Chapter 57The ten students pulled themselves together and stood in a line, ready to listen to Chen's instruction.

  "Because of pride?"

  A soft voice emerged from the group.

  Chen shook his head. "That's only a minor issue. Everyone has pride. Shirona reaching this level at her age is remarkable. Even I couldn’t do it back then. It’s understandable to doubt her. If I were in your shoes, I might not believe it either.

  You all managed to stay composed and didn't completely lose your cool, which is commendable."

  He scanned the group. "But your problem is that you’re not decisive enough in battle."

  "Not decisive enough?" The students exchanged puzzled gnces.

  "You’ve all had your fair share of field battles and studied extensively over the years, but that academic knowledge has also limited your mindset."

  Chen opened a ptop that looked unusually small in his rge hands.

  "All of you have registered as bounty hunters, right?"

  Everyone nodded. Although they didn’t intend to pursue it seriously, they had registered out of curiosity.

  "I checked your records. All of you are currently ranked E-level. Just newly registered, it seems."

  He confirmed his findings on the screen and gave a slight nod.

  It was as expected. Students usually didn’t focus on bounty hunting during school. This was why temporary teaching was arranged after they advanced to senior level but before graduation.

  Normally, bounty hunter registration data is strictly confidential, but Chen wasn’t just anyone. As one of the highest authorities in the organization, he had backend access. After all, bounty hunters fell under his administrative scope.

  The school also had relevant records.

  "Let’s talk about your graduation requirements. You won’t be allowed to graduate until you’ve completed at least five A-rank missions with a minimum completion rate of 80%."

  The ten students stared at him, bnk-faced.

  They couldn’t yet comprehend what that meant. They would only understand after struggling through those missions firsthand.

  A-rank missions were in a different league compared to B-rank and below, and achieving an 80% completion rate was no simple feat.

  Not everyone could maintain a terrifying 95% completion rate like Tetsuya.

  "Now let’s talk about your performance earlier. Why do I say you weren’t decisive enough..."

  Suddenly, Shirona spoke, "Roserade, Vine Whip."

  Out of nowhere, a Roserade appeared, its dual-colored flowers fring as it shed out with multiple vines. In an instant, the ten students were bound and lifted into the air.

  Caught off guard, they had no time to react before their limbs were restrained.

  Some instinctively tried to struggle, which only made the vines tighten further.

  Ye Zang reacted the fastest. Sensing something was wrong, he reached for his Poké Ball—but Roserade’s whip snatched it from him before he could release his Pokemon.

  Chen calmly ignored the chaotic scene in front of him.

  "Why weren’t you decisive? When Shirona provoked you, you should have responded immediately. Release your Pokemon and restrain her first. Make your protest after you’ve gained control.

  Especially since you released your Pokemon first, why didn’t you stop her from sending out Garchomp?

  Also, I told you to release your ace Pokemon, and most of you only released one. Who told you you’re only allowed to have one ace? All your Pokemon can be your aces if you train them right.

  The moment she said 'all ten of you come at me,' this was no longer a 6v6 field battle. The format had already changed.

  And when I healed your Pokemon afterward, why did you withdraw them? Did anyone decre the battle over?"

  There was, of course, some mental substitution in Chen’s logic. As Shirona was their teacher, the students would hesitate to truly fight her.

  Chen didn’t have time to expin these nuances. Future instructors would teach them these lessons through repetition. Or they would learn through blood and sweat during missions. Perhaps even death.

  That was a normal part of this path. Every year, students went through this. To grow strong, something had to be sacrificed.

  Chen had long accepted life and death. These children, the future pilrs of the League, would need to endure the same.

  What happened next was something Ye Zang never wanted to recall. He shivered slightly, shook it off, and returned to training.

  Shirona, on the other hand, didn’t say another word. She let her mind wander.

  "Hmm... what should I eat tonight? Ice cream with oden? Or maybe something spicy..."

  Meanwhile, Tetsuya was still teaching his group of students.

  "According to the test research by Professor Birch from the Hoenn region, all Grass-type Pokemon are immune to powder-type moves. That’s why they’re unaffected when they emit powders like Sleep Powder or Stun Spore.

  Previously, we assumed it was due to control over their internal energy or natural resistance. But it's actually a biological trait.

  With that in mind, we can focus on the three cssic powder moves—Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder—as key strategies when raising Grass-types.

  For example, among the Kanto starters, Bulbasaur—whose final form is Venusaur—is an ideal candidate for powder-based builds."

  He looked over the css.

  "So, today’s assignment is this: If you were to raise a Bulbasaur focused on powder techniques, what training materials would you use? Why? How do these materials interact with each other?

  Write a training pn. Submit it to me before tomorrow afternoon’s css. I’ll provide feedback then."

  The students groaned. This wouldn’t be an easy task.

  Tetsuya packed away his lesson notes and prepared to leave.

  "Teacher!" a girl called out.

  It was Sundae. Her tone was far more serious than before.

  Tetsuya turned, smiling gently. "Sundae, what’s on your mind?"

  She had done well during css earlier. It was no surprise she would go on to become a top-ranking trainer.

  Tetsuya walked down the road with a hint of joy on his face. To be honest, the feeling of being a teacher for the first time wasn’t bad—especially the sense of accomplishment after solving problems for his students.

  Checking the time, he decided to grab lunch at the school cafeteria. The food turned out to be quite good, and the chef's cooking skills were nearly on par with his own.

  After finishing his meal, he made his way to the logistics department. According to what he heard, they would reimburse his seven days of training expenses.

  The staff quickly confirmed his identity once he expined the reason for his visit.

  "Tetsuya Tamaki, Cultivator, Junior Student Css 1. Daily allowance: one million Alliance Coins. That comes to a total of seven million for the week."

