Joe watched the backs of Bob, A Bin, and the others until they completely disappeared at the end of the road. His eyes dimmed for a moment, but he quickly forced a smile.
He patted the dust and grass clippings off his school uniform, walked up to Yuuto's group of three, and bowed deeply.
"Th-thank you… for helping me out."
He looked up; the wound on his temple was still bleeding slightly, and his smile was somewhat forced.
"But… A Bin and the others, they're actually not bad people."
Joe sniffled and whispered, as if trying to convince himself.
"They… they're just a bit strict with me. At our Nanshan Academy, there's a very special kind of friendship… called the 'whip of love'."
"They say it's to urge me to progress faster, to become an elite worthy of the academy's name…"
"The whip of love?"
Yuuto finally finished the last sip of soup in his bowl, casually placed the empty bowl on a flat rock nearby, and chuckled upon hearing that.
He looked Joe up and down — the frail body, the timid eyes, and the mix of fresh and old abrasions on his face and body.
"Student Joe."
Yuuto's tone was flat, yet carried a hint of amusement.
"You couldn't possibly… have some kind of special fetish yourself, could you?"
"Huh?" Joe was stunned by the question and hurriedly waved his hands. "N-no! How could I…"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
Misty nodded vigorously in agreement with Yuuto from the side. Then, unable to contain her curiosity, she leaned close to Yuuto's ear and asked in a low voice, filled with innocence and a thirst for knowledge:
"Hey, Yuuto… what kind of special fetish? Tell me about it."
Her warm breath brushed against Yuuto's ear, carrying a faint scent of chili oil.
Yuuto turned his head, glancing at Misty's face which was inches away and written all over with 'tell me quickly,' as well as her lips which looked particularly rosy from the spicy food.
The corner of his mouth curved slightly as he lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear:
"I'll give you a personal demonstration when there's an opportunity in the future."
"Go pack up the things."
Yuuto picked up the empty bowl he had placed on the rock and handed it over.
"Oh… okay!"
Misty wondered why he couldn't talk about the fetish right now.
However, she subconsciously took the bowl, turned around obediently, and went to join Delia, who had almost finished packing away the hotpot stove.
Yuuto turned his gaze back to Joe.
To complete the mission, he first had to break the distorted concepts in this kid's head that had been drilled into him.
"You say they are helping you improve."
Yuuto took two steps forward, getting closer to Joe. His tone remained flat, but it carried an invisible pressure.
"Then tell me, today you were forced onto a treadmill until you fell off, left with a bruised face and skinned knees…"
He pointed at the injuries on Joe's body.
"What exactly did you improve?"
"I…" Joe opened his mouth, subconsciously wanting to argue, but the words got stuck in his throat.
What had he improved?
Aside from being more exhausted, in more pain, and more pathetic… there seemed to be nothing.
"I've actually known that knowledge about Pidgey by heart for a long time!"
As if to prove he wasn't worthless, Joe suddenly straightened his back and raised his voice, carrying a faint spark of confidence.
"And… and I'm not just good at memorizing books! I've already successfully trained a Pidgeot that can reach speeds of Mach 2! That's very rare even in our grade!"
When speaking of his Pidgeot, a bit of light finally appeared in his eyes.
"Oh? A Mach 2 Pidgeot?"
Yuuto raised an eyebrow. That speed was indeed quite good for an ordinary Trainer's hands.
"Then when they asked you about Pidgey's abilities and Pidgeotto's skills just now, why didn't you answer?"
Yuuto continued to press him. His tone was unhurried, yet like a precise scalpel, it peeled away the fragility Joe was trying to hide.
"I…"
The bit of confidence Joe had just mustered popped like a balloon pricked by a needle, instantly deflating.
He lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his school uniform, his voice becoming as faint as a mosquito's buzz again.
"Because… because I only understand Pidgey and Pidgeot…"
"If I answered the Pidgey questions, they would immediately ask me about new knowledge points I hadn't previewed yet…"
Joe's voice was heavy with frustration and helplessness.
"Those… I simply don't know. Occasionally I can guess correctly or barely answer a few questions… but I can't keep up with the new, harder questions at all."
"If… if I keep failing to answer…"
He looked up, the rims of his eyes reddening, his voice filled with fear.
"They'll think I'm too stupid, a 'piece of rotten wood that cannot be carved,' and they'll give up on me, stop 'spurring' me on…"
"Then I… I'll lose the precious 'friendship' of Brother Bin and the others, I'll be isolated in the Elite Preparatory Group, and no one will be willing to be in a group with me anymore…"
"My parents… they opened a small grocery store in Celadon City. They work from dawn till dusk, working desperately, and saved money for many years just to barely afford to send me here for the most basic primary courses…"
"They have high hopes for me… I can't be kicked out, I must stay here! As long as I stay at Nanshan Academy and get an advanced graduation certificate, I can participate in the League Conference and repay them…"
His words were full of humble persistence and immense pressure.
