“Teacher Julian, you’re here… uh, Terrance, why are you here too?” Issac said, surprised as his gaze unconsciously wandered to Terrance after noticing Teacher Julian’s arrival.
“Mr. Terrance—” There was someone else who was even more surprised. Kota stared at Terrance in confusion.
“Hey, it’s you,” Terrance replied.
“What? Do you two know each other?” Issac asked.
“I met Mr. Terrance briefly on the cruise I was on,” Kota quickly explained. “Wait… Mr. Terrance, are you also a student here?”
Top Coordinator Terrance, also a student at Crown Academy? Kota suddenly became excited.
“No need to be so formal, just call me Terrance,” Terrance smiled. He was just a Top Coordinator; it wasn’t fitting for someone his own age to address him like this. He could let it slide when they were unfamiliar with each other, but now that they were about to become classmates, it felt awkward to continue like this.
“Okay, but I have a lot to learn from you, Senior Terrance. I hope you’ll guide me.”
“Hmm… such a polite kid,” Terrance thought to himself, recalling what Teacher Julian had instructed him to do: assess the Trainer’s basic qualities based on their battle performance. Although the battle hadn’t begun yet, Terrance already knew that the boy in front of him was a complete rookie.
It was an easy judgment. Back on the cruise, Terrance had noticed something but didn’t mention it since they weren’t acquainted then.
Kota had used the wrong method while having Gallade train Meditite. Such a basic mistake was something no Trainer should make. Even a slightly more serious rookie Trainer wouldn’t make this mistake.
Terrance had observed Kota’s training for a while. He was trying to strengthen Meditite by “tempering its body,” which was an ineffective and inefficient method.
“Alright, Teacher Julian, can we start the assessment now?” Issac asked, not dwelling too much on how Terrance and Kota knew each other and urging Teacher Julian to proceed.
“No,” Teacher Julian shook his head. If he were to conduct the assessment, he’d have to write a report on the new student’s battle performance, analyze which class would be suitable, and document the flaws exposed during the battle. In short, it was a lot of hassle.
So, Terrance showing up at this moment was perfect—he could toss this difficult task to him. Julian had taught Terrance for over a year and trusted his abilities.
“If you’re not going to assess him, then you want me to do it!?” Issac nearly shouted.
“No, no,” Teacher Julian shook his head and looked at Terrance, who had a helpless expression on his face, and said: “Why do you think I brought him here? As for the report or whatever, just ask him to write it.”
“……” Terrance.
Issac was silent for a moment, remembering Terrance’s skills and his identity as a Breeder and waved his hand, “Fine, it’s your task, and whatever happens, I’m not responsible.”
“Huh?” Kota’s eyes widened. What was going on?
Why did this feel so casual?
Saying something like that in front of me—was that really okay?!
“Well, Kota, right? Your entrance assessment will be handled by me. But before we start, I have a question. I remember you have a Meditite and Gallade. That Gallade, it’s not your own Pokémon, is it?”
Terrance ignored the two teachers and turned to look at Kota.
“Yes… Gallade is my father’s Pokémon. It was left with me for my protection, and also serves as a training partner for Meditite,” Kota explained. Since both Gallade and Meditite are Fighting and Psychic types, Kota believed that with Gallade’s guidance, his first partner, Meditite, would quickly improve and grow.
Getting the answer he expected, Terrance nodded and asked, “Do you remember the training method you were using on the cruise?”
Issac and Julian glanced at Terrance in confusion. Why was he asking these questions instead of proceeding with the assessment?
“Uh…” Kota thought back. At the time, he had just left Hoenn, and now that he reflected on it, he realized he didn’t have enough training experience. Despite Gallade’s guidance, Meditite couldn’t quickly adapt or show significant progress, which left Kota with a deep sense of frustration.
“Have you figured it out? Why Meditite couldn’t adapt to Gallade’s training?”
“What…?” Kota was puzzled and stared at Terrance in surprise. Could it be that Terrance knew about the difficulties he had faced during training?
“It seems you still don’t understand Meditite well enough,” Terrance shook his head and pointed to the Pokédex on Kota’s belt. “Pokédex is a helper provided to only a few rookie Trainers; it can resolve most common questions that Trainers have. Have you been using it properly?”
Upon hearing this, Kota took out his Pokédex. “This?”
“Yes, that’s right. I saw your training method. You’re having Gallade teach Meditite strength training, right? For Gallade, that is indeed a good training method, but it’s not suitable for Meditite.”
Terrance took Kota’s Pokédex and pressed a few buttons. The device’s electronic voice chimed in:
“Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon, uses meditation to increase its mental energy, and feeds it back into yoga training, subtly improving physique. This is Meditite’s basic training method.”
Meditate Pokémon… increase mental energy… yoga…
Kota repeated the words to himself, and suddenly, everything clicked. “Oh! So that’s how it is.” Feeling embarrassed, he called out Meditite and quickly apologized.
“Even though this is just basic information, for a rookie Trainer, it’s something good that can avoid many detours. Pokédex…truly is a brilliant invention.” Terrance sighed in his heart. Looking at the enlightened Kota, he continued: “What happened just now is also part of the assessment. This is your negligence of basic common sense. As a Trainer, not understanding your own Pokémon is the worst mistake you can make.”
“Take it and make good use of the Pokédex.”
“I’m sorry. I realize my mistake now,” Kota said.
Terrance smiled and turned to Issac and Julian, clearing his throat. “Now, let’s proceed with the battle.”
The two teachers’ faces were filled with a strange expression. Before the battle even began, Terrance had already identified a significant flaw in this new student. Moreover, this flaw was difficult to detect in battle. Even if they themselves were to battle Kota, they might not have discovered Kota’s mistake in training his Pokémon.
This is a fundamental flaw, stemming from not understanding his own Pokémon. It needs to be noted and used as a focus for Kota’s growth in future studies. This is something a teacher should have discovered and addressed. At this moment, the two looked at Terrance in surprise, increasingly aware of how much this little guy had changed in the year since they last saw him.
“Are you planning to use Meditite in the battle? Just a reminder—the battle will mainly test your reaction time, decision-making, and overall strategic awareness. At the same time, the battle can also expose many fundamental issues. Whether or not you use your own Pokémon is up to you.” Terrance said casually, then released Gallade.
“As it happens, I also have a Gallade. How about a battle between the same Pokémon?”
The implication was clear—Medite was too weak. If Kota didn’t send out Gallade, the battle would be boring.
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