Chapter 42: Nemona’s Starter Pokémon

Director Harrington's speech lasted about seven or eight minutes, full of substance and no fluff.

Especially his line, "Let's all enjoy campus life together!" which drew a massive response from the students—applause thundered.

Once things calmed down, Director Harrington, as the center of attention, turned to Lucas at the edge, smiled, and spread his arms: "Next, let's welcome our new teacher to Naranja Academy! Everyone, please applaud!"

Clap clap clap!

"It's a new teacher!"

"He looks so young, probably not much older than us!"

"I'm over fifty and now have a new teacher young enough to be my grandson."

"I've never seen the Pokémon next to him!"

Prompted by the teachers beside him, Lucas calmly walked up to the podium.

Standing next to Director Harrington, Lucas glanced down, able to see every student's face—some puzzled, some uninterested, some skeptical, but mostly curious.

He could also see Nemona waving excitedly at him, and Arven, who didn't dare to meet his gaze.

A thousand faces, a thousand thoughts; the noise and emotions below didn't faze Lucas. Taking the mic from Harrington, he realized the clamor hadn't died down—it was getting louder.

Some new teachers might panic, but Lucas, a seasoned netizen, had seen countless ways to handle this.

After a moment's thought, Lucas glanced at Harrington, got a "do as you like" gesture, picked up Growlithe, and brought the mic close to its mouth.

"Woof woof woooo~~"

Growlithe wasn't fazed by the crowd; it was excited, and its loud bark through the mic instantly silenced the audience.

Lucas put it down, patted its head, cleared his throat, and declared: "As the director said, from today, I'm just like everyone else—a member of Naranja Academy."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lucas Blade. You can call me Teacher Lucas. I'll be teaching battle studies. Anyone interested in Pokémon battles can sign up for my class."

"In daily life, I'm easy to get along with, so don't worry."

Lucas considered himself easygoing and laid-back, but since he'd taken this job from Geeta, he planned to take teaching seriously.

The first half of his introduction was normal, even unremarkable. But the latter half took a sharp turn.

His gentle smile faded, replaced by a stern expression and an imposing air. Some students who met his eyes quickly looked away, guilty. "On the other hand, if anyone dares to be a troublemaker in my class, or if I catch anyone bullying others, I don't care what kind of background you have—you're welcome to test if your connections matter to me."

At his words, the field fell silent.

Harrington smiled even more, leading the applause.

But this time, applause was sparse. The students were intimidated by Lucas's presence and hadn't recovered.

"Haha, young people have spirit," Harrington thought as he applauded. "Maybe I'll suggest to the old master that Young Master Ortega take this teacher's class. I'm sure he'll learn something."

Dean Desh clapped absentmindedly, but his mind was in turmoil.

Was it coincidence… or deliberate?

How did Lucas, the new teacher, know about—and specifically mention—bullying!?

After the ceremony, most students returned to their dorms or hung around campus in groups.

Lucas, accompanied by the now-excited Growlithe, headed toward the library to borrow agriculture and animal husbandry books before going home.

At that moment, Nemona rushed over, breathless. "Big brother—Teacher Lucas!"

Lucas stopped, saw Nemona, and then spotted a brown head nearby. He smiled, "Hey, Nemona! Long time no see."

"Long time no see!" Nemona clenched her fists, eyes sparkling, and exclaimed, "I can't believe you became a teacher!"

"You looked so cool during your speech!"

Nemona felt today might be her lucky day. After a moment's thought, she took out a Pokéball and proudly handed it to Lucas: "Look, Teacher! I finally got my starter partner!"

"Oh? Can you tell me what Pokémon it is?"

Lucas was interested. He'd always been curious about what Nemona's starter was in the game since she supposedly never used her full power.

"Of course!"

Nemona nodded excitedly and tried to toss the Pokéball with style, but it slipped and fell to the ground.

That didn't stop the Pokémon from appearing.

With a flash of red light, a small orange electric mouse appeared before Lucas and Growlithe.

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise, "It's Pawmi?"

Every generation seemed to have its version of the electric mouse.

After coming out, Pawmi didn't run off. Instead, it picked up the Pokéball and handed it to Nemona, then quickly climbed onto her shoulder—they looked very close.

At that moment, Nemona revealed her true intent. Ignoring the people around, she bowed and shouted, "Please have a Pokémon battle with me and Pawmi, Teacher!"

Lucas wasn't surprised. Seeing Nemona's new look, he'd already guessed the future Upperclassman Nemona was emerging.

So, Lucas just smiled, "Of course! But we still need a judge."

"Referee?"

Nemona looked troubled; her friends weren't nearby.

Lucas patted her shoulder and called out, "Arven! How long are you going to keep hiding?"