I Really Don't Want To Be A Trainer

A searing wave of heat blazed through the air as Arcanine's flames surged, cutting through the spider silk with ease and striking Ariados with unstoppable force. The fire engulfed the spider, knocking it down hard as if it had been struck by a tank. The Rocket trio, hidden in the bushes nearby, watched with jaws dropped.

"Isn't that the Fuschia City Gym Leader?" James whispered nervously, flipping through his manual.

"We've run into them before..." Meowth and Jessie gulped, remembering their past encounters.

"If that's the Gym Leader, they're about as powerful as the Sabrina cadre!" Meowth muttered. "But Mr. Luke... he just knocked out her Pokémon in one move!"

A spark of realization lit up in the trio's eyes as they exchanged glances. Teaming up with Luke could really be a way forward!

On the battlefield, Janine's gaze met Luke's, and for the first time, a twinge of nervousness crept in. He anticipated my Melt tactic... and saw right through my moves...

Janine muttered to herself, understanding now why other Gym Leaders held Luke in such high regard. With his command of the battle, he could go toe-to-toe with any league champion.

Despite the quick KO of her Ariados, Luke remained focused. The poison and the intensity of the Flare Blitz had left Arcanine panting, drenched in sweat. Luke gave his loyal partner a reassuring nod.

"Great job. I'll take it from here," he said, calling Arcanine back with a gentle beam of red light.

As Janine released her Weezing and Muk onto the field, thick, dark smoke filled the area. Muk continued shrinking in the shadows, waiting to strike. But Sirfetch'd, waving its leek like a triumphant flag, simply summoned a powerful Defog, dispersing the smoke and nullifying Muk's evasive maneuvers.

Janine gritted her teeth. That Sirfetch'd is a nightmare!

"If I attack too recklessly," she murmured, "Sirfetch'd will counter it. So this is what Teacher Luke was teaching me—patience and precision."

Luke, meanwhile, called out his Sylveon, who gracefully took the field. The light around her began to shimmer as she entered a meditative state. Janine blinked in surprise, momentarily wondering if Luke had let down his guard. A Fairy-type against Poison-types?

Realizing the Sylveon was vulnerable, she seized the moment. "Now, Weezing, Muk—Sludge Bomb!"

The black sludge hurtled towards Sylveon, who looked like an easy target. Koga, watching from the shadows, sighed. Poor girl, you're not ready to face someone like Luke just yet.

Luke's slight smile hinted at his next move. "Sylveon, Baton Pass!"

In a flash of white light, Sylveon returned to her Poké Ball just as Gengar appeared on the field with a wide grin.

"Gengar!" Luke commanded, "Take it!"

Gengar, highly resistant to Poison, shrugged off the sludge bombs with barely a scratch. Janine's heart skipped a beat as a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. Is this... Teacher Luke's mastery of switch-ins?

With a confident snap of his fingers, Luke gave the signal. "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"

Gengar's eyes gleamed as it summoned a swirling orb of dark energy, launching it toward Weezing with impressive force. The field lit up as the Shadow Ball closed in, powerful enough to turn the tides.

With the intense power of Shadow Ball boosted by Sirfetch'd's "Helping Hand" and Sylveon's earlier Baton Pass, Gengar's attack tore through Weezing. The Poison-type was flung back, defeated before it could even trigger its self-destruct mechanism. Watching from the sidelines, Team Rocket's trio were left speechless.

"Teacher Luke... he's on a whole different level," Jessie murmured, her voice tinged with awe.

Janine, regaining her composure, took a deep breath. It's not just about how he raises his Pokémon, she realized, it's his mastery of timing and foresight. I still have so much to learn.

In a last stand, Janine sent out her ace, Crobat. The sleek, dark purple bat with two pairs of wings took to the sky, slicing the air with razor-sharp X Scissor. Sirfetch'd, rather than retreating, raised its shield and charged forward, blocking the attack as gashes formed on its sturdy shield.

Then, to Janine's surprise, Sirfetch'd wound up and hurled its massive green onion stalk like a javelin. The Smack Down move turned the leek into a blazing projectile, forcing Crobat to swerve sharply. Crobat barely dodged, feeling the brush of the heavy weapon as it shot by. What kind of Sirfetch'd throws its weapon?! Janine thought, astonished.

Meanwhile, Luke stifled a chuckle. Sirfetch'd's leek was massive—likely close to 80kg on its own. A thrown leek from Sirfetch'd was no joke; it could practically be called an "insta-KO lance." Now without its stalk, Sirfetch'd was faster and even more agile. It dashed over to retrieve its weapon, making a beeline toward Muk, who moved to intercept. But Gengar was quicker, flinging another Shadow Ball that struck Muk, temporarily stunning it.

