After saying goodbye to A.J, Mark continued on his journey.
"What's with this thick fog? I can't see anything at all…"
As Mark walked into a mountain pass, he suddenly found himself surrounded by heavy fog. Continuing on in this condition seemed dangerous—one wrong step could lead to disaster. With no choice, he carefully searched for a flat stone to sit on and decided to wait until the fog cleared before resuming his journey.
Just then, he heard voices ahead.
"Listen carefully! At what level does Oddish evolve into Gloom? And what's its final evolution form?"
"Uh… Oddish evolves into Gloom at level 21… and its final form is… uh…" the hesitant voice stumbled over the answer before sheepishly admitting, "I forgot…"
"Seriously, Joe, your grades are always this bad! It's a huge embarrassment to be your classmate! Every kid knows Gloom's final evolution is Vileplume, okay?" After a pause, the sound of a whip cracking through the air echoed in the fog.
"No matter how much you study, it's useless for someone like you! Go home!" another whip struck harder.
Mark couldn't hold it in any longer. He stood up and called out, "Stop it! From the sound of it, you should be classmates. There's no reason to treat someone like this."
"Who are you?! Outsider, step aside! This is an act of love! Only this way can this fool become outstanding like us elite trainers!" a long-haired boy barked arrogantly.
"Outstanding, huh? I don't see it. You made a small mistake just now! Oddish's final form isn't only Vileplume—it's also Bellossom! Do you even know how Bellossom evolves?" Mark sneered.
"Hmph! What kind of question is that? You use a Sun Stone!" the boy scoffed.
"Oh? So you know the answer? Then let me ask you this: In the Hoenn region, there's a bug-type Pokémon that splits into two Pokémon when it evolves. Do you know which one?" Mark challenged him with a rarer question.
The boy hesitated, unable to answer. Mark, sensing his advantage, pressed on mercilessly:
"What?! I already gave you the region and type as hints, and you still don't know? Looks like your so-called elite status is a joke! Let me ask some other questions—What item must you hold to evolve Porygon into Porygon2? And what about evolving into Porygon-Z? Among all discovered Pokémon, which has the fewest weaknesses? If Nidoqueen and Nidoking mate, what's the probability that their child will be Nidoran♀ or Nidoran♂?"
One after another, the boy was left speechless, standing dumbfounded.
"What kind of questions are those?! I don't believe you even know the answers—you're probably making it up! There's no evolution where one Pokémon becomes two! Just deluding yourself, haha!" The leader, now red-faced with embarrassment, spat the words out furiously.
"Is that so? Then let me answer you! The Pokémon that splits when it evolves is Nincada—it evolves into Ninjask and Shedinja at once! To evolve Porygon into Porygon2, it needs an Upgrade; for Porygon-Z, it needs a Dubious Disc. The Pokémon with the fewest weaknesses is Eelektross from Unova—it's Electric-type and only weak to Ground, but thanks to its Levitate ability, it's immune to Ground-type moves, so it has no weaknesses at all! As for the last question—it's unsolvable! Once Nidoran♂ or Nidoran♀ evolves into Nidoqueen or Nidoking, they lose their reproductive ability as the price for their strength. They can only breed during the Nidoran stage! All these facts are recorded in many reports by Professor Oak and his disciples at the Oak Research Lab. If you don't believe it, you can check for yourself!" Mark explained.
The students were rendered speechless, unable to refute his words. Nobody dared question Professor Oak's authority!
"Oh, by the way," Mark continued with a sly grin, "by your logic, shouldn't I be allowed to whip your sister in the name of love too? Is that how you help others grow?"
The students turned pale and stepped back in fright.
"Ha! Why so scared? Didn't you enjoy whipping others before? Now someone actually cares about your growth—you should be happy to accept it! Or is your so-called love just an excuse to enjoy bullying others? Hypocrites with double standards!" Mark mocked mercilessly.
"Damn you! Just you wait!" the students spat back with weak curses before fleeing like startled birds.
Mark turned to the trembling boy and asked, "Alright, are you okay?"
"I'm fine! Thank you so much! You're so amazing! Those guys are top students from our Pokémon Research Academy, each with at least three badges, and yet they couldn't stand up to you! You must be at least a four-badge expert, right?" the boy gushed with admiration.
"No, no! You flatter me too much. I wouldn't call myself an expert—I only have two badges!" Mark replied modestly.
"Ah… only two?! With all that knowledge, I thought you'd at least have four badges! Turns out it's just two… almost the same as me!" the boy exclaimed.
"You have two badges?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes.
About the same as Joe! Though Mark didn't dare be too proud, he couldn't help feeling that this boy wasn't a true expert. Something about him made Mark feel underestimated.
"It's true! My Pokémon is Oddish! I've beaten both the Pewter and Cerulean gyms many times in simulated battles! I'm currently training hard for simulated battles against the Viridian gym, and I'll win soon! Then I'll have three badges' worth of strength!" Joe boasted proudly.
Simulated battles? Young man, you must be playing FireRed and LeafGreen, Mark thought with a frown. Simulated battles, after all, aren't the same as real fights—they're just for reference. Beating Pewter and Cerulean gyms is one thing, but what's this Viridian gym nonsense? If he actually had the strength to earn the Viridian City badge, he could probably topple this entire academy!
The Pokémon Research Academy was something Mark had heard of before. It's an officially recognized school by the Pokémon League, filled with students from across regions—mostly from noble or wealthy families. Graduates from the academy are qualified to directly enter the League without challenging gyms—but in reality, many graduates, despite their theoretical knowledge, lack battle experience. Their Pokémon levels aren't high enough, and most can't even pass preliminary rounds—making them a joke! Even with Gary's background, he could've joined the academy—but Professor Oak had firmly rejected him, knowing that true growth could only be achieved through experience. That's why he encouraged Gary to travel and collect badges instead!
"Oh no, you should go quickly!" Joe suddenly panicked. "Those guys must be heading to find the top student! She's the pride of our school, with strength beyond four badges! If she shows up, you'll be in trouble!"
"A top student… four badges, huh? Hmph. I'll see how powerful she really is today," Mark replied coolly. Instead of turning back, he strode straight toward the heart of the academy.
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