Mythical Pokémon Era: Global Ascension Chapter 31

"It's fine. I've already moved on." Principal Fang waved a hand, then looked at Roy with an earnest expression. "Inside this Poké Ball is its only descendant. I'm entrusting him to you, and I hope you'll treat him well..."

"Just as I once promised my old companion, I hope that one day, you'll take its child to see the sights up there."

Faced with an elder's sorrowful and heartfelt plea, Roy had no reason to refuse.

He silently accepted the Poké Ball, signed his name on the registration form, and received his second Pokémon.

After taking one last look at Principal Fang, who had his eyes closed and a hand over his face, Roy quietly left.

After leaving the principal's office, Roy sighed.

"Every Trainer has a story. The principal hasn't had it easy either."

"He gave me a Starter Pokémon for free and was so sincere about it. I can't let him down!"

"Wait..."

"I almost forgot to ask where I'm supposed to catch the ride to the Breeding House after school."

Having just arrived at the elevator, Roy had no choice but to turn back toward the principal's office.

When he reached the door, he found it slightly ajar. Roy didn't think much of it and pushed it open.

The next instant, Roy's expression froze.

Principal Fang, who had previously been leisurely brewing tea with the air of an immortal sage, was now bobbing his head and dancing while humming nonstop.

There was not a trace of grief on his face.

What was more, beside Principal Fang stood a two-meter-tall Blastoise with a broad, cheerful grin. It swayed its shell rhythmically while humming along.

The first to notice Roy's arrival was the Blastoise.

Blastoise initially gave Roy a wary look, but an awkwardly human expression soon appeared on its face. It quietly nudged Principal Fang several times with its elbow.

Principal Fang stopped dancing in confusion, turned around, and saw Roy standing in the doorway with a bewildered look on his face.

"..."

Silence.

A deathly silence hung between the two humans and one turtle.

After a long while, Roy finally asked with a strained smile, "Didn't your Blastoise have an accident a few days ago?"

"Yes." Principal Fang remained perfectly calm. "Blastoise was hospitalized with high blood pressure a few days ago. Luckily, its foundation was solid enough that it barely pulled through."

Roy had a bad feeling about this. "Why did it get high blood pressure?"

Principal Fang let out a faint sigh and pointed at the Poké Ball Roy had just received.

"It was angered by that one."

"..."

Principal, is it still too late to return this?

Seeing the expression on Roy's face, Principal Fang hurriedly explained.

"Don't panic. Let me be honest with you: this child is absolutely not defective. If it had any major flaws, how could I possibly hand it over to you? That would be setting you up... I still have some credibility, you know."

Seeing that Roy was still somewhat suspicious, Principal Fang mourned for his lost credibility in silence before continuing.

"This Squirtle has excellent talent and quality. Even among Starter Pokémon, it's one of the best. Aside from its naturally awakened moves, it also taught itself Icy Wind and Ice Punch..."

Roy's heart stirred at those words, and he opened the System panel.

In the Pokémon section, there was now another Pokémon besides Riolu.

Pokémon: Squirtle

Gender: Male

Type: Water

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Water Gun, Tail Whip, Withdraw, Bite, Rapid Spin, Icy Wind, Ice Punch

Overall Evaluation: D-rank

Popularity Points: 237

The system had successfully vouched for Principal Fang's credibility. He had indeed not lied.

Overall Evaluations from E-rank to C-rank—or rather, anything below C-rank—belonged to the category of Novice-level Pokémon.

Pokémon rated from C-rank to A-rank were considered to be in the "growth stage," also known as the "evolution stage."

During this phase, Pokémon entered a period of rapid growth. Their potential would be quickly developed, leading to evolution.

Trainers who could raise three Pokémon rated C-rank or above were called Senior Trainers. Senior Trainers were also the largest group among all Trainers.

Riolu's current Overall Evaluation was C-rank, placing it in the growth stage.

Since he only had one Pokémon, Roy was technically still a Novice-level Trainer. However, having raised Riolu to C-rank in just a week, becoming a Senior Trainer was only a matter of time.

Back to the point.

Squirtle's D-rank Overall Evaluation was no weaker than Riolu before its training. Among untrained novice Pokémon, it was among the very best.

