Chapter 4
First Lecture
N paced in the battle arena. Today would be his first lesson to the students and he could not be more nervous. N felt like he had not slept in days, and the Litwick's wailing the previous night was not helping. He ran a hand through his hair as his mind raced through what his lesson plan should be. He had not begun to consider what he should start with. He also did not know what the student's experience in regards to their partner's characteristics.
Maybe I should start with that: types, N mused.
To his side, Zorua watched as its partner continued to pace. It could not help but snicker a bit as the worry increased on his face. N looked towards the snickering Zorua and let out a groan.
Even Zorua thinks I'm hopeless.
He then stopped pacing and crouched down in front of Zorua. He pet the black fox, which stopped the snickering. N let out a sigh and looked towards the sky.
"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," N muttered to himself.
Zorua yipped in response and N chuckled. At least his partner believed in him a bit.
The door to the battle ground opened and N shot straight up. Zorua climbed up to perch itself on N's shoulder. N watched as his first class walked in, and it was the Black Staraptor house. N took a deep breath and released it to calm his nerves. He had to at least look the part of the teacher.
"Welcome everyone. Looks like you guys will be my first class," N said.
"Then in your hands professor," Hanneman replied before exiting.
The door to the battle ground closed and N was left with the students. He carefully surveyed each one, placing names to faces and partners. He would start slow before beginning anything.
"I know I met you all yesterday, but introduce yourselves and your partners please."
The class nodded in response and introduced themselves again. N made sure to commit each name to memory.
"I'm just going to say this right away, I'm new to this whole teaching thing. So we're going to be taking a bit slow today. I hope you all understand," N said.
"Don't worry, Professor. I'm sure most of us understand," Edelgard replied.
N nodded in response. He took another moment to survey each student's partner and making sure he got their types right. The only one he was not sure of was Ferdinand's Farfetch'd.
"We'll begin today's lesson with something basic. I wouldn't be surprised if you all know this already. Each creature has an attribute or a type. A type will dictate what your partner is strong against or weak against."
N let the information sink into everyone. From what he could tell this was something they all knew, or had a basic understanding of it. N had predicted as much, but continued.
"Let me ask you this. Yesterday you watched my battle against Seteth, right?"
Everyone nodded yes.
"Then what type do you think his Gible was?"
Several hands shot up. N could not help but chuckle seeing how enthusiastic Casper waved his hand. He decided to indulge him and point at him.
"Obviously Dragon."
"That is correct. However, some creatures can have two types. Gible is one of them. What about its second type?"
This time Casper did not seem to know the answer, as his expression shifted to a more confused look. A few others seemed stumped by the question, but two knew the answer right away. Linhardt lazily lifted his hand, while Hubert was more subdued. N decided to call on Lindhardt as he seemed like he was about to fall asleep. The green-haired student seemed surprised that he was being called on.
"You did raise your hand," N said.
"Right, well, Gible is Dragon and Ground type," Linhardt said, a yawn finishing his sentence.
"Correct. Now, what type do you think Zorua is?" N asked. Zorua adding a snicker, seemingly happy is was an example.
The only hand to go up this time was Hubert, again in a more subdued manner.
"Dark type."
"That is correct." Zorua yipped happily as its type was said. "For that battle who held a type advantage?"
This time Edelgard raised her hand. "Neither of you. You didn't have an attack that would deal more damage than usual."
"Let me ask you this: what types are most effective again Zorua or Gible?"
With that question, N began to get into the swing of things. He continued to use the battle as an example and it served as a good way to introduce types. There were some aspects that the students already knew, and N had expected that, but the intricacies of types was new information to them. N found himself enjoying just being able to talk about the creatures, he had to remind himself that he was supposed to be teaching.
When the battle example had run its course, N had to figure out a new way to teach them. He wanted to get the students more experienced in the basics of battle before actually having them battle, but it seemed he could no longer do that.
"How about we put everything we just went over to the test. Pair up and try to figure out what your opponent is weak to. The best way to learn these things is through trial and error. It's how I battle. However, types is something that is essential to learn if you want to succeed in battles against creatures."
When everyone understood the assignment, everyone began to pair up.
"If anyone doesn't have someone to pair up with, they're more than welcome to practice with me," N said.
However, that did not seem be necessary. Caspar paired up with Linhardt, Edelgard with Hubert, Petra with Dorothea, and Bernadetta with Ferdidnand. To N, the pairs seemed like it was two people who were already familiar with each other. He made a mental note to pick pair every once in a while. He watched at the students spoke to each other about their partner's type before engaging in a battle. Everything went smoothly, except for Ferdinand and Bernadetta. He was trying to get her to be a bit more engaged, but her shyness was something she was having trouble over coming. N walked over to them to try to mediate the situation.
"Is everything okay?" N asked the two of them.
"It would be, but Bernadetta doesn't seem to want to take part," Ferdinand said.
N turned to him and saw that he was getting frustrated a bit, something his Farfetch'd mirrored. He turned to Bernadetta to see her trying to hide in the hood of the jacket she wore under her uniform. Her gaze was towards the floor. Her Mimikyu was hiding behind her leg. N took a deep breath and kneeled down in front of the girl, he had not realized how much taller he was than her.
