Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

This is why he chose to come to Pewter City first; otherwise, taking a boat directly to Cerulean City or Vermilion City would also have been a good option.

Moreover, in addition to providing the usual assistance, Pewter City Gym indicated that it would also provide Tetsuya with a high-quality Pokémon egg or 3000 million yen in funding, as well as materials and qualifications to participate in the Breeder Exam.

The restrictions aren't too great. It's just that Tetsuya will need to provide assistance to the Pewter Dojo in terms of training in the future, and he can complete certain tasks every year thereafter. The rewards will be paid as usual.

Tetsuya looked at all the Pokémon eggs in the hatchery and found it a bit strange.

These eggs all have similar potential, all being elite-level, but they are all common Ground/Rock-type Pokémon, such as Geodude, Diglett, Sandshrew, and Cubone.

They didn't see any of the even rarer Elf Zhe, which is not worth the 3000 million training funds.

"According to testing, the Pokémon eggs here all have elite-level potential. You can choose one if you like."

However, these aren't the only options available to you; we're not that stingy.

Seeing Tetsuya's puzzled look, Xiaogang explained and then used his ID card to open a small door in the corner, gesturing for Tetsuya to come in.

"What you just saw were basic Pokémon eggs, designed for average trainers. But they're different for you. You can take your time to choose one here."

Tetsuya observed the Pokémon eggs in the room and found that their quality was indeed far superior to those outside.

"Nose, Rock Golem, Rock Dog, One-Horned Rhinoceros, Scorpion, Screw Mole, Little Boar, Upo..."

Goodness, although each race only has one or two Pokémon eggs, there are many different kinds, and the aptitudes of elite, near-elite, and elite Pokémon are mixed together.

"But this isn't the last room, is it? Are there more inside?" Tetsuya asked, pointing to a small door that looked exactly like the one from before.

"Yes, but that's not the part you can choose from right now. We can take you inside to have a look after you've finished picking things out here."

"If you become a Master Breeder or one of the Elite Four or something, I can arrange for you to pick an egg from there in advance."

Xiao Gang was very decisive.

"Haha, that day will come." Tetsuya confidently replied to Tsuyoshi while picking out eggs, "This one will do."

"Hmm, this little guy has good potential, and his aptitude is probably at the top level."

If its mother hadn't been only a near-Elite Four level Pokémon, its potential might have been even greater.

Xiao Gang briefly noted down Tetsuya's choice and then told him to put the egg into the incubator and take it away later.

"Come inside with me and see, maybe your future elf is there," Xiao Gang joked, opening the third door.

As you walk further in, you see five elf eggs sitting alone, each carefully protected, with various instruments monitoring their vital signs.

"These are all top-quality Pokémon eggs; even I can't choose them to raise now."

This is just Kira, a descendant of my father Bangira, with the potential to be a near-champion.

That's just a Trapinch, that's just a Cocoyora, and over there is my grandfather Swampert's descendant and a Heartsquatter.

In terms of qualifications, they might not win the championship, but they're most likely to be near-champion, and very rarely will they become a top player.

Xiao Gang introduced himself to Zheye with a hint of pride.

Tetsuya was indeed envious. Five Pokémon in their final forms: Tyranitar, Flygon, Aggron, Swampert, and Kommo-o. Is this what rich people's Pokémon are like?

Furthermore, after checking with Zero, we found that Tyranitar has Champion potential, and the other four are all near-Champion potential. Adding to that a bunch of elite, near-Elite Four, and Elite Four potential Pokémon outside, the value of this breeding room alone is close to four billion.

It's absolutely suffocating.

"Speaking of which, it seems like there are quite a few Pokémon with Elite Four or higher potential," Tetsuya said as he and Brock walked outside, expressing their doubts.

Xiao Gang squinted: "It's just that it looks like a lot. You're from Tokiwa City, you must have been to the black market, right?"

Before Tetsuya could reply, Kogoro continued explaining.

