Arven lost—and lost badly.
That Poliwhirl was downright cunning. Arven felt like his entire battle IQ had been utterly crushed, leading Mabosstiff straight into one trap after another…
His battle was one of the last to finish. After all, Mabosstiff was quite strong, and Poliwhirl had to put in a lot of effort and strategy to secure the win.
Among the other seven matchups, six had already been decided, leaving only the battle between Pena and Ortega reaching its final moments.
Kai stood outside the battlefield, arms crossed, observing the matches. He had already watched the other battles and gained a decent understanding of his students' strengths.
For example, in the match between Nemona and Elecis, it was clear Nemona had taken his previous advice to heart and had been training her Pawmi accordingly.
Its Thunder Shock was faster and more accurate than before, and even its physical endurance had improved significantly.
She had battled Elecis's Sprigatito and managed to win despite her Electric-type moves being resisted.
Though Grass wasn't exactly strong against Electric, it wasn't weak to it either—just resistant.
Still, Kai couldn't help but be reminded of a certain Trainer from Pallet Town, who had built a reputation for winning battles despite type disadvantages.
As for Pena and Ortega's match, even though it looked close, Kai could already tell Pena was bound to win.
Even if his Pawniard's Dark-type moves weren't effective against Ortega's Fidough, it still had its secondary Steel typing, which could easily turn the tide.
The real issue was Ortega's lack of fighting spirit. The rich kid clearly wasn't enthusiastic about battling at all.
Pena was the stronger Trainer, no doubt, but his overly cautious style caused him to miss several opportunities to secure victory sooner.
In the end, Pawniard landed a decisive Metal Claw on Fidough, ending the match.
Ortega didn't seem the least bit bothered about losing. Without a word, he recalled Fidough into its Luxury Ball and walked off to rejoin the crowd.
Pena, on the other hand, let out a breath of relief. As the student council president, it would've been embarrassing to lose to a younger student. His palms were slick with sweat as he retrieved his Timer Ball and recalled Pawniard.
With the final battle concluded, Kai checked the time. There were only a few minutes left before class ended.
After a brief moment of thought, he clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Ahem. The main goal of today's lesson was for you to get to know each other better, and for me to get a clearer understanding of your strengths. Since you've chosen to take this Battle Studies course, I assume you all have a strong interest in Pokémon battles."
"We only have a few minutes left, so I'll keep this short. I'll briefly point out the weaknesses you displayed during today's battles."
Kai scanned the students, his gaze landing on Pena and Ortega first.
"Pena."
"Yes, sir!"
Called out by name, Pena stiffened and immediately responded.
Kai paused for a moment before saying, "Your Pawniard has a good sense of battle rhythm, which is commendable. However, your overly cautious command style disrupted its flow. That's why your battle with Ortega's Fidough dragged on for so long."
Pena lowered his head, at a loss for words. "Uh…"
Kai didn't start an in-depth lecture right then—there wasn't enough time for that. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a phone?"
Pena nodded. "I do."
Kai gave a slight nod and pulled out his own cracked-screen phone. Unlocking it, he handed it to Pena. "Leave me your number. I'll go over the details with you later over the phone."
Pena hesitated for a moment before taking the device. Seeing the spiderweb of cracks across the screen, he was momentarily stunned.
Kai was a teacher at Naranja Academy, yet he was still using a phone like this?
After entering his number and adding a note, Pena quietly returned the phone.
Kai took it back without further comment, then turned to Ortega, who seemed to be spacing out. Frowning slightly, he asked, "You don't seem particularly invested in battles."
Ortega scoffed. "Yeah? So what?"
He rested his hands behind his head and looked away, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Kai didn't react to his attitude and continued, "Your battle strategy lacked engagement—"
"Ugh, shut up already. You're so annoying."
Ortega suddenly raised his voice, cutting Kai off with a look of irritation.
"You should just focus on those battle freaks and leave me alone. I'd advise you not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. You're just a salaryman teacher, after all. I already did you a favor by humoring that boring bookworm in a battle."
"Our family is one of the major sponsors of Naranja Academy, you know. Careful, or I might just get you fired."
Ortega was in an awful mood.
First, his old man had forced him to enroll in this new teacher's Battle Studies course, threatening to cut off his allowance if he refused.
He had planned to just coast through it, figuring the new guy wouldn't dare push him too hard.
Yet now, Kai was actually trying to lecture him?
Who did this guy think he was?
"The hell… Did he just call me a boring bookworm?" Pena muttered in disbelief.
The other students were equally stunned by Ortega's sudden outburst. Even Pipa, usually good-natured, stepped forward to intervene.
"Ortega, that was out of line! You can't talk to Professor Kai like that—"
"Don't you start preaching at me too, you oversized orangutan!"
Ortega's words were outright cutting, straying from mere defiance into direct insults.
The others flinched.
At this point in time, he wasn't yet friends with Mela and the rest of Team Star, so he spoke without restraint.
"You…" Pipa froze in shock, staring at him.
Even Nemona, usually cheerful and easygoing, was visibly upset. She was about to step forward and confront Ortega when Kai sighed.
He shot Nemona a glance, silently signaling her to stay put, then turned to Pipa and Pena with a small smile.
"Thank you both for standing up for me, but give me a moment."
Kai looked at Ortega.
The kid's words had been arrogant and biting, but rather than getting angry, Kai actually found himself amused.
It reminded him of something.
Back when Principal Clavell had sent him the message about teaching this course, he had followed up with a phone call—not from Clavell himself, but from someone else.
And as it turned out, that conversation was about to come in handy.
Kai's gaze fell on Ortega, who stood with his chin raised in defiance. His expression softened into a polite—almost too polite—smile.
"So, you take a lot of pride in your family's wealth?"
Ortega didn't respond, but the way he lifted his head and the look in his eyes made his stance clear.
Kai casually glanced down at his cracked-screen phone, tapped the screen a few times, then looked back up at Ortega.
With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, he said, "Alright. Your allowance has just been completely frozen. Congratulations, Master Ortega. From now on, you'll only be able to eat the academy's most… modest free meal plan."