"Ha! Saying Aspertia City's Trainer School isn't good enough—who even are you, old man?!"
The hot-tempered Hugh was furious. That's an official teaching site approved by the Unova League. Some random uncle suddenly shows up to say their school isn't good? Hugh wasn't even a student there yet, but he was livid all the same. To insult his hometown of Aspertia City was to trample on its long history—an apology was required immediately.
"Oh my! I'm not looking down on Aspertia's Trainer School. Ahem, in fact, I'm one of its investors."
"As for who I am, let's just say I'm an education man who loves battling."
"Not only education—business too, I'd wager," Hikaru exhaled in relief. "Director Cyrano, I've heard a lot about you."
But as a DLC character, why are you "spawning" in Aspertia City? Shouldn't you appear in East Unova? And back in Mistralton City, to dodge Hassel's… ahem, Blondo's enthusiasm, I never replied to Cyrano's invitation. Who knew I'd come all the way to Unova's southwest and still bump into this gentleman. So this is what they call a "fated encounter." What are you, a distribution Mythical?
"Oh! You recognize me? Didn't expect the headmaster of a new academy to have any name recognition."
"Ahem."
Cyrano cleared his throat. "You three youngsters, I was invited to your Trainer School for 'teaching observation.'"
His explanation made the trio understand the situation.
"Blueberry Academy is in preparation to be the strongest academy in Unova, so we must gather the essence of many schools. That's why we're visiting Trainer Schools in various cities to observe, learn, and select suitable talent to become our faculty!"
"That is why I have come here!"
"Aspertia City's Trainer School has a long history and a strong faculty, boasting more than seventy graduating classes to date, and has trained many Trainers who could be called the backbone of Unova!"
"So for me to be here is truly an honor!"
"Our academy's goal is to focus on cultivating battle-oriented Trainers, so outstanding students from various schools will receive admission letters from me as well."
"However, you don't quite seem old enough to enroll—about one or two years too young, I'd say—but I have high hopes for your future!"
Cyrano wasn't bluffing. He had watched the three little ones learn from start to finish and found each of them gifted in different ways, which stirred his love of talent.
But Hikaru chuckled inwardly.
These three really don't need Blueberry Academy at all. Give them a short time and enough tempering, and they'll rapidly grow into top-tier Trainers "unparalleled under heaven." That was a title personally bestowed by Alder.
In fact, the protagonists and their rivals of every generation can be seen as representatives of the "wild-battle school," while the academy stream only begins to produce masters in later eras. Wrong patch version for this party.
"So you're building a new school and came to learn? Then you came to the right place," Hugh relaxed once he realized Cyrano meant no harm. Nate rubbed his chin. "There are a lot of schools in Unova. The strongest now should be Opelucid City's Opelucid Academy, right?"
Rosa: "If it's the strongest school, I just feel like the coursework would be super heavy…"
"Pure theory can't cultivate the strongest Trainers, and pure practice won't do either. The two must be combined. In that regard, Aspertia's Trainer School is the best!"
This wasn't mutual back-patting; it was heartfelt. Hikaru nodded slightly too. After all, this is the only Trainer School with a built-in Gym and a wealth of community-practice courses. Before Brycen took up the Aspertia Gym, there had even been plans to invite the retired Alder to teach here—some classmates bring this up. But Alder declined, saying "the future belongs to the young." If that had gone through, it would be the only place where you fight the former Champion right out the door. That said, even though Alder claimed he wouldn't go to the Trainer School, he still opened a private cram school back home in Lacunosa Town.
"Our Blueberry Academy is being built alongside an offshore resource-development plant, so when it's completed it will sit at sea in Unova's southeast waters, with its main body submerged."
"We'll also be using construction tech from the Pokémon House in—well—Newt City, and the Undella Town–Humilau City undersea tunnel project…"
"At the same time, we plan to form a sister-school relationship with Paldea Academy in the Paldea region, an eight-hundred-year-old prestigious school."
"So, do you have a general picture of Blueberry Academy?"
Hikaru thought back.
Right now the principal of Paldea Academy should be Mufe rather than Clavell. Cyrano and Clavell are close friends, but not with Mufe. So… the sister-school matter must only be "on the agenda" for now.
"Undersea tunnel?" Hugh and Nate looked puzzled, while Rosa suddenly understood. "So that's it!"
"My mom said that to commemorate the friendship between Undella Town and Humilau City, they plan to build a super-awesome sightseeing ocean tunnel between the two!"
"They say they'll use lots of cutting-edge tech on it. It's still in planning, but once it's built, you can stroll freely under the sea and go ocean sightseeing."
"Eh?! Something like that? Amazing!"
The three were shocked and excited, and with that, Blueberry Academy also sounded pretty impressive.
"So this planned academy is that advanced…" Hugh gulped. "Schools of a new era sure are something."
"Hahaha! It'll definitely become one of the greatest buildings of the century!" Pleased by the trio's praise, Cyrano turned to Hikaru. "After all that—would you be interested in teaching at Blueberry Academy?"
Hikaru waved a hand. "I don't have a teacher's license, and teachers are usually researchers or research aides who transfer over. I'm just a Trainer from out of town."
I said the same to Amarys before. But Amarys suggested the license can be filled in later. Cyrano now echoed that.
"True strength shouldn't be shackled by certificates. Truly powerful Trainers are walking encyclopedias of battle."
"For exceptional talent, we'll hire on special terms! Benefits and treatment are top-tier!"
"And not only that…" Cyrano pointed at the motionless Genesect beside Hikaru, its violet steel sheen flashing in the sun.
"That Pokémon isn't a natural Pokémon. You can tell at a glance."
"I've heard about Team Plasma. Unova has many mystery groups; in pursuit of power, some conduct horrific experiments on Pokémon. I suppose that Pokémon is one such 'test subject.'"
