Beep!
After Lucas successfully swiped his card, Ellie immediately handed him five shrunken red-and-white Poké Balls.
"Here you go, these are the Poké Balls for two Skiddo and three Nacli."
"I'll take good care of them." Lucas accepted the Poké Balls seriously, sharing a smile with Ellie.
Ellie clapped his hands, as if remembering something, and looked at Lucas, speaking tactfully: "By the way, about Miltank… I probably won't have time to go to Johto to pick one out soon. Would you like to do it instead?"
"Ah, I get it. You want me to select one from another ranch, right?" Lucas quickly caught on to Ellie's meaning.
Ellie nodded. Just as he wanted to say more, a reinvigorated Nemona burst into the main hall like a gust of wind, holding up her phone excitedly: "Teacher Lucas, look at this! I found a place that can provide Miltank!"
Nemona enlarged the photo sent by the butler and showed it to Lucas.
Looking closely, Lucas saw that the photo showed a young man around twenty-five or twenty-six with a friendly smile, wearing a straw hat, surrounded by a group of Miltank.
Ellie also came over. Seeing the photo, he praised: "You can tell these Miltank have been bred really well, no worse than the ones I've seen at Johto ranches that have bred Miltank for decades."
"But they actually moved here from Johto," Nemona explained, pointing at the young man in the photo. "Sebas told me—this person is called Hanza, from Goldenrod City in Johto. He recently moved here to Zapapico Town with these Miltank."
"When Sebas was doing business in Zapapico Town on behalf of the company, he happened to help Hanza out. He just asked, and Hanza said he's willing to gift you a Miltank, but you have to go to Zapapico Town in person."
Lucas was surprised. He had planned to travel to Johto if there were no Miltank for sale at nearby ranches, but Nemona's help saved him a lot of trouble.
With Dragonite, he could go to any town in Paldea and return the same day, just like going out for a stroll.
Still, Lucas had some concerns. Would this count as accepting a gift from Nemona's parents?
Nemona's next words dispelled his worries. She shook Lucas's arm and said: "After all, you helped me pick the best Tauros! Think of the Miltank as my thank-you gift—it cancels out!"
Lucas nodded, accepting Nemona's kindness. "Alright then."
"Yes!"
In Nemona's mind, a little chibi version of herself cheered and jumped for joy. She had always wanted to do something for Lucas, and today her wish finally came true.
She was afraid he wouldn't accept it, but thankfully Sebas's advice worked—just recite what he said, and it succeeded!
With his new Poké Balls, Lucas and Nemona left Ellie Ranch together, strolling through the streets of Mesagoza, Paldea's largest city.
The city was filled with buildings and bustling shops. Occasionally, at an intersection, they could see neat rows of stalls full of life.
Passing by a Pokémon Center, Lucas seemed to remember something and smiled, reminding: "Nemona, you should take Pawmot and Tauros to recover their strength."
Nemona was momentarily stunned, then realized: "Because you have class this afternoon?"
"Correct, but that's only half the answer." Lucas snapped his fingers with a gentle smile. "Just a heads up, this afternoon's class will be a bit tough. Make sure your Pokémon are in top form."
Nemona perked up, full of energy: "Are we doing Pokémon battles right away!?"
"I'll send that message to the other students too."
"Yay!"
Nemona was so excited that even her walking was bouncy. She was overjoyed at the prospect of another Pokémon battle in the afternoon.
Since becoming a trainer, she had increasingly enjoyed the thrill of battle, always thinking about it and seeking out wild Pokémon or trainers to challenge whenever she could.
Seeing Nemona skip along, Lucas smiled helplessly—her passion for battling even made him feel inferior.
Maybe it was this passion that let her pass the Champion's Exam at meteoric speed, even able to take down a Kilowattrel.
They stopped and walked towards the red-roofed building beside the street.
In the games, Pokémon Centers are often outside city limits, serving as fast travel points, but in reality, they're set up within cities to serve trainers.
Upon entering, the spacious Pokémon Center lobby came into view, filled with trainers chatting and sometimes heading to the battle arena out back for tense, exciting Pokémon battles.
Lucas didn't visit Pokémon Centers often; he preferred to buy potions and treat his Pokémon himself, allowing him to stay in the wild longer and train faster.
Nemona, on the other hand, was perfectly at home, obviously used to restoring her Pokémon at the Center.
The two Nurse Joys and two Chansey nurses were the busiest here. Mesagoza, as Paldea's biggest city, was packed with trainers—one Nurse Joy simply couldn't handle it all.
Even with an extra Nurse Joy and Chansey, they were still outnumbered, especially since Naranja Academy was right above the central plaza.
There were quite a few students in Naranja Academy uniforms, too.
"So scary."
Lucas noticed the dark circles under Nurse Joy's eyes as she dashed around the lobby, feeling a chill down his back.
Pokémon Centers are open 24/7, all year round. Nurse Joys really are amazing.
"I'll go queue up, Teacher Lucas. You can head to the Academy first~"
Waving at Lucas, Nemona ran to the end of the line, full of anticipation.
