Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

"Jiro's talent is indeed quite good."

However, Tetsuya still agreed with Tsuyoshi's statement.

During the time when Xiaogang was taken away by his grandfather for special training, he and Jiro had quite a few interactions, even many.

From any perspective, Jiro's talent as a trainer is exceptional.

Even though he hasn't yet obtained the qualification to officially breed Pokémon, his performance in "taking care" of the Gym Pokémon is extremely outstanding.

Otherwise, why would Wu Neng always seem so cheerful?

My eldest son has a good talent for nurturing the family, barely ranking among the top five in the Kanto League among the younger generation, and he is also good friends with a more promising young man.

His second son has shown exceptional talent as a trainer, making him the perfect candidate to inherit the gym business.

Countless people in the Kanto region have complained behind the backs about Pewter Dojo's good luck.

If they knew that Jiro in the future could hold his own against Joey's Latias, they might be even more jealous.

As for Nobuhiko, being a true Elite Four level trainer, the Dragon Clan of Momiji City would be happy to open the gates of the Dragon Lair for him if he made a request.

After all, there was no conflict or contradiction between the two sides. On the contrary, A-Si's Azure Dojo and their relationship was quite good.

Of course, Nobuhiko also needs to pay a corresponding price, such as helping out in small ways.

However, Nobuhiko, who is fond of Fighting-type Pokémon, clearly has little interest in Dragon-type Pokémon.

After all, one of his idols, Shiba, had repeatedly defeated Lance's Pokémon with Fighting-type Pokémon, though he ultimately failed to win.

But he seemed to have forgotten one thing: the spirits he could summon... there weren't many dragon-type spirits.

Shiba couldn't defeat Lance's absolute ace, Dragonite, in a one-on-one match.

In this respect, Dragon-type Pokémon do indeed possess unparalleled strength, but the price is an exaggeratedly long growth cycle and an extremely high level required to evolve into their final form.

Even though it was Lance, before Dragonite had grown up, his ace was still Charizard, one of the three starter Pokémon in the Kanto region.

The food on the table disappeared at a frantic pace amidst everyone's laughter and conversation.

Xiaogang doesn't eat much, but Tetsuya and Nobuhiko are two big eaters.

"Snapped"

Nobuhiko placed the empty bowl on the table with a rather generous air: "It's alright, I'm about 70% full. I still have to exercise this afternoon, so I can't eat too much."

Xiao Gang silently twitched the corner of his eye.

If he remembered correctly, Nobuhiko had just eaten at least five times his usual amount of food.

Are all fighters such big eaters?

Looking at Tetsuya, whose appetite was in no way inferior to Nobuhiko's, Kogoro was a little confused.

"Xiao Gang's cooking skills are really great."

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Tetsuya finished the last bit of his meal and slumped contentedly in his chair.

No wonder he's the eldest brother who's taken care of his younger siblings since they were little; he's impeccable when it comes to daily life.

Tetsuya hadn't had such a lavish meal in the wild in a long time.

"Then we won't bother you any longer during your training, Nobuhiko-san."

Soon, Tetsuya finished tidying up everything and said goodbye to Nobuhiko.

Nobuhiko was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you planning to train here for a while? I thought Gallade would be perfect for training here."

"I'm a bit pressed for time. I was planning to attend the Dragon Ascension Ceremony first before bothering you."

Tetsuya replied in the same way.

Nobuhiko nodded knowingly: "That's true."

Judging from Tetsuya's speed in challenging gyms, collecting badges is not a problem for him at all.

Compared to the various tasks he had to do in Kanto, Tetsuya focused more on improving his companions' strength when traveling in Johto.

The training in the Valley of the Wind will be like this, and so will the training in Mount Raibo in the future.

"Well then, see you next time, Nobuhiko-nii/Nobuhiko-senpai."

Brock and Tetsuya waved to Nobuhiko, then disappeared into the dark cave passage with several Pokémon.

After watching the two leave, Nobuhiko twisted his neck and moved his legs.

"Then, let's begin our special training."

"Roar--"

The elves surrounding him cheered enthusiastically.

......

Four days later.

"Ah~"

At Exit 2 near Kaji Town on Leibo Mountain, two young men emerged from the cave and lazily stretched their bodies in the bright sun.

Tetsuya and Kogoro clearly felt somewhat uncomfortable during their brief time underground.

Xiao Gang was alright; his grandfather often took him underground for training.

Philosophy is no longer effective.

Having grown accustomed to the air of the Viridian Forest, he felt somewhat depressed about spending five whole days in the dark underground.

If they hadn't taken the wrong turn yesterday, they should have been out by now.

The trainers around them cast kind and envious glances.

Tetsuya's Blaziken and Piplup undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention once again.

In comparison, the rumbling rocks next to Xiaogang were not so conspicuous.

After all, communication evolution is becoming more and more common now, so it's not uncommon for Gravestone to evolve into Golem.

