Though Aiden was delighted inside, he kept his face calm. After politely saying goodbye to Officer Jenny, he left the station with Cramorant and treated himself to a steaming bowl of ramen on the bustling streets of Petalburg City.
Originally, he thought the value of the Alliance currency would be similar to Japanese yen. But when he went to pay, he realized it was equivalent to RMB.
He had only 480 Alliance Coins on him. After finishing the noodles, only 470 remained.
'I really need to find a job…' Aiden thought grimly.
'As for being a trainer… I'll wait until I actually have money.'
After dinner, he spent 140 Coins at a street stall to buy a hooded sweatshirt and khaki pants, then stopped at a hot spring bathhouse. After washing up and changing into clean clothes, he recalled Cramorant into its Master Ball and returned to the police station alone.
He lingered outside for a while, checking carefully. Once he was sure the Jenny from that morning wasn't at the front desk, he walked inside confidently.
"Hello, I'd like to register for an identity card. Is this where I need to apply?"
The Officer Jenny on duty looked up, her expression turning strange when she recognized him.
Aiden's heart skipped.
The next second, she asked:
"Didn't you say it was your friend who needed to apply?"
For a moment, Aiden could hardly breathe. Damn it… why do all the Jennys look exactly the same?! I can't tell them apart!
Forget it. No more pretending. Time to lay his cards on the table.
"Actually… that friend was me."
He then spun a story about parents who hated human society, raising him in isolation.
Jenny frowned. "Then why say it was a friend?"
Aiden drew a deep breath, answering with feigned hesitation:
"Because before they died… they told me never to trust anyone in the human world."
"…I see." Jenny had been in service for years; she'd met people like this before. She pulled a form from her drawer.
"I remember your name's Aiden Crowe, right?"
"Yes." He took the form, filling in his age, gender, and other details, before handing it back.
Jenny uploaded his data to the Hoenn regional database. Moments later, she handed him a sleek identity card.
"Alright, you are now a legal citizen protected by the Alliance."
"Thank you." Aiden let out a long sigh of relief.
Identity problem — solved.
Next step — work.
....
Petalburg City bustled with life. Unlike the small town shown in the Pokémon games, the real city sprawled as wide as a mid-sized metropolis from Aiden's old world.
"Petalburg Gym… if I remember right, the leader here is Norman, who uses Normal-types." He recalled faintly, though the Ruby and Sapphire games had been released years before his transmigration.
But challenging a Gym? That was still far beyond him. For now, he simply glanced at the Gym from afar before continuing on.
Along the way, countless job postings plastered shop windows and telephone poles:
Blue Sky Pokémon Café – Hiring barista. Requirements: interpersonal skills, coffee brewing experience. Weekly pay: 700 Coins.
Meilemei Restaurant – Hiring three cleaners. Requirements: hardworking, willing to do dishes and floor work. Monthly pay: 5,000 Coins.
Set Sail Promotions –Hiring ten planners. Requirements: proficiency in PS, Word, and design experience preferred. Monthly pay: 6,800 Coins.
Petalburg Pokémon Primary School – Hiring two teachers. Requirements: knowledge of Pokémon ecology, familiarity with species data, passion for Pokémon. Trainer or Breeder experience preferred. Monthly pay: 6,000 Coins, with staff dormitories and free meals.
"No education requirements?"
Aiden's eyes froze on the last posting.
Free meals, housing, and a stable salary. It was perfect. And better yet he actually fit the requirements.
After some thought, he followed the address to the Pokémon Primary School.
When he explained his intent, the female teacher in charge of reception looked doubtful.
"You're… at least ten, right?"
Aiden sighed. "I'm twelve," he insisted, lying smoothly. "I just look small because of late growth. Test me, you'll see."
Still unconvinced, she phoned the principal. The answer was short and simple:
"Let him try."
The teacher led him toward a classroom. Outside, a crowd of hopeful applicants had already gathered , most of them between seventeen and twenty.
"They're all here for this job. But we only need two teachers."
'That's… brutal.' Aiden thought silently.
"You came just in time. The test's about to start," she told him, then addressed the group:
"Everyone, prepare to enter."
Only then did Aiden realize that he hadn't brought a pen.
The teacher noticed and frowned, clearly suspecting he was just a child making fun of them.
"Are you serious?"
Aiden froze.
Just then, a freckled girl beside him smiled and offered her pen. "Here, use mine."
"Thank you." He exhaled in relief, reaching for his pocket. "How much?"
The girl laughed shyly. "It's free. You're applying too?"
"Yeah." He nodded gratefully.
"Then good luck!" she said warmly, patting his head.
Aiden lips twitched. 'Damn it! I'm not really ten!'
He treated her as a peer, but she treated him like a little brother. The unfairness left him sulking.
...
The test began.
It was split into three stages.
Stage One: a written exam, covering knowledge of Pokémon attributes and habits.
"What counters Ghost-types?"
"Who are Hoenn's three starters, and what do they evolve into?"
Easy. Aiden breezed through. As a transmigrator, this was basic trivia.
Stage Two: field assessment.
In front of the examiners, applicants had to identify a Pokémon's injuries and select the correct berries for treatment from a pile.
Aiden's test partner was a Swellow. Checking carefully, he noticed a faint scar on its left wing and the smell of char. Burn? No! the burns wouldn't leave its body twitching like that. Subtle spasms hinted at something else.
"Paralysis," Aiden concluded.
He activated his golden finger to confirm:
______________(Status)_____________
[Species: Swellow]
Type: Normal/Flying
Ability: Guts
Base Stats: HP 60 | Atk 85 | Def 60 | Sp.Atk 75 | Sp.Def 50 | Spd 125
Condition: Paralyzed (electrical shock, unable to move)
Mood: Confused
Friendship: 0
_____________________________________
Exactly as he thought.
To cure it, he needed a Cheri Berry for paralysis and a Persim Berry for confusion.
He quickly plucked both from the pile and fed them to Swellow. Within minutes, the bird's body relaxed.
"…Done," Aiden said simply.
Applicants and even the examiner stared, stunned.
Less than two minutes.
How had he seen through the misdirection so quickly? Most would've mistaken the charred marks for a burn.
The examiner's gaze sharpened.
"You… are you a Breeder?"
If their school hired a professional Breeder as a teacher, it would be a huge selling point , a guarantee for parents and students alike.
<><><><><><>