavier as the move lulled it to sleep. Its flight became sluggish and unsteady before dropping to the ground.

  Drilbur seized the opening, bursting out of the ground and pivoting into steel claws, scoring a perfect hit on the sleeping Pokemon’s head. Sadly, it was enough for the bird to wake up with a startled cry.

  “Don’t let up!” Valerie commanded with an even tone.

  “Go for it, Sunny!” Kiran screamed with an excited expression.

  ‘Sunny… that’s a rather cute name.’ Valerie thought, not letting her surprise show in her expression… contrary to Linda who squealed: “That’s super adorbs!”

  Musharna shot another psybeam while Drilbur reared for another round of steel claws. A quick gaze at her teacher’s face made her narrow her eyes. ‘He’s smiling…’

  Her skin prickled as she had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. She tried to scream at her Pokemon, but the bird suddenly erupted in radiant light, forcing everyone to close their eyes.

  When the bright spots finally left her eyes, Valerie inspected the damage. ‘As expected…’ All Pokemon were on the ground, completely unconscious. She sighed and returned the mole to its Pokeball.

  “Sunny!” Kiran ran to his Musharna and kneeled beside it. His breathing got erratic as his eyes darted from one burned spot to the next. Its signature pink smoke was missing, and its eyes were half open. The boy muttered under his breath, looking just like his family member earlier: on the verge of tears.

  “I… may have overdone it a little bit at the end…” Daniel muttered, releasing an Audino beside him. “Lily, the floor is yours.”

  “Au!” The Audino nodded with a smile and channeled her normal type energy in front of her.

  With a burst of power, a heal pulse enveloped the tired and fainted Pokemon, giving them some energy back. When the Musharna stirred and went back to peaceful slumber, Kiran hugged it.

  “naaa~”

  “She’s telling you not to worry.” Daniel kneeled beside the boy and patted his back. “That’s just the nature of the game. She’ll get hurt sometimes but also get stronger because of it.”

  Kiran briefly stared back at the adult with venom in his eyes. Her skin prickled for a moment as rage began to overtake his features. Yet, before the boy could speak his mind, his Pokemon intervened. The Musharna nuzzled against his collar, enveloping him in her pink smoke.

  “You’re a good lad.” Daniel stood up with a smile. “If you weren’t, her dreams wouldn’t be so peaceful. But she also wants to protect you, you know? I know you both will grow together.”

  Valerie internally scoffed at his small speech. Sure, she trusted her Pokemon to be strong and fight for her, but they all knew it was a transaction. Valerie provided training, food, and shelter in exchange for their battle prowess. The sappiness that every champion preached was not something she fully agreed with.

  She would never reach the point of mistreating them. She had a reputation to maintain as the granddaughter of Gym leader Clay, after all. And apart from that, she was a bit fond of them, enough to try her best as their trainer.

  Linda maintained her distance from her, babying her small Pidove. It cooed at her and ruffled its feathers whenever she applied any Potion. She chatted away about everything and nothing, likely to distract the small Pokemon from its injuries.

  “Alright, class.” Daniel clapped, grabbing the attention of everyone once more. “Thanks for participating, everyone. That helped me get a gauge on where everyone stands right now and tailor everything a little bit better.” He nodded with a smile. “Now, everyone is really tired, so let’s postpone our actual first lesson for tomorrow morning. Is anyone interested in some Bouffalant wings? My treat!”

  “Yeeees!” Some of her peers answered with enthusiasm, while Valerie and Reece remained in stoic silence. Both looked at each other for a moment before shrugging.

  While everyone packed their things and chatted about their impromptu battle, the ‘magical fridge’ and their new teacher, Valerie noticed that the man was speaking with the one boy that didn’t join them. He seemed a bit deflated at first for getting left out, but after some quick words from the older man, he perked up and nodded.

  With one last look at their new training facility, the group left to engorge themselves in fast food. ‘I hope this isn’t a waste of time… worst comes to pass, I can use this against grandfather to get a Tympole…’