"So boring…"
Inside the lecture hall, the instructor's voice droned on endlessly from the podium. Lily yawned hard, her eyelids drooping as she rested her chin on the desk.
She was this close to falling asleep.
Honestly, even sneaking Pokémon battles during class would've been more fun than this.
"You didn't sleep well last night?" Emma, who was sitting beside her, lightly tapped Lily's cheek with her pen. When Lily didn't react at all, Emma frowned. "Why do you look so exhausted today?"
"Don't even ask…" Lily rolled her eyes weakly. "Charmander's tail almost set my bed on fire last night."
Emma froze for a second.
"…Of course it did."
Turns out Lily hadn't been paying attention and accidentally covered Charmander's flame with her blanket. Luckily, she noticed in time—otherwise her room would've gone up in smoke.
"As expected of you, Lily," Emma said dryly.
"Hey, Emma," Lily suddenly perked up, her eyes lighting up. "Let's battle at noon."
Emma thought about it for a moment. "I'm fine with that, but… where? Pokémon battles can wreck a place pretty badly."
"The school track field," Lily replied instantly, without hesitation. "My family donates so much money to this university every year. What's wrong with borrowing the playground once in a while?"
Emma's mouth twitched.
The Chu family conglomerate was one of the university's biggest sponsors. Every year, huge sums went into campus construction and renovations.
And Lily—being the eldest young lady of that family—really did have the confidence to say something like that.
"You still need to report it to a teacher," Emma said helplessly.
Ever since getting Pokémon, Lily had become more and more arrogant. She definitely hadn't been like this before.
"Oh, right," Emma added. "Did your homeroom teacher mention the 20th anniversary celebration today?"
"They did," Lily replied lazily, lying flat on her desk. "They want me to work with you to organize a performance."
Emma nodded.
As the recognized school beauty and head of the Arts Department in the student council, Emma was basically guaranteed to become student council president next year.
Lily could've done the same—but she was far too lazy.
In Lily's eyes, the student council was just a bunch of annoying chores. And honestly, with her background, even the instructors spoke to her carefully. Everyone knew who she was.
"Actually," Lily's eyes suddenly lit up, "I've got an idea."
She leaned over and whispered it to Emma.
Emma blinked after hearing it. "…Won't that scare the school leaders?"
"Relax," Lily said confidently. "They're not that old-fashioned. And this is a perfect chance to show everyone Charmander, Squirtle, and the others."
Her eyes sparkled.
She wanted the entire school—teachers included—to see Pokémon with their own eyes.
"…Alright," Emma finally nodded. "This will shock people."
"Oh, by the way," Lily added, grinning, "Did your classmates ask about Squirtle this morning?"
"Of course," Emma smiled. "They said it's super cute and really smart."
"Same here! I even let Charmander out. Their jealousy was practically written all over their faces."
"I bet a ton of students will visit the shop after school."
"That stingy boss better give us extra energy cubes."
"Hmph! Let's go after class and check business today."
The two girls chatted more and more enthusiastically.
Up on the podium, the instructor's eyelid twitched violently.
At least pretend to whisper…
But after thinking about who these two students were, he swallowed his anger and continued lecturing silently.
Better to live.
---
Pokémon Home — Backyard
"Vanillite! Rock Slide!"
Miya's usually calm, gentle voice was now filled with excitement.
"Vani—!"
Vanillite floated in midair, icy mist visibly spreading from its body. Shards of frozen rock condensed and shot downward toward Aron on the ground.
Ice-type Rock Slide!
On the other side, Lucas looked… miserable.
Aron scrambled forward on its four short legs, trying to dodge, but Rock Slide was a wide-area move. Even avoiding part of it was difficult.
Ice crystals slammed into Aron's steel armor.
Clang—clang—
Aron shook slightly… and that was it.
No real damage.
"…This is ridiculous," Lucas muttered.
Vanillite hovered comfortably in the air, completely out of reach, while Aron could do absolutely nothing.
Lucas felt wronged.
Extremely wronged.
He had carefully studied the beginner Pokémon manuals Ren sent to the group. According to type matchups, Steel/Rock-type Aron completely resisted Ice-type attacks.
Vanillite's Rock Slide was basically tickling Aron.
But the problem was—
Aron couldn't hit Vanillite at all.
It couldn't jump.
It couldn't fly.
It couldn't touch the air.
"I need a Flying-type Pokémon," Lucas growled. "Damn it."
Watching Vanillite casually rain attacks from above while Aron helplessly tanked everything made his blood pressure spike.
If this were Larvitar, he could at least throw rocks.
But Aron?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"This is bullying," Lucas said flatly. "Pure bullying."
"I surrender."
He raised his hands in defeat, utterly depressed.
Flying Pokémon…
I must get one.
These damn air units were way too shameless.