August 9th, Sunday.
Off the coast of the Unova region, Blueberry Academy.
"Principal Cyrano, why hasn't Teacher Azure arrived yet? Could the information be wrong—"
In the morning, several figures had already appeared at the school entrance.
Among them, a pink-haired girl in a jacket seemed particularly anxious, looking again at the middle-aged man beside her as she asked.
"—This is the fifth time you've asked this, Lacey."
"But it's Teacher Azure we're talking about! It's normal for me to be worried!"
"Don't worry, Chairwoman Geeta has already confirmed it. Mr. Aiden and the others have already departed from Paldea and should arrive soon."
The man dressed in a white suit, named Cyrano, shook his head helplessly, signaling with his eyes for her to be at ease for now.
But halfway through his words, Cyrano suddenly scratched his head and froze in place.
"Uh——, what time did Mr. Aiden say he would arrive? Did I tell you all before?"
After being brushed off by Cyrano, Lacey sighed inwardly.
Although she had indeed once thought that if Teacher Azure could come to the Unova region for exchange and study, or even better, stay at Blueberry Academy as their teacher.
But now that this day had truly come, she instead felt a bit fearful—
Because from the principal to the teachers at Blueberry Academy, none of them seemed particularly reliable.
To the point that she, a first-year student who had only enrolled half a year ago, had already become the principal's assistant, often needing to remind him of his schedule—
High EQ: free-spirited school atmosphere
Low EQ: too unreliable!
If Teacher Azure saw Principal Cyrano's forgetfulness, and Ms. Briar's sudden excitement, it would definitely leave a bad impression!
By then, not only would they fail to keep Teacher Azure in Unova, they might even scare him into running away early—
Anything but that!
The moment she thought about how likely this was to happen, Lacey felt somewhat dazed.
"I can understand how you feel. Meeting Teacher Azure in person would indeed be very exciting."
The white-haired boy with black highlights beside Lacey nodded solemnly.
"To have discovered a brand-new evolution form for Duraludon, he must also be an expert in raising Dragon-type Pokémon."
"I must learn well from him. Perhaps it can help me advance my understanding of dragons even further."
Including this speaking boy, Drayton, and Lacey beside him, there were four students present in total.
They were the "Elite Four" of Blueberry Academy's League Club.
"Drayton, you—"
Lacey was speechless for a moment.
She actually wanted to say how could Teacher Azure possibly specialize in only one type—of course he was a master who dominated all types!
However, just as she was about to continue speaking, she suddenly noticed in her peripheral vision a pink wooden door that had abruptly appeared at the school entrance.
This was the main gate of Blueberry Academy—how could there be a door in the plaza?
And it hadn't been there just now, right?
Lacey subconsciously frowned, about to turn and ask the resting Principal Cyrano beside her, when she saw that wooden door with nothing behind it suddenly open.
Aiden emerged first, and the scene on the other side of the door wasn't the surroundings of Blueberry Academy, but rather looked more like an indoor space.
Following closely behind, Nemona, Arven, and Penny also walked out one after another.
The original student group was missing one person, because Red said he wanted to return to the Kanto region first to undergo another round of special training for the Kanto Victory Road.
Penny actually hadn't planned to come either.
But due to Nemona's forceful invitation, she ultimately gave up on her plan to return to Galar for summer vacation and came with them to Blueberry Academy located on the Unova sea.
"Sorry for the wait."
Aiden walked out as if nothing had happened, only turning back after confirming the Anywhere Door had disappeared, and immediately noticed the few people standing at the entrance.
???
What was that just now?
How did Teacher Azure suddenly arrive?
Not only Lacey, but everyone else present was also stunned.
"Teacher Azure, that was—"
The curiosity-filled Lacey hesitated as she spoke.
"Hmm?"
Aiden was stunned, then followed the direction of Lacey's finger before reacting.
"Oh, you mean the Anywhere Door?"
"It's nothing, just a gift from a certain Legendary Pokémon. Quite convenient for traveling."
"I see, so it was the legendary Spatial God from Sinnoh—"
Principal Cyrano, who had also been shocked, finally came back to his senses.
