For Metro City University's team, having Luke as assistant coach turned out to be a genuinely mixed blessing. On the upside, his training methods were surprisingly scientific and nobody got saddled with unnecessary extra drills. On the downside, Eevee's aggression never let up — she spent every single day hunting down other team members' Pokémon for impromptu sparring sessions.
The infirmary's workload had spiked dramatically as a result, Potion consumption running several times above normal.
During a break Ryan pulled aside team captain Tristan Chen, expression conflicted.
"Am I imagining it, or is Coach Luke's training actually better than Coach Whitman's?"
Tristan hissed back immediately. "Shh! Don't let Coach Whitman hear that!"
To be fair, though, the sentiment wasn't unique to Ryan. Even Tristan felt the exact same way. Two days in and his own skill level had improved close to what he'd normally expect from a full one or two weeks of regular training.
Watching Luke dozing off nearby, Tristan murmured, almost reverent. "He probably stayed up half the night personally designing individual training plans for each of us, honestly."
"Let's not disturb him. Focus on training."
Ryan nodded, adding wistfully, "Genuinely envious of Coach Luke. Handsome AND this good at coaching."
______________________________
Luke had, in fact, stayed up late. Just not for the reason they assumed. He'd spent most of the night gaming with Cynthia instead, lingering over familiar objects around the apartment that reminded him of her.
Staring at the $700,000 IOU still in his hand, Luke couldn't even bring himself to send a follow-up asking for the usual "session fee."
"Man, it's always easier to ask for money from strangers than people you're actually close with," he sighed, chin propped on one hand. "Wonder if she'll just remember to settle the bill herself eventually."
His actual training strategy for the school team was, in truth, deceptively simple. A genuinely skilled coach was supposed to identify each player's individual strengths and tailor instruction around them. Luke's actual method: take Coach Whitman's existing training plan and simply double the volume across the board. This, conveniently, created the widespread illusion that Luke's approach ran on some kind of deeper insight.
"Is this training load actually reasonable?" Whitman asked, a little concerned.
"You've got a sharp tongue but a soft heart underneath it," Luke said, laughing. "These kids all come from money. Push the training and their family resources naturally follow to support it."
"Fair point, hadn't considered that angle," Whitman admitted, nodding — then hesitated. "What about Gordon, though?"
"I'll handle that one myself," Luke said.
Gordon came from a mountain village, quiet by nature, and his family carried none of the financial cushion the rest of the roster enjoyed. Simply keeping pace with everyone else already drained every bit of energy he had. Giving it everything regardless of outcome was, functionally, the only option available to him.
Mid-drill, sweating through another rep in silence, Gordon looked up to find Luke smiling at him, a small bottle in hand.
Luke gave it a light shake. "Here. This is for you."
Gordon froze, stammering. "I — I can't accept this—"
"Just standard Oran Berry blocks, for Torkoal's internal bruising," Luke said, coughing lightly. "Eevee's a little too enthusiastic about picking on him lately. Feels like the least I can do."
If anything, Torkoal's sheer durability had made it Eevee's favorite sparring target by default — regular vet visits included. Then again, Torkoal's own Iron Defense had come almost entirely out of surviving those exact beatdowns, which was precisely why Gordon felt so genuinely grateful toward Teacher Luke.
Hannah wandered over, pouting. "Teacher Luke! I want Pokéblock too!"
Luke glanced at her. "Let Breloom take a few hits from Eevee first and it's yours."
Hannah immediately dissolved into a coughing fit. Everyone on the team already knew — if even Torkoal, the team's toughest wall, couldn't fully absorb an Eevee beatdown, that Pokéblock clearly wasn't worth the trade.
Gordon's lips moved. "I..."
"Another match tomorrow," Luke said, smiling. "Get some rest, start strong."
Gordon accepted the block, eyes welling up, hesitating for a long moment before finally giving a firm, determined nod.
I can't let Coach Luke down.
______________________________
A day later, aboard the high-speed rail to Goldenspire.
"Coach, mind if I look over the starting lineup again?"
Whitman handed over the folder, tone serious. "Goldenspire's genuinely strong this year, and that Riverside Province Rookie of the Year on their roster is no joke either. We need to stay careful."
Metro City University and Goldenspire had a long-standing rivalry, their rankings perpetually close. In the individual bracket, run under a strict ring system, player order mattered enormously for overall strategy.
"Order's locked once set under a ring system, right?" Luke asked, scanning the lineup as he spoke. "Tristan Chen, Ryan, Hannah, Gordon, Elena—"
He stopped mid-sentence, expression shifting.
Whitman played dumb, coughing. "Friendly matches double as training opportunities, so fielding two freshmen makes sense."
"Sure, but what's this sixth name doing on the list?"
Luke pointed directly at his own name, mouth twitching.
"I'm the assistant coach. Why would I need to actually play?"
Whitman laughed. "Just planning ahead — figured it'd be smart to have a backup option if things went south."
"We agreed I'm strictly assistant coach here," Luke said, smiling coldly. "If you genuinely want me on the field—"
"Luke, hear me out, it's like this—"
"—you're going to need to pay more."
"...Huh?"
Whitman blinked, assuming it was a joke, and laughed warmly. "Actually, speaking of that — the Metro City University Breeding House opens up new Pokémon selections around early August."
"Figured once the friendly's done I could take you by early, let you pick something out ahead of the usual schedule."
Luke blinked. "Wasn't selection supposed to open only after summer break officially ends?"
Whitman smiled, smug. "Players who've genuinely contributed to the team don't exactly get treated the same as everyone else."
Luke paused, then let out a long sigh. Of course you waited to bring this up until we were already on the train.You coaching types really do have dirty hearts underneath it all.
"...Fine. Which slot am I."
"Ryan opens, and once Trick Room wears off, Gordon's Torkoal takes over," Whitman said, tapping the tactics board. "You're third — helps stabilize morale too."
Luke almost pointed out he could just carry the whole match outright. On reflection, though, he was technically here as staff. No real reason to risk one of his own Pokémon needlessly on top of it.
He glanced over — Haunter had its face pressed against the train window, absorbed in the passing scenery. Eevee chased her own tail across his lap, rolling over intermittently.
Luke scooped her up and murmured, "Just play it normal later, okay?"
Eevee's ears twitched, eyes lighting up, and she gave a deeply serious nod.
"Vee! ψ(｀ー)ψ"*