"Hey, what's got you so worked up?"
"I-I-I-It's just that, I've never done anything like this before. I've never been a fighter," Bernadetta explained.
"I understand. I'm not one as well. I want to avoid fighting whenever possible," N replied.
Bernadetta looked up a bit to see N kneeling in front of her. His Zorua still perched on his shoulder. N took this moment to continue talking.
"However, there will be times when there is no other option. Not only will a weapon be at your side, but your partner as well."
Bernadetta seemed to relax a bit. Her once tense shoulders loosened up. N smiled as the two made eye contact.
"If you want my advice, Zorua is more reliable than any blade. I'm here to teach you that when the time comes, your Mimikyu is going to be your most trusted ally."
Bernadetta nodded in response. N could tell that his words affected her in a positive way. He stood up straight again and took a few steps back.
"Now, I'll be right here as you two practice. If you have any questions feel free to ask," N said.
"O-O-Okay. Thank you, Professor."
N nodded in response and walked away from the two. He stayed close enough that he could focus on them, while still observing the others. He listened closely at Bernadetta's explanation of Mimikyu. N had seen a few before, but never actually battled against one. The ones he had seen in the wild were very shy.
Maybe that's why she has one. They're similar in that regard, N thought as a smile came to his face.
"Ghost and Fairy. That means my Farfethch'd is weak to your Mimikyu."
N's smile changed to a confused look on hearing what Ferdinand had said. He took few steps towards the two. With what he said, N was now even more curious to know what type the Farfetch'd was.
"Hey, Ferdinand. What type if your Farfetch'd?"
"It's Fighting type. I thought that much would be obvious," Ferdinand replied.
N placed a pensive hand on his chin. "All the Farfetch'd I've seen fly. Their stalk is always much smaller."
"That's what sets my Farfetch'd apart. Its stalk is much larger and it's a lot stronger as well. Its second form is truly something only a noble like myself can use," Ferdinand explained.
"I've travelled through a lot of Fodlan, but I've never seen such a drastically different looking creature."
"Well, you can only find this Farfetch'd in the Adrestian Empire."
"Interesting. You learn something new every day. Sorry for interrupting. Continue."
N stepped back to observe. However, he was not wondering if there were other creatures that had such drastically different appearances. Ferdinand's Ferfetch'd had dark brown feathers and seemed to have a permanent scowl on its face. It looked a lot more angry compared to other Farfetch'd.
N pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and returned his focus to the students. Everyone now had a better grasp on types. N was confident that they could move on to the more complicated aspects moving forwards. When the class was soon to conclude, he called everyone over to him.
"Good work today everyone. I know a lot of you likely already knew a lot of what I mentioned today. I do hope that you still learned something new as well."
Everyone nodded in response, while some verbalized that they had indeed learned something new.
"There's one more thing before I let you go. I want you to put yo the test what you learned today in a battle against me. Who's up for battling me?"
"I'll take you on!" Caspar said as his hand shot up.
"Very well then. Stand over there," N said pointing at one of the smaller rectangles.
Caspar nodded and jogged to the rectangle, his Drilbur right behind him. N positioned himself on the other rectangle. Zorua hopped off N's shoulder and onto the battlefield.
"Let's go, Drilbur!"
The mole looking creature let out a challenge with a growl. Zorua responded with its own growl.
"Show me what you learned today, Caspar!"
"I'll show you what I learned today by beating you!"
"Then here's a question: what type is Zorua? Fury Swipes!"
Zorua launched itself towards Drilbur and laid quick slashes onto the mole. The mole staggered back as it recovered from the attack.
"Drilbur are you okay? I didn't know this was a quiz too!"
"In the heat of battle you'll have to know what your opponent is weak to, as well as what you're weak to. Now answer the question and attack!"
"Dark type! Drilbur, Metal Claw!"
Drilbur's claws sharpened as it ran towards Zorua. Zorua tried to dodge, but Drilbur's attack connected. The force of the attack pushed Zorua back.
"Very good. How about Drilbur? Zorua, Snarl!"
Zorua let out a screech coated in black energy. Caspar covered his ears, while Drilbur was being pushed back by the force of the attack.
"Ground type! Drilbur, Dig!"
When Zorua's attack concluded, Drilbur jumped in to the air, covered its face with its claws, and jumped into the ground.
"What are Drilbur and Zorua weak against? Double Team, Zorua!"
Zorua's body flashed white as several copies of Zorua burst forth. Caspar's eyes darted to each one of them, trying to figure out which one was the real Zorua. He did not forget N's question. He had a move that was strong again Zorua.
"Attack now, Drilbur!"
Drilbur rose from the ground, but its attack landed on a fake Zorua. Just as one Zorua disappeared, all the others began to fade away as well.
"You still haven't answered my question! Zorua, Dark Pulse!"
"Dodge it, Drilbur!"
Just as Zorua released its attack, Drilbur avoided it at the last second. N was surprised his attack had missed. Dark Pulse was a move that rarely missed. He could also see the smile that formed on Caspar's face.
"Let's finish this Drilbur! Use Rock Smash!"
"Rock Smash!?"
