Paldea Big Four, Part Three

"Huh?" Taro let out a soft gasp and looked back at Poppy. Receiving a smiling nod of affirmation from her, he felt a flush of embarrassment. After stammering for a while, he could only offer Luo Mu a "Pardon me" before lowering his head and sitting down, falling silent.

After sitting down, Taro now only felt that he had been too careless today, actually losing face in front of the Chairperson by accident.

But he didn't dare to direct his resentment at Luo Mu. If the rumor that the other party was a Champion-level Trainer was true, then causing trouble would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Not all Trainers were as easygoing as Chairperson Poppy.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Luo Mu. I had intended to announce your identity to the returning teachers and staff at the upcoming faculty meeting, but I didn't expect the Dean of Students to be so impatient."

Although Mui's tone carried an apology, it wasn't overly cautious. After all, the strongest Champion-level Trainer was the academy's Chairperson, and Orange Academy was the oldest academy in the world.

As the Principal of this academy, his interactions with Luo Mu were naturally not like the Dean of Students, who was as timid as a quail.

Luo Mu shook his head. "It's fine, I don't mind these small matters."

Mui's impression of Luo Mu improved further. He had strength but wasn't arrogant; Chairperson Poppy's judgment was indeed excellent. "Then, let's discuss your future treatment and main teaching content, Teacher."

The discussion and exchange didn't take long. It was basically Mui speaking and Luo Mu listening, with Poppy occasionally adding a few words.

Dean of Students Taro remained completely silent, only speaking a few words when Mui and Poppy mentioned him.

Ultimately, the matters of treatment and specific teaching responsibilities were all finalized.

Throughout the history of Orange Academy, the probationary period for teachers was three months. This time, Mui took it upon himself to shorten the probationary period to one month, during which Luo Mu's salary would be 50,000 League currency.

After becoming a full-time employee after one month, his salary would increase to 80,000 League currency.

As a teacher of battle studies hired by Orange Academy, Luo Mu's specific teaching responsibilities would be to cultivate and guide students' interest in Pokémon battles.

Another point worth mentioning is that apart from the necessary courses for learning basic knowledge, most of the courses offered at Orange Academy were elective based on student interests.

Therefore, two classes per week truly meant only two classes, with no additional teaching tasks.

Furthermore, Orange Academy had four vacation periods each year: Spring Break, Summer Break, Autumn Break, and Winter Break, with each vacation lasting at least one month. Teachers' salaries would still be paid during these holidays.

With such conditions, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the ultimate fantasy for overworked employees.

Filling out the contract, stamping it, the entire process flowed smoothly.

With the matter settled, Poppy stood up satisfied and said with a smile, "Since everything is settled, I'll take my leave now. The academy and many League matters still require my attention."

After speaking, Poppy waved her hand, mouthed "Good luck" to Luo Mu, and made a graceful exit.

After Poppy left, Mui sighed, "The Chairperson still has to manage affairs throughout the League, and occasionally make time to assess the strength of Gym Leaders. She returns to the academy less than a handful of times a year."

"Even when I report academy matters, I mostly communicate with her over the phone."

Luo Mu nodded slightly and said, "Precisely because of this, the Paldea League can present a prosperous trend, not inferior to other Leagues."

Mui stood up and said, "It's about time, let's go. We still have a faculty meeting to attend. We need to introduce you properly to everyone, to avoid another misunderstanding like with the Dean of Students."

Taro's mind was filled with the thought of messing up in front of the Chairperson. Hearing Mui's pointed remark, he couldn't help but put on a bitter face and drawl, "Principal."

After the faculty meeting, it was already noon. Most of the students had returned to campus, and the entire sports field was packed.

Then, a classic scene from the game, the opening ceremony held on the sports field, slowly unfolded.

Mui, dressed in the distinctive Orange Academy uniform, stood on a high platform. To his left and right stood teachers from various subjects in neat rows. In the center of the sports field, a large crowd of students gathered, from children under ten to uncles and aunts in their fifties and sixties, all wearing Orange Academy uniforms and waiting for Principal Mui's speech.

This was also a characteristic of Orange Academy: accepting students of all age groups, believing they all had the right to learn.

Luo Mu stood at the edge of the teacher's row below the platform. He could feel the eyes of his colleagues, who were sneaking glances at him due to Principal Mui's introduction at the earlier meeting, as well as the gazes of many students focusing on him from below.

To them, he, the new teacher, must be very unfamiliar.

Principal Mui was giving a passionate speech. Luo Mu, whose focus was on earning money through slacking off, let his gaze wander among the students, intending to observe if there were any familiar faces.

The last row. That tall, beautiful girl should be Pepper, who would later become part of Team Star, right?

And in Pepper's class, the dark-skinned girl not far from her should be Tanaka.

After meeting Pina before, Luo Mu no longer relied solely on his game impressions to identify people. He chose to make reasonable deductions based on their characteristics. Although their appearances would change to some extent in the future, the shadows of their past selves could still be seen now.

The figures of Pina, Arven, Cassiopeia, and Mela were also scattered among different classes.

Team Star was born from the bullying incidents on campus, but he didn't have a concrete concept of how severe the bullying was.

Shifting to a teacher's mindset, Luo Mu pondered for a moment and decided to pay a little more attention to these matters later.

Then came the main group of protagonists from the game, who were roughly the same age.

Following a slightly intense gaze, Luo Mu quickly found Nemo.

She stood in the first row, wearing the standard Orange Academy uniform, her hair tied up in a beautiful high ponytail. Except for her still fair skin, she was almost a miniature version of the senior Nemo from the game.

And then there was Pepper. It had been over a week, and he didn't know if he had reconciled with his parents. Luo Mu planned to find him after the assembly and subtly inquire.

His gaze continued to move. On the far right of the row, Luo Mu spotted Peony, wearing thick, round-framed glasses and a cute Eevee backpack. Coupled with the unisex Orange Academy uniform, she looked a bit like a tomboy.

Excluding the protagonist, whose existence was still unknown, three of the Paldea Big Four were gathered at Orange Academy.