Chapter 24: The Top Academies Have Arrived
With the exam over, Kenji removed the Quick Claw from his Beedrill and had it absorb the Treasure instead.
Without a doubt, holding a Treasure provided a much larger short-term boost, which was why Kenji had kept it as a held item for the exam. But absorbing it, while a slower process, would permanently increase the speed and power of his Beedrill's priority moves. It was a small boost, but it was better than nothing, and Kenji would take any permanent advantage he could get.
The Sharp Beak, on the other hand, was completely useless to a Bug/Poison-type like Beedrill.
More importantly, Kenji was broke.
Raising Pokémon was an incredibly expensive hobby. If it hadn't been for that 50,000 Pokédollars from Chase, his funds wouldn't have even lasted until the exam. Now, he had two full months until university started, and 50,000 was nowhere near enough to cover his Beedrill's food for that long—especially since he wanted to catch a second Pokémon before the semester began.
He had to make money. A lot of it.
Selling the Sharp Beak was, by far, the fastest way. A Common-grade Treasure like that would normally sell for around 550,000 Pokédollars. For a quick sale, Kenji decided to list his at 500,000.
He logged onto the official Pokémon League trading website. It was an online marketplace for everything from Pokéblocks and TMs to Berries, Treasures, and special Poké Balls. You could find anything Pokémon-related... except for actual Pokémon, which were handled on a completely separate, heavily regulated exchange.
After a tedious process of linking his phone number, verifying his ID, and connecting his bank account, Kenji was finally authorized to sell. He took a few pictures of the Sharp Beak and posted the listing.
It would be a while before his academic scores were released, but Kenji wasn't worried. With an S-Rank in the practical battle exam and what he estimated to be high scores on the written tests, getting into his top choice, the Imperial Academy's Trainer Program, was pretty much in the bag.
Thanks to its low price, the Sharp Beak sold the very next day.
The process was secure; the item was first shipped to an official League authenticator. Only after it was verified as genuine would it be sent to the buyer, and only then would the funds be released to the seller.
On the third day, Kenji woke up to a bank notification. A deposit of 475,000 Pokédollars had hit his account. The League had taken a 25,000 Pokédollar service fee.
"What a rip-off," Kenji muttered, though he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
He immediately went out and bought a large supply of mid-grade Bug-type Pokéblocks to take home. As for getting a new Pokémon, he would have to wait for his official acceptance letter from the Imperial Academy. The letter would come with a temporary Trainer's License, which would legally allow him to catch new Pokémon and participate in official battles.
But with his exam scores not even released yet, there was no telling when that letter would arrive. He sighed.
"Ring, ring... Your phone is ringing..."
A cheerful ringtone broke the silence. Kenji pulled out his phone and saw an unknown number.
"Hello, may I please speak to student Kenji? This is the admissions office for the Imperial Academy's Trainer Program. We were wondering if you are home right now?"
After hanging up, Kenji couldn't help but grin.
Talk about perfect timing. He had completely forgotten that as a student with an S-Rank, the academies wouldn't wait for him to apply—they would come to him.
"Ring, ring... Your phone is ringing..."
He looked at his phone in confusion. It was another unknown number.
"Hello, is this student Kenji? This is the admissions office for the Metropolis Academy's Trainer Program. Are you by any chance home right now?"
Ten minutes after he hung up...
"Hello, am I speaking with Kenji? This is the admissions office for Summit Academy..."
Half an hour later, three well-dressed adults were squeezed awkwardly onto the tiny sofa in Kenji's tiny living room, staring at each other.
"Student Kenji, we strongly urge you to prioritize Imperial Academy," the first recruiter began. "We have the most prestigious faculty, and the current National Champion is one of our graduates."
"Metropolis Academy is in no way inferior to Imperial," the second recruiter immediately cut in. "Two of the current Elite Four members are proud Metropolis alumni!"
"Student Kenji..."
Their words lit a fuse, and the small room erupted into a chaotic bidding war. The three recruiters argued passionately, each trying to one-up the others.
Kenji, the target of all this commotion, just rubbed his nose, completely bewildered. "Why is this so extra?"
He knew S-Ranks were rare—only three in all of Edgecliff City. But across the entire nation, there had to be at least a hundred students who achieved it, right?
What Kenji didn't know was that the official battle video of his Level 13 Beedrill overpowering Marcus's Level 23 Scyther had been circulated to the admissions board of every top-tier university. Attached to the video was a single, high-priority note:
"Subject has awakened a 'Special Ability'."
His terrifying, raw battle performance, combined with the astronomical potential of a special ability, had instantly made him the most sought-after recruit in the entire country.