Drilbur's claws glowed again as it raced towards Zorua. The fox tried to avoid the attack, but was unable to and took the full force of the attack. The attack knocked Zorua back and into N's arms. Zorua wanted to continue battling, but N stopped it as his lesson had reached his student.
"The battle ends there!"
"What? How come? I was just getting warmed up," Caspar said with a disappointed look on his face.
"Zorua and I were also feeling the intensity, but this battle was for to apply what we went over today."
Caspar looked towards his professor with a raised eyebrow. N had another moment to teach him.
"What type of move is Rock Smash?"
"Fighting type."
"Why did you teach Drilbur that attack?"
"For Ice types. Drilbur is super weak to them." Drilbur let out a grunt at the mention of Ice types.
"Zorua is a Dark type. What are they weak to?"
"…Oh, right, fighting!"
"Precisely." N then turned to everyone that had been watching the battle. "I understand wanting to attack with the strongest moves you have, but if you have a move that is more effective, always go for it. That damage you deal will make battles take less time."
"But, Professor, wouldn't it be better to attack with a move that is stronger? Rock Smash is fairly weak move," Ferdinand asked.
"That may be true. However, it is always better to attack with a move that will guarantee the greater amount of damage. My Zorua did not have an attack that Drilbur was weak against, so I had to use my stronger attacks in order to deal the same amount of damage Drilbur's Rock Smash did to Zorua. Does everyone understand what I'm getting at?"
The students all nodded in agreement after musing N's explanation.
"I'm glad you all understand. You're all free to go. I'll still be here in the battle area should you need me," N said.
The students thanked him for teaching them and began to exit the battle area. Before exiting, Caspar turned to N saying he was going to be him next time for sure. N chuckled and simply waved. When everyone left N let out a breath and fell to the floor. Zorua jumped up his shoulder just as he began to fall. He placed an arm over his eyes to block the sunlight. Teaching for the first time really took a lot more out of him than he expected.
Who knew teaching was so exhausting?
Zorua circled around him for a bit before nestling itself on N's chest. N knew it wanted to rest. The battle had taken a lot of the little fox. He had no doubt getting hit by a move it was weak to left it a lot weaker than usual.
N mused on what else he could teach them. He knew he would have to teach them about the abilities that each creature possessed, as that was just as important in battle. He should also teach them about moves and their secondary effects. There were a host of technical things he had to teach them, but he wanted them to learn how to how to have a closer bond to their partners. That bond would be the corner stone of his teachings.
"Tired already," a voice said.
N's head shot up to see Edelgard, Rufflet was perched on her shoulder, entering the battle area again. N could only wonder what she wanted, as it was obvious to him that she knew most of what he had taught today.
"Teaching is a lot more different than I had anticipated," N replied.
"Your inexperience was a bit obvious at first."
"'At first'?" N asked raising an eyebrow.
Edelgard chuckled lightly. "Yes, at first. I think you coming clean about still being new to teaching put some people at ease, while having the opposite effect at the same time."
"Can't blame anyone for thinking that. I didn't feel entirely confident today," N said as he began to sat up. Zorua protesting as it had to jump off N's chest. "Care to take a seat?"
"Thank you, but I'll stand."
N shrugged. "Suit yourself. What changed your mind?"
"Pardon?"
"You said 'at first' before. I'm assuming something changed your opinion about me," N answered.
"Well, your whole interaction with Bernadetta. She seemed a lot less shy about the whole situation after you talked to her."
"Oh, that. I just spoke sincerely. To be honest, at one point, I was similar to her," N's voice trailed off as he finished his sentence.
N's words sparked Edelgard's curiosity. The two new professors were still an enigma to her. Byleth always wore a blank expression when around others, so Edelgard never knew what she was thinking. However, when she had first met N and Byleth, whenever N was around was when Byleth showed more emotion. N on the other hand felt like an open book. Someone who cared deeply for others and the creatures of the world. Now, however, he looked a lot more reserved and to some extent sad. Edelgard could only guess what his past was like.
"I see. I won't pry. It seems like a thing you'd rather not talk about," Edelgard said.
"I appreciate it. I just hope one day I'll be able to talk about," N replied. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
Edelgard noticed how he wanted to change the subject. N would open up, but now was not the time. That was something Edelgard had to respect.
"Do you have lesson plans moving forwards?"
"Kinda. I'm figuring this all out. After your mock battle I should be better acquainted with all this. This all happened so fast that I didn't really have time to prepare," N admitted with a sheepish laugh.
Edelgard found herself chuckling as well. "I'm glad. I was going to the dinning hall. Care to join me?"
N nodded. "Sure. Sounds fun."
Before standing, N stretched his arm out and allowed for Zorua to climb up it an onto his shoulder. He then stood up and followed Edelgard towards the dining hall.
—
The next day N was teaching the Golden Stantlers. He decided that he would also teach them the basics about types, as it was a good baseline to spring other lessons from. Compared to the day before, N was a lot more comfortable teaching. He had still been nervous, but he was a bit better at keeping it hidden.
Teaching the Golden Stantlers proved be a bit more difficult than he had anticipated. Most of them were very free spirited. Claude in particular seemed a lot more carefree than what N had previously experienced. However, N was still able to rein in all the students in order to teach them.
