Leaving the orphanage, Reiji didn't notice that a little tail was following him.

When he returned to the seaside villa, it was just past nine in the morning. He immediately arranged for his Pokémon to start their morning training.

Poliwhirl was practicing Waterfall sprints, running laps around the villa. Farfetch'd trailed right behind, running with him.

Krabby's training was also running—learning Agility—so it too followed Poliwhirl, running outside where there was more open space.

Rhyhorn's training plan had been revised. Since Rock Polish and Rock Climb were both important, Reiji had it join the other three outside for running practice.

The grounds outside were spacious, more than enough for four Pokémon to run together. Each had its own task, but the key was to just keep running.

Meanwhile, Pelipper was practicing Rain Dance, which conveniently added some difficulty for the four running Pokémon.

Of them, Poliwhirl found it easiest to run in the rain, Krabby was next, then Rhyhorn, while Farfetch'd struggled the most. Once its feathers and wings were soaked, its weight increased dramatically.

Butterfree and Slowpoke trained their Psychic powers inside the yard, while the "two idiots" (Magikarp and Wishiwashi) worked on Water Gun.

Spinarak was still hanging upside down under the eaves, practicing its accuracy.

With that, every Pokémon had started their morning training. Reiji also took off his jacket and began jogging laps around the pool to strengthen his body.

His top priority now was still building stamina, though he had to stop for a break every half hour.

Just after finishing a thirty-minute run and sitting down to drink some water, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the yard.

Reiji jumped to his feet and rushed over—only to find Skinny Kid beaten black and blue, cornered along with his two Pokémon by Reiji's four.

"What are you doing here?" Reiji asked when he saw the brat, wiping away sweat with the towel draped around his neck.

"I wasn't following you—I just came to fish," Skinny Kid lied without hesitation.

But the way his eyes darted around gave him away. He was terrible at lying—practically confessing without being asked.

Reiji sighed. This brat's personality was every bit as awful as his grandfather's. Still, he couldn't deny the kid had no talent for deception.

"Get inside. Poliwhirl, you guys keep training," Reiji ordered. He didn't chase the kid off. After all, his four Pokémon had just roughed him up—if the brat went home complaining that Reiji bullied him, that could be trouble.

With the four continuing their laps, Reiji headed back into the yard. Skinny Kid picked himself up, bringing Poliwhirl and Breloom along.

Once they were inside, Reiji tossed him a bottle of Potion spray. "Heal your Pokémon. Then take them and leave."

"What about the agreement you made with my grandpa?" Skinny Kid asked, clutching the Potion. He didn't care about his own bruises—what mattered was whether he'd be allowed to learn.

He had just confirmed again with his own eyes: even with both his Pokémon together, they couldn't stand up to Reiji's Poliwhirl and Krabby. Just one strike from Krabby's claw had knocked out his Breloom.

This mysterious trainer really was strong—and clearly specialized in Poliwhirl. Since he'd already come this far, Skinny Kid was determined to swallow his pride, even apologize if necessary, to learn from him. Unless Reiji outright refused to teach, he wasn't leaving.

Reiji, who had been about to resume jogging, paused. He found it surprising the brat dared to show up again.

Was it his own idea, or had someone talked him into it? Most people would have rejected the kid outright after his earlier attitude. But clearly, the tavern old man and the orphanage director must have had some serious talks with him.

That being the case, Reiji was willing to teach. After all—money was money.

"Of course the agreement still stands. But now you'll need to pay tuition." Reiji rubbed his fingers together pointedly. The meaning was obvious: before you didn't value it, now you'll have to pay to learn.

This was the first lesson he wanted to give Skinny Kid—every choice comes with consequences, and you're the one who pays the price.

"How much?" Skinny Kid asked flatly. As long as it wasn't an outright rejection, there was still room to negotiate.

"One million Pokédollars," Reiji said. If anything, he thought he'd asked too little.

"One million?" The boy frowned. That was far beyond what he had.

"I don't have that much. Can I owe the rest?" He wasn't daunted by the sum—his grandfather was wealthy, and he knew it. But he personally couldn't produce that kind of money.

