Terrance exchanged for eight Pokémon Eggs before stopping.
It wasn't because he was satisfied, but because the academy only had this many Pokémon Eggs that met his requirements.
He would have liked to get Pokémon like Shuckle and Larvesta, but unfortunately, they weren't available.
With such a significant haul, Terrance was already very pleased.
For the time being, the Pokémon Eggs will be taken care of by the academy and they are also in charge of incubating them. Once these Bug-Type Pokémon hatch, Terrance could pick them up.
Until then, Terrance continued to challenge the trial grounds.
...
...
The dean called over the two people in charge of the Tower of Confusion and the Tower of Despair to ask about Terrance's progress.
Several teachers familiar with Terrance were also present, discussing his recent actions.
Lucas thought for a moment and said, "That Altaria of his is far stronger than a typical Altaria, both in physique and in the concentration of its energy—especially its Dragon-Type energy, which is frighteningly pure. The Altaria that Ditto transformed into couldn't even withstand a single breath from it."
"What's more…" Lucas hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. "When facing the move of Altarias that Ditto transformed into, his Altaria used a technique I couldn't understand… It actually erased the incoming moves from all directions, creating enough opportunity for a Dragon Dance, and then went on to crush them."
"Strange, very strange…"
The old dean nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"Beautifly has also improved greatly since its challenges last year. I reviewed the videos of his previous challenges, and Beautifly has undergone many changes. Though it doesn't have the physique of Altaria, it managed to reach the 9th floor of the Tower of Confusion. Although it took two attempts, it's still unbelievable."
"During the second challenge, Beautifly used something similar to Silver Powder, but that can't hide its terrifying control. The Beautifly that Ditto transformed into was practically toyed with by it."
"Well, that's no surprise. Terrance's Beautifly won him the title of Top Coordinator at this year's Hoenn Grand Festival, and he even defeated a Top Coordinator from Sinnoh in the finals," added Teresa.
The other teachers went silent.
Compared to Altaria, the smaller and more agile Beautifly was indeed better suited to challenge the Tower of Confusion.
"Sigh, let's not talk about that Mismagius. It must have used an illusion skill, right? The Ditto transformed into Mismagius definitely doesn't have that ability... It even managed to reach the 7th floor in a short period of time. If it weren't for the large number of opponents, it would have almost made it to the 8th floor."
"In the haunted house, there are probably very few Ghost-Type Pokémon whose illusion skills can rival that of Mismagius, and it might not be surpassed even in the next five or ten years," remarked the teacher in charge of the Haunted House.
"And then there's Arcanine… well, it also reached the 7th floor, but only after three attempts. Out of all of Terrance's Pokémon, Arcanine ended up the most miserable during each challenge, and each time it returned covered in wounds…"
"But it still intimidated the Dittos, who would rather face Beautifly or Altaria than go against Arcanine again," Lucas said with a wry smile.
"As for Castform... I can't quite understand it. At first, the Dittos didn't know its abilities and used Rain Dance, which only boosted Castform's power. With Hydro Pump, it easily swept through its opponents."
"In the end, the Dittos realized this Castform was exceptionally strong in rainy weather, so they tried to stop it by using Sunny Day. But even with six Dittos using Sunny Day at once, they couldn't overpower Castform's Rain Dance."
"It wasn't until the 7th floor that Castform, overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents, finally ran out of stamina and was suppressed by the Sunny Day weather."
Beautifly, 9th floor; Altaria, 8th floor; Mismagius, Arcanine, and Castform, 7th floor!
Any one of these Pokémon could be the ace for a graduating student and even sweep through most of the students of Graduation Class. Terrance had unexpectedly reached this level of strength in just a year!
Even Julian only began to fully realize Terrance's potential through his recent challenges.
"The situation in the Tower of Despair is similar," said Old Man Takamatsu. "After Altaria reached the 30th floor, Arcanine made it to the 23rd, Beautifly stopped at the 22nd, Mismagius at the 21st, and Castform at the 20th. He probably has the strength to go further, but he stopped because there was no more credit reward."
The teachers now had a rough understanding of Terrance's strength.
Julian said, "He should have no trouble participating in the Champion League. Thirteen-year-old Champion League participants are rare, but not unheard of. He absolutely has the skills."
"Tch, are you trying to take credit? I remember you were the one in charge of his combat training."
Julian gave a small huff, remaining silent.
"The main topic today is Terrance's application for graduation, along with his proposal to establish a Gym," the dean said.
"I've already informed my assistant to prepare the Gym Trainer application form. Now we just need Terrance's signature."
The difficulty in applying for a Gym Trainer position lies in the application channels; ordinary people cannot apply directly to the League. However, having an academy background, along with the old dean being a close friend of the current Sinnoh Elite Four, the academy also has strong ties with Pokémon Contests and the Breeder Association. It can be said to be a huge force in Hoenn, so naturally, their connections are impressive.
Even if Terrance wanted to establish a Gym in Hoenn, the academy could help contact the Hoenn League.
This cooperation with the League is the result of years of partnership.
"To apply for a Gym, a Trainer needs six Pokémon and a Trainer license as basic requirements. It seems Terrance doesn't yet have six Pokémon, so he may need to wait for his exchanged Pokémon Eggs to hatch. One of them, a Wurmple, is on the verge of hatching," said Teresa.
However, Teresa hesitated, then added, "But I have a suggestion."
"What is it?" The dean looked at this teacher, who had come all the way from Kalos. The dean wasn't fully aware of Teresa's background; she had come to work at the academy at someone else's recommendation.
"There used to be a Ralts here at the academy with a strange disease that Terrance has been caring for. They've formed a deep bond over time. That Ralts has since evolved into Gallade, and I suggest letting Terrance take Gallade to continue raising it," Teresa said. "I think it's what Gallade wants as well."
She had also looked after Gallade over the past year, and it was clear how much it cared for Terrance. If Terrance were to graduate, Gallade would be heartbroken. Much of Gallade's recent effort seemed to stem from its desire for Terrance's recognition.
For Gallade, Terrance was someone who has given it a new life.
So, after some consideration, Teresa shared her thoughts. Only a few individuals, including the dean, had the authority to decide on the ownership of academy Pokémon.
Hearing this, Julian nodded in agreement.
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