The Golden Stantlers had the most variety in terms of battle style. Though one of them preferred not the battle at all. Raphael preferred an all out offensive. Completely disregarding anything having to do with types. Because of that, his opponent, Ignatz, was able to overpower him. Ignatz also held the type advantage against Raphael's Makuhita.
Someone with the complete opposite was Claude. He tired to scheme his way to a victory. Holding back his partner's true strength until the right moment. Something that caught Lorenz off guard. The proud noble was surprised when Claude's Deerling attacked with grass moves; which his Piplup were weak to. N could tell Claude was someone that was very knowledgeable about a lot of things, but did not show it. He made a mental note to test his skills in a real battle, as right now they were merely training.
Lysithea was also keenly aware of types. However, she was paired with Leone. Her more methodical battle style clashed heavily with Leone's more speedy approach. Neither had the moves needed to deal a lot of damage to the other, but made up for it with strong attacks. N made sure to tell them that the key of the exercise was not to defeat the opponent, but know what their weak to and strong against. He made sure to tell that to the others as well.
The final pair were Hilda and Marianne. In this case Marianne had the direct advantage, as her Espurr was strong against Hilda's Stufful. Despite Hilda's attitude to doing the exercise, she had a good battle sense and had a move to counter Esspur. Marianne had a similar disposition to Hilda, in that she did not want to participate in the exercise. However, it was for a different reason. She was similar to N in that she disliked it when the creatures battled, as they got hurt. N sympathized with her, but he had to admit to her that battles between creatures was inevitable. He added that Espurr would protect her more often than any sword. His words seemed to cheer her up a bit since she continued with the exercise.
As the class continued, N watched carefully at how each student took in the information he gave and applied it. He was happy to see that many took his instruction seriously. Part of him thought that his inexperience would lead to them not being serious about his instruction. He made sure to also keep up with how their partners were fairing. Whenever someone's partner was starting to get weaker, he'd stop those pairs from continuing. He smiled to himself. He was truly enjoying teaching.
As the class began to finish, he wanted to do the same test he had done the previous day. He gathered everyone to the center of the battle arena.
"Good work today everyone. I'm glad everyone learned a bit from what I taught today."
"It wasn't too difficult," Lysithea said, crossing her arms over her chest.
N chuckled. "I'm aware. This is meant for you to review the basics. From here we'll begin to do learn more about your partners and the basics of battles."
"I'd like to think I have battle mastered already," Lornez boasted.
"Is that so?" Claude said raising an eyebrow. "Then how come you could barely defeat Deerling?"
Lorzen seemed to, literally, choke on his pride when Claude said his comment. "Next time I won't be caught off guard."
The members of the Golden Stantler's chuckled at his comment. Finding Lorenz's embarrassment amusing. N could barely hold back his own laugh as well. When he calmed down, N cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"As you all grow, you'll learn how to overcome a lot of challenging battles throw at you. I'm certain today you all learned what your partner is weak to and what it's strong against."
Everyone nodded in response.
"One final lesson. This is to put everything you learned today to the test. Who's willing to battle me?"
There was a collection of gasps from the students. They had heard from the Black Staraptors that N had challenged them to a battle. However, they had not anticipated that he would do that with them as well.
"I'll take you on, Teach," Claude said stepping forwards.
"Wait a minute! I wanted to fight him!" Leone said, also stepping forwards.
"The how about we make it a double battle?"
"Double battle?" everyone asked in unison.
"It's something I wanted to go over later in the year, as it takes a bit more strategy. However, the basics remain the same."
Everyone present took in the information and seemed to be mulling the idea over.
"So, Claude and I would fight you?" Pointing at herself and Claude.
N nodded. "I'd have to have a partner, however. Two-on-one seems hardly fair."
Leone and Claude looked at each other and nodded. "Fine, we'll take you on."
N nodded again. "Great. Who's willing to volunteer as my partner?"
Three hands went up, Ignatz, Raphael, and Lysithea. He glanced over to the two girls and saw that Hilda made no movement to want to battle. Marianne looked a bit undecided, as she shyly looked towards N.
"Right, then. Ignatz, you willing to battle?"
Ignatz nodded. "Of course, Professor."
"Great. Those who aren't battling, please go to the stands. The four of us will take out places."
Everyone nodded and did as they were told. Before the battle began, N and Ignatz strategized.
"I chose you because you have the advantage over Claude," N said.
"I'm aware. Hoothoot and I will take on Claude. Though, Leone and her Blitzle hold the advantage over me," Ignaz replied.
"Don't worry. Her attention will be entirely focused on me. Most likely both'll try to focus on me," N said.
Ignatz nodded. "I understand."
"You two done scheming?" Claude called out from across the arena.
N turned to him and smiled. "The only schemer here is you, Claude." N then turned to Zorua and Ignatz. "You two ready?"
His partners nodded and prepared for battle. Zorua hopped off N's shoulder and Hoothoot landed next to the fox, standing on a single leg. Across the battle area, Bliztle and Deerling were prepared for battle. As were their trainers.
"Let's get this started. Zorua, Snarl!"
