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Dragon City Center, Willow Creek District, Unit 1901, Three Buildings.
When Chris arrived at the address provided by Teacher Vladimir, he almost thought he had come to the wrong place.
The Willow Creek Community was indeed a high-quality community in Dragon City. It had a central fountain where many Water Pokémon such as Wooper and Poliwag gathered. The lush greenery included tall trees with Oddish resting underneath, and even Pidgey and Fletchling perched among the branches.
It was clear the community management had done an excellent job with the environment.
But... no matter how good this community was, Chris couldn't help but feel it didn't match the stature of someone like Vladimir, his teacher.
After all, Roy, an Elite Trainer and one of Vladimir's students, owned a villa. Surely, Vladimir could have a villa built anywhere he desired.
Even so, Chris pressed the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a radiant woman dressed in purple, with an Aipom perched on her shoulder.
When she saw Chris, she smiled warmly. "You must be Chris, the junior our teacher mentioned! Come in; everyone's waiting for you."
"Ai-pom!" the Aipom greeted enthusiastically.
"Uh, thank you, senior." Chris wasn't sure who she was, but based on how she addressed him, she was clearly a senior student.
After putting on slippers, Chris stepped inside. In the living room, four people were seated watching TV alongside some Pokémon. One of them was Teacher Vladimir, while another was a senior Chris had met before.
The other two included a man wearing a black fur coat with a firearm at his side, clearly an official of some kind, and a lazy boy lounging on the sofa, munching on an apple. The group chatted casually.
Teacher Vladimir's Gengar was also there, sitting cross-legged with its chin resting on one hand, seemingly lost in thought. Its expression was unintentionally amusing.
In the kitchen, a middle-aged couple was cooking, and a table full of delicious food had been prepared.
"Chris is here! Let's all take our seats," Vladimir said, beckoning everyone.
The group turned their attention to Chris, sizing him up as the teacher's newest apprentice, curious to see what made him special.
Their first impression? "Handsome."
As instructed, everyone moved to the dining table. Teacher Vladimir sat at the head, flanked by the middle-aged man and Dong Yan. The rest filled in around them, with a seat directly opposite Vladimir reserved for Chris.
"It's New Year's again, and I'm grateful you all come to visit this old man every year," Vladimir said, raising his glass.
"This is what we should do as your students!" the middle-aged man replied as he filled his glass.
"That's right," the others agreed, raising their glasses.
Chris mimicked them, lifting his glass in a toast to his teacher.
After the toast, Vladimir introduced Chris to the group. "This is Chris, my newest student and a freshman this year. I hope you'll all take good care of him."
"You can count on us, Teacher," the middle-aged man replied first, turning to Chris. "My name is Lian, and I'm the teacher's first student. I'm also a scholar researching Pokémon mythology. If that's a field you're interested in, feel free to reach out to me."
"Thank you, Senior Lian," Chris said, nodding. Pokémon mythology was a challenging and prestigious research area. It often involved studying Pokémon that could appear in person during the research, requiring significant strength to handle safely.
Chris was sure he'd heard Lian's name before but couldn't recall where. Still, being Vladimir's first student undoubtedly meant he was a leader in the field.
"I'm not your teacher's student," the woman in the kitchen said, turning her attention briefly to Chris, "but I'm Lian's partner. Like him, I also conduct research on Pokémon mythology. You can call me Keyla."
She offered a warm smile, her hands deftly working on the dishes as she spoke.
Next, it was the turn of the woman in purple who had greeted Chris at the door.
"My name is Elliot," she said cheerfully. "I specialize in Pokémon medical treatment. If you ever have a Pokémon with a severe or lingering injury, come find me. I might be able to help."
She winked playfully before continuing. "In the industry, I've made a bit of a name for myself. Later, let's exchange contact information, junior. I can also introduce you to some excellent female nurses and doctors from our hospital." Her smile grew mischievous, her gaze twinkling as if Chris were a hidden treasure she had just discovered.
Then came Roy's turn.
"Student, we meet again. I don't think I need to introduce myself, do I?" he said with a knowing grin.
"No, Senior Roy," Chris replied quickly. "Thank you again for your help last time." He was referring to the Ghost-type Elite's guidance on Haunter and assistance with acquiring a Haunted Gem.
The lazy boy on the sofa was next. He sat up slightly and introduced himself with an easygoing tone. "Alexis. I'm the Gym Leader from Ice Dragon Province. I hear from Teacher that you plan to challenge the Gyms. How about some sparring? I could give you special training before your challenge."
"Come on! It's New Year's Eve. Let's not go overboard," Elliot interjected, shooting him a sharp look. "I don't want to see our junior end up in the hospital the first day we meet him!"
"Fine, fine, tomorrow it is," Huo Wenjie conceded with a chuckle, though his response earned another exasperated eye roll from Elliot.
Finally, the man in the black leather coat introduced himself. "Stephen, Pokémon investigator. If you're ever interested in this field, you can come to me for advice."
Chris nodded respectfully. Stephen's professional demeanor and the firearm at his side made it clear he was indeed an official, as Chris had suspected.