"Wait, wait, wait!" a kid in the front row hissed, tugging on his friend's sleeve. "Did I hear that right? He beat the 'Iceberg Queen'? Teacher Candice is practically invincible here!"
"I'm not deaf, man! That's insane!" his friend whispered back, eyes wide.
"But look at the Growlithe," another student chimed in, adjusting his glasses. He looked like the type who slept with a type-chart under his pillow. "It makes total sense. Fire is super-effective against Ice. And since Candice's ace is Abomasnow—which is Grass/Ice—a Fire-type like Growlithe hits for four-times damage. He probably just exploited the type matchup."
"Oh, so he just got lucky with the types?"
"Tch, and here I thought he was some kind of legend. Anyone can win with a four-times advantage!"
"Hey, don't be salty! He still had to get five other badges! I want to see what they actually look like up close."
"Ahem! Hmmm!"
Candice let out a series of increasingly loud, pointed grunts. The effect was instantaneous. The 'market' shut down, and fifty pairs of eyes snapped back to the front.
"Julian has indeed earned six badges, including my own Icicle Badge," Candice said, her voice echoing off the school walls. "And because he's actually out there doing the work instead of just reading about it, I've asked him to act as a guest instructor for today. Julian, why don't you show them the proof?"
"Sure thing. No harm in a little show-and-tell," Julian said. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a sleek, polished badge case. With a flick of his wrist, he clicked it open.
The afternoon sun hit the metal and enamel, making the six symbols sparkle.
"Whoa!" "They're real! Look at the shine on those things!" "Man, I wish I was ten already. I'm stuck here doing math while he's out collecting treasure!" "Which one is that brown one? It looks like a fossilized Poké Ball."
The chatter started to bubble up again, but this time, Candice didn't stop it. Instead, she leaned into the momentum.
"Alright! Since you're all so fascinated by the shiny metal... let's have our first pop quiz of the day!" Candice announced, a predatory grin on her face. "Aside from my Icicle Badge, identify the other five. I want the city, the name of the badge, and the Gym Leader who hands it out. Go!"
The students froze. This wasn't exactly in the weekly syllabus. A few kids looked confident, but most were frantically trying to visualize the map of Sinnoh in their heads.
"Standard rules apply! First come, first served!" Candice pulled a small, weighted practice ball from her pocket and hove it high into the air. "Grab it if you want the floor!"
"Tangela, Vine Whip! Now!" Zoey didn't hesitate. She'd been through this drill a dozen times.
Her partner Tangela shot blue vines into the sky, reaching for the falling sphere.
"No way! Turtwig, Razor Leaf to intercept!" "Piplup, use Bubble! Knock it away!"
Suddenly, the air was full of leaves, bubbles, and vines as the students scrambled to claim the right to answer. Julian watched, a bit of sweat forming on his brow as the practice ball was batted around like a shuttlecock.
"This is how I keep them on their toes," Candice whispered to Julian as the chaos unfolded. "In a real battle, you don't get time to think. You have to react. Whoever snags the ball gets the points toward their final grade. And trust me, these kids would do anything for a school medal."
"I can see that," Julian muttered. "I'm just glad that ball is reinforced, or it'd be confetti by now."
"Got it!" Zoey shouted, jumping into the air as her Snover used a perfectly timed Icy Wind to freeze the other projectiles mid-air, allowing her to snatch the ball. She landed and gave her Snover a high-five.
"Alright, Zoey. The floor is yours," Candice said. "Identify Julian's collection."
"Easy!" Zoey stood tall, pointing to each badge in turn. "The brown, rock-like one is the Coal Badge from Roark in Oreburgh City. The one that looks like a gear is the Mine Badge from Byron in Canalave. The green leaf is the Forest Badge from Gardenia in Eterna. Those three black spheres are the Relic Badge from Fantina in Hearthome. And the square, brick-looking one is the Cobble Badge from Maylene in Veilstone. And obviously, the last one is your Icicle Badge!"
"Spot on," Candice nodded. "Now, for the bonus: what types do those Gyms represent?"
"Rock, Steel, Grass, Ghost, Fighting, and Ice!" Zoey answered without skipping a beat.
"Exactly. Every Gym is a specialist. And a smart Trainer knows that you don't just walk in and hope for the best. You need a plan." Candice turned to Julian. "So, 'Teacher' Julian... when you're facing these different specialists, what's your thought process? How do you adapt when the matchup isn't in your favor?"
Julian stepped forward, looking out at the sea of eager faces. "Well, it's not always about having the 'right' type," he started, his tone becoming more natural as he thought about his journey.
"Obviously, you want a type advantage if you can get it. But what happens if you don't have a Fire-type for a Grass Gym? Take Eterna City, for example. Gardenia's team relies on status moves—Sleep Powder, Stun Spore—and healing moves like Synthesis. If you can't overpower them with fire, you have to outmaneuver them. I used high-speed hit-and-run tactics. Most Grass-types aren't naturally fast unless the sun is out and they have the Chlorophyll ability. So, you watch the weather and you keep moving. You don't let them set the pace."
He pointed to the Mine Badge. "Or take Steel-types. They're literal tanks. If you don't have a Fighting or Ground-type, you don't try to break through their defense with raw power. You look for the gaps. You use their weight against them."
As Julian continued to break down his strategies, citing real moments from his matches with Roark and Fantina, the students' skepticism started to melt away. They weren't just listening to a guy who got lucky; they were listening to someone who actually understood the flow of a battle. even Growlithe stopped rolling in the snow and sat up straight, looking proud as his human finally took center stage.