Zorua let out a screech, coated in black energy. The attack seemed to only affect Deerling, as Blitzle looked unfazed by it. N clicked his tongue in mild frustration.
Seems my attack didn't connect. Blitzle was who I was trying to take down first.
"Looks like your attack didn't affect Blitzle. My turn! Blitzle, Flame Charge!"
Blitzle's main glowed yellow before its body was fully enclosed in flames. The black and white horse charged straight for Zorua. Before the fox had a chance to avoid it, Blitzle's attack landed.
"Zorua!"
Blitzle returned to its side and kicked up dust by scraping its front hoof.
"Looks like my Blitzle is still raring to go!" Leone called out.
"Flame Charge is a move that makes the user become faster. We should be careful of Blitzle," Ignatz said.
"Yeah," N replied, adding a nod.
"My turn," Claude called out. "Deerling, Leech Seed!"
Two small seeds were launched from Deerling's back and into the air. The two seeds latched onto both Zorua and Hoothoot. From the seeds, vines grew around them, latching onto the two creatures.
"With Leech Seed we'll be taking damage every so often," Ignatz said.
This guy's well informed, N thought. "We have no way of retting rid of them, so we'll just have to pull through."
"I wish Defog worked against Leech Seed," Ignatz said, a bit of dejection in his voice.
N looked towards the teen and rose an eyebrow in surprise. Ignatz knew a lot more than he had anticipated. It was obvious to N that Ignatz had studied a good amount about the creatures beforehand.
"I guess I'll just have to attack! Hoothoot, Air Slash!
Hoothoot took to the sky. The vines around its body did not affect its ability to fly. Hoothoot flapped its wings and blades of wind formed. The attack landed on both creatures. The damage to Blitzle was minuscule, while Deerling took a big hit.
"You'll have to hit me with something stronger than that!" Leone called out.
The vines around Zorua and Hoothoot began to glow and their energy was sapped and given to Deerling.
"A lot of the damage we just dealt was just healed," Ignatz said.
"Sorry about that. Can't have Deerling losing against Hoothoot too quickly," Claude replied with a casual shrug.
"Blitzle! Use Flame Charge again!"
However, Blitzle did not move. It stood stock still, barely able to move its legs.
"Blitzle, what's wrong?"
"Air Slash has a secondary ability. It can cause flinching," Ignatz answered.
"Looks like luck was on our side. Zorua, Dark Pulse on Blitzle!"
Dark energy gathered around Zorua's mouth and was fired towards Blitzle. Leone called for Blitzle to dodge, but the flinch status was still in effect. Blitzle took the full force of the attack.
"That's going to be some massive damage!" Ignatz called out.
"Sorry, but you guys won't be winning," Claude said with a slightly smug tone. "I've been saving showing this for awhile. Deerling, Double Kick on Zorua!"
Deerling raced towards Zorua. It spun on its front legs and kicked Zorua with its two back hooves. Zorua flew into the air and N managed to catch the fox before it fell to the ground. N could tell that Zorua had taken a lot of damage. Getting hit by Flame Charge and Double Kick hurt it a lot, on top of Leech Seed damage.
"Hoothoot, Air Slash!"
Once again, Hoothoot took to the sky. The owl flapped its wings and blades of air formed. The attack landed on both opponents, to the same result as before.
N had seen enough. All three had understood the lesson. He had to remind himself it was a simple lesson, so grasping the concept of types was going to be something the students would pick up on quickly.
"Alright, that's enough for today!"
"Wait, but there isn't a winner yet!" Leone said.
"I understand, but the point of this was for you to test your knowledge on types and their weaknesses and strengths," N replied. "Plus, I don't want for your partners to get hurt anymore. My Zorua could use a break."
Zorua responded with a growl that N took like the fox wanted to continue to battle. Since they had arrived at the monastery, Zorua wanted to battle a lot more often. No doubt it was because so many partners for it to test its strength on.
"I want to highlight some things about the battle before you go," N said. "Claude, Leone. Did you notice something about your team?"
The two looked at each other. Leone shrugged and shook her head. Claude on the other hand, knew the answer based on his expression.
"Our team had the advantage over yours. With Deerling knowing Double Kick, I had the advantage over Zorua. Blitzle had the advantage over Hoothoot, being an Electric type."
N smiled and nodded. "Exactly. This exercise would've been over much sooner if you'd played to those strengths." N first turned to Claude. "Claude. You wanted to make the battle longer. There's no reason to do that if you have the advantage." He turned to Leone. "Leone. You wanted to battle me and me alone. It was a team battle. Claude was at a disadvantage against Hoothoot. You should've prioritized defeating Hoothoot, not me."
He stopped in order for his advice to sink in a bit. Claude understood where he went wrong a bit fast than Leone. It looked like she wanted to argue, but stopped herself.
"Did you pick your team on purpose, Teach?" Claude asked.
"A bit."
The three students looked towards their professor in surprise. Ignatz seemed a bit disheartened at his comment.
"You chose me knowing I could've been a hinderance?" Ignatz asked.
N shook his head. "Not entirely. I knew my attacks held no advantage over theirs. I needed a partner that incentivized them to strategize a bit more. However, that did not take it seems." N turned to Ignatz. "Also, you were the best choice to be my partner for this exercise."
