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On his way through the school grounds, David spotted a handful of the exchange students from the Sakura Alliance. Having battled against every single one of them not long ago, he could pick most of their faces out of a crowd without much effort.
A thought crossed his mind, and he remembered that this group was still scheduled to spend another month at First High before rotating to other schools across Imperial City. He glanced at them with mild curiosity.
That battle didn't seem to affect them at all. Did the higher-ups from the Sakura Alliance actually decide to keep them here?
It struck him as strange. The battle had taken place in their own territory, so nothing about it had been kept quiet. The media had covered every detail thoroughly, and the story had spread quickly. The entire Sakura exchange group — more than thirty Pokémon fielded in rotation, every student involved — had been beaten by a single rookie Trainer who was barely any older than them.
That kind of story couldn't stay contained. It circulated freely across the Cloudspire Alliance and beyond its borders. The Sakura Alliance's media outlets, true to their habit of sensationalism, had run with the story and given David a string of titles: The Great Demon King of Rookie Trainers, The First of the New Generation in the Cloudspire Alliance, and The Young Dragon of the Moore Family.
The exaggerated headlines were typical of their style, but David wasn't naive. He could see the move underneath them. The High School League hadn't even started yet, and already they were trying to paint a target on his back. If you told every young Trainer in the Cloudspire Alliance that one of their peers had already claimed the title of the best newcomer of the generation, you could count on no small number of them taking offence.
David couldn't bring himself to care much. The whole thing felt petty to him. What did it matter if people were annoyed? Trainers, real ones, settled things on the battlefield. When the time came and he decisively beat those so-called Cloudspire geniuses in actual matches, all this noise would simply end up working in his favour — boosting his name faster than any amount of publicity he could have arranged himself.
When he walked through the school gates, the Sakura exchange students saw him right away. How could they not? He had caused enough of a stir.
The past few days hadn't been kind to them, even in his absence. Back home, they had been reprimanded harshly by Alliance leadership. Here at First High, they endured whispers and barely concealed mockery from other students. They couldn't argue back without making things worse, and they couldn't simply pack up and leave while the exchange program was still running. So they kept their heads down and got on with it.
The moment they noticed David, that was exactly what they did — they dropped their gazes and quickly moved away.
It was hard to blame them. A one-versus-thirty battle was not something easily forgotten, especially when you were on the losing side of it. The Sakura Alliance's culture was known for being strict and hierarchical — strength determined standing, and the strong set the terms. Being beaten that badly, in front of everyone, left a mark.
David didn't spare them much thought. They were defeated opponents, nothing more. There wasn't anything worth dwelling on.
He recalled his Pokémon to their Poké Balls and walked straight toward Classroom One.
When he stepped through the door, Dominic was already standing at the front of the room, hands clasped behind his back. David greeted him without missing a beat.
"Good morning, Teacher Dominic!"
Dominic studied him for a moment, unhurried, his expression carrying that familiar dry edge.
"Well, well. If it isn't the First of the New Generation in the Cloudspire Alliance himself. I was starting to think you'd forgotten which building your classroom was in."
It was a fair jab. David had taken a week off at the very start of term — something about his Pokémon evolving — and Dominic had let it slide without comment. Then, after just two days back, he had disappeared again with a vague explanation about having something to take care of. For a third-year student, taking time away for training wasn't unheard of. But for someone whose actual attendance in the first month could be counted on one hand, even Dominic's famously calm demeanour had its limits. The only reason he hadn't dragged David back to school personally was the steady, undeniable improvement in the boy's Pokémon and the fact that Principal Finn had put his name behind him.
David knew exactly what the look on his teacher's face meant. He'd taken too much leave, and there was no getting around it. He didn't try to defend himself. He just smiled and stayed quiet.
Dominic held his gaze a moment longer, then let out a short breath.
"All right. Since you're here, stop standing in the doorway. Get to your seat."
"Yes, sir!"
David answered clearly and jogged back to his desk.
He had barely sat down before a familiar voice came from the seat beside him.
"Bro, that was incredible! I've never seen Teacher Dominic look like that before."
David turned. Miles — the slightly chubby classmate who had been on leave since the semester began — was grinning at him from the next seat over. He had apparently come back while David was away.
"Miles! When did you get back?"
"Just a few days ago," Miles said. "I heard you were dealing with something, so I didn't bother you. But come on — what happened? You said you were going to get something good out of your trip. How did it go?"
Miles gave a modest shrug. "Nothing too impressive. Nowhere near your level, anyway."
From the other side, Luke turned in his chair with a flat look.
"Don't listen to him. He did pretty well for himself." He tilted his head toward the back of the room. "Our exchange classmates found that out the hard way."
David followed the gesture. The Sakura exchange group had claimed a cluster of seats near the back — about ten students in total, most of them the stronger ones from the original group. He recognised most of their faces.
One of them was already looking their way. Jingūji Yoru sat with her arms crossed, her gaze sharp and clearly not friendly. From the way Luke had said it, she was the one who had crossed paths with Miles.
Before David could say anything, a dry cough from the front of the room silenced everyone.
"I have an announcement," Dominic said, scanning the class. "The school team selection is being held today. Any student who wants to participate should head to the sports field by nine-thirty. For those who'd prefer to watch, you're welcome to come along. Anyone else can stay here — another teacher will be in to supervise self-study. Exchange students are also welcome to attend if they wish."
He said nothing more. He gathered his things and walked out of the classroom, leaving his students to sit with the announcement and whatever thoughts it stirred up.