Back home, Owen didn't dwell on the Magnemite issue for long. He wasn't a Pokémon doctor, and there was no way he could diagnose a physical defect.
However, he made a mental note to ask Mr. Lee or Dr. Hayden if the opportunity arose; they might know something.
"8:00 AM sharp, gather at the main entrance of Fairview Plaza..."
In the small group chat for the five participants of the Rising Star Project, Owen received a message regarding tomorrow's extra training schedule.
"8:00 AM? That means I can actually sleep in a bit..."
Owen felt a wave of gratitude. Thinking back to his past life's vacations, sleeping until noon was the norm. Now, as a senior, sleeping until 7:00 AM felt like an absolute luxury. High school seniors really were easy to please.
Meanwhile, the group chat was buzzing as Leo began scouting for intel.
Leo: "Um... quick question, do we need to prepare anything for tomorrow?"
Lynnea: "Pokémon are a given, I assume..."
Owen: "Same question."
Ethan: "Just bring your Pokémon and their Poké Balls. If the plan holds, I'll be taking you to the wilderness for actual combat training tomorrow. Clear it with your families; training won't end until Sunday. You'll be spending all of Saturday outdoors."
Wilderness... actual combat training?
"Basic drills at school during the week, and then straight into the real deal on weekends? I like it," Owen muttered.
What was a man's romance? For a trainer, it was exploration. He hadn't expected to get the chance to head into the wild for combat training under a professional trainer so soon.
To find out their destination, Owen sent a private message to Ethan and received an even more surprising answer.
South Nanwu Town's Back Mountain.
Ethan: "The Pokémon from the rift that appeared near South Nanwu have been processed based on their threat level—some captured, some dispersed.
The dispersed ones were sent to the back mountains, far from the town. A Ranger defense line has been established there, and it's now a major gathering area for wild Pokémon."
I see. So we're facing that crowd from the rift again.
Finally, a chance for revenge! Though... he'd skip that Pidgeot for now. Eevee definitely couldn't take it on yet.
"South Nanwu Back Mountain..." Owen reminisced. He used to go there often as a child, though not in this world. He missed those days of catching grasshoppers on the mountain with his grandfather.
As for now... There were no grasshoppers to catch. If you pissed off a Caterpie, you'd just end up wrapped like a zongzi. But if you ran into a Weedle... getting hit by a Poison Sting wouldn't be a pleasant experience.
The Assembly
Saturday morning.
After washing up, Owen pulled out his "Red-style" outfit, which had been gathering dust for a week.
He had to wear his school uniform during the week, but now that it was the weekend, wearing a uniform would be a crime against nature.
Dressed in the gear, Owen felt a surge of energy, as if he were back at the Young Ho-Oh Cup.
In contrast, Eevee looked quite drained. The little one had a nightmare last night; her midnight shriek had left Owen completely bewildered.
According to Eevee's description, she had dreamed of being hit by multiple rounds of Thunderbolt, meeting a very tragic end.
"It's definitely because you watch too many weird shows..."
"By the way, if your internet addiction gets any worse, maybe 'Electrotherapy' really is the only cure," Owen joked with a grin. "Think about it—if Dad successfully brings that Magnemite home, your dream might come true sooner than you think..."
Eevee pouted. She was immune to Owen's "scaring the kids" routine by now. Nevertheless, thinking about the dream made her shiver instinctively. Electric shocks were terrifying.
After a quick breakfast of milk and bread, they set off for Fairview Plaza, where the Trainer Association was located.
At 7:45 AM, Owen was the second to arrive. Lynnea was already there, leaving only Leo. About ten minutes later, Leo arrived just under the wire.
"Just us?" Leo asked. "For now," Owen replied. "Wait, look, here they come."
Near 8:00 AM, a very capable-looking middle-aged woman walked out of Fairview Plaza. Owen recognized her—it was the Professional Trainer, Zoe.
She beckoned them to follow her inside. Owen had been to the Plaza before, but only to the first few floors, which were public spaces containing the Pokémon Center and Friendly Shop.
The top floors were the Disaster Warning Center for monitoring rift fluctuations, while the middle floors served as offices and living quarters for Association personnel.
Zoe led them into the elevator and pressed the button for the 13th floor.
"Before we head to the wild, I'll give you a briefing and distribute some equipment," she said.
Upon arriving at the 13th floor, Zoe led them to a room that looked very much like a classroom.
"Take a seat," Zoe instructed.
Owen, Lynnea, and Leo sat obediently in the front row. Only then did Zoe begin the briefing.
"First, let me introduce myself. I am Zoe, the head of the Fairview Rising Star Project. You can call me Sister Zoe."
"To be honest, the Rising Star Project isn't a particularly novel concept. In Shanghai, Beijing, and other developed cities, similar policies are everywhere. The Trainer Association allocating resources to Training promising new generations is essentially an unspoken rule."
Zoe spoke calmly, but Owen felt a bead of sweat. What is it with Fairview's professional trainers? Why do they all insist on being called 'Brother' or 'Sister'?
Suddenly, Zoe pointed at Leo. "What do you think is the primary goal of the Rising Star Project?"
Leo blinked. "To train us so we can get into top-tier universities?"
Zoe snorted. "That is not the primary goal."
"For the Trainer Association, producing top-tier university students is useless on its own. A top-tier student does not equal a Professional Trainer.
A student who cannot pass the professional exam is no different from an ordinary citizen in our eyes."
"Remember, your only goal in this training is to adapt to the standards of a Professional Trainer early. Hold yourselves to that standard and strive to pass the professional certification before you turn thirty."
Leo swallowed hard. This woman was intense. And becoming a pro before thirty... that sounded like a lot of pressure.
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