"What… no… this is impossible!"
Penny's eyes widened in disbelief. Her Meowscarada lay defeated, unable to rise again. That Pokémon had been a gift from her father, Peony—her most trusted partner. Yet Gary's Blastoise had overwhelmed it in a single devastating move.
"Could it be," Penny whispered under her breath, "that he really does have Champion-level strength?"
She shook her head quickly, refusing to accept such a possibility. "No… no way! That Blastoise can't be his! It must've been raised by someone else. Yeah, that's it…"
Still, doubt lingered in her eyes.
Gary stepped forward calmly, recalling his Pokémon. "Good match," he said gently. "Your Meowscarada's speed was something else."
Penny looked down, her face flushed. The students around her murmured in awe—half at Gary's power, half at the fact that he'd beaten Naranja Academy's top battler so decisively.
"Who are you?" Penny finally asked.
"I told you already," Gary said with his usual confident grin. "Gary Oak. Trainer from the Kanto Region. I was just… visiting."
Before he could say anything more, Ms. Dendra, arms crossed, gave him a steely look. "Hold it right there. You think you can waltz out after stirring up my class? That battle wasn't enough."
Gary blinked. "Wait, what?"
"I said, battle me," she repeated, smirking.
Gary groaned inwardly. Here we go again.
"I thought we agreed I could leave if I won?" he asked. "No offense, but I don't think it'd be fair to fight a teacher in front of her own students."
Dendra's smile sharpened. "What's the matter? Scared?"
Gary rubbed his eyes, completely done. "You might regret it, that's all."
The class gasped.
"How arrogant!"
"He's mocking Teacher Dendra!"
"Unbelievable!"
Dendra's fiery expression didn't falter. She was a seasoned Fighting-type specialist, and while she wasn't quite at Champion tier, her power ranked near Gym Leader level—bordering on Quasi-Elite.
Gary folded his arms. "Fine. But don't blame me if this gets embarrassing."
"What did you say?" she snapped.
"I mean it," Gary replied evenly. "If your skill isn't at Elite Four level, you might want to sit this one out. I always go full power when I battle."
The students' jaws dropped.
"This kid's insane."
"He really compared himself to the Elite Four!"
"Who does he think he is?"
"Ignorance really is fearless," muttered one of Dendra's aides under her breath.
Gary's expression stayed calm—a little amused, even.
Before things could escalate, a soft, authoritative voice came from the hallway.
"Excuse me. What's going on here?"
Everyone froze. The students turned toward the open doorway, where a poised woman stood—slender, with flowing dark hair, golden-brown skin, and a regal air. She wore a tailored suit and carried herself with quiet power.
"Chairwoman Geeta!" several students gasped.
Ms. Dendra immediately straightened. "Chairwoman, ma'am!"
Yes—the one and only Geeta, Champion of the Paldea Region and Chairwoman of the Pokémon League. Though formally she wasn't Naranja Academy's principal (that honor belonged to Clavell), her authority extended far beyond the school walls. As the Paldean Champion, her words carried immense weight.
Geeta's gentle eyes swept across the group. "I could hear raised voices from halfway across the hall," she said in her calm, melodic tone. "Would someone care to explain?"
Ms. Dendra looked flustered for the first time all day. "Ah, Chairwoman—it's, well… a bit of a misunderstanding."
"Oh?" Geeta stepped forward. "Please, enlighten me."
Ms. Dendra fumbled for words. "This young man—Gary Oak—challenged one of my students and… well, things escalated a little. He won cleanly, but then he got rather… confident."
Gary raised an eyebrow. "Confident? I call it honest observation."
Geeta regarded him thoughtfully. "Gary Oak… from Kanto, you said?"
"Yes, ma'am," Gary replied, giving a polite bow. "I came to see your academy's facilities. I didn't plan to get dragged into a tournament day."
Geeta chuckled softly. "Things do get rowdy here sometimes."
Her tone was kind, but her presence filled the room completely. Even Ms. Dendra stood a little straighter.
"So," Geeta said, "you beat one of our top students, and then our instructor took offense. Fascinating."
Gary blinked. "I swear I didn't mean any offense."
"Of course not," she said warmly, but there was something in her voice—like a calm challenge hidden behind the smile. "Tell me, Gary Oak… how would you like to test that strength under official conditions?"
Gary frowned. "Official conditions?"
"I mean," Geeta said, her eyes sharpening with curiosity, "as part of Naranja Academy's faculty."
The Unexpected Offer
The students murmured in disbelief.
"Wait—what?!"
"She wants him to teach here?!"
"He's not even that much older than us!"
Gary blinked several times, convinced he misheard. "Did you just… offer me a teaching job?"
Geeta smiled faintly. "I did. I'm always looking for strong trainers to mentor our new generation. And there's no better teacher than experience itself."
Ms. Dendra stared at her superior, utterly speechless.
Gary raised a hand hesitantly. "Uh, wow, that's flattering, Chairwoman, but… I'm sort of in the middle of some field research in Sinnoh right now."
"That's perfectly fine," Geeta said smoothly. "It wouldn't be full time. You could visit the academy once every season, perhaps four times a year, to hold special training sessions."
Gary blinked again. "That's… actually not the worst idea."
"You'd be compensated well," Geeta added with a gentle smile. "And Naranja Academy could certainly use a Champion-class sparring partner."
Gary sighed. "I don't need money, honestly."
Geeta chuckled. "Ah. That makes sense. After all, your surname is Oak… are you, by any chance, related to Professor Oak?"
"My grandfather," Gary said automatically.
A stunned silence filled the room.
Ms. Dendra's jaw dropped. "The Professor Oak? From Kanto?"
Gary nodded, looking sheepish. "The one who keeps putting out research papers even when he's supposed to be semi-retired. That's him."
Several students gasped and whispered excitedly.
"That's amazing!"
"No wonder his Blastoise is so strong!"
"He's Professor Oak's grandson!"
Geeta smiled knowingly. "I thought so. I've met your grandfather at a few international conferences. A brilliant mind. A bit absent-minded, though."
Gary chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it. He gets lost between the fridge and his office sometimes."
Even Dendra couldn't suppress a laugh at that.
Geeta clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, that explains quite a bit. I've read Professor Oak's recent joint research with a younger co-author—something about sustainable Battle Energy Cubes?"
Gary rubbed his chin. "Ah—yeah, those were mine, actually. Gramps helped me finalize the formulas, but they're primarily my work. I also developed a stable evolution method for Annihilape—one of my major projects before traveling here."
Geeta's eyes gleamed with recognition. "I knew that name sounded familiar. The League cited that paper for its innovation on emotional-state evolution mechanisms."
Gary smiled modestly. "Glad someone appreciated it."
"More than appreciated," said Geeta. "In fact, I think someone like you could make a real difference for our students."
Gary tilted his head. "You really want me as a sparring instructor?"
"Yes," she said simply. "Strong trainers inspire others, and experience is the best teacher. You wouldn't need to lecture—just demonstrate what real battles feel like."
Gary considered the offer. Coming to Naranja Academy a few times per year didn't sound unreasonable. It could even be fun sparring against advanced students—and facing Paldea's next generation head-on.
He smiled faintly. "You make a strong case, Chairwoman. But I've got one question before I make any promises."
"Oh?" Geeta asked softly. "And what's that?"
Gary said. "Why me? Surely you have dozens of powerful alumni or even your own faculty trainers who could fill the role."