Chapter 17: An Ordinary Class
Chapter 17: An Ordinary Class
I thought meeting Quan was the only surprise for today, but I was quickly proven wrong.
"Good morning, Teacher Jing He."
When he arrived at the classroom, he saw Goh, Flick, and another red-haired girl waiting at the door with their books in hand.
"You guys?"
Jing He was a bit taken aback by their presence.
He remembered that neither Goh nor Flick had signed up for the "Pokemon Psychology" elective course.
"Teacher, we all felt we didn't understand our Pokemon enough, so we added your elective course," Goh explained with a smile.
Added it?
Jing He glanced at the two of them.
At the Kanaz Pokemon Academy, was there even an option to "add" courses?
He shook his head, not quite understanding the world of the rich, and then his gaze fell on the red-haired, strikingly beautiful girl, "And this student is—"
"Good morning, Teacher Jing He. My name is Yasha, from Mauville City."
Before Flick could introduce her, Yasha stepped forward, her sunny smile beaming.
Mauville City. Yasha.
Isn't she the future Gym Leader of the Mauville Gym?
The fiery-red-haired girl
She's not just anyone.
If Jing He's memory served him right, this future Mauville Gym Leader, Yasha, her grandfather was one of the previous Hoenn League Elite Four.
"Hello."
Jing He nodded with a smile, but couldn't help but think to himself.
‘A future League Champion, the current scion heir of Devon Corporation. The daughter of the largest city's Gym leader in the Hoenn region, the next Gym Leader. The granddaughter of a former Elite Four, and also the next Gym Leader. This is quite the "ordinary" elective course, isn't it?’
They didn't linger at the door for long, just exchanged a quick greeting before entering the classroom one after another.
The bell signaling the start of class rang out at that moment.
Standing at the podium, Jing He took in the entire classroom.
Apart from the three "surprises" with Goh, overall, the "Pokemon Psychology" course was still relatively "normal."
Even though it was a small classroom, it had around forty to fifty seats. But even with Goh and the others, it was only half full.
Moreover, apart from Goh, Flick, and Yasha, most of the other students sat towards the back of the classroom, creating a stark "Mediterranean" divide in the middle.
For most of the students present, "Pokemon Psychology" was just a less popular elective course that was relatively easy to pass.
As long as they attended class on time and didn't skip or leave early, with the "attendance points" bonus, earning the credit wasn't too difficult.
In fact, "Pokemon Psychology" had always been like this in the past, as the academy left the course's specifics to the teacher's discretion.
This was also one of the reasons why Jing He, a Hoenn native, chose to attend Silver University for his higher education.
He gave a brief greeting and a short introduction of himself before picking up his textbook and began the lesson systematically.
Though "Pokemon Psychology" had "Pokemon" in its name, it was fundamentally still a psychology course.
Psychology, a course heavy on theoretical knowledge requiring extensive memorization, could indeed be quite dull. This was especially true for the students in the back who were already preparing to slack off. Even the more diligent students in the front, like Goh, Flick, and Yasha, began to frown after a while.
Especially Yasha, the "fiery girl," who was now yawning, showing no signs of her usual enthusiasm.
To be honest, these dry, flavorless, and redundant theories had once been a nightmare for Jing He as well.
Rote memorization of all the content only gave you the key to unlock the door of psychology, but if you didn't thoroughly understand the content, it was as if you hadn't learned anything at all.
However, as the first class of Pokemon Psychology for these freshmen, they were relatively restrained and didn't blatantly fall asleep on the desks.
As for the few students who were on the verge of dozing off, Jing He decided to help them out.
Huh!
A tall, skinny boy sitting in the far corner of the classroom suddenly stood up.
Beading with cold sweat, eyes wide, and breathing heavily, the student seemed to have encountered something truly terrifying.
"Student, is there a problem?"
Jing He, unsurprisingly, smiled warmly and asked.
"N-no, I-I'm sorry, Teacher."
The student seemed to realize he was still in the classroom, hurriedly sat down, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His reaction surprised the students around him. After a few whispered questions, they learned that the student had almost fallen asleep, only to be jolted awake by a brief but terrifying nightmare!
This wasn't just an isolated incident; two other male students had similar experiences.
Thus, the first Pokemon Psychology class went surprisingly smoothly, with not a single student dozing off.
For a psychology teacher, this was already a success!
When the bell rang, Jing He snapped his book shut, said, "Class dismissed," and walked out of the classroom without looking back.
Punctuality was key.
After-class Q&A?
Not a chance.
This was a university; if you wanted to learn, you had to take the initiative.
Knowledge wouldn't magically enter your head.
For most students, this was a relief, but for Daigo and Dujuan, who were genuinely interested, it left them wondering if this was really what Pokemon Psychology was about.
Yasha yawned widely, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, and pouted, "Dujuan, this is the amazing teacher you were talking about? He seems just like any other teacher—no, even more ‘hypnotic.’ I’m so sleepy."
Dujuan closed her notebook, which was filled with notes from the class, and pursed her lips. "You're only seeing the surface."
Daigo nodded in agreement.
"Didn't you notice? Despite feeling so sleepy, no one fell asleep during the class."
"Ha—"
Back in the counseling room, Jing He closed the door and let out a long yawn.
He couldn't blame the students; even he, the teacher, felt like dozing off while explaining those tedious theories.
He decided to brew a cup of coffee.
"Ku—"
As the Onix coffee grinder hummed, Gastly floated out of Jing He's clothes with a mischievous grin.
Want to help you wake up?
Jing He gave it a sidelong glance and sneered, "With your 'Hypnosis'? Are you sure that would help me wake up?"
"Ku, ku—"
Gastly's face paled, remembering the first time it tried to hypnotize Jing He and what it saw in his dreams. It shook its head and chuckled, saying it was just a joke.
Jing He also shook his head, sighing inwardly.
It had only been a few days, but the energy bars he'd bought were nearly gone, and the gas bill was mounting. It was already a strain on his salary to raise a Gastly.
So, he was considering opening a psychological clinic outside the school.
It was common for teachers to have side jobs. For example, Dr. Solance, who always looked disheveled and rushed, actually owned a company!
However, the cost of renting a storefront in Kanaz City was enough to make Jing He reconsider.
Knock, knock—
A teacher from the administration office suddenly pushed the door open, dropped a piece of paper, and left without a word.
"Teacher Jing He, this semester's teaching schedule."
"Ku—"
Gastly immediately brought the paper to Jing He.
He took a sip of his hot coffee, feeling a bit more awake, and quickly scanned the paper.
A routine schedule.
Just as he was about to set it aside, he picked it up again.
Hmm?
A field trip?
To Chimney Mountain and the Hot Springs of Fuyan Town?
No gender segregation?
(End of Chapter)
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