Moreover, this Squirtle seemed especially talented with Ice-type moves. It actually knew fewer Water-type moves from its own type than Ice-type moves.

But if everything were good, Principal Fang would not have reacted with such wild joy earlier... After thinking for a moment, Roy guessed, "Does Squirtle have a bad personality? Does it refuse to listen to its Trainer?"

Like Ash's Pikachu when they had first met, could this be some kind of turtle god?

"No, Squirtle is very well-behaved and obedient."

Principal Fang shook his head, but his expression suddenly became strange.

"It's just that its thought process is a little different. It always has its own interpretation of your orders and teachings."

"For example?" Roy's heart sank.

"Some time ago, a student made a mistake, and their student ID was frozen by a teacher. They came to me to have it unfrozen. Squirtle happened to be nearby, so I asked it to take the card over to be unfrozen. It was such a simple task—just hand the card to the Dean of Academic Affairs..."

Principal Fang turned around, leaving Roy with the back of a man haunted by unbearable memories.

"But Squirtle thought that simply delivering the card to the academic affairs office wouldn't show off its abilities."

"It... it actually put the student ID into a microwave and roasted it!"

"..."

Roy was deeply shaken.

There was one perfect word to describe such a unique thought process.

Idiot.

After leaving the principal's office, Roy ultimately chose not to return Squirtle.

No matter the reason, since he had chosen to accept it, he had to take responsibility for it. Ever since his previous life, Roy had loved Pokémon. If not for his limited ability and energy, he would have wanted to raise a whole bunch of Pokémon he liked.

Besides...

"It's only a little dumb. It's obedient, talented, and as long as I guide it properly, it'll improve."

That was what Roy thought.

After returning to the classroom and attending another Pokémon Tactics class, where he learned the principles behind several popular competitive strategies, it was time for the lunch break.

As the Chief Recommended Student, Roy had access to a private cafeteria that specifically provided meals for his Pokémon.

The food was all top-tier. There were products from all kinds of famous brands, with different meals every day to keep Pokémon from getting tired of them while meeting their substantial energy needs... Compared to the scholarship, the expenses of this private cafeteria were far more terrifying.

The daily food cost for just one Pokémon reached tens of thousands.

Over an entire semester, it would undoubtedly become an astronomical figure.

This showed just how much the school was willing to invest in cultivating talent.

Obviously, so much money could not come from the school's profits. It was funded by the state, then allocated by the school according to talent.

Considering the status of Trainers in this world, this money could practically be called a military budget.

Unfortunately, after taking just two bites of the so-called famous-brand food, Riolu immediately began missing the taste of Energy Cubes.

"None of this suits your taste?"

Roy asked in surprise.

Riolu nodded, then shook its head.

Through the perception of Aura Power, Roy clearly understood what Riolu meant.

The food was all delicious, but its flavor lacked the impact of Energy Cubes. As for its energy content...

Compared with Energy Cubes, Riolu always felt that this food was missing something.

Watching Riolu disdainfully reject this pile of famous-brand products that would have driven the vast majority of Trainers wild with excitement, Roy finally realized just how precious Energy Cubes truly were.

This was an era-defining product.

If handled properly, the profits within it could absolutely create the world's richest person, drive countless people mad, and even alter the balance between nations...

Not to mention anything else, simply selling Energy Cubes to Dragon Country's Trainers first would raise the average standard of Trainers throughout the nation.

Thoughtfully, Roy opened the System Mall and found the Energy Cube Maker. It was not expensive, costing only one million points.

Compared to what it represented, one million points was practically cheap.

Roy could exchange for the Energy Cube Maker right now.

But Roy understood the saying, "A common man becomes guilty through the possession of treasure." If he took this thing out now, he would be instantly devoured by every faction and capital giant, without even a bone left behind.

At the very least, he would need to become a Professional-level Trainer, or even an Elite Four-level Trainer, before he could reveal the era-defining invention of Energy Cubes while ensuring his own safety and interests.

Roy exchanged for Energy Cubes. As Riolu grew stronger, its body's need for energy had increased as well. It had previously needed only two Energy Cubes per meal to be satisfied, but now it needed four—double the amount.