Chapter 8 – Becoming a Student

"Hello, Mrs. Caroline. I'd like to visit Mr. Norman—would it be convenient?"

Caroline was momentarily stunned before covering her mouth with a soft laugh.

"Oh hoho, come in Norman just happens to be home." She turned and walked inside.

Ather touched his nose and followed her in.

"Norman, there's a young man here to see you!"

Responding to Caroline's call, Norman came in from the backyard carrying a bucket of Pokémon food. He raised a brow when he saw Ather.

"May I ask what this is about?"

Seeing the man before him, Ather suddenly felt a little nervous.

His purpose here was simple: find a way to obtain a Slakoth with extraordinary potential from Norman, and ideally learn how he trained his Slaking.

As a devoted Pokémon fan, Ather knew well that Norman's Slaking had likely overcome its Truant ability to some extent—that was his secret technique.

To achieve this goal, Ather would first need to gain Norman's trust.

"Hello, Mr. Norman. My name is Ather. My goal is to become a master of Normal-type Pokémon. I hope you'll allow me to stay by your side and learn for a while. Please, take me in!"

He deliberately humbled himself and gave a deep bow.

"..."

Norman didn't reply immediately. He quietly observed Ather for a moment before speaking.

"You said you want to become a master of Normal-types? That's quite an ambition. Where's your Pokémon? Show me."

"Um…"

Ather forced a smile, looking a bit dejected.

"I haven't caught any Pokémon yet…"

Norman frowned.

"Judging by your age, you must be close to twenty already? Starting out as a trainer now is a bit late. I'd advise you to settle down and find a proper job—it might be more suitable."

"..."

Ather fell silent. He knew Norman was right. The odds of success on this path were painfully slim.

But dreams… dreams should never be limited by odds.

His gaze grew resolute, and he bowed again.

"Please, just give me a chance. I promise I'll work hard!"

He could've brought up his past hardships to seek sympathy—or even mentioned his connection with May to earn some favor.

But he didn't.

Maybe it was a man's foolish pride… or perhaps it was simply Ather's stubborn spirit.

Norman's expression shifted slightly. In Ather's unwavering gaze, he saw a faint glimmer of potential. But he was currently busy preparing for the Pokémon League's Elite Challenge and didn't want to spend time teaching a student. He shook his head gently.

"I'm sorry, but I must decline—"

Before he could finish, Caroline interjected,

"Ather, I noticed your accent sounds a bit familiar. Where are you from?"

She shot Norman a subtle glance as she spoke.

Norman sighed—his wife clearly didn't have the heart to reject the young man so bluntly.

Ather gave her a grateful look. She had preserved the last bit of his dignity.

"I… I'm from Goldenrod City, in Johto."

"Well, what a coincidence! We used to live in Goldenrod City before moving here. That makes us hometown folks of sorts…"

Caroline started chatting warmly with Ather, and he responded politely.

But deep down, Ather knew the chance to become Norman's disciple had likely failed. Caroline just didn't want to embarrass him too harshly, and was using this friendly talk as a gentle way to let him down.

Norman shook his head and turned to head back to the greenhouse.

Just then, a pink kitten leapt out from the backyard.

Spotting the unfamiliar guest, the playful little creature leapt right onto Ather's shoulder.

"Meow~!" It bounced twice on his head before misstepping and tumbling into his arms.

"Delcatty, that's very rude! Get down this instant!" Caroline scolded and moved forward to take the little troublemaker back.

Ather was briefly stunned—he had recognized it. This was the same Skitty the female lead, May, had once caught. Its playful and energetic personality matched perfectly.

"It's alright, she's quite cute~" he said with a smile, reaching out to pet her.

But Skitty nimbly dodged his hand, hopping onto his backpack. She sniffed the air, her eyes sparkling—she smelled food!

"Meow~!"

Stars twinkled from her tail—Swift!

"Vigoroth, stop her!" Norman tossed out a Poké Ball to intercept.

But at that moment, a red flash came from Ather's backpack. Miltank appeared, calmly placing a hoof on Skitty's forehead, stopping the attack.

"Moo~"

She smiled and handed Skitty a bottle of MooMoo Milk. Skitty happily popped the lid and started licking.

"That's… Howard's Miltank?" Norman recognized it at a glance.

"Howard—is that Uncle Howard?" Caroline also realized.

Howard was May's grandfather.

"Kid, what's your relationship with Howard?" Norman asked, frowning.

Howard's most reliable Pokémon wouldn't just be handed to an outsider. And he didn't recall Howard having another grandson.

Ather gave a wry smile and explained the situation.

Upon hearing that it was on temporary loan from Whitney, the couple relaxed and also expressed their sorrow for Howard's recent passing.

"Mr. Norman, Mrs Caroline, thank you for your time. I won't trouble you further."

Ather gave a small bow and turned to leave.

Just then, Norman called out,

"Wait. Since you've been recognized by Whitney, I'll give you a chance."

"Hmm?" Ather looked up, waiting for what came next.

"Battle my Vigoroth with your Miltank. No matter the outcome—if your performance satisfies me, I'll take you in. Deal?"

Hearing that, Ather glanced at the Vigoroth beside him.

[Vigoroth ♂ Lv. 54 (Intermediate Gym Level)]

Its level was one higher than Miltank's—not unbeatable.

"Alright!"

A rare confidence shone in Ather's eyes. Though he'd never commanded a Pokémon in this world, back in his original life he'd logged thousands of hours in the games. Battles were his specialty!

Soon, Ather and Norman stood on opposite ends of the battlefield. Caroline stood as the referee.

"The upcoming match is between Ather of Goldenrod City and Norman of Petalburg Gym. One-on-one battle. Begin!"

Both threw their Poké Balls:

"Vigoroth, get ready!"

"I'm counting on you, Miltank!"

Ather quickly recalled the battle rules of this world.

Just like in later seasons of the anime, official matches limited each Pokémon to four moves—exceeding that would mean disqualification.

He'd never understood this before arriving in this world.

After all, Pokémon could learn so many moves—limiting them to four seemed to dull the excitement.

But now… he understood why.

.....

[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]

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