The room was softly lit, bathed in a warm yellow glow that highlighted the rich, solid presence of the dark wooden desk.
Clavell sat behind the principal's desk in the headmaster's office and got straight to the point with the two people in front of him.
"I'll be blunt."
"Mr. Haru—ah, I mean, Haru—I'd like to formally invite you to teach at Naranja Academy. What do you think?"
"Huh? Me, a teacher? Are you serious?!"
Haru hadn't expected this kind of development at all.
It wasn't false modesty—he genuinely couldn't understand why this job offer would land on him of all people.
He was still technically a "suspicious individual" who had only just gotten official identification. Why would they make someone like him a teacher?
This wasn't Hogwarts next door, where they specialized in hiring sketchy people to teach.
Besides, where would he find the time? He was already swamped with Gym Challenges, Trials, and... more Gym Challenges.
And if Lillie and the others showed up, he'd be even busier.
"It's a temporary position," Clavell clarified.
"Truth be told, I've only recently assumed the role of Principal myself."
"And somehow, right after I took the position, I discovered that most of Naranja Academy's faculty resigned along with the previous headmaster. So now we've got a ton of open positions."
He took off his glasses, polishing them slowly with a cloth, and continued with a touch of melancholy:
"Do they really have that little faith in me? That many people quit just because I took over?"
"...I think there might be other reasons behind it," Haru offered.
Haru actually knew the truth behind what had happened, but sometimes it's better to let people figure these things out themselves.
"Maybe so."
Clavell seemed a bit comforted by Haru's words. He nodded, put his glasses back on, and continued:
"In any case, we're desperately short-staffed. So I sincerely ask that a Trainer as strong as you join us temporarily."
"I saw your battle with Nemona firsthand. Your skills are more than enough to handle practical Pokémon battle instruction."
"You'd only be teaching three classes a week. The rest of your time would be free for Gym Challenges."
"And once our staff levels return to normal, you're welcome to either stay on or resign—totally your choice."
"Would that be acceptable to you?"
Clavell's tone was earnest. He truly needed someone like Haru.
Before Haru could respond, Clavell suddenly slapped his forehead as if something had just occurred to him. "Oh, right! Almost forgot the most important part."
"As for compensation—how does this number sound?"
He scribbled a figure on a slip of paper and passed it over.
Haru glanced at the number, then considered the workload... and suddenly, being a Pokémon Professor didn't sound so bad.
He didn't have a legitimate source of income, after all. Might as well earn some rice for himself. He couldn't just live off Nemona or Lillie forever, right?
Haru figured it was better not to freeload too much. Otherwise, it'd be hard to feel confident in front of the girls—and that would be a problem.
But even if he was tempted, there was still one issue left.
"But I only have three Pokémon. Is that really okay?"
Clavell blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why haven't you filled out a full team?"
Generally, Trainers only carry six Pokémon at a time, and that's the legal limit during Gym Challenges as well.
Sure, a Trainer might capture ten or even sixty Pokémon over time, but their main team would always be the ones they carried on hand.
It wasn't just because of League restrictions—more than anything, it was because a Trainer's focus and energy are limited.
Trying to train all your Pokémon to peak strength at the same time? Totally impossible.
Unless... every Pokémon on your team is a Legendary Beast, and they all just so happen to be hyper-motivated and constantly grinding themselves to keep up with their teammates.
But seriously, who the hell would have a team like that?
That's why carrying six Pokémon was the norm—especially for someone as powerful as Haru.
Among all the Trainers Clavell had seen, none of the elite ones had brought fewer than six Pokémon—until now.
"This... I don't really have a choice."
"I haven't had time to go catch the ones I really want."
Haru thought back over his recent journey and realized... yeah, he'd either been doing something or on the way to doing something the whole time. It was kind of embarrassing.
Still, as someone from another world, he did have the advantage of foreknowledge. He remembered where certain Pokémon could be found.
"Hmm... not having a full six is a bit concerning. But your other two Pokémon—are they as strong as that Flutter Mane?"
"They're definitely on par with her."
"Then it should be fine. Still, please try to complete your team soon."
"I will, I will."
"Great. Then take this—Nemona can show you how to use it later."
Clavell handed Haru a gleaming white Poké Ball.
"And now, onto the second matter."
"A transfer student will soon be joining our school. Her name is Liko."
"She'll be arriving at Naranja Academy either tomorrow or the day after, and she'll be placed in Nemona's class."
"I'd like you all to help her settle in."
"Especially you, Professor Haru. Please teach her a bit about Pokémon battles."
He looked at Haru again.
"Eh? A transfer student? So... is she strong in battle?"
"She's a total beginner, so try not to bully her."
"Aww, really?"
Nemona looked visibly disappointed.
"That's all I have for now."
"Professor Haru, your first class will be tomorrow afternoon at three. I hope you'll be prepared."
"No problem."
Already thinking about introducing his students to the evasion-minimization team meta, Haru quickly agreed.
The two soon left the principal's office. Outside, they met up with Iono and began heading toward the school gates.
Nemona quickly stepped ahead to block their path.
"No time to waste—let's go challenge a Gym right away! I've already taken down three. How about we go for the Normal-type Gym next?"
"Works for me. I haven't done the Normal-type Gym yet either."
"If I remember right, the Gym Leader's name is Larry."
Normal-type, huh... using a Ghost/Fairy-type like Flutter Mane might be a bit overkill.
Maybe he should try Necrozma instead?
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P@treon/GodDragcell