The next day.
The bright sunshine woke up the sleeping Natsuhiko.
After waking up, his spirit was noticeably better, and his body didn't feel any discomfort. The rain yesterday didn't make him catch a cold or get sick, which was a good start.
"Woo woo..."
At his feet, Weedle, who woke up earlier, dragged a string of branches from somewhere, and the leaves washed by the rain emitted a fresh fragrance.
Weedle nudged Natsuhiko's pants, indicating he shouldn't be shy.
At his feet were also some leaf fragments left after being nibbled.
Natsuhiko smiled.
"Thank you." He picked up the branches, tore off a few leaves, and under Weedle's hopeful eyes, stuffed them into his mouth.
Chewing.
The bitter fragrance spread in his mouth, stimulating his taste buds while also provoking his empty stomach.
Weedle squinted with a smile, held its head high, waiting for Natsuhiko's praise.
And Natsuhiko did not disappoint it. After swallowing with difficulty, he smiled and patted Weedle's back.
"Thank you, Weedle, it's very tasty."
"Woo woo..." Weedle nodded its little head happily.
Yesterday, Natsuhiko shared his food with Weedle, and as a return, Weedle went early to find some food.
These leaves it had eaten before, were very fresh and tasty.
So it deliberately saved some.
Good things should be shared.
Although in Natsuhiko's mouth, these leaves might not taste delightful.
But nevertheless, this was a good start, indicating that Weedle had accepted Natsuhiko's presence, sharing food that was precious to it.
And Natsuhiko warmly did not reveal this fact, not telling Weedle that human and Pokémon food are different.
In his view, dealing with simple Pokémon was much better than dealing with those who only engage in office politics from his previous life.
"A new day and a new beginning, Weedle, we have to work hard." Natsuhiko stood up, dusting off dust and grass clippings.
"Woo!" Weedle nodded its little head in agreement.
Placed it on his shoulder.
Walked out of the shabby house, heading towards the center of Goldenrod City.
...
...
The sunshine was just right.
But Natsuhiko's mood wasn't as nice as it was in the morning.
"Sorry sir, upon review, you do not meet the minimum standards of a League Trainer. Please contribute more to the League, and become a registered Trainer soon."
In the Trainer's Building, Natsuhiko, dressed oddly, was not rejected for the first time by the staff with formulaic smiles.
After confirming his identity and carefully observing his attire and appearance, the staff's answer was only this sentence.
Not meeting the standards, contribute more to the League.
The standards were even more rigid than the girls on the untaken phone call.
"Then what counts as meeting the standards..." Natsuhiko was still somewhat reluctant.
But the people queueing behind him couldn't stand it anymore.
"Enough now, dressed like a beggar, carrying a common Weedle wanting to apply to become a registered League Trainer, are you out of your mind?"
Natsuhiko turned his head, behind him was a social "elite" dressed in a black suit, with hair combed neatly, looking at him with disdain, followed by a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child playing with a Pokeball.
Upon meeting Natsuhiko's cold gaze, the man's disdainful look intensified.
"What are you looking at?"
Natsuhiko expressionlessly stood up and gave up his spot.
The man sneered, disgustedly patted the seat, even took out a handkerchief to lay on the seat, then pulled his child to sit down.
"Hello Miss, my child is applying to become a Trainer. Here are his two Pokémon, Mankey and Machop. This is my five-year banking transaction record, this is our donation certificate in his name, and most importantly, this, a full ten-year Pokémon reserve fund, and some less important..."
The man took out a large stack of thoroughly prepared documents from his briefcase.
The staff's face finally showed some non-formulaic expression changes.
"Please wait."
Standing for a moment, Natsuhiko's expression still did not change, but Weedle on his shoulder sensed his suppressed anger and his disdain for the League's system.
Weedle gently rubbed against his neck.
Natsuhiko released a breath, said calmly, "I'm fine."
Turned around and left.
Behind him, faintly heard, "Brat, you'll be a Trainer soon, tomorrow send you to Pokemon School, study well, or you'll grow up to be like that man just now..."
Walked out of the Trainer's Building.
The warm sunshine shone on him, but it couldn't warm his somewhat chilled heart.
Two Pokémon are the basics, banking records are proof of financial capability, donations are contributions to the League, a full ten-year Pokémon reserve fund is the right to receive an initial Pokémon.
A slightly mocking smile appeared on his face unconsciously.
"Another 'parenting competition' world."
"Woo?"
Weedle tilted its head, its little eyes showing confusion, not knowing what Natsuhiko was talking about.
"It's nothing, though I didn't have high hopes from the get-go, I was still smacked by reality."
Stepped forward.
The League's system was more realistic than he imagined.
This trip to the Trainer's Building was just holding a trying mentality.
After all, if he could obtain a League-certified registered Trainer status, it would make his journey on the Trainer's path much smoother.
At least, the Poke Center would be free to use, and there would be free accommodation.
Ultimately, the result wasn't unexpected.
Arrived at a grocery store.
Spent twenty bucks, bought some food.
Mostly easy-to-store food that could fill the stomach, mostly bread.
Though not tasty, it should last two or three days without issue.
What he needed to do was to find a money-earning job within these two or three days.
To not waste time, Natsuhiko reluctantly spent 2 bucks taking a bus back to his secluded, shabby residence in the suburbs.
Seeing that there were only a few coins left in his pocket, totaling eleven bucks, he began considering whether to find opportunities and reasons to 'borrow' a bit from Scarface's people again.
"Forget it, don't waste time."
Now time was extremely important to not only him but also to Weedle, who had a very short developmental period.
Walked straight into a piece of small forest behind his residence.
For the safety of Goldenrod City's residents, Goldenrod City's Dojo collaborates with a few major companies to periodically clean the surrounding forests.
So the woods were relatively safe.
Arrived at the forest.
Placed Weedle on the ground.
Stepping on the soft pile of fallen leaves, every step made a "rustle," which made Weedle feel novel, constantly twisting its body, looking happy.
Seeing Weedle trying to see if its mouth could bite its tail, the smile on Natsuhiko's face gradually faded, becoming serious.
"Weedle, I'll conduct a three-day training for you next, concerning whether we can find a suitable job in three days later."
Hearing his voice becoming somewhat serious, Weedle stopped moving and looked at him.
Eyes showing a bit of confusion.
Natsuhiko crouched down, solemnly said, "During it'll be tiring, it'll be hard, you might want to give up at any time, but I'll train with you, so you must be serious, okay?"
Weedle instinctively nodded its head.
"Great, now, see that tree? We'll do shuttle run training, basic target, twenty round trips!"