After Miss Joylin left, the other students began to chat as they walked out together.
Eichi, Tetsu, and Kelly headed to the cafeteria. It was Eichi's first time visiting the academy cafeteria. There were four in total, since the school had seven grades and over three thousand students combined.
The one they went to was the closest to the classroom building.
The cafeteria was quite luxurious, built with two floors. The food varied by level; the first floor served affordable meals, while the second floor's menu was much more expensive.
Usually, only students from wealthy families ate upstairs.
Each floor was as large as three basketball courts and could seat up to five hundred people at once.
Eichi thought eating on the first floor was good enough. The food tasted fine, and there was no need to waste money by going to the second floor.
Tetsu didn't mind either, so the two ordered their meals and found seats to eat.
As they ate, Tetsu started chatting casually.
"Eichi, are you nervous about the Freshmen Tournament?" he asked.
Eichi looked confused. "Nervous about what?"
Tetsu explained, "You were the top-ranked student during the entrance exams. That means lots of people will see you as their rival. Some of the students from other classes are really strong."
Eichi remained calm. "I actually hope they're strong. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fun. And besides, the first-place prize is going to be mine."
Tetsu sighed. "I know you're strong, but you're a bit too confident, don't you think?"
Eichi smiled. "You've got to believe in yourself, right? What about you? What's your goal for the Freshmen Tournament?"
Tetsu chuckled. "Me? I'll be happy if I make it into the top eight."
Eichi gave him a speechless look. "Can't you be a little more ambitious?"
Tetsu grinned shamelessly. "That is my ambition, so what? Oh, right, I heard something interesting, Eichi, your Viridian City crew is amazing. I heard that the class leaders of Classes 2 and 3 are also from Viridian City."
"That's insane! Some students from the Johto Region aren't too happy about it. They're saying that the top three classes at Silver Academy are all led by Kanto students, which makes them look bad. They might even target you three during the tournament."
Eichi scoffed. "If it's about strength, I've got nothing to say. But if they try any dirty tricks, I'll look down on them."
Tetsu nodded. "Yeah, fair point."
After finishing their meal, the two returned to their dorm room. Once inside, Eichi prepared dinner for his Pokémon, then sat down to read.
About an hour later, there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock.
"Eichi, it's about time to check out the training room," Tetsu called from outside.
Eichi recalled his two Pokémon, opened the door, and saw Tetsu waiting. "Let's go," he said.
They had agreed to visit the training room together, and now that they'd digested dinner, the timing was perfect.
After passing through the classroom building and several other facilities, they arrived at the training complex, also known as the cultivation hall. It was designed for Trainers to train themselves and their Pokémon.
Students could even exercise alongside their Pokémon if they wanted to.
The training building had five floors, with a huge poster of a Machamp lifting weights displayed out front.
The structure itself was painted in deep gray and red, creating an atmosphere that made people want to train.
Inside, a large map showed the layout of all five floors and the available training equipment.
As they walked deeper inside, they saw many students already training. The scene looked surprisingly similar to a gym from Eichi's previous life: treadmills, dumbbells, grip machines…
A Tauros, a Totodile, a Cyndaquil, a Marill, and an Aipom were all running on treadmills, sweat pouring down their bodies as they ran with determination. Some Trainers even ran alongside them.
Nearby, other Pokémon were lifting weights, holding dumbbells with one hand to train their arm strength. The whole place was filled with a passionate training atmosphere.
Tetsu's eyes lit up. "Eichi, these treadmills look fun! I run every day back home. How about we give them a try?"
Eichi nodded. "Sure, let's do it. I've never tried one with my Pokémon before."
"Alright!" Tetsu grinned.
There were plenty of treadmills available, so they found an open spot. Tetsu adjusted the machine skillfully and then released his Pokémon.
"Come out, Flaaffy, Miltank!"
The two Pokémon appeared before them.
Miltank, the Milk Cow Pokémon.
Type: Normal
Abilities: Thick Fat, Scrappy
Hidden Ability: Sap Sipper
Description: It resembles a pink cow with a black-tipped tail ending in a round sphere.
Flaaffy, the Wool Pokémon.
Type: Electric
Abilities: Static
Hidden Ability: Plus
Description: Flaaffy stands upright like a bipedal sheep. Its skin is pink and nearly bare of wool except for white tufts around its head and neck. Its short, thick arms have black-and-pink stripes along its shoulders and tail, which ends in a glowing blue orb.
This was Eichi's first time seeing Tetsu's Pokémon, and his curiosity got the better of him. He activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor.
Both Pokémon had Outstanding potential and were at the Experienced rank, though Flaaffy's talent and level were clearly higher than Miltank's.
Seeing Tetsu release his Pokémon, Eichi did the same. "Come out, Scyther!"
With a flash of white light, Scyther appeared. Tetsu was a little surprised but didn't comment.
After adjusting the treadmills for their Pokémon, the two Trainers began to run alongside them.
They ran comfortably for about half an hour. Then, at Tetsu's suggestion, they decided to check out the second floor.
The second floor was divided into private training rooms designed for Trainers who preferred to train alone.
Unlike the first floor, which was free, the private rooms upstairs required a fee. Each one came equipped with more advanced tools and, most importantly, complete privacy.
Every powerful Trainer had their own unique training methods, often secret ones they didn't want others to see. That's why the second floor existed.
Eichi immediately liked the setup and mentioned it to Tetsu, who agreed.
They went to the front desk, rented a room for two hours, and received their room key cards before heading to their separate rooms to train.
Each training room cost 200p per hour, which wasn't too expensive. For Eichi, it was well within budget. Payment could be made either in Pokédollars or through academic credits, since the Credit System had officially gone live that very day.