Reclaiming its leek, Sirfetch'd took the opening and leapt forward, delivering a Fury Cutter to Muk in a flurry of fast, cutting strikes. Janine watched in dismay as Muk staggered, its attempts to counter being thwarted by Gengar's Psychic control, which lifted Muk just enough to slow its reaction.

With a final piercing jab of its leek, Sirfetch'd unleashed Pursuit, doubling its power thanks to Muk's previous injury. The critical hit proved too much, and Muk slumped to the ground, defeated.

Realizing the magnitude of its accomplishment, Sirfetch'd stood frozen, leek in hand, staring down at Muk. I... I actually did it!? Its eyes widened in disbelief.

Luke cracked a smile and gave Sirfetch'd a nod of approval. "Nice work," he praised, earning a proud squawk from the knightly duck.

As Gengar grinned and gave Sirfetch'd an approving thumbs-up, the battle was still far from over. Janine's Crobat swooped down with its wings glowing from Cross Scissors, aiming to strike the now-vulnerable Gengar with a finishing blow.

But Luke was one step ahead. With a calm smirk, he snapped his fingers and called out, "Gengar, Ally Switch! Sirfetch'd, Detect!"

In a blink, Gengar and Sirfetch'd swapped places. Sirfetch'd, with a look of pure resolve, stood firm, green onion raised in an arc to block Crobat's assault. Clang! Sparks flew as Crobat's attack clashed against Sirfetch'd's shield. With his iron resolve and honed instinct, Sirfetch'd countered, forcing Crobat back.

Luke chuckled, watching Sirfetch'd in action. Even against a formidable foe, Sirfetch'd never backs down...

Just then, Gengar reappeared beside Crobat, charging a Shadow Ball that crackled with dark energy. With a swift release, it hit Crobat, who faltered under the combined attacks.

But Janine wasn't about to give up so easily. Gritting her teeth, she called out, "Crobat, keep going! Don't let up!"

Koga, watching from the treetop, looked on with a touch of pride. "She's putting everything into this last stand... that's my daughter."

Luke, noticing the bond between Janine and her Crobat, softened. She's pushed Crobat to evolve with pure loyalty and dedication. But still, he had one last trick up his sleeve. "Sirfetch'd, Substitute! Gengar, Pursuit!"

As a decoy appeared in Sirfetch'd's place, the exhausted Pokémon made one last valiant strike, lunging forward with its leek, channeling all its remaining strength. Crobat tried to dodge, but the combined attacks from Gengar and Sirfetch'd proved too much. Crobat plummeted to the ground, defeated.

In the aftermath, Sirfetch'd let out a tired chuckle before finally collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Gengar rushed over, patting its fallen comrade's back in concern. "Kou Jie!" it called, its eyes wide with worry.

With a final, proud thought, Sirfetch'd allowed itself to drift into unconsciousness. It's not so bad... fighting alongside everyone...

Luke gently returned Sirfetch'd to its Poké Ball, a soft smile crossing his face. "You did amazing out there. I'll whip up a special treat for you tonight."

Janine, despite her loss, stepped forward with a look of newfound respect. She gave Luke a deep bow. "Thank you, Teacher Luke, for the guidance and the incredible battle."

Luke waved off her thanks, a grin breaking out. "No need to be so formal." Reaching into his pocket, he produced a QR code. "By the way, I've got a group chat for training tips and strategies. Would you be interested in joining?"

Janine's eyes widened. "A group chat… with Teacher Luke?"

She bowed even deeper, thrilled at the chance. "Please, let me join!"

And with that, a new alliance was formed, as Janine took her place among the elite members of Teacher Luke's netfriend group, eager to learn and grow.

[Ding! The group leader "Mr. Luke" invited a new member " Fuschia Apricot" to join the chat group! ]

Gold was about to send his usual opening remarks, but was directly silenced by Lorelei.

Lorelei: Welcome newcomers~~

Lance: Koga's daughter?

Red: Welcome.

...

Janine stood frozen, staring at the chat screen in disbelief.

"Wait… these are… real people?"

Luke smirked, shrugging. "What else did you think?"

Janine swallowed hard, realizing just how deep Mr. Luke's connections ran. She felt both awe and a little intimidation—this chat was like a hall of legends.

