Liam noticed a strange man sitting at Professor Werner's old desk as he passed the Tactics classroom on his way to first period. It was one of those moments that came as more of a shock than it should have, and Liam's surprise that Professor Werner had already been replaced distracted him so much that he somehow failed to get a good look at the man. He was forced to rely on Orchid's vague and unsatisfying descriptions as they shared a bag of chips during the morning break.

"So, what did he look like?"

Orchid shrugged.

"I dunno. N-normal, I guess?"

Liam gave her a sidelong glance.

"Well, where is he from?"

"Maybe Unova? I d-don't think he said."

"Okay, what was his name?"

"L-something? I can't remember."

"Okay, what do you remember?"

Orchid sucked absent-mindedly on a strand of her long, black hair.

"He s-seemed nice," she said at last. "And he didn't give us homework."

That, Liam reasoned, was probably all Orchid cared about. He would have to wait to see the new professor himself.

At close up, the teacher who replaced Professor Werner seemed like he couldn't be more different. He was young—perhaps thirty at most—with curly, reddish hair and a scruffy beard over his boyish face. His clothes hung loose over his thin frame, giving him an almost slovenly appearance despite his tie, collared shirt, and long overcoat. He seemed incredibly pleased to see them, and his eyes smiled and sparkled as they took their usual seats in his classroom.

"I'm Professor Lloyd," he said. "I would say you could just call me Andrew, but Principal Kahakai informed me that both the last name and the 'Professor' are obligatory."

Some of the other students laughed, but Liam was immediately put off by the contrast to Professor Werner's stern and stoical classroom manner. He knew it was irrational—there were plenty of good teachers that didn't work students to the bone—but the last thing he wanted right now was for Advanced Tactics to turn into a laid-back class with lots of "discussion."

"I know that seeing teachers come and go is normal for all of you," Professor Lloyd continued. "But, this change is harder than usual, and so I think it's better if we take some time to get to know each other before we jump back into the world of Pokemon tactics. I know Professor Werner was a well-loved teacher, and that replacing him will be no easy task."

There was a long silence. Liam thought the other students were impressed by Professor Lloyd's conciliatory demeanor, but he was not.

"What are your qualifications to teach this class?" Liam blurted out.

Liam felt Vasilio elbow him forcefully under the table. Sylvia and Stephanie glanced back at Liam with uncomfortable looks on their faces. Professor Lloyd, however, seemed unphased.

"That's a fair question. And I don't mind taking some time to tell you about myself, if that's an acceptable answer. What's your name, by the way?"

"Liam."

He tried to keep his face impassive.

"Well, Liam, I'm from Unova, as you can probably tell from my voice and how I look. My wife is Kantonian. We met at Castelia University, where I got my double degree in Pokemon Strategy and Pokemon Philosophy."

"Do you have badges?" asked Liam.

This was also an impertinent question, but once again Professor Lloyd seemed unperturbed.

"Oh yes," he said. "You need all 8 badges to enter Castelia University if you want to study Pokemon. I've also completed the League Challenge in Kanto."

He reached into his tan messenger bag and took out a black case, which he handed to Ruth in the front row.

"Take a look and pass it around. I never bothered to challenge the Elite Four," he confessed. "Too competitive for my tastes."

Liam frowned.

"Wait, how can you be teaching a Tactics class if you don't like—?"

"Liam, stop being rude," said Sylvia.

"It's alright," said Professor Lloyd. "Perhaps it would be better if I…"

He glanced around the room.

"Let's see if we can get these desks out of the way."

After a moment's hesitation, Liam and the other students got to their feet and did their best to rearrange the room. They all knew what was coming, even if Professor Lloyd hadn't said anything, and it was going to be a first. Liam was fairly certain there was something in the school handbook about not battling in classrooms, but he didn't feel like bringing the matter up with a brand new teacher.

"Alright," said Professor Lloyd, rubbing his hands together. "Liam, pick a format for us."

Liam thought for a moment.

"Singles," said Liam. "2 Pokemon each?"

"Sounds excellent," said Professor Lloyd. "Have you picked your lead?"

Liam had known this was coming.

"Sure," he said. "When… whenever you're ready."

Professor Lloyd reached into his coat pocket and took out a Net Ball.

"Okay," said Liam, taking a deep breath. "Houndour, go!"

It was a risky choice. Houndour was one of his weakest Pokemon—other than Nuzleaf—but Liam felt confident. Whatever this new teacher threw at him, he could handle it.

"Hmm," said Professor Lloyd, raising an eyebrow. "Your Houndour looks close to evolving, Liam. Unfortunately, I seem to be at a disadvantage. Go, Durant!"

The armored Pokemon's steel-plated legs clinked against the tile floor, and its pincers clicked menacingly. Liam smiled. This wouldn't be a problem.

"Durant, Entrainment."

Professor Lloyd's Durant wiggled its antennae in a mesmerizing dance. Liam's Houndour blinked, then shuddered, but appeared unharmed.

"Houndour, Fire Fang!"

Houndour sprang forward with a snarl and snapped at Durant with its burning jaws. Even with Durant's strong defense, it was a devastating attack, and it left Durant's metal armor singed and scorched.

"Durant, return," said Professor Lloyd. "Go, Leavanny."

It was a very strange choice, and it made Liam wonder what kind of game the new teacher was playing with him.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what ability does your Durant have?"