"Your family isn't rich?"
At this moment, Misty, who had finished packing and walked back, heard the latter half and couldn't help but interject, her face showing obvious confusion.
"Then why did you come to this kind of aristocratic academy to study? The expenses here…"
"You don't necessarily have to be rich to study here!" Joe seemed to be poked in some point of insistence, and he suddenly looked up, arguing somewhat excitedly.
"The academy has regulations. As long as you pass the basic written test and interview and pay the tuition, you can enroll! This is to give all talented commoner Trainers a chance!"
Seeing that Yuuto's group was dressed plainly, he subconsciously categorized them as the "commoner independent Trainers," and his tone even carried a slight defense of "you don't understand our academy's superior system."
However, these words of his had walked right into the line of fire.
As the daughter of a Gym Leader, Misty knew the ins and outs of so-called "aristocratic academies" perfectly.
She put her hands on her hips, her beautiful eyebrows arching, and spoke like a rapid-fire cannon.
"Yes, it's true you don't necessarily have to be rich to come."
"And an advanced graduation certificate can be used universally to enter the League Conference without having to challenge Gyms."
"But do you know how much just your most 'basic standard' tuition is?"
Joe's face paled. Of course he knew; he remembered the heavy, exhausted expression on his parents' faces every time they sent money.
"That amount is enough for an ordinary Trainer with a starter Pokémon to travel, train, and challenge Gyms in the Kanto region comfortably for at least five years! All basic expenses covered, with the occasional nice meal!"
Misty spoke rapidly, continuing her breakdown.
"Then there's the 'intermediate standard,' which involves some 'friendship battles' with aristocratic academies from other regions, inviting famous Gym Leaders or even League Elites to give lectures or act as honorary consultants… The sponsorship fees, invitation fees, and venue fees for these activities — which one isn't sky-high? Does the academy pay for these for free? In the end, isn't it split among the students?"
"And the most ridiculous 'advanced standard' directly provides high-potential Pokémon for closed-door combat special training to guarantee a recommendation for the League Conference…"
Misty looked at Joe's increasingly pale face and mercilessly revealed the bloody reality.
"Which of these isn't built on a mountain of money? Are you sure your parents working themselves to death at that little grocery store can really afford to put you through the entire 'advanced course'?"
"Even if you're exceptionally gifted and survive the primary or even intermediate stages on scholarships… once you reach the advanced stage, those classmates who use money to pile up resources will have rare Pokémon, use top-tier energy cubes, and hire Elite private tutors… What do you have to compete with them?"
"In the end, you'll likely have spent your parents' life savings, endured countless 'whips of love,' and only managed to struggle at the bottom of the academy, holding a diluted graduation certificate while looking for an ordinary job."
"Or you'll have to go back to challenging Gyms and collecting badges."
"This… this…"
Joe was left speechless by Misty's series of reality checks, his body trembling slightly.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought of these issues at all; he had just been numbing himself with fantasies like "hard work pays off" and "friendship conquers all."
Now that Misty had laid it bare, he only felt a wave of cold despair.
"How… how does an independent Trainer like you know so much about the internal affairs of aristocratic academies?"
Joe looked at Misty again, as if grasping for a final straw.
Simple T-shirt and jeans, not a single designer brand on her — she looked just like a vibrant, ordinary beautiful girl traveling as a Trainer.
She didn't look at all like those academy young ladies in his memory who entered and exited in luxury cars, wearing custom dresses with their chins held high.
However, Misty really was a girl from a wealthy family; it was just that her values were well-developed, and she didn't have the common arrogance of a rich second generation or wear a bunch of designer labels.
Furthermore, her family had initially decided to send Misty to an aristocratic academy as well.
Since her family ran a city representative Gym, they had a partnership with the academy, allowing her to enroll at half the cost.
But Misty found the academy's curriculum mechanical and rigid, and she felt it was boring. Moreover, she learned that the best result from the Kanto Academy Faction in ten years was only the Top 16.
After all, at an aristocratic academy, you could raise your rank just by having money, and reaching the advanced level allowed you to participate in the League Conference.
For the wealthy, money was the least of their problems.
Therefore, the strength of those who went straight to the League Conference was generally not as high as those from the independent Trainers.
Thus, Misty, whose goal was to become a Water-type Pokémon Master, naturally didn't want to choose that path.
"The reason I know is because I'm the Daughter of the Cerulean Gym!" Finally, Misty confidently stated her identity.
Joe's eyes instantly widened.
"So… so you're a young lady too!"
Joe stammered as he looked Misty over again.
"But… but you look… like you don't have that… that elegant, arrogant temperament of the young ladies in our academy at all!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
He saw the little bit of pride on Misty's face instantly freeze.
Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it transformed into a "kind" smile.
Her fists were clenched!!
--------------Author---------------
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