Ignatz smiled and nodded. "I see. I understand now, Professor."
N nodded in response and turned his attention back to everyone present.
"Good work today. You're free to go. I'll be here if you have anymore questions."
The students thanked him for the lesson and began to exit the battle arena. Raphael called out that he was going to get some food, which led to everyone laughing. N could not help but chuckle as well. Before they all exited, N saw that Ignatz was the last one to exit and called out to him. The teen turned and walked up to him.
"Is something wrong?"
N shook his head. "No. I just wanted to ask you something. A lot of what you said during the battle surprised me. You're very knowledgeable about moves and their effects. Where did you learn all that?"
Ignatz faced turned slightly red with embarrassment. He began to fumble over his words as he tried to form a sentence. N could not help but laugh a bit at the situation. Ignatz then took in a breath to collect himself.
"I've always been curious about the creatures. I wanted to learn as much as possible. As I learned about all the ones catalogued I began to notice that many have yet to be."
N nodded in understanding. "I see. The world is large and there are many creatures yet to be discovered. That's quite the undertaking. However, why so knowledgeable about moves?"
"To be honest. Moves are the most fascinating thing about them. The colors of the attacks, the way they move, it's all so captivating. I can't help but draw-" Ignatz stopped himself from talking. "I'm sorry. Forget I said that."
"You like to draw? What's so bad about that?" N asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.
"Don't worry about it. It's just a hobby," Ignatz answered.
N rose an eyebrow. He could see the way Ignatz's eye darted away from him whenever he tried to make eye contact. There was something that was bugging him about admitting that he liked drawing. That much was obvious to N. He wanted to know, but refrained from pressing any questions.
"That's fine. It's always good to have a hobby," N said.
"I guess so," Ignatz replied, still avoiding eye contact.
"If there's ever anything you want to talk about, feel free to come to me. I'm always willing to hear people out." That much was true. Even if he could not bring himself to talk about his own past. Helping people talk about their problems always helped him in opening up a bit more. And it was apparent to N that something about admitting to drawing was affecting Ignatz.
"Sorry to keep you from your classmates."
"It's fine. I'm glad I got the chance to talk to you. You're interesting," Ignatz said.
N chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. See you next time."
"Have a good day, Professor."
—-
Today, N was teaching the Blue Pyroars, Byleth's class. Before the class started, Byleth pulled N aside and told him she was going to stay and watch. N did know why she had to tell him that, but agreed to let her stay.
N began his lesson about types the same way he did with the other two classes, using his battle as an example. Just like his previous classes, the students already had a grasp about types. Focusing more on what their partners were weak to. N made sure to tell them to learn every type's strength and weakness, as that would help them in future battles.
During the pair exercise, N saw a bit more fervor in the Blue Pyroars compared to the other classes. It was not by a lot, but it made him feel like teaching was all the more worth it. For the pair exercise, once again, the students paired up with who they were most familiar with. He made second mental note to chose the pairs next time.
The first pair he supervised was Felix and Sylvain. It was clear to all three of them that Sylvain's Growlithe held the advantage over Honedge. Growlithe's fire attack kept Honedge from dealing too much damage. However, Felix made up for the disadvantage with strong attacks. If N had to be honest with himself, Growlithe would always hold the advantage over Honedge.
The next pair was Annette and Mercedes. It was apparent that the two knew a lot about their partners, but neither had an attack that held an advantage over the other. To N it appeared that Mercedes and Happiny were not fighters. Happiny knew attacks, but none dealt a lot of damage. He knew of Happiny and its more advanced forms, they were always the partners of healers, along with Audino's. It made sense that she was not that present in battles and focused more on support. N theorized she would be stronger in double battles. Annette's Jigglypuff knew stronger attacks compared to Happiny, but it was not by that much. N was more surprised that Annette had the second form to her partner. All the other students still had their partners in their base form. When he asked her about it, she answered that she had had an Igglybuff when she was a child, then one day it began to glow and it transformed into Jigglypuff. N complimented her on her bond with Jigglypuff and she replied with a bright smile.
Ashe and Ingrid was the pair he supervised next. This was another pair where one had the clear advantage over the other. Ashe's Treecko could barely land strong attacks on Ingrid's Ponyta. Treecko had a few moves that would deal damage on Ponyta, but they were more on the weak side in terms of damage. N could see Ashe get a bit dejected that his partner was at a disadvantage. He spoke to him that there would be instances where he would be, but to use those moments to figure out how to best approach that same situation in the future. Ashe brightened a bit when hearing N's advice, saying that he would work harder to get stronger. N admired the boy's courage. However, keeping up with Ponyta's arsenal of fire type moves proved to be a bit more challenging. N could only compliment on Ingrid's training of her partner.