"Truant," said Professor Lloyd, very matter-of-factly.

"Crap," muttered Liam.

He weighed his options. Staying in seemed like suicide, even against a weak Pokemon like Leavanny. Even with the type advantage, going every other turn would be a crippling limitation. He decided to swap out.

"Houndour, return. Go, Murkrow."

He hadn't planned to use Murkrow in this fight, but he also wasn't planning to lose, so he went straight for his strongest asset.

"Leavanny, use Grass Whistle," said Professor Lloyd.

Liam searched his mind to try and remember what Grass Whistle did, but the answer quickly became obvious. Murkrow slumped into a deep snooze. Professor Lloyd had played him again.

"Leavanny, Swords Dance," said Professor Lloyd.

Liam noticed a hint of self-satisfied confidence in his voice. Clearly, this battle was going exactly as he intended. He knew it ought to switch out Murkrow, but that was what Professor Lloyd was expecting.

"Murkrow, Wing Attack!" Liam shouted.

Murkrow twitched its feathers slightly, but otherwise ignored him.

"Leavanny, use Swords Dance again!" said Professor Lloyd.

"Murkrow, come on," said Liam, gritting his teeth in frustration, "Wing Attack!"

But Murkrow was still snoozing peacefully, its head lolling to one side.

"Oh, forget it," said Liam. "Murkrow, get back here. Houndour, go!"

Liam's sleeping Pokemon returned to its ball as Houndour leapt back into battle.

"Leavanny, Baton Pass," said Professor Lloyd.

Liam bit his tongue. Professor Lloyd was still one step ahead of him. He didn't know the exact stats on Durant and Houndour's base speed, but he had a feeling.

"Houndour, just... Fire Fang! Now!" Liam shouted, not bothered to conceal the frustration he felt.

"Durant, Giga Impact," said Professor Lloyd.

Durant, as it turned out, was faster than Houndour. Significantly so. The blow from Durant's steel-armored body sent Houndour crashing into the far wall of the room. He didn't have to check whether his Pokemon had fainted.

"Houndour, return," said Liam bitterly. "Murkrow, get out there and wake up!"

There was still a chance for him to win. Durant would spend the next turn loafing around, and if his Murkrow could just wake up and turn those two Swords Dances against Durant, the battle could still be his. Maybe.

"Murkrow, Foul Play!" said Liam.

His Pokemon stirred, ruffled its feathers, yawned… and then went back to sleep.

"Durant," said Professor Lloyd. "Let's try Giga Impact again."

Liam chewed his tongue in frustration. This was it.

"Murkrow, come on, Foul Pl—!"

But it was over. Liam stared at the floor in shame as Professor Lloyd's Durant lunged forward with extraordinary speed and clobbered his Murkrow, which awoke just long enough to let out of pathetic squawk. As he recalled his fainted Pokemon, Liam did his best to avoid the eyes of his teacher, and his friends.

"Well," said Professor Lloyd brightly. "That was fun."

He offered a hand to Liam.

"I got lucky," he said apologetically. "More than once. Another day, it could have ended completely differently."

Liam shook his hand reluctantly.

"As you can see, I like high risk strategies," said Professor Lloyd. "I love the excitement of the gamble, when the outcome hinges on Sleep, Paralysis, Confusion… Or just one point of speed."

He patted Liam's shoulder reassuringly.

"It means I lose more than I should, but I have fun doing it."

Liam had been right—Professor Lloyd was very different from Professor Werner. And he still wasn't sure if he liked him. Still, this was someone he could learn from. Someone who understood things about battling that he didn't, even if they were different things than what Professor Werner had prized.

"Let's get these desks back in order," said Professor Lloyd. "We'll get started with real class tomorrow. I believe your lunch break is next."

The other students thanked Professor Lloyd and hurried out the door. As Liam began to listlessly pack his canvas bag, he noticed that Professor Lloyd was leaning casually against his desk.

"Sorry," Liam muttered.

"Christine—uh, Miss Snyder did warn me that there was a 'difficult' student in this class," said Professor Lloyd with a slight smile. "Well, two difficult students," he added with a glance toward Mori. "I understand you're good friends with Miss Shaw, though, Liam."

"Yeah," said Liam. "She goes by Mori, by the way. I don't know what it says on your paper, but—."

"I'll make a note of that," said Professor Lloyd. "She's adopted, I'm guessing."

"Yeah," said Liam. "Mori is her original family name."

"Kantonian?"

"Hoennian," corrected Liam. "But I don't think she's ever been there."

"I notice you have a slight Johto accent."

Liam nodded.

"You're the first person that's ever picked it out."

"I've been to Johto a few times," Professor Lloyd explained. "I guess you must have lived there for a long time?"

"More than ten years," said Liam.

"Interesting," said Professor Lloyd. "How long have you been in Everspring?"

"Less than a year."

"I've only just arrived myself," said Professor Lloyd. "I used to be at Neos International School in Ferrum. It's part of the same network of schools."

"What did you teach there?"

"Tactics," said Professor Lloyd. "And Pokemon philosophy. The same things I'll be doing here."

There was a pause.

"I better… go find someone to eat lunch with," said Liam, picking up his bag.

"I was only joking about you being a difficult student," said Professor Lloyd. "Sort of. I happen to like students that ask questions."

"Well, I'll do my best," said Liam sheepishly.

"Good," said Professor Lloyd.