Chapter 53: Receiving the Pseudo-Legendary
The National League Championship. It was, by all accounts, the largest and most prestigious Pokémon battle event in the entire country, held only once every three years. The requirements to enter were incredibly strict. A trainer had to be officially recognized by at least eight of the thirty-four Regional Gyms—in other words, they had to earn eight Regional Gym Badges.
Just like in the anime, you collected eight badges to enter the League. Anyone capable of achieving that feat was, without a doubt, an Elite-level Trainer. It just showed the caliber of a top academy like Metropolis; students were already preparing for this top-tier competition before they even graduated.
"The next National Championship should be in about a year, right?" Kenji mused as they drove.
"Yeah, I won't be ready in time. I'll have to wait for the next one," the senior sighed.
Kenji didn't reply, lost in his own thoughts.
"We're here! This is your dorm."
The cart stopped. Kenji grabbed his luggage and stared up at the building. It was a four-story villa. He was speechless.
A four-story villa for a dorm? This is way too extravagant!
The senior swiped Kenji's new keycard, and the door opened.
"The front yard is a large lawn where your Pokémon can relax. The backyard has a huge swimming pool, big enough for most Water-types," the senior explained. She paused, then added, "Wailord excluded, of course."
She then led him inside.
"This is the kitchen... This room is for Pokéblock storage. The academy provides an unlimited supply of Mid-Grade Pokéblocks for all types, free of charge. You can request refills anytime. Oh, and you're not allowed to sell them. You'll be responsible for the consequences if you're caught."
She continued the tour, showing him a small private training room, a full workout room with Pokémon-specific equipment and a gravity-training machine, a dedicated aquatic training room, a rec room for him, and even a rec room for his Pokémon.
After touring all four floors, the senior smiled. "Well, that's everything. I'll let you get settled in. Rest up, junior!"
With that, she left. Kenji looked around the massive, empty villa. He let out a sigh. For a fleeting moment, he almost missed the noisy, crowded six-person dorms from his past life.
To make the place feel a little less empty, he released all three of his Pokémon. He knew they'd rather be out of their balls. Knowing Gyarados's restless nature, he immediately led it to the aquatic training room in the basement. As for Beedrill, he had planned to give it a break to explore the new environment, but the sound of Gyarados already training seemed to trigger its competitive spirit. It buzzed at Kenji until he set up the equipment in the regular training room, and it, too, began an intense workout.
Both his Pokémon were fiercely competitive, now training in their separate, dedicated gyms.
Ekans, on the other hand, had no such motivation. The moment Kenji sat on the sofa, it slithered up, coiled comfortably on his lap, and rested its head on his leg, flicking its tongue.
Kenji smiled, stroking its head as he checked its status.
Ekans (1-Star)
Gender: Male
Level: 4
Type: Poison / Dragon
Base Stats: 340
Ability: Multiscale
Moves: Dragon Dance, Protect, Poison Fang, Leer, Wrap, Dragon Rage
Potential: S-
It had only been a week since it hatched, so Kenji had just begun its basic training. Its level was still a paltry 4.
While he idly petted his new Pokémon, he checked his phone, adding his new counselor and joining the class group chat. The only message was from the counselor, announcing a mandatory class meeting for all new students that evening.
He lay on the sofa for a while until his stomach started to growl. It was already 11:30 AM. He went to the kitchen and found the refrigerator fully stocked with fresh ingredients and some instant meals, likely for students who couldn't cook. Kenji, however, was perfectly fine making his own food. He whipped up some sweet and sour ribs and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. While the rice cooked, he called a break for Beedrill and Gyarados and prepared their Pokéblock meals.
Having the academy cover all his Pokémon's food expenses was a massive financial relief. Aside from the cost of acquiring the Pokémon themselves, the most expensive parts of being a trainer were Pokéblocks, TMs, Treasures, and supplements. The academy had just solved the biggest money-sink. And with his Pokémon's high potential, TMs were becoming less of a necessity.
As he was thinking, a notification pinged on his phone. It was a friend request from his counselor. The attached message mentioned the pseudo-legendary Pokémon he had been promised.
All thoughts of lunch vanished. He instantly accepted the request.
"Hello, Kenji. This is your counselor, Ms. Ayako. If you have any trouble or need help with anything, feel free to contact me. I'm messaging you about the pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Please come to the research lab when you have a moment."
Kenji didn't hesitate. He fired back a reply that he was free right now.
Ms. Ayako immediately sent him a location pin.
By the time he'd finished typing, his three Pokémon had already devoured their meals. He recalled all of them and headed straight out the door.