Lu Gu smiled slightly and said, "Anyone who gets into the Nirvana Organization must have good potential and strong self-control. We have a lot of faith in you. For now, just focus on preparing for the Spring City Rookie Tournament!"
Hu Bin smiled. "I'm already working hard on that. Once I finish packing the day after tomorrow, I'll head to the Alola Region to train!"
Lu Gu laughed. "Good! Traveling to different places, seeing different fighting styles, and meeting different Pokémon—that's the appeal of being a Pokémon Trainer! Once your rookie tournament is over, we'll arrange some training for you too!"
Hu Bin asked, "So are Wang Da Dong and Xia Zi Rui members of this organization too?"
At the mention of those two, the wrinkles on Lu Gu's face bunched together. He clearly didn't want to talk about them, but he still told Hu Bin, "They've already been working for a year!"
Hu Bin was puzzled. "But aren't you only allowed to have Pokémon once you turn eighteen?"
Lu Gu stroked his beard. "Those two often missed classes at school, didn't they? They weren't off on missions. They were just genuinely lazy, and they ended up repeating a year."
Hu Bin was stunned. "Just how lazy were they? Even the teachers complained that they'd barely seen them since their first year of high school!"
After talking with Lu Gu, Hu Bin left the Pokémon Association. It all felt rather surreal. He hadn't expected to join such a powerful organization.
Still, something about the place seemed a little unreliable!
Once Hu Bin and Vulpix got home, he started packing. A month away meant preparing plenty of Pokéblocks and some training equipment. Even Vulpix started helping him pack!
By nightfall, Hu Bin and Vulpix had finally finished packing everything. They both