Orange Islands.
Inside a luxury villa on Little Orange Island, Kona adjusted her glasses and lay on the soft Lapras, happily becoming a "night owl".
This is the Southern Country, and even though it's winter, the weather is still somewhat hot. The cool touch of Lapras serves as excellent air conditioning, comparable to an AC.
While engrossed in tactical research on her phone, she was suddenly pulled into a group chat by Natsuhiko.
She was part of several such groups, like school class groups, student union management groups, the rising stars of the Kanto Region, chat groups between Kanto, Johto, Hoenn Academy, and so on.
With the advent of this tool, it quickly gained popularity in major Pokémon academies in the Kanto Region.
The built-in Pokedex feature is, of course, one of the main reasons for its widespread adoption.
But the most popular feature is its chat function.
The Alliance's objective in promoting it is indeed to enhance communication and connection between Trainers.
It seems to be paying off now.
In fact, maybe a bit too well.
Even a "good student" like Kona gets caught up in these chat groups late at night and finds it hard to pull herself away.
Of course, it cannot be denied that there's a lot to learn.
However, Kona sometimes finds herself dazed and has trouble keeping up with the content and pace of the chats.
Fortunately, Natsuhiko's act of bringing her into a new group interrupted her daze.
Kona had a good impression of Natsuhiko. In her view, Natsuhiko was a Trainer with remarkable Pokémon knowledge, and his tactical reserves left her in awe.
For some tactics she hadn't fully grasped, just mentioning them to Natsuhiko would have him explain the essence of the strategy.
This made Kona admire him greatly and made her even more curious about the "teacher" he mentioned.
"Why use 'Flying Type' as his representative? Does he have Flying Type Pokémon?" Kona wondered.
She had done quite a bit of homework on Flying Types, just second to Ice Types, because Flying Types are countered by Ice Types.
"And who is this 'General'? General Type Pokémon are both outstanding and ordinary; well-trained ones are remarkable, while poorly trained ones seem ordinary. The profile indicates it's a female."
Kona adjusted her glasses, instinctively analyzing the data and information she had.
Until...
[User "Fairy" joined the chat.]
"Fairy? Is there a 'Fairy Type' attribute?"
She was an honors student and certainly couldn't forget Pokémon attributes; there are seventeen, and Fairy Type wasn't one of them.
However, the other party seemed to have no intention of changing the nickname again.
As for the identity of this "Fairy", she had some guesses.
"Could it be Natsuhiko's mysterious teacher?"
...
...
Amidst the roaring winds on the sea surface.
In the shaking, swaying cabin, Binina lay on the soft bed with her slender, fair feet exposed.
Feeling the violently rocking and vibrating bed, her flushed face bore a hint of perplexity.
Though she was a pirate, she also had a heart full of girlishness, with the entire room decked out in pink—even her Pokémon were pink.
At this moment, they were swiftly sailing towards a target location, which was naturally given to her by Natsuhiko, who had just pulled her into a group chat.
She had no choice, owing Natsuhiko a big favor.
Holding the sheet tightly with one hand, she scanned the content on her phone with the other, eyes fixed on the screen.
"'Flying' is Natsuka, but why use 'Flying'? Although Charizard indeed has a 'Flying Type' attribute, it's puzzling..."
She could never forget the time near the waters of Mist Island, where the terrifyingly powerful Shining Charizard single-handedly destroyed the entire "Black King" crew.
And the one commanding and directing that Shining Charizard was Natsuhiko, a person whose identity she couldn't discern.
Behind him was likely a senior Trainer of immense power, possibly even one of the higher-ups in the Alliance Headquarters.
Such an identity, even her family couldn't contend with.
"And who is 'Ice'? A friend of Natsuka? A Trainer skilled in using Ice Type Pokémon?"
A series of female Trainers proficient in Ice Types flashed through Binina's mind, but there were too many, making it impossible to pinpoint an identity.
"Fairy? Among the seventeen Pokémon attributes, there's no mention of a Fairy Type..."
Then, trembling on the rocking bed, she posed her question.