The final pair was Dedue and Dimitri. Another situation where one had the advantage over the other. However, despite having the disadvantage, Dimitri took the challenge in stride. N could tell that Dedue was holding back just a bit, but enough to provide a challenge. N had heard stories about Larvitar and the strength it had within. He especially knew about Lavitar's final form: Tyranitar. That creature was said to have the greatest amount of power of any creature. N had yet to encounter a Tyranitar, so he could only guess how strong it really was. Dimitri's partner, Shinx, on the other hand, he had seen many times before. It was a popular creature among children. However, Dimitir's Shinx was a bit more composed compared to those he would see in villages. It held the advantage in speed, but it was a bit lacking in power. But that did not deter Dimitri. N could not help but smile at the teen's determination to work hard, something his Shinx shared.
After watching everyone train, N began to realize why Byleth had picked this house. He was beginning to feel that she was right, but made sure to stay neutral. He did teach all three houses. He did not want to show favoritism to one house.
"Well done everyone. We'll conclude today's lesson. I'm sure you all learned, or relearned, about types."
Everyone gathered around N nodded in response.
"We went over the basics so all of have a foundation moving forwards. We'll be going into the more difficult aspects of battle soon and knowing types will help in that. However, there is one lesson left today."
"I'm assuming it's the battle against you?" Ashe asked.
N smiled and nodded. "Indeed. You've been talking to the other houses I take it. Who's willing to volunteer?"
There was brief moment of silence as the students decided who should go. To N it seemed that since none of them held an advantage over his Zorua, they could not apply what they had gone over today.
"I'll go," Felix said, raising his hand slightly.
"Very well then, Felix. Take your place on the opposite end of the arena. I'll take mine."
Felix nodded and walked to his position, while N walked over to his. The rest of the students joined Byleth in the stands. When the two were in position, Zorua hopped off N's shoulder and Honedge floated onto the battlefield.
"I'm surprised you decided to battle. Honedge is weak against Zorua," N commented.
"That'll just make beating you all the more satisfying."
"Then let's get started. Zorua, Snarl!"
The black coated scream slammed into Honedge. The floating sword stumbled, almost dropping its sheath. N expected the attack to a bit more damage, as Honedge's defense against ranged attacks was weaker.
"Honedge, Slash!"
The floating sword's blade began to glow as it neared the fox. The blade the slashed Zorua, dealing more damage than usual. N knew of Slash's secondary effect, it must have activated when the attack landed. He would have to be a bit more carful with that move.
"Zoura, Double Team!"
Zorua glowed for a moment before multiplying. Several clones of Zoura appeared all over the battlefield. N could see Felix's eyes scanning to see which one could possibly be the real one.
"That won't matter against Honedge. Fury Cutter!"
What appeared to be an eye on Honedge's guard darted around, before landing on one of the Zorua clones. Honedge's sword glowed again and it moved towards the Zorua clone it had targeted. Honedge slashed the clone, and all the others disappeared. Honedge had attacked the correct one. That left N a bit surprised. It was likely that Honedge had a trait that kept it from missing.
N looked towards Zorua, and saw that it struggled a bit to stand. Once it stood itself upright, it was ready to continue. However, N knew now was the time to stop the battle.
"The exercise is complete!"
Felix's scowling face morphed to one of surprise. "What? The battle isn't over."
N chuckled as he picked up Zorua, who also wanted to continue battling. "You everyone that has participated in this exercise has said the same thing. This exercise is just a test to see how my opponents reacts to Zorua. You succeeded in that regard."
The students in the stands walked over to N when he called them over. When everyone was gathered in front of him, he continued to talk.
"Something I want to go over about today's battle. Normally, by using Double Team I can avoid taking damage from attacks. Of course, attacks can still land. You saw that with Honedge using Fury Cutter. However, Honedge has a special trait. Each creature has one. In this case, Honedge's allows for all its moves to hit. The downside is that all my attacks can hit it."
"What do mean by trait?" Ashe asked, which was something that everyone else seemed to be curious about as well.
"What I mean is that a trait is special characteristic that your partner has. That trait might overlap with other creatures, but, for now, consider it unique to yours. Those traits will provide invaluable aid in battle. It may even turn the tide of one if used correctly."
N paused for a moment to let his information sink in.
"That is something we'll be going over in detail. I won't fault you if you don' remember what all of them do. There are a lot and even I can't remember them all. Knowing what your partner has however, is essential."
Everyone then nodded in understanding. N smiled as everyone looked to be getting more excited learning more about their partners.
"Well that'll be all for today. You're free to leave."
As everyone began to turn to leave, N called out to Felix. There was something he wanted to talk about with him. Byleth looked towards N, wondering what he would talk to her student about. N assured her with a look and Byleth nodded before exiting the battle arena.
"What do you want?" Felix asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
N ignored the rudeness of his tone and focused on what he was going to talk about. "You're Honedge. Your bond with it is strained." N gestured to the floating sword, that, since the battle, had resheathed himself.
"It's not your problem," Felix replied.
N now understood a bit of what Felix was feeling. He could also hear Honedge's voice calling out to the teen.
"You know of the legend involving Honedge, don't you?"
A pained, angry looked formed on Felix's scowling face. "I said it wasn't your problem."
"I know it isn't. But I'm still your teacher and a teacher is supposed to care about their students."
Felix's expression remained. N knew he was not going to be able to get him to talk. He was guarded about something and it involved his Honedge and the legend surrounding it. It was possible, he did not want to hear his Honedge's voice. He could not hear it in the way N normally could. N let out a defeated sigh.
