Akira rolled the raw Tera crystal in his palm, the pale glow of the ore catching the sunlight like a piece of frozen starlight. It felt important. Potentially wallet-destroying.
After a long, reflective pause and a subtle groan from his aching budget, he sighed and pulled out his phone.
Ring… ring…
The call connected faster than expected.
"Well, this is rare. What made you call me out of the blue today, Champion Akira Hayashi?"
That familiar, composed voice on the other end? None other than Geeta herself, The Top Champion of Paldea and Chairwoman of the League.
Akira winced. "I'm Retired, Chairwoman. Just Akira now."
He smiled helplessly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Since arriving in Paldea, he'd crossed paths with Geeta more than once, and somewhere along the way, their dynamic had drifted into something strangely… casual and informal.
Well, as casual as one could be with the most powerful woman in the region.
On the other end, Geeta raised a brow, even though he couldn't see it. Despite everything, she could tell from just a few words, that he was still dead serious about retirement.
She sighed silently but didn't argue. "So, what's this about?"
"I found some raw Tera Orb ore," Akira said, trying to sound cool. "I'd like to pass it along to you and maybe have the professors work their magic on it and turn it into something usable."
The silence that followed was brief but sharp.
Then,
"...You what?"
Geeta's voice finally cracked, betraying a flicker of surprise. Raw Tera Orb ore was exceptionally rare, even in Paldea. And instead of selling it for a small fortune, he wanted it crafted into a battle tool?
Interesting. Very interesting.
This wasn't the action of someone done with battling. Not completely.
She immediately straightened her posture. "Connecting you to Professors Sada and Turo won't be an issue. But Akira… do you know how absurdly expensive it is to make a Tera Orb from raw ore?"
Akira blinked.
Wait. Wasn't a Tera Orb something even student Trainers got later on? How bad could it be?
...Oh no.
This was early Paldea.
Terastallization tech had just rolled out. Mass production hadn't started. The crafting costs were still in the "make a millionaire cry" range. No wonder only the League and select researchers had access.
Akira's soul quietly exited his body.
"Okay, okay," he said, clutching his chest like he'd just been hit with Hyper Beam. "If I already have the raw materials, what kind of cost are we talking about?"
Geeta laughed gently. "Selling that plot of land you just bought might just cover it."
"Hissssssssss—!"
Akira inhaled like a man watching his life flash before his eyes. Sell the land?! Over his fainted Luxray's body!
Just as he was about to wave the whole idea off and go back to berry compost, Geeta smoothly cut in.
"That problem… isn't without a solution."
He froze, and tuned into the conversation again. "Go on."
"I'll cover the crafting fee. In exchange, I just need you to agree to a verysmall favor."
Akira squinted, not convinced. He knew all too well how poor Larry got roped into becoming corporate slave.
"Define 'small.'"
"You'll become a Battle Instructor at Naranja Academy."
"…You baited me."
"One of our teachers is on extended leave," Geeta continued, utterly unbothered. "As the Academy's director, I've been 'desperately' trying to find someone qualified to cover. You, Akira, are… unfortunately perfect."
He stared at the phone like it had personally betrayed him. A teacher? Him?
Sure, he could train Pokémon. But training kids? Wasn't that a whole different flavor of chaos?
Before he could reject the idea, Geeta delivered the final blow.
"You'll only teach two classes per week. Mesagoza is practically next door to Flatpeak near your residence, you can fly there on Dragonite in your sleep. And… you'll receive a full teacher's salary plus a League-funded Tera Orb. It won't interfere with your farm life at all."
She even added a mild, perfectly smug "win-win, no?" at the end.
Akira realized, with a quiet, resigned chuckle, that he'd just been checkmated with an "Offer he couldn't refuse", definitely not in his current situation.
Short hours. Stable pay. Free legendary-tier battle gear. No need to sell the land. He even got to keep his tomatoes.
He took a long, slow breath.
"…Director Geeta," he said, a new light of acceptance dawning in his eyes, "when do I start?"
(End of Chapter)
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Author's Note:
- Our boy Akira got yanked back into corporate life, even if he is convincing himself that it is light work. 🤣
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