After hearing Teacher Dominic's instructions, everyone quickly gathered on the school's sports field.
Before leaving the classroom, Dominic had called out to the class monitor, instructing her to lead the team in warm-up exercises and have everyone run two laps around the field once they arrived. He mentioned he would join them shortly after handling something else.
Being able to actually spend time on the sports field—especially since they'd previously been restricted from having regular PE classes due to scheduling—and now having an entire morning session outdoors, everyone seemed genuinely happy. A few students were even grinning foolishly with anticipation.
The naive students, at this moment, had absolutely no idea what this seemingly generous gesture actually implied for their near future.
On the sports field, led by Class Monitor Willow, all members of Class 1 lined up neatly in formation. They first performed standard warm-up exercises, then began slowly jogging around the track's perimeter.
As for why the class monitor was leading the exercises instead of the usual sports committee member, David only discovered after asking around that the thick-browed, honest-looking sports committee member had actually transferred to the Pokemon Breeding department. No wonder Willow had to take charge of leading!
While running alongside the group, Miles jogged up closer to David and asked, "David, do you think Teacher Dominic will let us have Pokemon battles later during class?"
"Maybe! But not necessarily. The first class session will probably cover rules, safety protocols, and other foundational things," David replied thoughtfully.
"I really hope there will be a Pokemon battle segment though! I've prepared a special surprise for everyone," the cheerful boy whispered conspiratorially, unable to contain his excitement.
Soon enough, the warm-up routine was completed, and Dominic also arrived promptly on the sports field.
He walked directly to the front of the assembled line, stood at attention, and then posed a question to the class.
"Now I'm going to ask you all something: When traveling alone deep in wilderness territory, if you encounter an attack from a wild Pokemon, what should you do? Who can tell me the answer to this question?"
"Report, sir!" A male student in the formation quickly raised his hand.
"Speak," Dominic acknowledged.
"I think one should remain calm and respond appropriately using Pokemon based on the opponent's type matchup," the student answered confidently.
"Hmm! Good answer. Any other responses?"
"I think one could try to have their Pokemon communicate with the wild one first, potentially avoiding an unnecessary battle altogether," a female student volunteered this time.
"Hmm... any other answers?" Dominic looked around the assembled students, continuing to prompt for responses. After a brief waiting period with no additional volunteers, he deliberately turned his gaze toward David's position.
"Student David, why don't you answer this question?"
"Me?" David responded, slightly surprised.
Seeing Teacher Dominic specifically call on David, the eyes of other students around them were also drawn over with interest. They were genuinely curious how the Novice Cup Champion would respond to this practical question.
David, who had been quietly chatting with Luke and Miles in the back row, hadn't expected this new teacher to actively single him out for questioning. After a brief moment of consideration, he spoke clearly.
"If I had a suitable Psychic-type Pokemon nearby with Teleport, I would choose to use that move and escape directly from the situation. If I didn't have that option, I would simply run away on foot. Only when running away wasn't a viable option would I actually engage in battle."
"If I absolutely had to battle, I would focus on defeating the opponent as quickly as possible, then immediately withdraw from the area."
The surrounding students appeared quite surprised to hear David's response. They clearly hadn't expected the Novice Cup Champion to give such a seemingly "cowardly" answer, and they all began whispering among themselves in confusion.
"Can you explain your reasoning for choosing this approach?" Dominic's eyes visibly lit up upon hearing David's answer, and he pressed further with genuine interest.
"If I can use Teleport, it's naturally the most convenient and safest option available. Teacher, you specifically said this scenario involved traveling alone deep in the wilderness," David began methodically.
"This means that if someone rashly engages in battle, regardless of whether they can actually win, their injured Pokemon won't receive professional medical treatment in a short timeframe, and consumed supplies like Potions will be extremely difficult to replenish in a timely manner."
"Moreover, Pokemon that can survive deep in wilderness territories are, in most cases, either communal species that gather in large aggressive groups—such as Beedrill or Fearow colonies, which carry significant risk of being swarmed and surrounded—or they're particularly powerful Pokemon that live alone or in small family units."