Although he hadn't witnessed it personally, the events Aiden experienced in Sinnoh were simply too legendary, to the point of making front-page headlines worldwide.
Even if he didn't follow the media much, he had long known about these matters from browsing Poké TV.
If it was that dragon named Palkia, who governed spatial authority, it seemed quite reasonable?
Aiden: ?
Hearing Principal Cyrano's words, Aiden subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
Is there a possibility that what I meant was Palkia's immediate superior, the Creator Deity Arceus?
However, it wasn't really important. Being misunderstood seemed fine too.
Aiden didn't dwell on this point.
"Lacey, long time no see!"
Nemona behind him quickly rushed over, directly running to hug Lacey, looking very happy.
"Um—long time no see, Nemona."
Lacey seemed a bit embarrassed, but still responded to Nemona first.
"Um—this is a very formal occasion, I don't think this is appropriate!"
"What's the big deal, Teacher Azure won't mind~"
"You can't!"
"Then alright—"
Seeing Nemona's "Mold Breaker" characteristic actually being resolved, not only Arven and Penny who understood her personality, but even Aiden secretly sighed—indeed, the power of childhood friends was too strong!
"This isn't bad either. I've always felt that Lacey is occasionally too serious, giving off a feeling that doesn't seem like a child at all."
Principal Cyrano walked over to Aiden, watching the interaction between Nemona and Lacey while expressing his heartfelt feeling.
After speaking, he quickly turned back, smiling as he looked at Aiden who was sizing him up.
"First time meeting, Mr. Aiden."
"I'm Cyrano, the principal of this Blueberry Academy."
"Just call me Aiden."
Aiden nodded.
"Hello, Mr. Cyrano."
"I heard from Chairwoman Geeta that you were also the designer of that famous 'Terarium'?"
"You've heard of the Terarium?"
Aiden's words seemed to hit exactly on Principal Cyrano's pride, so he raised his head high and patted his chest with great pride.
"That place is wonderful. I think you'll definitely like it, Aiden!"
After a couple more pleasantries, Aiden also turned his gaze to the giant building on the distant coastline.
The Terarium, a facility within Blueberry Academy, was also the crystallization of Unova's most cutting-edge scientific technology.
A completely independent offshore courtyard, using artificial technology to simulate four different environments most suitable for Pokémon habitation, all connected to each other.
Inside the dome above the Terarium hung a special device called the "Terarium Core," which contained a large amount of Tera Crystals collected from the Paldea region or Kitakami, thus emitting Tera energy.
On top of the original foundation, it also granted the Pokémon within the facility the ability to freely Terastallize.
Speaking of this—
Aiden suddenly remembered the official business Chairwoman Geeta had mentioned, so he looked at Cyrano again and added: "Mr. Cyrano, regarding Blueberry Academy's request for large-scale procurement of Stellar crystals, Chairwoman Geeta has already agreed."
"However, since Area Zero has been abandoned for so long, repairing and reactivating the former observation stations and equipment will probably still require some time."
"No problem, this matter isn't urgent."
Cyrano smiled and shook his head.
"Even if you deliver the crystals, it will still take a long time to research how to process them into energy storage fluid that can continuously release energy."
"Compared to the Stellar phenomenon, this exchange and study with Naranja Academy is more important to us."
"I've heard that the name 'Teacher Azure' has a very high influence not only in Paldea, but throughout the entire world."
"As an educator, I feel that you are an excellent role model worth learning from, Aiden. This month-long exchange will definitely let both teachers and students learn a great deal!"
A role model, huh—
Aiden could only choose to show an embarrassed yet polite smile.
If Cyrano had actually conducted field investigations at Naranja Academy, he probably couldn't have said such things.
After all, the Sunshine Gym he guarded was a unique "overwhelmingly negative reviews" Gym in Paldea, with students' negative reviews almost filling the Paldea Sea flat—
Learning from him, they probably wouldn't want Blueberry Academy's positive rating either!
However, Aiden naturally couldn't say these words out loud.
Don't air your dirty laundry in public!
