Sato's first public lecture had ended just like that. It wasn't until he stepped down from the stage to the sound of applause and left the classroom that an odd sense of emptiness suddenly crept in.
"So exhausting~"
Don't be fooled, Sato had been asking questions the entire time, but keeping over two hundred people in sync with his rhythm wasn't something easy.
He even felt it was more tiring than a full-on 6v6 team battle. It really did feel like one person against a hundred.
Still, it ended smoothly.
Sato returned to the lounge to take a short break while also waiting for the students attending the lecture to clear out.
After all, he had already caught sight of several students trying to rush out recklessly to "catch" him.
Click~
The door to the faculty lounge opened. Sato didn't even bother looking up, this area could only be accessed with a staff card.
Sure enough, Erika slipped in sneakily, then rushed over to Sato with an excited expression on her face.
"Oppa- cough… I mean, Teacher Sato, your lecture was amazing!
You have no idea, even now there are still tons of students refusing to leave the room, arguing passionately about what you said."
"Oh." Sato nodded calmly, then relaxed even further, slumping down onto the sofa. He figured it would be a while before he could safely leave the building.
Hmm… next time he should have Ralts Teleport over. That way, he could escape instantly when needed.
But the thought of Ralts always clinging protectively to little Absol gave Sato a headache.
After all, Absol was still just a child…
And they weren't even in the same Egg Group!
"Teacher Sato, what should we prepare for the next public lecture? I saw how excited the students were!
And about that better venue you mentioned… are we holding the next one in the main auditorium? I can go reserve it right away!"
Erika had just finished speaking and was about to run off when Sato stopped her.
"Not the auditorium. Let's hold the next lecture at the training grounds. I think real combat demonstrations suit me better."
"Teacher Sato, are you going to battle with the students!?" Upon hearing the word "battle," Erika's eyes instantly lit up like two shining stars.
Then she added, "Actually, never mind the training grounds. The gymnasium would be perfect! I'll go request it now!"
Caught off guard, Sato failed to stop her in time, and watched as she ran out of the lounge, even remembering to gently close the door behind her.
Sato debated with himself for two seconds, then just let her go.
It was going to be his second lecture anyway. Gymnasium it is. At least the space was big enough and suitable for showcasing techniques.
He stayed in the lounge for another half an hour before quietly sneaking out and heading back to his room.
Sure enough, when he opened the campus forums, his public lecture video had already been uploaded by the faculty, and comments were flooding in.
Sato scrolled through casually. The general tone was very positive, with many students saying they'd been inspired.
Seeing this, Sato felt genuinely pleased. 'So this… this was what it felt like to educate and nurture others.'
---
Weekends on campus were usually quiet. After lunch, Sato brought his Pokémon to the training grounds for some practice.
As usual, he picked a quiet corner and sent out Absol, Pikachu, and Drapion.
He had little Absol sit on the side and watch, while Drapion and Pikachu entered the training field for a sparring match.
"Don't hold back in battle. Go all out until I say stop," Sato called out from the referee's position.
"Pika!"
"Dra!"
"Now… begin!"
The moment Sato gave the signal, Pikachu and Drapion charged forward at the same time.
Pikachu instantly turned into a bolt of yellow lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it was already at Drapion's left side. With a swing of its tail, it launched an Electroweb.
Agility + Electroweb!
"Draa!"
Seeing the web flying toward it, Drapion didn't even try to dodge. It just jabbed itself lightly with one of its pincers.
Acupressure!
Drapion clearly understood that its Speed was nowhere near Pikachu's, so rather than playing a chasing game, it focused on powering itself up.
The next second, a red glow surged around Drapion's body, signaling that one of its Stats had been greatly boosted.
But at the same time, the Electroweb wrapped around Drapion entirely, surging electricity through its body and making Drapion cry out in pain.
Pikachu wasn't about to let up. In a flash, it vanished again, reappearing underneath Drapion's belly.
"Pika Pika!"
A flash of silver, Pikachu struck Drapion's soft underbelly with an Iron Tail.
Critical hit!
"DRA!"
But at the same moment, Drapion gritted through the pain and stabbed itself again with its pincer.
Another Acupressure!
Another red flash.
Drapion had sharply boosted another stat!
Suddenly, Drapion's pincer shot straight toward its own belly, clearly aiming for Pikachu.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
But in that instant, dozens of Pikachu appeared across the field. To avoid being grabbed, Pikachu had used Double Team.
Just as it was preparing another strike, it saw a massive pincer heading straight for its real body. Pikachu instantly realized that one of Drapion's Acupressures must have boosted its accuracy.
Agility: activate!
Pikachu blurred into a trail of afterimages, narrowly avoiding Drapion's first grab.
But Drapion seemed to predict Pikachu's escape route. Its other pincer was already waiting right there.
Pikachu was too fast to stop in time and crashed straight into Drapion's pincer.
"Battle over!" Sato immediately declared.
Once Pikachu was caught by Drapion, the battle was as good as done.
Unless it was something massive like a Golem, any Pokémon caught by Drapion basically had no chance of retaliating.
With its triple pincer full-surround grabs and excellent type resistances, Drapion could almost be considered invincible among its level.
"Pika…"
Defeated, Pikachu drooped its ears in frustration. It was the "senpai" after all, but ever since Drapion evolved, it had easily surpassed it. That stung.
"Don't be upset. You thought your Speed alone would let you rush up to Drapion like that? You really thought you wouldn't get caught? Also, Electroweb only slows down movement speed. It's basically nothing for Drapion to reach out through the gaps and grab you."
"Pika~ Pika…"
After hearing Sato's explanation, Pikachu looked even more dejected.
Still, even though Drapion looked terrifying after evolving, it lowered its head gently and quietly tried to comfort Pikachu, whispering that next time it would go easy on it…
"…Drapion, did you forget you're a Dark-type now? I can understand what you're saying."
"DRA! (°-°)?"