Chapter 61: Freshman Orientation
To the side, Ekans stared at the Everstone around Larvitar's neck, feeling as if its entire world had collapsed.
After giving his instructions, Kenji turned his head to look at Ekans.
Seeing its master look over, Ekans's expression changed in an instant. It put on a well-behaved look, slithered closer, and nuzzled Kenji with its head.
Kenji helplessly tapped Ekans on the head. "You little guy," he sighed, "Starting tomorrow, I'm arranging for you to train with Beedrill. Got it?"
"E-Kaaaans!—"
The moment Kenji said this, Ekans's face filled with resistance.
Seeing Ekans so opposed to training, Kenji sighed again, helpless.
But as the saying goes, "spare the rod, spoil the child." After a combination of carrot and stick, he finally cajoled Ekans into reluctantly agreeing to the training plan.
In truth, Ekans's attitude was that of a normal Pokémon.
His other two, Gyarados and Beedrill, were just pure training addicts. He didn't need to supervise them at all, which had saved him a lot of trouble.
But seeing Ekans like this, he probably couldn't treat it the same way. He would need to put in more effort.
Kenji crouched down in front of Larvitar. "Tomorrow, you'll train with Ekans, okay?" he asked gently.
Larvitar, on the other hand, was a model of good behavior, merely nodding its head silently at Kenji's request.
...
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
Kenji followed the location sent by Ms. Ayako, his counselor, and boarded a campus shuttle.
With automatic navigation, he didn't have to worry about getting lost in the massive school—a true blessing for anyone with a bad sense of direction.
He got off the shuttle and arrived at the classroom Ms. Ayako had indicated.
He walked in and found the room looked somewhat empty. Of the thirty seats, only five were occupied.
Kenji's arrival didn't attract anyone's attention, and he casually picked a seat near the side and sat down.
Thirty people in one class. That meant the entire Trainer Program had a total of ten classes.
As the time for the class meeting drew closer, the room gradually began to fill up.
At the front, on the podium, Ms. Ayako was already standing, quietly watching the students below.
At 8 PM, the class meeting began on time.
"Good evening, everyone. First, an introduction: I am Ms. Ayako, your counselor for your time here at the academy. Normally..."
"Since this is the first time we're all meeting, let's all introduce ourselves. We'll start with the row by the door," Ms. Ayako said, pointing to the students nearest the entrance.
"Hi everyone, my name is..."
The "self-introductions" were really just stating their names and where they were from. Some of the more extroverted students might add a bit more, like what Pokémon types they specialized in...
From their introductions, Kenji gathered that several of them were the designated heirs to various city-level Gyms.
As for the others, even if they weren't Gym heirs, they were almost certainly from established, League-affiliated families.
In contrast, Kenji, who was from a purely commoner background, felt a bit out of place.
With only thirty people, the round of introductions finished quickly.
Ms. Ayako then moved on to the main topic of the meeting.
The first item was about the freshman orientation.
To Kenji's surprise, the training had very little to do with Pokémon. It was more focused on training the trainers themselves, ensuring they also had strong, healthy bodies.
After all, a trainer's life wasn't just about battles and tournaments.
Their duties ranged from clearing out Rattata or Muk infestations in the city to patrolling the roads between cities, clearing out powerful wild Pokémon, and neutralizing other unstable elements.
There were also many, many missions that required deep treks into the wilderness.
How could a trainer possibly manage any of that without a strong physical foundation?
The moment she said this, Kenji's face soured. When it came to athletic ability, he really had no talent to speak of.
At that moment, Kenji wished he could just grab two people off the street and Star Up himself.
The second item was the distribution of the class schedule.
Because everyone's Pokémon were different, the courses they took would also be different.
The theory classes were mainly focused on how to raise Pokémon. As for battling, that would be based more on practical application.
Besides those, there were some other courses.
Ms. Ayako's meaning was clear: there were no strict requirements for these classes. It was all up to the individual.
If you wanted to attend, you could. If you didn't, that was fine too.
The third item was a reminder to schedule the Professional Trainer exam as soon as they felt prepared.
And the fourth item... was about graduation.
"At Metropolis Academy, the graduation requirements are very simple. There are only two."
"First, you must obtain your Professional Trainer license."
"Second, you must participate in one National League Championship."
Kenji had already looked into Metropolis Academy's graduation requirements before he arrived.
This was precisely why most freshmen only stayed on campus for about a year before heading out to challenge Gyms and collect badges.
"Oh, and besides the National League Championship, if there are other officially recognized league tournaments, students are encouraged to participate. If you achieve a high ranking, the academy will provide a corresponding reward," Ms. Ayako added.
The class meeting lasted for about an hour.
By the time it ended, it was already 9 PM.
Kenji returned to his villa and prepared dinner for himself and his Pokémon.
The thought of the orientation tomorrow made his head throb.
Thinking about it... he really had no right to lecture Ekans about training.
...
The next day, 6 AM on the athletic field.
At 6 AM on a summer morning, the sky was already bright.
Three hundred students were arranged in five large formations. At the front of each formation stood two burly, imposing men.
Kenji was mixed in among one of the formations.
"We are your instructors for this freshman orientation. We will be responsible for teaching you combat skills and wilderness survival skills."
...
"Of course, physical fitness is the foundation for everything. Let's start with a little warm-up. I'll lead you on a run, ten laps around this track."
Kenji: (꒪⌓꒪)
Kenji glanced at the track. One lap... was at least 800 meters.
Ten laps meant eight kilometers. Kenji forced a bitter smile.
...
Half an hour later...
"THUD!!—"
Kenji lay flat on the grass, feeling as if his legs were filled with lead. It was an effort to even lift them.
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