Chapter 39: Where Did Pichu Go? [1/2]

"This is too tough—an entire month of grueling training."

Isaac Hayes let out a quiet sigh. Just by looking at the assistant coach's stern expression, he could tell that this so-called "hell training" would be no easy feat.

"Alright, there's something I need to announce."

Head Coach Leon Ferhals spoke as he stepped down from the platform and approached the bulletin board in the training room.

"This is the request board. The school collects commissions from local residents and assigns them to you as part of your trials. Your task is to solve the issues these residents face during the trial."

"You'll receive their stamps as proof of completion. Naturally, completing these commissions comes with rewards. Everyone starts with 100 points. Depending on the difficulty of the task, you'll earn varying amounts of points. These points can be exchanged for rewards or used to access specialized training facilities, such as the Gravity Room or the Electric Power Chamber."

Nero took a glance at the rewards list, which included TM discs, Pokéblocks, and various useful items.

However, the reward list didn't particularly interest him since these items could be obtained through daily check-ins.

What truly caught his attention was the school's specialized training facilities.

After all, the equipment in the Gravity Room was incredibly expensive. In training clubs, access to the Gravity Room was billed by the minute.

Spending just a few hours there would cost an ordinary person's entire monthly salary.

The fact that the school had such facilities was a huge advantage for him.

If he had some spare time, he'd take on a few commissions to earn more points.

As a Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon, Combusken required intense physical conditioning. Although he had been using forced training devices, their effects couldn't compare to actual gravity training.

"Alright, training starts today. Assistant Coach Dante, take them to the secondary training room," Coach Leon instructed the assistant coach beside him.

"Understood."

Coach Dante, who had remained silent up until now, nodded and stepped off the platform, signaling for the reserve team to follow him.

Nero was the last to leave, and he happened to overhear Coach Leon discussing the principles of team battles with the others.

From what he gathered, his main focus in the city-level tournament would be individual battles.

To be honest, without systematic training, he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about team battles.

Team battles required a deep understanding of strategy, tactics, and Pokémon abilities.

One month simply wasn't enough time to master all of that. Rather than spreading himself too thin, he decided to focus on rapidly improving his personal strength to achieve great results in the city-level campus league.

...

The secondary training room was similar in design to the main training hall, though it lacked a bulletin board and was slightly smaller. However, it was still well-equipped with all the necessary facilities.

"My name is Dante Riggs. You can call me whatever you like. Before we begin, let me make one thing clear—there will be no fooling around or disrupting the class. If you break this rule, you'll face the consequences. Understood?"

"Understood!"

Coach Dante's serious expression made everyone instinctively tense up.

"Now, here's this week's schedule:

Monday and Wednesday are for battle techniques.

Tuesday and Thursday will feature virtual Pokémon battles.

On Friday, you'll train with the main team and learn team battle strategies.

Saturday is your rest day.

And on Sunday, you'll participate in wild field training!!"

"Wild field training?"

Caitlin blinked in surprise before asking hesitantly, "Coach, do you mean actual wild field training? As in going into a Secret Realm?"

"That's correct."

Coach Dante nodded.

This revelation immediately caused an uproar among the five students.

"Are you serious?! We're really going into a Secret Realm?!"

Although many wild Pokémon lived in urban areas, Secret Realms remained the primary habitat for wild Pokémon in this world.

Over the centuries, some environmental regions had completely merged with Secret Realms.

"That's right. As you advance to higher trainer levels, you'll need to explore the wild. This is something every trainer must experience. A flower that stays in a greenhouse will never grow strong. Your university courses will also include similar activities, so we're simply giving you an early taste of it."

Coach Dante made a solid point.

Exploring Secret Realms was a rite of passage for every trainer. After all, these places contained rare treasures that couldn't always be found on the market—treasures that could greatly enhance a Pokémon's strength.

Moreover, enduring these trials would refine a trainer's mentality. When capturing new Pokémon, Secret Realms were often essential locations.

After hearing this explanation, the students calmed down and found themselves agreeing with the logic. Eventually, they accepted the decision.

Since today was Monday, it was mainly a reporting day. The rest of the session was spent with Coach Dante explaining battle techniques. By 5:30 PM, class was dismissed.

As a day student, Nero was free to head home at this time.

Just as he reached the sports field, Sophia Heine caught up with him.

Seeing Nero carrying his backpack, she asked, "Nero, are you a day student too?"

"Yeah."

Noticing that Sophia was also carrying her backpack, Nero realized that they were in the same situation.

The two walked together, chatting and laughing as they made their way to the school gate. There, a black luxury car was already parked.

As soon as Sophia stepped outside, a man in sunglasses got out of the car and respectfully said, "Miss, please get in the car."

Sophia nodded, waved at Nero, and said, "See you tomorrow, Nero!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Nero might not have been a car enthusiast, but he recognized luxury brands. Watching the Rolls-Royce Phantom drive off into the distance, his hands started trembling slightly.

Turns out… she's a rich girl…

After leaving the school, Nero headed to the Martial Arts Dojo.

He greeted the Machamp watering the flowers before making his way to the training ground.

Placing his backpack on a stone table, Nero used his system to take out an energy cube and walked over to a large green tree.

"Pichu, have you been waiting long? Sorry, I got held up at school."

Over time, Nero had grown quite close to Pichu.

Every day after school, Pichu would wait for him at the dojo, and when he left, it would watch him from afar.

During training sessions, Pichu would cheer for Combusken and Nero with its soft, encouraging cries.

In daily life, Pichu helped Nero with small chores.

While washing dishes, Pichu would assist. When cleaning, it would grab a small towel and wipe down tables and chairs.

Whenever Nero was exhausted from training and thirsty, Pichu was the first to fetch him a drink.

They had already formed a strong bond.

"Pichu!"

But after waiting under the tree for a while, Nero still didn't see Pichu.

"That's strange… It's usually here early. Why isn't it here today?"

Nero glanced at Combusken, who shook its head, indicating that it didn't know either.

"Could she be playing hide-and-seek?"

Pichu was still a playful little child at heart. Whenever they had some free time, Nero and Combusken would join in on her little games.

Combusken nodded, thinking that was a possibility.

However, even after Nero had thoroughly inspected the dojo, there was still no sign of Pichu. When he asked Machamp, the Pokémon also said it hadn't seen the little one today.

"That's odd."

Pichu was always punctual. This was the first time something like this had happened.

"Maybe something held her up today. Let's train for a bit, Combusken."

"Cha-mo!"

Combusken nodded in agreement.

Nero arrived at the dojo at 5:45 PM and immediately started training.

He even had dinner there.

However—

One hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Three hours passed.

Pichu still hadn't shown up.

As Nero gazed at the bright moon in the night sky, he fell into deep thought—

Pichu… what exactly happened to you?

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