Special Assessment

"Huh? Isn't that Mr. Dian?"

Haya greeted Dian cheerfully. "I didn't expect you to come to Ecruteak City too."

Beside her, Rolf and Alina fixed the shameless man with looks reserved for the lowest of scum. Last time, he had flirted with Haya. This time, he had gone further and set his sights on an underage girl. Did he have a death wish?

Granted, in the Pokémon World, children could set out on journeys at ten, start dating at thirteen or fourteen, be considered adults at fifteen or sixteen, and even marry at seventeen or eighteen.

But! The law was one thing; social attitudes were another. Eleven or twelve was only a year or two shy of thirteen or fourteen, but the difference in experience—even in how they thought—could be enormous. So making a move on a girl that young was something to be envied... No, condemned.

Everyone around them turned to stare at Dian at once, their expressions a complicated mix. If words could have appeared over their heads, they would surely have read:

"Bastard! Damn him! The root of all evil!"

"Scum! The scum of all scum!"

"Dammit, why do I feel so empty inside? I'm actually jealous!"

Tomoya looked startled for a moment, then stopped as he was about to leave.

He had other things to do, but he had never expected to run into the formidable opponent from his very first battle here!

True, Dian had only used a Kakuna back then, but Tomoya had already made him the first person he intended to defeat!

Dian, was it? Interesting. How will you win against a Gym Leader's special assessment?

He smiled. Unlike the others, he wasn't interested in Gym Leader Morty's little sister's love life. He wanted to watch the battle.

Having grown up in a