"Taking Viridian Black Market as an example, it basically gathers all the wild Pokémon eggs produced in the Kanto region, including some bred by our families and gyms."

Given such a large base, the number of elite-quality Pokémon eggs produced each year will not exceed 50 at most, and in some cases only 1/20, or even single digits.

Among them, those who are close to becoming Heavenly Kings are extremely rare, and those with the potential to become Heavenly Kings are even rarer.

The Pokémon egg reserves we just saw at the Pewter City Gym are quite large, but they've been accumulated over the past few decades.

It is also dominated by elites. In the second room, the near-kings and kings only account for less than 20%, and only about a dozen of them have the potential to be kings.

Furthermore, reaching the Elite Four level doesn't guarantee becoming an Elite Four-level Pokémon; it just means that things will go more smoothly before reaching the Quasi-Elite Four level.

The higher one's potential, the faster one can overcome the period of weakness.

However, there are thresholds for progressing from near-Elite Four to Elite Four and beyond. Elite Four potential only means that a Pokémon has the potential to break through, unlike near-Elite Four potential which cuts off the space for further progress.

If the trainer doesn't train them properly, it's not uncommon for a Pokémon with Elite Four potential to only reach the near-Elite Four level and fail to break through to Elite Four.

This is how the potential of many elves is wasted.

This is why Wu Neng didn't initially care that Zhe also had two high-potential Pokémon.

Chapter 37 The Foundation for Survival and an Encounter with the Shorts Boy

Because the development of a power depends to some extent on higher-level combat strength, such as the champion.

And more importantly, there are unique methods for cultivating certain high-potential Pokémon, which have been passed down through generations and are simply not available to ordinary trainers.

Even if you manage to train a few near-Elite Four Pokémon by chance, they will be firmly stuck in front of you when it comes to breaking through the Elite Four level barrier, unable to make any progress.

That's reality. Being lucky enough to encounter a high-potential Pokémon can improve your strength to some extent, but it won't play a decisive role in changing your fate.

Unless you are incredibly lucky enough to encounter high-potential Pokémon with you and your descendants, a continuous stream of a dozen or so, and with three generations working together, it is unlikely to be possible.

Tetsuya didn't react to Brock's words, he just nodded and said goodbye to return to the Pokémon Center.

Xiao Gang watched Zheye's departing figure under the streetlights, stared for a while, and then turned and left.

"There are still requirements. No wonder I felt something was wrong after I bought the Pokémon egg on the black market."

While Elite Four level eggs are relatively few compared to trainers, it's not like the league only adds a single-digit number of Elite Four trainers each year.

If aptitude is just a stepping stone, then the key to determining whether a Pokémon is powerful lies in its later development.

Because I have number zero, I was able to fully unleash the potential of the Mighty Chicken's champion potential.

For an average trainer, they might only be able to reach the Elite Four rank by sheer talent and then struggle to advance any further.

But why is Xiaogang telling me this? This part of the information wasn't in the materials we were given.

"Are you trying to get me to focus entirely on becoming a master Pokémon breeder? No, that doesn't make sense either. Then why give me a Pokémon egg with Champion-level potential?"

Zhe couldn't figure it out at all on his way back.

He was already surprised by the high level of treatment Nibi Dojo offered, but Xiaogang's attitude today was even more puzzling.

But everyone has their own thoughts anyway, which is perfectly normal, isn't it?

Didn't he still only reveal the parts he wanted to reveal to Pewter Dojo?

Even if the Pewter Gym thinks they know the parts of themselves that they've been hiding, that's not the whole story.

Who would have thought they had a zero? Unless they tell someone, they can only attribute it to their luck and talent.

What Pewter Dojo's purpose is is not important; what matters for their survival is Zero.

Once Zero improves his abilities, these problems will no longer be problems.

Back in his room, Tetsuya finished preparing the training plan for Geodude and sent it to Tsuyoshi.

After that, I started reviewing the knowledge for the breeder exam.

