Blissey's raw power was genuinely something to witness. Rock Slide had been pounding Bronzong for over thirty consecutive rounds, nearly burying it under the rubble, and yet Bronzong refused to go down. Not out of the fight technically, just completely locked in place, unable to move at all under the barrage.
Lucian tried recalling it, but the Poké Ball's red light couldn't even reach through the ongoing Rock Slide.
This isn't a battle anymore. This is closer to torture.
If the chat had actual sound effects, it would've come through as one long collective wince.
"Teacher Luke, are you even human right now"
"please just end it quick"
"No chance," Luke said, smiling coldly. "You wanted Ally Switch? Blissey, keep the Rock Slide going."
Luke had privately dubbed this build the "Quality Rock Slide Team" — technically an entertainment lineup, but genuinely effective in the right matchup. The full-field attack radius in particular left an opponent with zero room to commit fully to any single play.
Lucian, unable to issue a single meaningful command, sat there mouth open in stunned silence.
"Teacher Luke really is—" Flint, red afro and all, wore a genuinely strange expression.
"Disgusting," Lucian finished for him.
"Is he actually part of the Joy lineage?" Flint asked. "How else does he know Blissey and Chansey builds this well?"
Lucian shook his head. "Either way, I have zero interest in fighting him again."
______________________________
On the other end of the chat, Aaron let out a long sigh, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "We're not winning this one."
"His commanding's genuinely on par with Mr. Lance's," Aaron said, half-laughing despite himself. "Might actually try building a Teacher Luke-style team myself, see if it helps me climb the ladder."
He scratched at his messy green hair with a wry smile. "Even Lance couldn't crack him. I genuinely have no read on what lineup this guy's running next."
Lucian and Aaron exchanged a glance. Aaron's green cowlick sprang upright as he said, dead serious, "Whatever it is, it's definitely something filthy."
______________________________
Haunter sneezed suddenly.
"Kojie?" It scratched its head, surprised.
Luke glanced over. "Ginger cola's on the menu tonight. If you're heading out to train, just be back in time."
"Kojie! (`▽)"
Luke had been a little down since Cynthia left, and Haunter had clearly noticed — which meant, in Haunter's mind, the answer was simple: train harder, cheer him up through results.
Decided. Continuing Shadow Ball work this afternoon.
______________________________
Back in the stream, the "Rock Slide Team" build earned universal praise from viewers. Functionally it echoed Togekiss's own Serene Grace synergy, but where Togekiss committed to one approach, Blissey could pivot cleanly into a full Minimize setup the moment Rock Slide's window closed. In terms of raw flexibility, the quality gap was obvious.
Since both Blissey and Togekiss remained genuinely rare finds in reality, though, Luke filed this one strictly under "entertainment lineup" rather than anything competitively serious. Compared to the widely-adopted Spikes builds from last season's Master League meta, "Teacher Luke Teaches You Battling #07: The Rock Slide Team" leaned back into pure show value — dirty tactics dialed up to an entirely new level.
The video landed on the homepage almost the moment it dropped.
"stop, this isn't even a Pokémon battle anymore"
"Blissey is SO cute how is she also this evil"
"it's not Blissey that's evil, it's Teacher Luke"
"okay but to be fair, dirty as it is, it does suit Blissey unreasonably well"
Beyond clearing over 3,000 BP — enough for a modest haul of Salac Berries — Luke's subscriber count crossed 1.8 million. Scanning his private messages he found, to his genuine surprise, a small but sincere cluster of fans from the Joy family lineage.
"Teacher Luke, I work at a Pokémon Center and we get rowdy Trainers causing trouble constantly. Taught my Blissey Rock Slide and honestly the whole town's calmed down since (▽)"
"Teacher Luke, I'm stationed in Kanto and just chased off a whole Team Rocket squad yesterday. My Blissey is a LEGEND. Thank you!"
Luke stared up at the ceiling, mentally picturing a Blissey caving in a criminal's skull with Rock Slide while a Nurse Joy calmly dragged the aftermath away.
"...Well," he said, coughing lightly. "Better than Joy getting hurt herself, I suppose."
Messages like that turned out not to be isolated incidents. Not every Pokémon Center had dedicated security. Not every Nurse Joy carried the same legendary reputation as certain famously formidable prosecutor-branch Joys. Most Joys' combat instincts started out fairly modest — but following Luke's command framework directly, handling small-time thugs and even stray Team Rocket grunts had apparently become genuinely manageable.
Luke rubbed his chin, murmuring, "A dirty tactic like this actually generating real social value..."
He clapped his hands together, impressed with himself. "Of course. This tracks."
______________________________
"You're proposing a reform to Pokémon Center security protocols?"
The chairman of the Sinnoh Pokémon Association studied the proposal in front of him, brow creasing slightly as Lucian sat across the desk.
"You understand the costs involved here are significant, Lucian."
Lucian, in his familiar burgundy suit, blue hair falling to his shoulders, nodded evenly.
"This proposal targets Pokémon Center security specifically — protecting staff from both malpractice-related retaliation and outright criminal activity."
"Stationing a dedicated guard Pokémon at every single center clearly isn't realistic budget-wise, so my actual suggestion is—" he pushed his glasses up "—improving the combat readiness of existing medical staff Pokémon instead."
Isn't this just removing the source of the problem instead of actually fixing anything? the chairman thought, though he said only, "Go on."
"The cost stays manageable," Lucian said, smiling. "We simply add a Rock Slide training module to the Chansey School of Nursing curriculum. Any Blissey that masters it could be fast-tracked to head nurse."
"The Rock Slide output itself doesn't need to be devastating — its real purpose is deterrence. It also meaningfully reduces the burden currently falling on Officer Jenny's department."
The chairman frowned, quiet for a moment. Team Rocket remnants across multiple regions had recently taken to running unauthorized Substitute-Protect-Toxic and Minimize builds, putting real strain on local law enforcement. If Lucian's proposal actually worked as described, it would both protect medical staff directly and meaningfully offload Pokémon Center security costs at the same time.
"One more point," Lucian added, holding up a finger, smiling faintly. "Blissey lacking the Healer ability tend to face unfair bias during the breeding selection process. That bias is entirely artificial — Healer simply suits nursing work better by convention."
"Blissey carrying Serene Grace instead would be far better suited to a Rock Slide role specifically. I'd argue this actually opens a better career path for that whole subset of Blissey."
The chairman, genuinely moved, considered it for a moment. "I'll give you a formal answer soon. If it's viable I'll authorize a pilot program to start."
Lucian smiled, nodding, adjusting his glasses once more. "One additional request — if this moves forward, please credit the original source."
The chairman smiled. "Something this significant deserves proper credit, of course. Your name goes on it, Lucian, correct?"
"No," Lucian said, tossing his hair back with a small smile. "Credit a Trainer out of the Orient region instead."
Thinking back on Luke's meticulously researched tactics, Lucian let out a genuinely admiring sigh.
"A Trainer with real vision. Luke."
______________________________
Luke himself remained completely unaware of any of this. Without meaning to, he'd built an almost mythic reputation across two wildly different circles — Team Rocket grunts and the Joy medical lineage alike. On one side, the reputed originator of Substitute-Protect-Toxic. On the other, an unwitting pioneer of Pokémon Center healthcare reform.
At this exact moment, Teacher Luke was still hard at work chipping away at a $700,000 debt.