Genesect's eyes lit, but it made no hostile move—there was no sense of malice from Cyrano. Hikaru: "Mm. You're saying you used to be a researcher too? That you sense a unique aura? I had my suspicions."
"Oh? Are you conversing with that Pokémon?" Cyrano was taken aback.
"Come to think of it, I've heard many people recently have met someone who can talk with Pokémon. But their descriptions of 'that person' don't match, so some claim there are actually two such people."
Hikaru: "Not just two. The other one you mean has green hair, right?"
"Indeed—so it was you all along!" Cyrano's eyes shone brighter. "As expected, true talent!"
"Ahem! I did work as a researcher, and achieved a bit in science and business. In the end I decided to devote the rest of my life to education."
"That Pokémon… well, I mean no offense. I merely wish to say—you carry a mechanical system on you I can't fathom."
"Ge-no?" Genesect tilted its head, puzzled.
Hikaru: "It finds you strange, because even without battling it can tell its mechanical systems aren't what they used to be."
Cyrano smiled at Genesect. "Hah! But of course. These eyes of mine are quite sharp!"
"So…" He looked to Hikaru. "In other words, those systems weren't installed by some mystery-group researcher—they were designed by you, weren't they?"
"Which means you're also a specialist with formidable scientific skill! No, more than that—judging from your teaching just now, you're also a powerful martial artist!"
"Knowledge, strength, technology—united in one person! That is the 'strongest' I seek!"
"I'll offer terms you can't refuse—namely the top-secret technology we're developing at Blueberry Academy!"
Hikaru rubbed his chin. "Top secret… you mean the environment-forging Eco-Core, right? If it's classified, maybe don't blurt it out so lightly."
Cyrano was stunned. "What! How do you know?!"
Hey, construction hasn't even started. Do we already have a mole leaking info this fast?
"I'm a Psychic," Hikaru said matter-of-factly. "You know what Psychics can do—premonition, future sight, mind-reading."
Which isn't wrong; I have already grasped Sabrina-san's psychic arts.
"You read my mind?!" Cyrano was shocked.
Hikaru laughed. "No, just giving examples. I don't use mind-reading."
"Hahaha—Sensei gave you a scare," the trio giggled, and Cyrano, realizing he'd been spooked, looked a bit embarrassed.
He coughed twice. "I haven't dealt with Psychics much—don't scare an old man, my blood pressure nearly spiked."
"Since you know about the Eco-Core, I won't conceal it. Sensing your high technical skill, I had an idea."
"I hope you'll join the Eco-Core research. The project's design has hit a bottleneck."
To encounter such a "legendary person" out in the wild made Cyrano genuinely delighted. Truly, real experts don't stay cooped up in labs; they 'spawn' chaotically in the field!
"What's an Eco-Core?" the trio asked.
Cyrano straightened his coat with pride. "Excellent question! It's the miracle among miracles in our Blueberry Academy design!"
"It will power the soon-to-be world-famous undersea garden, the Terarium. On the seafloor we'll project a dome and walls to simulate a real sky, seasons, climate, lighting, and day-night."
"By artificially creating habitats suitable for Pokémon, we'll divide the interior into four environmental zones. Each zone's temperature, weather, and terrain will be tightly tuned and shaped!"
The trio were dazzled by Cyrano's pitch, but Nate still posed a question. "If you want natural environments, there are plenty of wild areas on land. Why go to all the trouble to recreate them at sea?"
Cyrano: "…Child, where's your sense of romance? This is a great leap—humans shaping nature with their own hands!"
Rosa: "But nature is nature. Man-made surely can't match the real thing. Moving original environments around—won't that harm ecosystems?"
Cyrano: "Ahem, you're not wrong, so we chose the sea to avoid impacting existing habitats. The soil and rock for the Terarium are all by-products dug up during industrial extraction, so there's no damage to Pokémon ecosystems."
"You know how many Pokémon dig up mountains. Those soils and rocks can be repurposed."
"And by harnessing Pokémon power, we can transform ordinary soil and stone into a brand-new world fit for Pokémon and people. That's the result of our cooperation with Pokémon—that is the Unovan spirit!"
The old man punched the air with gusto.
Hikaru considered it and said, "Isn't there something like this far away? The Terarium reminds me of another artificial eco-park. Was it inspired by Aether Paradise, leading you to build this?"
What is it with everyone making their own "Biosphere 2" now? Artificial hatching, artificial breeding, artificial release. Where are the truly wild Pokémon? Hothouse Pokémon everywhere. Go on—are you going to catch them or not?
Cyrano snapped his fingers. "Exactly that!"
Seeing the trio's blank faces, Hikaru explained, "Aether Paradise is a protected facility founded by the Aether Foundation in the distant Alola region."
Cyrano nodded. "Yes! Built on a massive man-made island to protect injured Pokémon in Alola. The reserve simulates various outside environments, and the island is powered by a tidal generator!"
"Our Terarium is the super-version of Aether Paradise!"
Hikaru: "You want to recreate the 'climates' of multiple regions… a very ambitious plan."
That reminded Hikaru of a powerful device from a Special Chapter. Team Rocket's Terrain Amplifier used the Red Orb and Blue Orb to reproduce Hoenn's 'climate' in Kanto, made to let Deoxys change form. That arc even featured a special Poké Ball designed to suppress 'cosmic power' Pokémon—made specifically to capture Deoxys.
Blueberry Academy's climate controls are quite similar to the Terrain Amplifier. As expected, the righteous must validate tech, while the villains have already been using it for ages.
Cyrano spread his arms. "If 'teacher' sounds dull to you, then join us in developing the Eco-Core and create the world's greatest miracle. How about that offer?"
(End of Chapter)
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