  As expected from such a wealthy school. The subsidy for a temporary teacher in the lower grades was remarkably generous. Tetsuya suddenly found the idea of becoming a full-time teacher rather tempting. The treatment was excellent.

  But then again, high-level educator-led small css instruction was bound to be expensive. Experience and knowledge were priceless, after all.

  Though he hadn't taken the official Breeder exam yet, Tetsuya was confident in his abilities.

  He shook his head. No. His ultimate goal was to become the most powerful Pokemon Trainer. Teaching could wait until he reached that summit.

  Back at the principal's office, Principal Kota watched Tetsuya's retreating figure as he returned to the dormitory. Taking a sip of tea, the old man smiled to himself.

  "That kid really is something special," he mused. "Apart from his occasional ck of emotional intelligence, there’s really nothing wrong with him."

  This was precisely why Principal Kota had been quietly supporting Tetsuya behind the scenes.

  As for the generous subsidy? Well, it wasn’t solely because of Professor Yamanashi's recommendation. That alone wouldn't justify one million Alliance Coins per day. After all, Tetsuya was, at this point, still just an ordinary-level trainer.

  Optimism from people like Professor Yamanashi and the Nibi Gym didn’t mean much—there were promising trainers every year. Potential could easily fade into disappointment.

  Aside from Tetsuya's impressive 98% mission completion rate as a bounty hunter, there wasn’t much to justify a massive investment.

  So, Principal Kota had simply dipped into his personal savings for this small investment. There was no need to inform Tetsuya—it was just something he did as a teacher. Just pocket change, really.

  "Speaking of which, my second brother’s youngest grandson is about to come of age. I need to prepare a gift for that little guy... Kojiro, was it?" Kota mumbled, chewing thoughtfully on a tea leaf. "I really am getting old... can't even remember names."

  Back in his dorm room, Tetsuya sat on the sofa, grinning like a fool as he stared at his newest income: seven million Alliance Coins.

  He quickly sighed.

  Still not enough.

  He pulled out his notebook, the one where he kept track of all his expenses. Even though he had a photographic memory, he liked writing things down.

  In the 40 days he'd spent at White Cape, he'd used up 26.5 million Alliance Coins. Most of that went toward berries, renting training grounds, and cultivation materials for three Pokemon. That didn't even include the special rocks he had purchased in advance for Gigalith.

  Tetsuya shook his legs casually, his expression calm. It was just pocket change.

  Including the seven million he had just received, he still had 15.1832 million Alliance Coins in total. Factoring in the Leaf Stone from Brock and the charcoal from Bziken, his net worth just barely surpassed fifty million.

  He also had 2.5 tons of specialized ore left for Gigalith—enough for about ten more days. The berries and training materials were stocked for at least another two weeks. So, all in all, he was doing okay.

  He closed his eyes with a pained expression.

  When would this endless spending end?

  There was no other way. If he wanted to grow stronger quickly, he had to burn through Alliance Coins. Power came at a price.

  In reality, civilian trainers typically needed years—even decades—to get to his level. Progressing from a team of three Pokemon to six of simir strength took time. Many trainers never even reached that stage, unable to acquire six high-quality Pokemon.

  For Tetsuya, everything was manageable.

  Except the money.

  He tapped the table, racking his brain for a way to make quick cash.

  But eventually, he gave up. The Alliance had strict ws covering almost every creative money-making idea he could think of. And Tetsuya was a good citizen who followed the w!

  Of course, there were still legal ways to earn money. But not right now. Not with his current status.

  Looking at the calendar, he saw that he had 48 days left—about two months, including processing time.

  Two months from now, if everything went according to pn, he’d be rich. He just had to hold out until then.

  For now, his current income was enough to support the development of three Pokemon.

  The only downside was the inevitable power gap between his more developed Pokemon and the newer ones he pnned to add for the Quartz Conference. With less training time, the newcomers wouldn’t be able to contribute much in battle.

  He sighed again. Tetsuya felt like he’d been sighing more often tely. This journey was anything but easy.

  He gathered the three Pokemon who had just finished their meals and headed to the training ground. He couldn’t afford to sck off.

  During this seven-day period, he only taught csses every other day—alternating mornings and afternoons. The rest of the time was his to use freely.

  It was a great opportunity to use the research school’s training grounds. The public ones outside weren’t as advanced, and cost 100,000 Alliance Coins per day. These elite facilities ran 200,000 per day. Over seven days, that was 1.4 million in value.

  He was making a profit.

  But half an hour ter, Tetsuya trudged back to his room, dejected. The battle and training grounds were occupied during the day for teaching intermediate and advanced students. Teachers needed to go early in the morning or after dinner if they wanted a spot.

  After a quick change into his exploration gear, Tetsuya left the dorm again within ten minutes. This time, his destination wasn’t the school grounds, but the wilderness beyond.

  He had made sure to ask about this beforehand. Both he and his Pidgeot had been officially registered. As long as they took off and nded in front of the dormitory, there would be no issues.

  Wearing protective goggles, Tetsuya climbed onto Pidgeot’s back and pointed silently toward the distant horizon. Pidgeot gave a soft chirp in reply.

  Then, with powerful wings, they soared into the sky.

  After nding unsteadily in front of a mountain range, Tetsuya patted his cheeks and gave himself a quick pep talk.

  "Take a rest, Pidgeot. Come on out, Gigalith and Bziken!"

  The two towering Pokemon emerged with determined cries.

  Tetsuya smiled warmly at them. "I’ll be counting on you two."

  "Giga!"

  "Bze!"

  Hearing their confident roars, Tetsuya felt proud. That was the spirit he wanted to see.

  "Let’s move out!"