136. Training

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Claire smiled at Evan, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.

She seemed to be in a very good mood.

"I have some good news for you," she said.

"I've secured an Elite challenge spot for you."

"Next, all you need to do is participate in the national competition and achieve a high ranking."

"Then, you'll become an Elite."

"Originally, there was an empty spot among the three."

"I didn't expect you to show up."

"This works out perfectly."

"If you feel the Elite position isn't enough, you can always challenge for the Champion title."

"Of course, that depends on whether you have the experience."

She had just delivered an incredibly important piece of news to Evan.

Evan was stunned by her words.

"What the heck? Are you kidding me?"

"You want me to be an Elite?"

His face was filled with resistance.

However, the Pokémon in the Poké Balls at his waist became excited.

Wow, this young lady was something else.

She actually helped their Trainer secure such an opportunity?

Not bad at all!

Claire nodded.

"Of course."

"Being an Elite isn't what you think—it's actually pretty relaxing."

"You could even spend all day in the breeding house if you wanted."

"It's just that when something important comes up, you'd need to help out."

"Like battling criminals or something."

"But the best part? It pays well."

"You can make a lot of money if you handle big tasks."

"You could buy enough Energy Cubes to last for months."

As she spoke, Claire casually played with her hair.

Evan shot her a glance upon hearing that.

"I see."

"Alright, I guess I'll reluctantly agree."

Make money?

Why didn't she say that earlier?

As long as there was money, anything could be considered.

Just treat it as a part-time job.

And he could still continue running the breeding house.

Not a bad deal.

Evan was willing to put in the effort—for the sake of money.

After all, having experienced poverty, he knew he had no choice but to work hard if he wanted to stay out of trouble.

Seeing Evan agree, Claire's smile grew even brighter.

"Then work hard."

"I hope we can be colleagues in the future."

"Oh, and remember to give me a discount!"

Yep, that was still on her mind.

If Evan didn't give her a discount, she wouldn't be happy.

So he had to give her one.

Evan, however, didn't respond.

Again with the discount? No way. Not in this lifetime.

Not for her.

Unless she wore a maid outfit.

But he kept that thought to himself.

His gaze shifted to the group of Trainers who had already left.

Then, he changed the subject entirely.

"Alright, let's search the mountains."

"It feels a bit off, and we might not find a Salamence."

"But we could still come across other Pokémon."

"Think of it as a little adventure."

He turned to look at the others.

Hearing Evan's words, Rosa and the rest had no objections.

In that case, they might as well explore the mountains.

Sophia, however, felt a little embarrassed.

It seemed like her trip had been a waste.

"Evan, sorry..."

"I didn't expect things to turn out like this either."

She truly hadn't anticipated so many people being here.

Evan waved his hand dismissively.

"It's fine, I get it."

"Let's go."

"Let's head inside."

Without dwelling on it, Evan climbed onto Dragonite.

Then, he directed it toward the interior of the Heavenly Scourge Mountain Range.

Rosa and Sophia quickly followed.

At that moment, Claire started to panic.

"Hey, hey! Did you forget about me?"

"You can't just leave me behind!"

"Ninetales, catch up!"

Seeing Evan leave her behind, Claire couldn't sit still.

She hurriedly released her Ninetales.

Then, she mounted it and had Ninetales chase after Evan and the others.

Claire didn't have a Flying-type Pokémon.

Claire wasn't slow on Ninetales.

In fact, she was quite fast.

Coupled with the elegant appearance of her Alolan Ninetales, she looked graceful as she chased after them.

While three Pokémon soared through the sky, Claire kept up on the ground.

Before long, the three of them disappeared into the distance.

Evan had no interest in the ongoing competition between the Trainers.

Instead, he continued moving toward the mountains.

After walking for over half an hour, the surrounding terrain became much more complex.

More wild Pokémon appeared as well.

Seeing this, Evan immediately had Dragonite descend.

It was time to proceed on foot.

At the same time, Evan released his Pokémon.

"Pikachu, Lurantis, Charizard, Pidgeot."

"Clear the way ahead."

The four Pokémon immediately understood their task.

Without hesitation, they sprang into action.

As they cleared the path, they also battled the wild Pokémon they encountered.

This was their training.

Seeing this, Rosa and Sophia sent out their Pokémon as well.

"Gardevoir, you go too."

"And Absol."

Sophia released two Pokémon, though she hadn't brought Munchlax from Evan's breeding house.

Otherwise, she would have sent it out as well.

As for Rosa, she released Ampharos and Luxray.

They joined Pikachu's group without delay.

Claire watched in amazement.

"So this is how you train Pokémon?"

"I thought you were like Violet."

"She has no strategy at all."

"Her Pokémon are practically crying because of her."

Claire sighed at the sight of Evan's training method.

She couldn't help but complain about Violet.

Violet's Pokémon were constantly battling—again and again.

After fighting, they would eat, eat, eat, then heal up and fight again.

According to her, no one wanted to battle her anymore.

She had been so gracious (yes, gracious) in offering to help train Violet's Pokémon—after all, Claire had the perfect type advantage!

And what did she get in return?

A single word: Go.

That had nearly brought her to tears.

"I've always trained like this."

"This improves a Pokémon's real battle experience—what's wrong with that?"

"Sometimes, a Pokémon's ability to fight on its own is crucial, don't you think?"

"I just let them go at it."

"As long as they get stronger, that's all that matters."

For as long as Evan could remember, his Pokémon had been trained this way.

Oh wait, no—they were raised.

It was all thanks to his Gardevoir.

Evan's Pokémon always remained disciplined.

His strength had improved so quickly not just because of the Energy Cubes he provided but also thanks to Gardevoir's strict training.

Without Gardevoir's help, his Pokémon wouldn't have grown so strong so fast.

Even if they secretly wiped away tears after each session...

In the end, it was all worth it.