If only today's class could be a non-stop Pokémon battle until school ended!
"Ah, okay." Lucas waved as well, then turned to leave the Pokémon Center.
Suddenly, he saw a group of students in Naranja Academy uniforms crowding together and heading outside.
It should have been a normal sight, but Lucas felt something was off. Even if boys liked to roughhouse, they were standing way too close—almost squished together.
And the boy in the middle looked oddly familiar.
Glancing at Nemona, now in line, Lucas hesitated, but decided to follow the group outside.
No matter what, he would take a look.
At a rarely used street corner, several Naranja Academy students surrounded a classmate, their faces mocking.
The leader, a sturdy boy named Kenichi, teased: "Hey, idiot Kaito, I heard your Wattrel is still being treated at the Pokémon Center?"
"Even a weakling like you is already healed. How lousy must that Wattrel be to stay in the Center for two months?"
"Hahaha!"
Kenichi's words set the others laughing.
Kaito, besides shame and anger, mostly felt confusion. He didn't understand why they laughed at his Pokémon like it was a joke.
Clenching his fists, Kaito took several deep breaths, staring directly at Kenichi, the ringleader: "Let me ask again—why? Why did you trick me into thinking Ursaring's waving meant it was friendly, and then even told me where to find one, causing Wattrel to get so badly hurt saving me?"
By the end, Kaito was sobbing.
He hadn't stopped regretting that day, for being so gullible and believing Kenichi, running off to look for Ursaring near Porto Marinada, and getting Wattrel injured so badly it was still in intensive care at the Pokémon Center.
"Oh please, we told you a million times it was just a prank. How were we supposed to know you'd really go looking for Ursaring? So funny! Maybe you've got a future as a comedian, huh?"
Kenichi shrugged, laughing even harder, joined by the others.
To them, this was just messing with Kaito. Why was he so upset? It's not like they personally put Wattrel in the Center.
"You… you!!"
At that moment, Kaito finally saw their true colors. His anger burned, and his right hand trembled as he reached for his pocket.
A pair of suddenly appearing large hands grabbed his arm. Kaito looked up in disbelief, and the laughter in the alley stopped.
Standing behind him, Lucas said quietly: "Kaito, don't let anger cloud your judgment. Some lines should never be crossed."
"Teacher? But…"
Kaito's face was full of struggle, but under Lucas's stern gaze, he shuddered and regained his senses, lowering his hand in defeat.
Kenichi and his crew were confused by Lucas's appearance. He looked familiar.
Finally, one of them recognized him, whispering: "Isn't he that teacher who made a scene at last semester's opening ceremony? They say he got into the school through connections and is a fake battle class teacher!?"
The group froze. A teacher?
Kenichi looked disgruntled. He had planned to mock Kaito some more, but with a teacher here—even a so-called fake one—they wouldn't dare cause trouble in front of an adult.
"Whatever, let's go."
Clicking his tongue, Kenichi turned to leave.
"Who said you could leave?"
Lucas's calm voice echoed in the alley. Mimikyu, hiding in Lucas's shadow, curled up tightly, afraid to watch.
Mimikyu knew best—when Lucas was really angry, he was always calm. It was terrifying.
Kenichi's group hesitated, pretending not to hear, and tried to walk away. Suddenly, a giant two-meter-wide boulder fell from above, crashing onto their path with a thunderous boom, blocking their way. The shock made them tremble, and they turned to Lucas in disbelief.
"W-What do you want?"
Their voices were shaky. Wasn't Lucas a teacher? What was he doing?
Lucas waved up at Dragonite, which had dropped the rock, signaling it to land behind him. Then he took out another Poké Ball, releasing Swampert.
As soon as Swampert emerged, it marched straight toward the boulder. Pulling Kaito close, Lucas began speaking in a measured tone: "Bewear is classified as one of the most dangerous wild Pokémon in Alola. Everyone there, kids or elders, knows to stay away from its forest."
"Its main attack is a bear hug. With its powerful arms and back muscles, it can crush anything—wood, rock, metal, even bone."
Using Lucas's lecture as a backdrop, Swampert reached the group, and its mere presence made them scatter like startled deer.
"Coincidentally, my Swampert is also quite strong. It can simulate Bewear's bear hug easily."
To enhance his words, Swampert stretched out its arms and crushed the boulder into pieces with pure strength, right in front of their shocked eyes.
After that, Swampert blocked the exit like an obstacle.
Kenichi's group shuddered, realizing something. They looked at Lucas with growing fear.
Their worst fears were confirmed as Lucas's calm but terrifying voice said: "Aren't you guys jokesters? Well, I'll play a joke too. If you want to leave, each of you needs to get a hug from Swampert. Otherwise, we'll be here all day."
"You can gamble on whether I'm joking."
Kenichi's voice trembled: "You're a teacher! How can you treat students like this!?"
Lucas glanced at him, chuckling: "Didn't you already say so? Yes, I got into Naranja Academy through connections—didn't even take the teacher's exam. I'm a fake teacher. That's a fact."
"Any other questions?"