Similarly, Binina also had some guesses about the identity of this "Fairy".
...
...
Sinnoh.
Sitting by the campfire, Natsuhiko held a phone in his hand.
Using the name Fairy Type was a decision he made after careful consideration.
Since he needed to create a fictional teacher, one who could provide enough deterrence and influence while maintaining mystery, the currently nonexistent "Fairy" was the ideal choice.
When the Fairy Type eventually appears, having a "teacher" who had long been using the name "Fairy" will definitely have a huge impact on them.
Moreover, having such a "teacher" greatly alleviates the awkward situations where he finds himself unable to say or do certain things.
Looking at the phone again.
General (Binina): Fairy? Is there such an attribute? Who is this...
Flying (Natsuhiko): My teacher.
Fairy: Currently, there isn't such an attribute.
Ice (Kona): Currently?
On the other side of the screen, Kona sat up from Lapras, staring incredulously.
To see the other party so confidently assertive...
Could it be that there truly exists an unknown eighteenth attribute?
This theory had existed for a long time.
Many have speculated about the possibility of an eighteenth attribute, but none are known as of now.
There was no way to start this research, and it gradually became a joke.
Meanwhile, Binina also sat up on the bed, her eyes shimmering.
"Teacher? Is Natsuka's teacher the one behind him, the true master of the Shining Charizard?"
Flying (Natsuhiko): Let's not talk about this now. In the future, you might have a chance to learn more. For now, I want to know about the Hunter Guild. How much do you know?
Ice (Kona): Hunter Guild?
General (Binina): I do know a bit; they contacted me not long ago, hoping I would undertake a task commission.
Holding the phone, Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes and his fingers swiftly typed.
Flying (Natsuhiko): Specifically?
General (Binina): I'll have someone organize it and send it to you.
Flying (Natsuhiko): Sure, thanks.
General (Binina): But I don't know much specifically, I think if it's someone from the upper echelons of the Alliance, they might know better.
This statement was a means to probe into the identity of Natsuhiko's fictional "teacher".
However, Natsuhiko already had a response prepared.
Flying (Natsuhiko): Don't overthink it. My teacher rarely goes out and isn't very familiar with these big or small forces.
Behind the screen.
"Rarely goes out?" Binina was a bit shocked, "Could it be one of those reclusive figures within the Alliance?"
The more she thought, the more it seemed possible.
These were once vaguely mentioned by her elders at home, the Alliance headquarters hides a few figures of terrifying power.
Because of them, the Alliance has been able to steadily develop to its current state.
And the fact that the Shining Charizard might belong to their second or third line matches this identity well.
Otherwise, a Trainer with such a Pokémon would not be completely unheard of.
Flying (Natsuhiko): My teacher will occasionally share some Pokémon-related knowledge. I've expended considerable effort just to get the old man to pick up a phone.
Ice (Kona): Mr. Fairy, no, Fairy Teacher, although it's a bit presumptuous, I indeed have some questions I'd like to ask...
Natsuhiko used another phone to answer some of Kona's questions.
Having this identity out there made it much easier for him to say certain things.
Seeing Kona and Binina's respectful attitudes and tones in the chat group, Natsuhiko smiled playfully.
In the future, he could add more members to the group, and once Masaki's teleportation device is researched, it would evolve into a small gathering.
He could be both a member and, under the identity of "Fairy", issue some tasks and commissions.
For now, it's just in its embryonic stage.
As for why he doesn't add Lance, Flint, and Hilona, it's because, given their statuses, they don't need such a chat group to expand their knowledge and networks.
Even Kona was invited into this group only after repeatedly asking Natsuhiko about tactics and showing constant curiosity about his "teacher".
In Natsuhiko's plan, the next member will be "Dragon" Ryuzi.
By absorbing people from various sources, if "Meteor People" Ryuzi eventually joins, the group will comprise Alliance Academy (Kona), Pirate (Binina), Historical Remnant (Ryuzi)—these three factions.
Not to mention gaining benefits, at the very least, he could learn resources and information from various sources as quickly as possible.