He also understood the subtext: the free chance was gone; now he had to pay. And he didn't resent it. This was his own doing—his own arrogance and weakness.

Ever since being one-shotted before, he had come to realize how the adult world worked. Now he weighed consequences carefully. Out in the world, no one would coddle him like his grandfather or the orphanage director had.

If a million Pokédollars could buy him real knowledge on raising Poliwhirl, he considered it worth it—if the lessons were real.

"That's fine. How much can you pay now?" Reiji asked, nodding. He never expected the brat to have that kind of cash—this was really about bleeding the tavern old man later.

"This is all I have." Skinny Kid pulled out the 100,000 Pokédollars he'd gotten the night before.

"Good." Reiji pocketed it without hesitation. "That leaves nine hundred thousand. Remember, you still owe me."

"Don't worry. I won't forget," the kid said seriously.

"Now heal your Pokémon and recall them." Reiji gestured, then went back to his jogging.

Half an hour later, Skinny Kid had treated Poliwhirl and Breloom. Their injuries weren't bad—mostly bumps that healed quickly with Potion.

When Reiji finished his laps and sat on the folding bed, he beckoned. "Give me their Poké Balls."

Reiji took the two balls, scanning their status panels.

[Poliwhirl]

Type: Water

Gender: Male

Potential: 56%

Level: 26.13%

Ability: Water Absorb / 18.68%

Moves: Ice Ball (2.47%), Water Gun (6.27%), Double Slap (11.41%), Hypnosis (5.51%), Pound (10.54%), Mud Shot (4.67%), Bubble Beam (3.34%), Rain Dance (2.91%), Body Slam (8.36%), Protect (7.82%), Ice Punch (3.12%)

"Did this Poliwhirl just evolve?" Reiji asked after glancing at the level.

"…Yeah," the boy answered, startled that he'd guessed so easily.

"Not bad. Water Absorb, huh," Reiji murmured. The potential was decent, though the ability didn't quite suit his own Poliwhirl's style. Still, he could see some niche tactics—for example, with Soak.

If it was a one-on-one, Poliwhirl's Waterfall combo was plenty. But in doubles or triples, Soak opened some nasty options.

Force an opponent into the Water type, then switch in an electric type? Checkmate.

Or turn a Grass type into Water—suddenly it's weak to its own counters. Or Soak a Steel type, then poison it. Plenty of dirty tricks.

But looking at the move proficiencies, they were all low. Clearly, the kid hadn't trained it properly. The only one with any real practice was Double Slap.

The one real standout was Protect—every Pokémon needed that.

[Breloom]

Type: Grass/Fighting

Gender: Male

Potential: 58%

Level: 23.23%

Ability: Poison Heal (2.19%) / Hidden Ability: Technician (1.01%)

Moves: Absorb (6.37%), Tackle (9.61%), Stun Spore (4.24%), Leech Seed (8.34%), Mega Drain (7.82%), Headbutt (5.54%), Poison Powder (2.21%), Worry Seed (1.33%), Bullet Seed (8.44%), Protect (6.52%), Drain Punch (2.22%), Double Team (3.14%)

Reiji raised his brows. Both Pokémon had high potential. So that's the benefit of having a powerful grandfather, huh.

This Breloom had great potential and two excellent abilities: Poison Heal for sustain, Technician for boosted move power. Either one could form the basis of an infuriatingly strong strategy.

Already, a Poison Heal stall set came to mind: Toxic Orb, Leech Seed, Toxic, Substitute, Protect, Bullet Seed, Drain Punch… absolutely disgusting.

Its movepool was surprisingly rich too—clearly taught by the orphanage director's own Breloom.

Reiji favored Protect, Drain Punch, and Double Team as key moves to emphasize.

After reviewing both, Reiji returned the Poké Balls and said flatly:

"Your Poliwhirl and Breloom are both excellent Pokémon—great potential, good abilities, solid movepools. But your training is garbage. You haven't come close to bringing out their real strength."

When he praised the Pokémon, Skinny Kid swelled with pride. But when he heard "your training is garbage," he clenched his fists silently, lowering his head.

He couldn't argue—he had no grounds.

"Don't sulk. I'll show you how Pokémon are really raised."

[End of Chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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