"Why is there a treadmill in the middle of the mountains?" Kazuki asked, mouth full of beef.
"No idea. Look at their uniforms! They're probably all from the same place—maybe some kind of fitness club?" Misty replied, also chewing away without pause.
"Fitness club? Peasants!"
"We are the elite of the Pokémon class!"
"And where the heck are you two bumpkins from? Cooking food on our school grounds!"
"You've disrupted our friendship training—utterly unforgivable!"
The green-haired boy was still fuming from his earlier embarrassment. Clenching his fists, he walked over toward Kazuki.
Sensing things were about to escalate, Joe scrambled up from the ground and rushed in to stand between them.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't answer the Pidgey question properly and made you all mad!"
"If you have something to say, punish me. Please don't drag innocent people into this!"
"Move aside, Joe! Your Pidgey knowledge test was already pitiful enough today, and now you're doing even more to damage our friendship?"
Joe was caught in a bind by the green-haired boy's words, but still refused to step aside.
"Oh? You wanna settle this with a fistfight?" Kazuki stood up, still holding his bowl.
Seeing that Kazuki was half a head taller than himself, the green-haired guy instantly backed down, quickly shifting to a fake refined demeanor.
"Heh, how barbaric! Resorting to violence for everything—what is this, the Stone Age?"
"Fighting with someone like you would tarnish the honor of our Pokémon Tech!"
"Hmph! Joe, if you want to associate with this kind of primitive person, I won't stop you. But our friendship is on thin ice!"
After spouting all that nonsense, the green-haired guy scurried off with the rest of his group, heads down.
"Pokémon Tech?" Kazuki chewed on a piece of beef as he thought aloud.
There was a prestigious academy hidden deep in the mountains of the Kanto Region.
It was packed full of spoiled rich kids—practically raised on cash.
They could participate in regional tournaments just by passing written exams, without even collecting Gym Badges.
In a short time, they'd gain access to the Pokémon League.
That led them to believe they were strong when really, it was all just privilege—no wonder they were so smug.
"S-Sorry! I dragged you into this!" Joe apologized sincerely to Kazuki and Misty.
"It's fine, no biggie—hic~" Misty stood up, patting Joe on the shoulder. "Bullies who pick on the weak are the worst! They deserve a proper beating!"
Ding-dong!
At that moment, the sound of a school bell echoed, and the dense fog around them gradually dispersed.
[Fog Training Session has ended. Tomorrow's practical class will take place in the snow!]
As the mist cleared, a tall academic building emerged in the distance.
Misty shuddered, blinking rapidly. "W-We really were cooking on school grounds?! That's so embarrassing!"
Kazuki finished the last bite of beef and began cleaning up. "Hey, not our fault! They didn't even put up a fence."
"Sigh... Training in the snow tomorrow. Guess I'll be made into a snowman again…" Joe sighed hopelessly at the course announcement.
"Tomorrow? With the way they treat you, why are you still hanging around them? Don't tell me you're into that kind of stuff?" Misty teased while packing up.
"Sigh, that's not bullying—it's friendship. A whip of love," Joe mumbled as he helped clean.
"A whip of love?" Kazuki chuckled darkly. "Rich kids sure play kinky."
"That counts as friendship?" Misty said with a sigh. "That's not friendship at all! This is."
She instinctively linked arms with Kazuki. "This is what friendship looks like! No need for whips!"
Joe glanced at them and said quietly, "You two look more like lovers than friends…"
"W-What?!" Misty flinched and quickly pulled away. "A-Anyway! Whatever that was, it wasn't friendship!"
"But thanks to them, my Pidgeotto improved really fast! It just evolved into Pidgeot!"
"My parents worked really hard to send me to this school…"
"I don't want to disappoint them. I want to stay here!"
"Huh? Your starter is Pidgey, so why couldn't you answer the questions they asked earlier?" Misty asked, puzzled.
"Because if I do answer them, they just throw even harder ones at me. Then I really can't answer…"
"If I get too many wrong, I might get abandoned by the training boss!"
"Heh." Kazuki sneered. "You're putting in your family's blood, sweat, and tears, while for them, this school is just pocket change."
"You're forcing yourself into a circle that doesn't want you."
"In my opinion, they don't want to train you—they just think you're weak and use you for laughs."
"Exactly! Whoever came up with that kind of training is just disgusting!" Misty echoed Kazuki's words without hesitation.
"Disgusting? Maybe not," Joe said quietly. "Actually… she's pretty cute." As he spoke, he pulled out a photo of Giselle—the top student in their class.
The moment Kazuki glanced at the photo, a system chime rang in his ears.
Oh? A task triggered just from seeing Giselle?
Could it be... that I need to "train" this tsundere rich girl with the whip of love?
Alright, alright—this is my specialty!
Bring it on. Let's see what kind of mission this is!
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Next goal: 400 Power Stones!
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