Perhaps because it wasn't her first time blushing, Advisor Erika finally managed to steady herself after taking a deep breath.
"Mr… Teacher Sato, please allow me to call you that from now on. Since you're not a long-term faculty member at Celadon University, nor a regular student pursuing a diploma, we've prepared a private office and living quarters for you, both in the same place. This will also make it easier for you to audit other classes.
In a bit, I'll first take you to your residence so you can rest for a while. After that, I'll bring you to meet our Dean. As for your teaching and class schedule, the Dean will inform you personally.
…That's all."
It seemed Erika had memorized that whole speech in advance. After blurting it out in one breath, she mumbled to herself to check if she'd missed anything.
"This is the first time someone's called me 'Teacher Sato.' I have to admit… it sounds kind of fun. No need to be so nervous, Ms. Erika. We're colleagues now."
"A-Ah, yes!"
Noticing the telltale signs of another impending blush, Sato quickly steered the topic elsewhere.
"Ms. Erika, if it's convenient, could we go see the office now?"
"Yes, of course!"
Erika nodded repeatedly, gathered up Sato's onboarding paperwork in a flurry, then hurried to open the office door, gesturing for him to follow.
"Teacher Sato, this way."
"Alright."
By now, the crowd of curious university students outside the door had grown even larger. Still, they remained fairly composed, mostly just there to watch the spectacle. When they saw Sato and Erika come out, they kindly made way.
"Ms. Erika, the person behind you… is that Gym Leader Sato from Shadownight Gym?"
A slightly bolder girl stepped up and asked Erika cautiously.
"Yes, and everyone, please don't crowd around here. Gym Leader Sato will be serving as a guest lecturer at our faculty for a while. You'll have plenty of chances to interact with him in class. Let's disperse, alright?"
Erika's demeanor with the students was completely different from how she was with Sato. Calm and composed, just a few sentences were enough to stop most of the students from tailing them.
And honestly, Sato found it perfectly reasonable. After all, people who idolized public figures came from all professions and age groups.
What's wrong with an advisor fangirling? It's not like she was eating your rice.
Once most of the students had been temporarily cleared out, Erika returned to Sato's side with small, quick steps.
"Teacher Sato, this way please."
"Sure."
As the top-ranked university in the Kanto Region, Celadon University clearly didn't skimp on resources. The thirteen-story building where Sato had been assigned was used exclusively for faculty offices and residences.
Sato's office and living quarters were arranged on the ninth floor, an impressive placement.
The office was spotless, with everything from a computer to a bookshelf fully stocked. A large glass window provided excellent natural lighting.
Behind a small door inside the office was a nearly 100-square-meter private apartment.
All appliances and furniture were already in place, and even the kitchen was fully stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils. The fridge was crammed with fruits and drinks.
Nearly half of the space had been covered in durable, soft carpet; clearly prepared for Sato to let his Pokémon roam freely.
Sato had to admit; this place was no worse than his own home.
The only thing missing was… Joseph, to boil water, cook, and take care of the Pokémon…
"Umbree~"
Tired from walking, Umbreon unceremoniously jumped onto the soft couch and happily started rolling around, even letting out a purring sound of contentment toward Sato.
"T-Teacher Sato, are you satisfied with the office and the room!?" Erika followed him inside, a little excited as she asked, with a glint of expectation in her eyes.
Sato blinked and asked proactively, "Did you prepare all of this?"
"Yes, though there wasn't much time, so a lot of things-"
"Thank you. It's much better than I expected. Just look, Umbreon seems really happy too."
"Ah! Really? That's great!"
Stars lit up in Erika's eyes. Her joy and excitement were so evident that even little Absol couldn't help but glance up.
"Sol~" 'This human's in heat~'
Thanks to the Dark Energy, Sato could clearly understand what Absol was "saying". He twitched at the corner of his mouth, wondering since when Absol had become so precocious.
'It must've been Zoroark's bad influence!'
--
Inside the Poké Ball, Zoroark: "Achoo!!"
(Д｀)っ 'With how strong I am, I can still catch a cold?'
--
Sato pulled two pre-packed Pokémon meals from his backpack and turned to Umbreon and Absol.
"You two stay home and rest. I'm heading out again."
It wouldn't be very polite to bring them along when meeting the Dean, so he might as well leave them here and Umbreon could enjoy more rolling time.
"Umbree~"
Umbreon flicked its tail and kept rolling around happily. The hotel sofa couldn't compare to this one; who knew how long it had been dreaming of rolling like this.
As for little Absol, it remained silent, lying on the carpet with its eyes closed, quietly resting.
"Teacher Sato, your Absol has such a strong personality!"
In a fan's eyes, everything about their idol is perfect… even when Absol was clearly wearing a grumpy face.
"Heh~ Let's go meet the Dean now."
"A-Ah, yes, Teacher Sato!"
They left and took the elevator again, this time heading straight to the thirteenth floor, clearly where the Dean's office was located.
"Teacher Sato, our Dean's name is Aki Sasaki, but we usually just call her Dean Aki. She's very easy to talk to. You'll see."
Sato nodded slightly. Before coming to Celadon University, he had done some research. Naturally, he was curious about the Dean of the Trainer Academy.
After all, from the photos, she looked like a stunning beauty in her forties, still graceful and full of charm.
But to be the head of an entire faculty -especially the most important Trainer Academy- being in her early forties was already incredibly young.
Knock knock knock!
"Dean, it's Erika."
"Come in!"
Erika gave Sato a shy nod, then opened the door herself and led him inside.
As the two entered, they saw Dean Aki already standing up from her seat, smiling as she nodded at them.
Aki took a moment to study Sato before finally speaking slowly: "No wonder that old man Charles went out of his way to recommend you. Just with that face, you're probably already popular with a lot of young girls… don't you think, Erika~?"
"D-Dean! What are you saying!"
For the third time today, Erika turned into a blushing Corphish. Standing so close, Sato could even see steam faintly rising from the top of her head.
'Huh… smells like trouble.'