Meanwhile, across the screen, Gold, who had been innocently typing his usual messages, was blindsided by a notification: "You have been muted."

Looking bewildered, Gold scratched his head and opened a private chat with Lorelei.

Gold: "Why was I banned?? Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"

Lorelei, sipping her black tea with a sigh, typed back coolly, "I'm protecting you, you goof. You really want Koga to come after you?"

The thought of the stealthy ninja Koga suddenly lurking around had Gold's face going pale.

Gold: "Thanks, Aunt Lorelei! You're the best!"

Lorelei: "Did you just—SILENCE!" (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

...

With a satisfied nod, Luke glanced at his watch and took a step back. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!"

He had a hunch that lingering around would only lead to more requests. Best to leave now before things got complicated.

Janine gave a slight nod, watching him go. It was rare enough to have had Mr. Luke accept the battle challenge. As she thought back on the match, a look of determination filled her eyes. His poise and quick thinking on the battlefield… even her father would have had difficulty matching that.

She clenched her fists. She had to get even better.

A little tug at her leg interrupted her thoughts. Looking down, Janine saw a cheerful Togepi reaching up with both hands.

"What is it?" she asked, kneeling down with a smile. "Your trainer is leaving, you know."

Togepi jumped up and down, making excited gestures, trying to get her attention in a very specific direction.

Following its little finger, Janine spotted a group of familiar figures lurking nearby.

"Hey, it's Team Rocket!" she thought, narrowing her eyes.

Seeing her confused expression, Togepi pointed again, this time with a clearer intent. Jessie, James, and Meowth leaned in, eagerly observing the interaction.

"It wants that badge!" James whispered excitedly.

Jessie clenched her fist. "Meowth, get it out quick! Togepi's waiting!"

"What are you talking about? It's clearly a badge!" Meowth retorted, waving his arms.

"pii~" Togepi nodded enthusiastically, confirming Meowth's guess.

Janine chuckled, understanding at last. "Oh, I thought Mr. Luke didn't need this… well, here you go."

She placed the Fuchsia Gym badge into Togepi's open hands. "Make sure to keep it safe, little one."

"Toge toge!" Togepi beamed, cradling the badge with glee.

...

Teacher Luke hasn't left for a while.

Gengar stuck out his tongue and licked Luke's cheek.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked with numb face.

"Koujie!" Gengar stretched out his hand and made an eggshell shape.

"Huh?" Luke was stunned for a moment:

"You mean, Togepi didn't follow?"

Gengar nodded.

Luke slapped his forehead.

"It should still be riding the slide over there."

"kek ke~~ヾ( ° ▽ °)"

Luke and Gengar turned around at the same time and looked towards the park not far away.

Under the setting sun, I saw Togepi trotting over excitedly, holding a gleaming metal in his hand.

'Something the master forgot.

I'll bring it back for you~'

Wait until you see what it is.

Luke's expression changed.

[Ding! Mission progress update! ]

[Badge Collection: (5/8)]

[Mission is halfway through, I wish you a happy challenge! ]

Teacher Luke: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!

Luke took a deep breath. He squatted down, meeting Togepi's wide, innocent eyes, and gently patted its head.

"Thanks, Togepi… but maybe next time let's leave the badges with the Gym Leaders, yeah?" Luke chuckled, trying to keep his tone light.

Togepi tilted its head, giving a cheerful "Kek ke!" as if it didn't fully understand but was happy nonetheless. It proudly patted its eggshell with a little flourish, basking in the attention.

Luke couldn't help but sigh, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You've really got your own style, Togepi," he said, ruffling its head.

Gengar snickered at the whole scene, sticking out his tongue in amusement.

"Well, guys, let's get out of here for real this time," Luke said, scooping Togepi up into his arms.

...

Not far away, Koga stood atop a tree, watching the scene below with a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

My foolish daughter... he thought. If you choose to challenge those stronger than you, be prepared to be humbled—and to rise stronger.

With a small sigh, he softened, silently proud of Janine's determination, even if it was tinged with resentment toward him. Her drive to prove herself would be her greatest asset.

As he turned to leave, a thought struck him.

"In gratitude to Teacher Luke... perhaps a token of appreciation is in order."

He remembered Luke's formidable Sirfetch'd—a Pokémon whose gallant strength had left an impression. A smirk crossed Koga's face as he pondered.

"Yes," he murmured to himself, envisioning a technique worthy of such a fighter. "That special move would be just the thing..."

With newfound resolve, Koga vanished into the shadows, already planning his gift for Luke and a lesson for Janine that would push her limits further.