Aeron waited for others to get off before he stood up and walked towards the exit. With steps that could not hide his excitement, he approached the principal's office, where the new official trainers would gather.
Every year, The Pokémon League would hold an examination to select 1000 children they would sponsor as Pokémon trainers. The trainers who passed would be given a Pokémon, a Pokedex and free use of Pokecentre, whether it be food, lodging or medical expenses. They would also be given a monthly allowance of 2000 pokedollars until they turned twenty.
It may not sound like much, but it was a huge deal. Firstly, the Pokémon provided by the League was better than the ones in the wild since they were carefully bred among strong Pokémon. They were rarer than what one could generally get. Depending on your rank, one could get a few more benefits than those mentioned above, like excess information not available otherwise, along with a higher monthly allowance and higher quality of food.
Since the group of thousand trainers would begin their journeys, they would indeed fight many wild Pokémon or other trainers. This meant it would be a regular occurrence for their Pokémon to be injured, and getting free treatment would save them much money. Along with the fact that they could get free Pokémon food from Pokecentre, it was a dream for many to be able to rank in the thousand. But it remained just that for many...a dream.
One could retake the test the following year, but each retake would seriously reduce the benefits. Hence everyone wanted to clear the exam on the first try and be the 'chosen' ones. It did not mean much to those from wealthy families or clans, but the exam held much importance to the general public.
Aeron looked at the Academy entrance as he remembered all the memories of this place. He enrolled when he was twelve years old and had barely made any friends over the three years. He focused on improving and clearing the exam to start his Pokémon journey. When others played, he studied. He would train himself for physical tests when they went to the movies.
He was not competent or intelligent like many, and he knew it too. But he was a hard worker who would put his blood, sweat, and tears into whatever he did. His hard work allowed him to rank 69th in the examination, and he was among the three people who passed the test within the Pewter City League Academy.
Aeron clenched his fists as he walked inside the building, towards the office. He passed by a glass window and saw his reflection in it.
"I shouldn't have stuck my head out." Aeron fixed his hair which was dishevelled due to the air. He had black hair with similar black eyes and a handsome face which would immediately bring him a lot of attention if he was a model. It wasn't a wonder he was popular within the academy, even though he didn't talk to anyone much. His face made him quite famous during one of the training camps he had attended a couple of years ago.
His glasses and his young age made him look more like an assistant professor than a new trainer.
[Image: Here]
Once he was done fixing his hair, Aeron walked away under the gazes of juniors. Everyone in the Academy recognized him. He was one of the only three who passed the examination this year and had the highest rank among the three. Some were jealous, while others were envious, but most were hopeful and determined to achieve similar grades the following year when they took the exam.
Everyone who saw him would greet or bow their heads in respect and Aeron could not help but feel a little embarrassed. 'I can see stars in the eyes of some. Was I the same last year?'
He remembered when he, too, once looked at last year's student who was ranked among the thousand and the only one in the whole Pewter City League Academy.
'I have one of the best results within the history of Pewter City League Academy, only behind the son of Pewter City Gym Leader.' Aeron remembered the scruffy look of Pewter City Gym Leader and his genius son, Brock. They had appeared on Poke News several times. 'He should be 20 this year.'
Brock was the top ranker of his batch.
'No one knows what Royal Pokémon he picked.'
The top three of the thousand were allowed to pick a Royal Pokémon of Kanto, which were otherwise very hard to get.
It took only a short time before Aeron reached the principal's office. He knocked on the door, and he immediately got a response.
"Come in."
Aeron opened the door and walked in. He was greeted by three people, the principal and the other two rankers.
"Hahaha, you are finally here, Aeron." The principal stood up from his seat, and without any warning, he hugged Aeron with a happy face. Aeron could understand the man's thoughts.
Every ranker an Academy produced every year would be rewarded with different resources by the League. Since Aeron had the second-best record in the Academy, the number of resources the league sent would be much better than they should have gotten in the past, other than when Brock graduated.
"Good morning, Sir." Aeron greeted while squirming out of the grasp of the excited principal. The other two gave him a sorry look as if they had experienced the same thing.
"Haha, let's not waste our time. I know you young ones are excited to receive your Pokémon and then run back home so you can begin your journey, and I will not keep you waiting." The principal walked toward the briefcase placed on top of his table. "Since Aeron had the highest rank among you three, he will be the first to choose."
The principal explained, and the other two nodded as if it was something obvious. But then Aeron interjected.
"Sorry, Sir, but I will not choose a Pokémon."
"Huh?'
"Huh?"
"What?"
"I mean, I will not choose a Pokémon among the three here but instead choose an egg." He quickly explained when he saw the skeptical look on their faces, but it soon changed to normal when they heard his words.
"Are you sure?" The principal asked. "You will be paying 5000 Pokedollars if you want to choose an egg."
"I am sure."
The principal said nothing and nodded his head. He could understand why Aeron would make such a choice. The Pokémon in these pokeballs had already hatched and might not obey their trainer immediately. A Pokémon hatching from an egg would recognize the trainer as its family. It was proven that one had an easier time making a strong bond with a Pokémon hatched from an egg than a Pokémon that had already hatched.
"Here, take this." The principal gave Aeron a black-coloured rectangular Pokedex along with an empty Pokéball. "This is your Pokédex along with your spare Pokéball. You must visit the Pewter City Breeding Centre to choose your partner."
Aeron carefully took the two items and held them tightly in his hand.
"I heard that the Breeding Centre recently found a new type of egg. I don't know what Pokémon it is, but you might want to look into it." The principal gave him information that was otherwise unknown to the public. Aeron, who heard it was smart enough to understand that there was a high chance it was the egg of a rare Pokémon, but he also knew that it might be the egg of a weak Pokémon.
"Thank you for the help, sir."
"Here is the reward the academy has prepared for you three." The principal once again took out something and handed it to the trio. "This is the latest bag produced by the Devon Corporation and has yet to hit the market."
Aeron walked ahead and took one of the three bags. It was black with a white Pokeball drawn on it. 'It might be called a bag, but it is more of a pouch.'
Without waiting any further, Aeron tied the leather pouch around his waist, and the others followed his lead. It fit perfectly, and he could easily excess anything inside.
"The space inside the bag is about 20 cubic meters. It would be more than enough for new trainers like you."
"Thank you!" The trio said simultaneously as they knew the true worth of this bag and how helpful it would be in their journey.
The principal just waved his hand before he turned toward Aeron. "Since you will be leaving, I wish you luck on your journey, and I hope you will become a great trainer."
"Thank you for everything the academy taught me over these years and for giving me such a great opportunity." Aeron gratefully bowed before he turned toward his fellow rankers.
Daniel and Baltoy.
Daniel was a lean boy with dark brown hair. He ranked 784th in this year's examination. Baltoy, on the other hand, had a muscular physique and ranked 555th.
"I hope to meet you both during our journey, and we can have a great battle."
"It's a promise," the duo said before they all did a fist bump, and Aeron thanked the principal again before leaving the office.
Daniel and Baltoy would receive their Pokémon, and now it was time for him to get his own.
-------------------------End of Chapter-------------------------
Author's Note:
- I will release six chapters today and then, starting tomorrow, 1 chapter a day. Let's see how it goes. If I write a lot, I will upload more; it all depends on how many chapters I have stacked.
- I hope you all like this story, and I will try my best to write a good one.
- Thank you for the support. I hope you like the book so far.
- Peace!