"Wait, Teacher Candice! I haven't lost yet!" Wen Tai's voice cracked as he stepped forward, his face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and desperation. "If I just stick to the strategy, I can turn this around. My Buizel still has stamina, and—"
"Hmph. Take a good look at the field, Wen Tai," Candice interrupted, her tone dropping into that cold, sharp register she used when a student was being particularly thick-headed. "Whatever 'plan' you have in that head of yours, it's useless if your partner can't move a muscle. Logic won't save you when you're pinned to the floor."
She pointed a gloved finger toward the center of the arena. Julian had already signaled Carbink to retract the spikes, and the little gem-Pokémon was now hovering peacefully, looking like he hadn't just stapled a sea-weasel to the pavement.
"But I just need—"
"No 'buts'!" Candice barked. "In a real match, the battlefield is alive. It changes every second. There's no such thing as an 'absolute' plan, only the ability to adapt. Your plan was to kite him with speed and Sonic Boom, right? You thought you had a math problem you could solve from a distance."
Wen Tai slumped his shoulders. "Yeah... if I'd stayed out of range, Carbink's speed wouldn't have mattered. I should have won!"
"So what happened?" Candice asked, leaning over him. "Did your attack land? Did your Buizel survive? The result is written in the dirt, Wen Tai. This is exactly why I asked Julian to come here today. You lot think the world follows the rules of a textbook."
She turned away from the boy and addressed the entire crowd, her voice echoing off the gym rafters. "Listen up, all of you! What we teach you at the Academy is the foundation—the alphabet of the Pokémon world. But real battling? That's poetry. It's full of endless possibilities and things that will leave you scratching your heads. Don't you dare think 'type advantage' is some magic shield, and don't ever assume your strategy is perfect. The world is bigger and weirder than anything in your syllabus. Think on that."
"Yes, ma'am!" the students shouted in unison, though their eyes were still glued to Julian.
Candice sure knows how to give a speech, Julian thought, watching the kids process the lecture. He reached down and patted Carbink's smooth, rocky head. The little guy was munching on an Oran Berry, his blue eyes fluttering.
"You did great for your first official outing," Julian whispered. "Fought three back-to-back matches and didn't even chip a diamond."
"Woof! (Yeah, the first one was decent, at least,)" Leander added, trotting up to sniff the victorious Carbink.
"Mishi... mishimishi... (Carbink feels like a superstar... but Carbink is also ready for a long, long nap...)" The little Pokémon let out a tiny, high-pitched yawn, his body wobbling in the air.
"I hear you. You've earned it," Julian said with a chuckle. He felt the familiar weight of the Poké Ball in his hand, touched it to Carbink's forehead, and watched the red light pull his tired friend into a well-deserved rest.
"Julian."
He looked up to see Candice walking over, a genuine smile replacing her stern 'teacher' face.
"First off, thanks for the help. That was a masterclass in 'out-of-the-box' thinking. You gave these kids a reality check they desperately needed. But..." she glanced back at the sea of curious faces behind her. "I think you've opened a massive can of Wurmple. They have questions. Lots of them. You up for a Q&A session?"
Julian laughed. "I did promise I'd explain everything once the dust settled. Let's do it."
The students swarmed the edge of the arena immediately. Zoey was the first to speak, her hand practically vibrating in the air. "Teacher Julian! I have to know—how did that Rock Throw block my attacks so easily? It's an offensive move! It's meant for hitting, not building walls!"
"It's all about perspective, Zoey," Julian said, leaning against one of the arena pillars. "Every move is a tool. You just have to figure out how else it can be used. As for why it held up so well... your first Powder Snow wasn't strong enough to shatter the density of the rocks Carbink summoned. It just coated them."
He held up two fingers. "Then came the Razor Leaf. Normally, that would've sliced through Rock Throw like a hot knife through butter. But remember? Those rocks were already covered in your Powder Snow. That ice acted as a buffer—a literal layer of padding. And since Ice resists Grass, the power of your leaves was neutralized before they could reach the structural core of the rock. It took the Bullet Seed to finally break through because of the repeated, high-speed impact. It's simple physics and a little bit of environmental luck."
Zoey stared at him, her eyes wide as the pieces finally clicked. "So I was actually helping you defend by using Powder Snow first? Wow... Thank you for the lesson!"
"My turn!" Johanna shouted, her red hair bouncing as she stepped forward. "I have a different theory. The way you used those moves—the spinning, the interlocking spikes, the way you used the environment... it didn't look like a typical Trainer's style. Are you a Coordinator, Julian?"
Julian blinked, a bit surprised she'd picked up on that so quickly. "You've got a sharp eye. Yeah, I'm a bit of a dual-threat. I compete in Gyms, but I also walk the stage. I've actually got three Ribbons in my case right now."
He reached into his bag and pulled out his Ribbon collection box, flipping it open. The three silk Ribbons shimmered under the gym lights, their intricate designs and bright colors a sharp contrast to the rugged look of his Badge case.
"Whoa!" "He really is a Coordinator!" "But wait... aren't Coordinators usually... you know... not great at 'war'?"
The chatter rose again, but this time it was Zoey who cut through it. She stepped forward, her face scrunched up like a steamed bun, looking deeply offended.
"That's impossible! Julian, if you're trying to do both, you're just distracting yourself! To be the absolute strongest, you have to specialize. You have to pour your whole soul into one path!"
Julian raised an eyebrow at her intensity. "Is that so? I've found that the creativity from Contests makes my battles unpredictable, and the discipline of battling makes my Contest appeals more powerful. It's a win-win for me."
"No! It's wrong!" Zoey insisted, her voice rising. "Otherwise, why would your Carbink only be at a 'beginner' level? It's because you're splitting your attention! You can't handle both at once. My senior and I—we have a pact. I'm going to be a Top Coordinator, and he's going to be the Champion. We've chosen our paths to reach the ultimate goal. You're just treating it like a game!"
Julian looked at the young girl's burning eyes. She reminded him of the pure, unfiltered ambition you only see in people who haven't hit the road yet.