So along the way he tried his best to remain silent, only occasionally making sounds of agreement, until he followed Principal Cyrano inside Blueberry Academy.
Nemona and the other three had already gotten to know the Blueberry Academy students and seemed to be chatting animatedly.
Aiden and Cyrano stood not far away, discussing adult work topics.
"I heard that in Paldea, the first half of each school year is specifically dedicated to letting students challenge Gyms and freely explore and treasure hunt in Paldea?"
Cyrano suddenly asked, and Aiden quickly answered.
"Yes, Paldea's Victory Road assessment officially concluded at the end of July. When the second semester begins, students will return to school to make up for missing theoretical knowledge."
"That's wonderful—"
Principal Cyrano nodded with emotion.
"I also feel that every region's schools should have their own characteristics."
"So at Blueberry Academy, we also didn't adopt traditional teaching methods, but instead established a 'Blueberry League' system modeled after the Pokémon League."
"Students can challenge each other to improve their rankings, and compete for the positions of 'Champion' and 'Elite Four' in the League Club."
"Of course, unlike the titles in the Unova region, these are just empty names that can only be used within the school."
"This way, students' enthusiasm for researching battles has clearly increased."
Regarding the content Cyrano described, Aiden listened with great interest, nodding repeatedly while subconsciously drawing parallels—so that's how it was, using honor to give students a reason to compete, thus forming a virtuous cycle.
Paldea's "Champion" title was probably also a product of the same line of thought, right?
This Principal Cyrano was indeed a wise educator, quite different from his usually not-so-serious appearance in the games—
"The four students who came with me today are the current Elite Four of Blueberry Academy."
Cyrano soon looked at the students sitting and chatting in the distance, preparing to introduce them to Aiden.
However, before he could speak, he suddenly heard a noisy commotion coming from the other side.
Nemona suddenly slammed the table and excitedly stood up.
"Great!"
"Since we've come to the Unova region, then of course we must have a battle first!"
"I heard Blueberry Academy uses Double Battle rules. I've only tried that in 'Pokémon Champions' before!"
"Come on, come on, Lacey! Battle with me!"
Aiden knew at a glance that Nemona's battle addiction was acting up again—
Lacey also had a "I knew it would be like this" expression, helplessly supporting her forehead before gently nodding.
"Alright, but we can only battle once today!"
"Awesome, you're the best, Lacey!"
Seeing this, Aiden and Cyrano could only smile at each other before walking over.
In the Pokémon world, the best way for students to communicate was indeed Pokémon battles!
Soon, Nemona and Lacey finished their warm-up preparations at the school's battle facility.
As for Aiden, he also volunteered to serve as the referee for this battle, observing the two's movements.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Yes."
"Then, both competitors enter."
"Hey!"
After Aiden spoke, Nemona was the first to step into the field, simultaneously raising two Poké Balls high.
As for Lacey on the opposite side, she appeared more like a refined young lady, stepping forward with light steps.
However—
Every time seeing Senior Lacey take out two Poké Balls, it would subconsciously remind one of the trolling mandatory courses in the Indigo Disk DLC.
Today, is Senior Lacey's opponent the Land/Sea Plusle/Minun, or the Time/Space Plusle/Minun?
Aiden thought to himself, only returning to his senses after both sides threw out their Poké Balls.
Nemona's main team choice remained very practical: a Gholdengo + Skeledirge combination.
As for Lacey's side, it wasn't the Plusle and Minun Aiden imagined, but rather—
"Go, Granbull!"
"And Chansey too!"
Lacey really likes Granbull, even using it as a pillow during afternoon naps.
This is also recorded in the Indigo Disk DLC.
However, the choice of the other Pokémon made Aiden subconsciously raise an eyebrow.
Chansey?
Although it did fit Lacey's preference for cute Pokémon, she shouldn't have this one among her main Pokémon, right?
And why Chansey specifically?
Aiden vaguely developed some guesses in his heart, so he silently waited for Lacey's next move.
Soon, Lacey indeed acted as he expected, opening first: "Granbull, use Thunder Wave to restrict Skeledirge!"
"Chansey, Minimize!"
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