"In the former case with groups, there's an obvious risk of being completely surrounded and overwhelmed. If it's the latter situation with territorial Pokemon, encountering one that has young offspring nearby can easily provoke it into entering a berserk protective state, making the danger level exponentially higher."
"In both dangerous situations, the Trainer themselves isn't only at serious personal risk, but can very easily become a liability and burden to their own Pokemon who are trying to protect them."
David clearly lived up to his reputation as the top student in cultural course scores for two consecutive years, explaining his reasoning eloquently and logically.
"Excellent answer! Student David is absolutely correct in his assessment. When encountering a wild Pokemon attack while alone in wilderness territory, remember this: run away if you possibly can. The very first lesson I want to teach you all can be summarized in one critical sentence: The Trainer's primary objective during any wilderness exploration is always to ensure their own personal safety first and foremost!"
"You don't actually think wild Pokemon will necessarily engage you in an honorable, direct Pokemon-to-Pokemon battle, do you?"
"They are far more likely to choose to directly attack and attempt to kill the Trainer themselves, so as long as you leave designated safe zones, no matter what circumstances you're in, you must always keep at least one Pokemon outside its Poke Ball and by your side for protection."
"Don't foolishly assume that strong Trainers won't get into serious trouble in the wild. Among the new Trainers who were ambushed and killed by Arbok and Seviper in recent years, there was absolutely no shortage of individuals who relied overconfidently on their own strength and experience. Do you all understand this clearly?!"
Dominic first affirmed and praised David's thoughtful answer, then turned around and warned the entire class in a stern, uncompromising tone.
"Understood, sir!" Seeing Teacher Dominic's deadly serious expression, everyone quickly responded loudly and in unison.
"Alright then. Now, I want everyone to release all of your Pokemon!"
Hearing Dominic's command, everyone immediately assumed that the Pokemon battle segment must be coming next. They eagerly pulled out their Poke Balls and summoned their Pokemon partners.
"Come out, Pidgey!"
"Time to battle, Ponyta!"
"Let's go, Teddiursa!"
Within moments, the sports field was filled with various Pokemon of different species: Pidgey, Squirtle, Ponyta, Teddiursa, Shinx, Wattrel... In short, there was quite a diverse collection present. David also released his Growlithe and Zorua from their Poke Balls.
Zorua's unique Hisuian form—currently the only confirmed specimen in the entire world—coupled with Riolu, who was also an extremely popular and beloved Pokemon species, immediately attracted everyone's attention as soon as the two partners appeared on the field.
However, among the many Pokemon belonging to Class 1 students, the most eye-catching pair, besides David's unusual duo, surprisingly turned out to be Miles's team.
In just the few short days since summer vacation had ended, his original Growlithe had actually evolved into a fully mature Arcanine!
Hmm... This was probably the "surprise" he'd mentioned earlier with such excitement!
Arcanine's tall and impressively robust body was covered in beautiful, fluffy cream-colored fur, with distinctive black and orange stripes resembling a tiger's pattern. A pair of bright, intelligent brown eyes radiated authority and confidence. The Legendary Pokemon exuded a majestic, almost royal demeanor with every subtle movement.
Standing among a crowd of unevolved starter and baby Pokemon, Arcanine truly stood out like a crane towering among common chickens.
Moreover, another unfamiliar Pokemon stood beside the impressive Arcanine. Miles, surrounded proudly by his two Fire-type Pokemon partners, looked extremely happy and satisfied at this moment.
David quickly activated his system scanning ability.
Name: Arcanine
Type: Fire
Energy Level: 22 (Veteran)
Name: Torkoal
Type: Fire
Energy Level: 15 (Ordinary)
Potential: Purple
Gender: ♂
Held Item: None
Ability: Drought
Known Moves: Ember, Smog, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Smokescreen, Flame Burst, Fissure, Ancient Power...
"It seems Miles is definitely committed to going the Fire-type specialist route, or perhaps even building a proper Sun team strategy," David thought to himself as his system instantly scanned and analyzed the remarkably rare Torkoal with its coveted Hidden Ability, Drought.