"Let's go, I don't know if we can finish challenging the gym this afternoon."

Tetsuya was already used to such looks. He casually put Blaziken back into its Poké Ball, leaving only Piplup, and called out to Brock.

"Senior Liu is quite responsible and will accept challenges most of the time. It's more likely that you won't be able to get an appointment this afternoon."

Xiao Gang glanced at the manual and gave a very thorough answer to Tetsuya's question.

Unlike normal gyms, as the gym leader of the Kaji Gym, Winter Lydia did not take on any gym apprentices to help him with gym battles.

Everyone who goes to the Kaji Gym for a battle will inevitably face this powerful old man.

Although there are clear level restrictions for Pokémon in gym battles, Plumber's own trainer level and abilities are such that most trainers cannot defeat him.

Even among trainers, there are not many who have gained recognition and received badges.

The nickname "Winter Uncle Liu" comes not only from his achievements in training Ice-type Pokémon, but also from his personality.

"Don't worry, there's always a way."

Tetsuya was quite confident about this.

He had met Uncle Liu before and found that the old man was not as difficult to get along with as the rumors suggested.

Of course, it could also be due to the care of Professor Oak, Professor Yamanashi, and the Pokémon Grandpa.

Now we need to add steel.

These people, including Kikuko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Kanto region, were very good friends when they were young.

"By the way, is it true that Uncle Liu and Uncle Xia have a grudge?"

On the way to Kagi Town, Tetsuya eagerly inquired about gossip.

Although he has a good relationship with Xia Bo's current disciple, Kajiyama, he won't gossip about his teacher.

Although Xia Bo seems quirky, he is actually a grumpy old man.

According to Kajiyama, he was often beaten up by Blaine during training.

The ferocity of fire was perfectly embodied in Blaine.

Just like the harshness of ice is manifested in Liu Bo.

Brock didn't have the same concerns as Kajiyama, and as the eldest son of the Pewter Gym, he was indeed aware of the feud between these two veteran and powerful trainers.

"It should be true."

Under Tetsuya's gaze, Kogoro slowly nodded.

"But that was a long time ago. The two seniors met at a league conference, not some major competition like the King of Kings Challenge."

He added.

"That time, Senior Blaine won, and Senior Liu's main Pokémon seemed to have suffered considerable damage, which is why the two of them had some grudges."

It's quite rare for trainers to form feuds through battles.

After all, everyone knows that Pokémon battles are unpredictable, and you can't expect your opponent to go easy on you, otherwise you'll easily suffer the consequences.

On-field rivals are more often than off-field friends.

Tetsuya raised an eyebrow.

Unexpectedly, when he was young, Uncle Liu's strength was actually inferior to Uncle Xia's.

According to Kajiyama's sleuth, Xia Bo's strength was not particularly outstanding among his peers back then.

But things are different now.

After witnessing the power of Liu Bo's Pokémon, Tetsuya didn't believe that Blaine's current strength could surpass Liu Bo's.

The messenger bird's mastery of ice energy is still deeply imprinted in his mind.

The two walked along the main road opened up by the alliance, where the number of people was decreasing from Leibo Mountain to Kaji Town.

An atmosphere of suspicion and fear spread.

Despite it being summer and midday, both of them felt a chill in their bodies.

The two gradually fell silent, exchanging glances without saying a word.

"This ninja town truly lives up to its reputation."

Xiao Gang said with a wry smile.

He even felt that someone was watching him from the shadows.

He knew, of course, that it was an illusion, but it still sent chills down his spine.

Tetsuya agreed and then took the initiative to increase the frequency of his footsteps.

He had never felt this way, not even at the Pokémon Ninja Academy.

It's safe to say that as the birthplace of ninjas in the Pokémon world, the atmosphere of Kaji Town alone deters many trainers from traveling here.

Located in the northernmost part of the Johto region, Kaji Town might have disappeared from the history of the League long ago if it weren't for its unique features such as the Kaji Gym, the Lake of Rage, and the Rage Bun.

The Fuchsia City Fuchsia Gym is a good example.

A-Ju and A-Xing's family were originally a ninja family in Kaji Town, but later moved to Asakusa City for various reasons.

One of the most important factors is development.

By increasing their speed, the two soon came to see the edge of Kaji Town.

This place isn't much different from Huipi Town.

They are also among the few locations in the region where the eight major academies are situated in a town.

Once they entered the town, the atmosphere of suspicion dissipated considerably.

Aside from wearing some strange things around their waists, the residents coming and going looked no different from ordinary people.

"Let's go check out the Kaji Gym first."

Tetsuya suggested.

Xiao Gang hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.

Thanks to the variety of healing skills of Tetsuya's partner and the ample logistical supplies in their backpacks, their exploration of the underground caves of Mount Raibo did not leave their Pokémon in a very bad state.