"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. Just know you can confide in me whenever you need it," N said.
Felix's expression softened a bit, but his scowl persisted. "I won't need to, but thanks for the offer. Can I go now?"
N nodded. "Sorry to keep you from your classmates."
N watched as Felix exited the battle arena, his Honedge floating behind him. He did even spare a second glance. N let out a sigh. He wondered if he had over stepped. He had only recently begun teaching was just getting to know the students. N hoped that Felix would not distance himself from him, but understood if he did end up doing it.
"Oh, Zorua. What will I do?"
The fox only growled in response. Telling N it wanted to finish the exercise battles.
—-
That night, N sat in his bed. He felt exhausted and it was only the middle of the week. While he was enjoying teaching, he had never anticipated for it to be so tiring. He muttered something to himself about lesson plans as he made his way to the desk he and Byleth shared. Zorua, meanwhile, slept soundly on N's bed. The fox had battled three days straight, so it undoubtedly tired. After each battle, N could hear Zorua's complaints about not being able to finish battles.
N turned back to the papers in front of him. He had written out everything he wanted to teach the students. On one sheet was the more practical side of the creatures and battles. The things he was likely hired to teach. On another was more for the students to bond with their partners. Most of the students had a good relationship with their partners. However, there a few exceptions. The most obvious to him was Felix. He would be the most difficult to try to have him see Honedge as his reliable partner. Another student was Edelgard, which surprised him. He had anticipated that the house leader would have strong bonds with their partners and that was true for Claude and Dimitri. However, Edelgard's bond with Rufflet was the weakest out of the tree.
N was too engrossed in what he was doing that he did not notice Byleth entering the room. She glanced over to N, and saw that he was working on something. She walked over to him to see what he was working on. She saw the lesson plans that were written out as well as other things she could not quite make sense of. She took a few steps back and sat on her bed. Her Eevee curling up on her lap.
"Working hard?"
N jumped in fright, causing him to hit his knees on the desk. The sound even woke up Zorua and Eevee. N pushed himself from the desk and began to soothe his pained knees. His expression made Byleth giggle a bit.
"Yeah, laugh all you want. You nearly gave me a heart attack," N said. Inwardly, he was happy that she was laughing. It was something she rarely did.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to distract you."
N calmed down a bit after taking in a breath. "Don't worry about it."
"Planning your lessons?"
N nodded and stood up from the desk. "I want to organize myself. Everything happened so fast that I didn't really have time to prepare anything. Plus, teaching all three houses is a lot harder than I thought it would be."
"They're all so different," Byleth added.
"You can say that again." N sat down on his bed, with Zorua curling up next to him.
"I have to ask, why did you want Felix to stay?"
"He is your student after all. His bond with his Honedge is strained. Everyone has difficulties bonding with their partner, but Felix felt different. It's like he's distancing himself from his partner on purpose. I tried to get him to talk about it, but he didn't want to," N explained.
Byleth pondered N's answer. She had only been teaching for three days, so she wondered if Felix had shown similar expressions in the class.
"He'll probably open up to you before me, I hope," N added.
Byleth nodded in response. N then fell silent. He did not continue the conversation. Byleth watched as he put a hand on Zorua and began to pet it. The fox repositioning itself so N could pet it where it liked to be pet the most.
"How about the other houses? How to they fair?" Byleth asked, breaking the silence.
"I wasn't that surprised when most knew the basics. You learn the basics of types and battle by just doing it and reacting to the effects. It did surprise me when some students knew more than most on certain aspects."
"You have a solid foundation to build on then," Byelth said.
N nodded. "Yeah. I'll likely start the more complex stuff after the mock battle. That's in two weeks right?"
"Yeah. It'll be my turn to show that I'm a capable teacher. In Seteth's eyes at least."
The mention of the green haired aide caused for N to chuckle a bit. The man's prickly attitude was expected, but it was a bit funny to N to see him so uptight about everything. He remembered the glare he had sent his way in the dinning hall on his first day of teaching. It also did not help that the outcome of their battle became public knowledge and several people were giving him a hard time for it. N was almost positive that he would challenge him to a battle again.
"Good luck with that. I'm going to turn in for the night. Need to not look like I haven't slept in front of my students," N said.
"Sure. I'm going to stay up a bit longer."
As the candles in the room began to go out, except for the one at the desk, N began to feel himself drift off to sleep. He silently hoped that he would not be plagued by nightmares again. He wanted at least for a few nights in which he did not wake up in a cold sweat. He spared one last glance towards Byleth before sleep finally over took him.
AN: With that, this chapter is done. Sorry for making you guys wait so long. I know I said I'd try to be as biweekly as possible, but with everything that's been going on irl that was hard to do. Anyways in this chapter I wanted to show how N would be teaching his classes, it's a bit more more hands on compared to classes in the game. I also established who N will be interacting with the most aka his supports. He'll be interacting with everyone, but he'll be having stronger relationships with certain characters. The first three he talked to here are just the first. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next. I'll try to get it out a lot sooner this time. If you're enjoying the story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Follow me on Twitter and that way you'll get direct updates about story progress and other stuff I post there. Until next time!