106. Training

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"This is the Alakazam that the Pokémon Association lent you." Nina handed the Poké Ball to Jacob. "This is a specially customized Poké Ball. Alakazam can enter and exit it freely. When you encounter danger, it can emerge directly from the Poké Ball to protect you. It's very convenient. Also, try not to reveal Alakazam's presence. If your enemies prepare countermeasures against Psychic-types in advance, escaping will become difficult. Of course, the safest approach is to never venture out alone."

Nina's expression remained cold, as if she wanted to keep everyone at a distance. She delivered the warmest words in the coldest tone, barely acknowledging Jacob and Julia's presence.

"Teacher Nina..."

"I have something else to attend to. Train hard."

After handing the Poké Ball to Jacob, Teacher Nina didn't even glance at him. She turned around and left without another word.

"Where did Teacher Nina go?" Julia looked at Jacob and asked after returning to the battle room. Her face was still flushed with embarrassment. She felt mortified that Teacher Nina had caught her massaging Jacob's shoulders.

"She left," Jacob replied. He could sense that Teacher Nina seemed to be in a foul mood.

Upon hearing that Teacher Nina had departed, Harper had no desire to remain and suffer through more training. He quickly followed Teacher Nina's lead and exited the battle room.

"I'm going to training too."

"Ah."

...

That night, Jacob made a phone call to Scott.

"Hey, Grandpa, how are you and Grandma doing lately?" Jacob asked.

"Just the usual old people problems, nothing serious. Jacob, did you watch today's press conference?" Grandpa asked.

"Grandpa, you should cut back on drinking and smoking. I was training this morning and didn't have time to watch," Jacob reminded Scott honestly. "By the way, Grandpa, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Scott inquired.

"Today, there's a classmate in our training class named Julia. Her mother is Raya, the Fairy Heavenly King of the eastern region. She invited me to lunch tomorrow," Jacob explained concisely.

"About that," Scott said with a knowing look, "Last night, the Pokémon Association sold the exclusive Z-Crystal and Z-Power Ring for Mimikyu that they acquired to Raya. But keep this information confidential. Mimikyu's exclusive Z-Move hasn't been announced to the public yet. It's considered a secret weapon."

"I understand," Jacob nodded, but a question lingered in his mind: "If Raya already has Mimikyu's exclusive Z-Crystal, why would she want to treat me to a meal?"

"I don't know. Go ahead—it can't hurt. I suspect she wants to ask about your techniques with Z-Moves. By the way, remember to stay safe." Scott asked worriedly. "Don't go anywhere alone."

"Yeah," Jacob nodded.

...

The two chatted for a while before ending the call. On the other end, Scott stroked his gray beard, his mind wandering to other matters.

Raya's daughter Julia is in the same class as Jacob? They must be about the same age.

...

Jacob lay on his bed, staring at his phone with 99+ unread messages. He scrolled through them, politely responding to each one, then specifically replied to his family and his good friend Kyle.

Kyle alone had sent dozens of messages:

"Jacob, you posted it, you really posted it! Don't forget your buddy who's been supporting you behind the scenes."

"Bro, bro, I miss you! Please reply to my message."

"Damn it, you idiot Jacob, answer me! I told my classmates in the training class that I was your brother, and they all accused me of lying."

"Bro, you don't want your good friend to be looked down on, do you?"

...

Looking at Kyle's messages, Jacob couldn't help but want to tease him. He simply replied: "I don't know you. Please stop bothering me."

Just seconds after sending the message, Kyle called.

"Damn, Jacob..." His first words were colorful language.

"Calm down, Kyle," Jacob finally managed to interrupt him.

"Now that you've become a big shot, you don't even reply to your brother's messages, huh?" Kyle's tone was full of resentment, like a neglected spouse.

"Kyle, I've been training all day and haven't had time to check my phone," Jacob patiently explained.

"No way, bro! You still want to compete in the College Cup? What a joke! Brother, you're amazing—you'll definitely get into a good University," Kyle said excitedly. "If I were them, I'd just invite you to be a professor. How about you accept me as your student?"

"Scientific research is just my hobby," Jacob replied calmly. "What you see is just the tip of the iceberg. My dream is to become a great trainer."

"Wow, wow, wow." Kyle suddenly started crying.

"What's wrong? Don't cry," Jacob asked hurriedly.

"I'm just relieved to see you're still such a show-off. You haven't changed, Bro."

"..."

Jacob hadn't seen Kyle for a long time and missed him greatly. The two chatted late into the night before finally falling asleep.

...

Saturday's schedule included a move learning class, with Dragon Pulse still being taught. After last week's session, Jacob had already used the TM to teach Dragon Pulse to his Noibat and Charmander, so this class held little value for him. Instead of attending, he chose to train rigorously in the restricted area.

Nina, who was teaching the morning class, scanned the crowd several times but didn't spot Jacob, causing her to frown slightly. Though her expression remained composed, anger simmered within her.

When Nina had seen Jacob and Julia in what appeared to be an intimate moment yesterday, she concluded they must be secretly dating. Today, with Jacob absent from class, Nina became even more convinced that he was certainly involved with Julia, and their relationship was the reason he skipped the move learning class.

For this reason, Nina felt deeply disappointed in Jacob. She was upset that he wasn't focusing on his training and instead seemed distracted by romance. She had repeatedly emphasized that his own strength was paramount, but he apparently wasn't listening.

The more Nina dwelled on it, the angrier she became. Even the students could sense that Teacher Nina seemed particularly irritable today.

"What's wrong with Teacher Nina today? She seems to be in a terrible mood."

"I have no idea," a male classmate shrugged.

"I know," another male student said with a sly expression. "According to my analysis, women always have a few days of bad temper every month. It's a normal physiological phenomenon. Plus, women Teacher Nina's age tend to be hot-tempered. Combined with being single, it's no wonder she's irritable."

"How do you know Teacher Nina is single?" The surrounding students asked one after another. "Teacher Nina is so beautiful—how could she not have a boyfriend?"

"It's common knowledge. Haven't you heard the rumor? They say Teacher Nina remains single because she prefers women!"

"Are you sure?"

"It's just a rumor, but there's no smoke without fire."