"Poliwag! I'm so glad you're okay—we've been searching for you everywhere!" The girl in the blue dress scooped up the lost Pokémon with a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much for helping to find it!" she smiled warmly at Ash and the others.
"Teacher!" Four kids around Max's age came running up, each with a Pokémon—Magby, Pidgey, and Rattata. One of the boys didn't have a Pokémon… which meant Poliwag belonged to him.
"You found Poliwag?" the boy with Magby asked excitedly.
"That's great, Kouta! Now you don't have to worry anymore!" the girl with Pidgey said, walking up to the boy without a partner Pokémon.
"Don't let it get away next time, Kouta!" the other boy scolded. "Because of you, class got completely interrupted!"
"S-sorry…" Kouta hung his head in shame.
"Hey! Don't talk to him like that!" the girl defended him. "You know he's scared of Pokémon—he was too nervous to even touch Poliwag!"
"Alright, enough!" The teacher stepped between them with a firm look. "No more arguing."
"Yes, ma'am," the kids replied quickly, backing off.
"Okay, Kouta. I'll hold on to Poliwag for now." She gave the boy a gentle pat on the head. "You've worked really hard today. Everyone, let's head back to the Trainer Academy."
Ash and the others introduced themselves, and learned that the Trainer Cultivation Academy was a special school for learning about Pokémon.
"Wow! That sounds awesome! May, can we visit too?" Max asked eagerly, sparkling with hope. (✧∇✧)
"Huh? Uh…" May looked awkward. "Well, you see…"
"No problem at all!" Ash stepped in with a grin. "Let's go together. The Gym Match can wait a bit. And besides—doesn't the Gym Leader look busy right now? Right, Roxanne?"
"Oh dear, I've been recognized!" Roxanne laughed. "Are you here to challenge the Gym?"
"Yes!" Ash nodded.
"Wait, Roxanne's the Gym Leader?!" May and Max gasped in unison.
"That's right. But I'm a little tied up today—so while I finish my classes, why don't you visit the school?"
"Yay! That's awesome!" Max jumped with excitement. (/≧▽≦)/~
They followed Roxanne to the Pokémon Trainer Cultivation Academy, where she returned the kids to class. Then, the Principal personally welcomed Ash's group.
"I didn't expect to meet the children of Gym Leaders from the Orange Islands!" he said warmly, leading them down a hallway. He opened a door. "Come, take a look! This is our class for future Pokémon Researchers!"
"Ooh, cool!" Ash and Brock admired the high-tech classroom.
"I want to see the beginner class…" Max muttered, protesting quietly.
The principal opened another classroom door. "This one is dedicated to Pokémon Contests!"
"Contests?!" May's eyes lit up instantly. (✧∇✧)
"I still want to see the beginner class!" Max protested again, louder this time.
Next, they passed an advanced class where a Typhlosion and Feraligatr were having a training battle.
"This is amazing!" Ash grinned.
Max crossed his arms. "When are we going to see Roxanne's beginner class?!"
"Oh my! I almost forgot!" The principal chuckled. "Right this way."
When they finally arrived, they heard a familiar voice coming from the classroom.
"…That's why understanding Pokémon types is so important!"
"Professor Oak?!" Ash and Brock peeked inside.
Sure enough, Professor Oak was giving a lesson via video.
"Professor Oak! Long time no see!" Ash waved excitedly.
"Ash! Brock! How nice to see you again!" Oak smiled from the screen. "And Ash, I finished that thing you asked about. I also took a closer look at your new Pokémon!"
Roxanne turned to the others. "We often invite Professor Oak to teach our students remotely—it's a huge honor."
"Wow… It's really him!" Max was trembling with excitement.
"You must be Max!" Oak noticed him right away. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"T-thank you, Professor Oak!" Max stammered.
"Haha, don't be nervous!" Oak chuckled. "By the way, Ash, did you already battle the Gym Leader?"
"Not yet," Roxanne answered. "I'll be teaching until tomorrow. Ash, could we have the Gym Match the day after?"
"Sure, that works for me!" Ash agreed.
"Good!" Oak smiled. "Ash, you better give it your all! No regrets!"
He turned back to the students. "Well then, goodbye for now, and remember—get out there and catch some Pokémon!"
Just before the call ended, Max finally found his voice.
"Professor Oak! I've read all your books and listened to all your lectures on the radio… I really respect you!"
Oak smiled warmly. "That means a lot. Thank you, Max."
Click—the call ended.
After that, the kids had a Pokémon quiz, and Ash's group was given permission to participate in classes for the day.
May joined the Contest class, Max got to attend the beginner class with Kouta, and Ash went to the advanced class to help gain more points and experience. Later, he returned to the beginner class to help Kouta connect with Poliwag.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket showed up pretending to "help"… but Ash quickly exposed and drove them off again.
It was a fulfilling day. Thanks to the experience gained, Taillow and Phanpy advanced to Elite Mid-Stage!
Later that evening, Roxanne found Ash.
"Ash, I'm looking forward to our battle. I'll be going all out!" she said with a confident smile.
"I wouldn't expect anything less!" Ash replied.
That night, over dinner, May made an announcement.
"Everyone… I've decided—I'm going to give up on Gym Battles and focus on Pokémon Contests."
Ash and Brock immediately supported her decision, but Max was shocked.
"What? But May—you finally became a Pokémon Trainer! You could compete in both like Ash!"
"I don't have the energy to do both," May said gently. "And I really love Contests more. Ash, thank you… When we first started traveling, I wasn't very close to Pokémon. But now, I love them."
Ash nodded. "Everyone has their own goals. I think it's great that you've found yours. Being a Pokémon Coordinator is no easy path either—you'll have to train hard!"
"I will! Thanks, Ash. Max, I hope you'll cheer me on too!"
"Of course I will!"
After dinner, Ash stopped by the Pokémon Center to switch out his team and prepare for his Gym Match.
To be continued…