"Say goodbye to Melanie and the others…" The next day, after breakfast, Ash and his companions prepared to set off again. Finally, it was time for farewells.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur, having been released from its Pokéball, nodded lightly. It glanced at Melanie and the group of friends before walking toward them without hesitation.
Now that Bulbasaur had decided to explore the outside world, it might miss its companions and Melanie, but it wasn't going to let that hold it back!
"You must become a strong Pokémon in the future, Bulbasaur," Melanie said softly, squatting down and stroking Bulbasaur's head.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur nodded vigorously.
"Oddish, Odd!" The other Pokémon, including Oddish, approached, chirping at Bulbasaur.
Some expressed their reluctance to let Bulbasaur go, others promised to take on its responsibilities in guarding the area, while some wished it success in achieving its dreams.
"Bulba, Bulba!" Bulbasaur nodded, deeply moved by the well-wishes of its companions.
"You and Ash must make it to the Indigo Plateau Conference! We'll watch you on TV and cheer for you!" Melanie finally said to Bulbasaur.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur responded firmly. It wouldn't disappoint Melanie and her friends—and, more importantly, it wouldn't disappoint Ash and all the partners they would meet in the future.
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The Pokémon Research School is located north of Cerulean City. This road, newly opened, belongs to Route 24 and Route 25, making it different from the other routes connected to Cerulean City.
Now that the road had been developed, the League made sure that overly powerful Pokémon were kept away.
Still, the Pokémon in the area were strong enough to provide challenges for the students of the school.
Most of the Pokémon were of average strength, though a few were at an Bronze-level—just the right level for students to hone their skills in battle.
Only through real combat can trainers develop properly. Theory alone won't do.
The Pokémon Research School initially did well in this regard, but in recent years, issues with its training methods had emerged.
The students seemed to focus more on theory than actual battles.
The main reason for this shift was the growing number of wealthy families sending their children to the school.
These parents didn't want their kids exposed to danger, leading to reform suggestions that caused these problems.
This issue is unique to the Kanto Region. Because of the lack of a proper leader, no one could confront the influential rich families.
Even Lance, who was the Champion of Johto and part-time member of the Kanto Elite Four, couldn't solve the problem.
To the wealthy, Kanto is seen as the first region to establish the Pokémon League and the most powerful of all regions.
To them, Lance may be a Champion in Johto, but he's only an Elite Four member in Kanto. They didn't feel he had the authority to lead them.
And since Lance wasn't officially the leader of Kanto, he couldn't influence these people, resulting in the current situation.
Kanto is known as the first and most prestigious League, yet it lacks the strength to maintain that reputation. It suffers from a lack of leadership—a true Champion.
Ash and his friends, who had already arrived at the outskirts of the Pokémon Research School, couldn't possibly understand these complex issues, nor did they need to.
They were not yet in a position to be concerned with such matters.
"The school is huge..." Ash commented as he stood at the entrance of the Pokémon Research School.
Even just seeing a small part of it made it clear that it was much larger than a typical Pokémon Center.
Based on rough estimates, the school's grounds covered at least 3,000 acres, or about 2 million square meters.
"Excuse me, can we rest here for lunch?" Brock asked the guard at the entrance, showing their identification.
"No problem!" The guard checked their IDs and, after seeing Brock's current status as Pewter Gym Leader, allowed them through and led them to a rest area.
The school had a designated rest area for trainers passing by.
While it was located on school grounds, it was managed separately by the League, which assigned personnel to maintain it.
"I thought this school was only for training trainers, but I didn't expect they offered other subjects as well,"
Ash remarked as they made their way to the rest area, having learned about the school from a brochure.
The Pokémon Research School was not only for training trainers. It brought together people from various Pokémon-related professions.
In addition to trainers, there were breeders and scientists. There were even plans to introduce new programs like Coordinator training.
"That makes sense," Ash nodded after learning about the school's structure. Compared to what was shown in the anime, this was a much larger, multi-regional institution.
A school like this could train trainers who were qualified to compete in League tournaments without needing to challenge the eight Gyms.
"This school hasn't had a trainer graduate in two years," Misty said, referring specifically to the Kanto-based Pokémon Research Schools, not those in other regions.
"It must be tough to graduate," Ash mused, wondering why. Having never attended a Pokémon World school, he didn't fully understand the reason.
In Ash's mind, a low graduation rate meant they were aiming to cultivate stronger trainers.
As the three neared the rest area, it appeared to be lunchtime, and more students began to emerge, heading toward the cafeteria next to the rest area.
Seeing Ash and his companions, some students pointed and whispered.
While trainers occasionally passed through, this area was mostly wilderness and didn't lead to any major cities. Besides students and experienced trainers, few people traveled through here.
This made Ash and his companions stand out.
"It's those trainers again…" said a girl named Giselle, surrounded by a dozen students. Upon seeing Ash and his friends, she sneered, her voice filled with disdain.
"I don't understand why the League lets outsiders into the school," she continued. Giselle was a beautiful girl with an attractive, noble appearance.
With her fair skin and delicate features, she was like a princess surrounded by admirers.
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Adios