After all, according to Xiao Gang, the Alliance Breeder Center next to Shallow Red City will conduct this year's breeder level assessment in four months.

Nibi Dojo secured a spot for a Level 6 Trainer to advance to the next level, which he needs to pass himself.

Tetsuya certainly couldn't refuse, since it would benefit him as well, and he couldn't get such a spot himself, otherwise he would have to take the exams one level at a time.

If you only get one level per year, you'll waste several years of your time.

For him, the difficulty of this exam was a minor matter.

Tetsuya studied for two hours, and didn't fall asleep until almost midnight.

Nothing more was said that night.

The next morning, Zhe discovered that Xiaogang had already deposited the payment for the customized plan into his account.

500w.

All he could say was, "Rich people are just so generous. We hope there will be more rich people like this."

After washing up, Tetsuya, as usual, went to Viridian Forest to train with Pidgeot and Mighty Chicken.

"I challenge your Mighty Chicken!"

A voice came from behind Tetsuya, startling him and Riki-chan who were resting.

While secretly blaming himself for letting his guard down, he also turned around to see who was so foolish as to approach other trainers in the wild.

A white T-shirt, yellow shorts, and a limited-edition hat—he looks exactly like the shorts-wearing kid from a video game.

Tetsuya's expression was strange. He pointed to himself and said, "You want to challenge my Mighty Chicken?"

"Of course! Is there anyone else here besides you?" The boy in shorts widened his eyes.

Sitting leisurely on the ground, Tetsuya asked, "Trainer battles are usually wagered, kid. What do you have?"

Fortunately, he was an oblivious little guy, and Tetsuya was completely unaware that he was about the same age as him.

If this had happened in the forest near Viridian City, people who inexplicably approach you in the wild would have been dealt with long ago.

After all, when venturing into the wild, one must be wary of more than just wild creatures.

In any situation, humans are the most dangerous creatures.

This kid in shorts is probably just starting out as a trainer. Let's give him a hard time to lighten his mood.

Tetsuya didn't take the person opposite him seriously at all.

After all, normal residents can only complete their studies and qualify for their first Pokémon at the age of 16, and only geniuses like him can graduate early.

His abilities far surpass those of his peers.

The boy in shorts was stunned when he heard him say that, and then stammered and couldn't say anything.

"If you don't have anything, go back. Don't wander around in the wild." Tetsuya waved his hand to indicate that he should not be disturbed.

"Who says I don't have it! I'll compare this to yours!"

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, the boy in shorts blushed and pulled a stone from his pocket.

It is a broken fossil.

Tetsuya glanced at it, and was about to refuse, but then he remembered his fossil collection plan and hesitated.

"Then you can play with him, you strong chicken."

"If I lose, I'll give you three days' worth of energy cubes."

The first sentence was addressed to Mighty Chicken, while the second sentence was a response to Shorts Boy.

"just."

The strong chicken nodded and stood in front of Tetsuya.

When Tetsuya accepted his challenge, the shorts-wearing boy excitedly took out his Poké Ball.

"Go, little rock."

"Hmph, your Combusken may be a higher level, but Fire-type moves do very little damage to Geodude, and Combusken doesn't know many Fighting-type moves in the early stages."

The boy in shorts is very confident.

"Geosphere, aim Sand Spray at the glasses on the other side!"

"Free combat," Tetsuya lazily gave the order.

This little novice is about the same as the small pebbles he stepped on in Mt. Tsukimi; it doesn't need any instructions at all.

Moreover, the Mighty Chicken must understand what it means.

The strong chicken dodged the dust kicked up by the small pebbles simply by using its own speed.

He then quickly closed in, without using any skills, and relied solely on his physical abilities to beat up the little rock.

The boy in shorts shouted from the side, "Hang in there, Geodude! Use Roll to dodge!"

Unfortunately, Mighty Chicken didn't give Geodude a chance to fight back or dodge. Even without the energy damage, Geodude quickly passed out.