1. Ash's Story (Part 11: Paldea,Kitakami,Unova)

Chapter 14

(Language Class)

In the Language Class at school, our teacher is Professor Salvatore. He begins the class with a warm greeting, saying, "My dear students! How ARE you all today? Feeling good, I hope? Je m'appelle Salvatore. My name is Salvatore! Merci beaucoup! That is, thank you very much for your attention here in my class! I'm so heureux—or happy—for this chance to re-experience my younger days with you all!"

He continues with enthusiasm, "Do you know what 'Salvatore' means? It means 'savior'! So just imagine I'm here to SAVE you from spooooky new languages. Haha! Funny, no? That's right! My classes will teach you about various languages from different regions. You may say 'Good morning!' or 'Hello!' as a greeting, but people from elsewhere may say 'Bonjour!' or 'Salut!' I've heard there's even a popular streamer out there who smashes several languages together and says, ''Ello, 'ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!''"

I wonder, "Is he mentioning Iono, the famous live-streamer, as it is her catchphrase?"

Serena whispers back, "I have no idea."

Professor Salvatore continues, "There are so many regions out there in the world, and each can have their own unique languages! Gracias, merci, xièxie, arigato, danke—these all have the same meaning! Can you guess what it is?"

I raise my hand and venture a guess, "Thank you?"

Salvatore rewards me with a warm smile, "Waouh! Florian, was it? Bravo! That's correct! And speaking up is important in language learning, too! Gracias, merci, xièxie—these words all mean "thank you." I guess some of you probably knew at least one of those! Despite meaning the same thing, their lengths and sounds are all different! Isn't that interesting?"

The insight certainly catches my attention. Salvatore continues, "And now, apropos of nothing, let me give you all one of my wise words of advice! When you travel abroad, you should try to speak the local language as much as you can—even if you can't speak it very well! I'm sure your willingness to try will make the people you meet très heureux—very happy! Honestly, from my experience, just being able to say "hello," "delicious," and "thank you" in the local language will get you pretty far. For everything else, just pretend you're Mr. Mime and gesture away!"

As the bell rings, Salvatore sighs, "Oh! There's that pesky bell. I guess that's all the time we have for today! Well, adios! Mata ne! À la prochaine! See you later, everyone!"

After class, we decide to pay a visit to Professor Salvatore in his office.

"Oh! Florian and Juliana! Did you come all the way here to the staff room just to see me?" Salvatore exclaims with a welcoming smile.

"We sure did," Serena confirms.

"Hahaha! Seems I've finally made it into the hearts of my students! That makes me très happy! After all, like I said in class, communication is very important! If there's anything you're confused about in class, or if you're having trouble here at the academy...you can always come here and tell me, ton ami Salvatore—your friend Salvatore, that is! Ouais!" Salvatore says with warmth in his voice.

As we leave Professor Salvatore's office, I can't help but smile, knowing we have a true friend and mentor in him.

(Biology Class 2)

At the front, Professor Jacq stands with a beaming smile, his eyes twinkling behind round glasses.

"Hello, hello. I hope everyone's ready to learn some new things today!" Professor Jacq's voice rings out clear and cheerful, instantly capturing the attention of the class. There's a murmur of assent, and a few students nod enthusiastically.

"Did you all try letting your Pokémon out as I taught you in our last class?" Jacq asks, leaning slightly forward with a look of genuine curiosity. Several hands shoot up, including me and Serena, and a chorus of affirming responses fills the room.