Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

"Your team just completed its breakthrough, right? Why not wait a few more years?"

"We should at least give it a try, just in case."

Tetsuya licked his lips.

He was really looking forward to fighting those strong opponents.

Kona and Shiba exchanged a glance.

Yeah, I think I was like that back then.

"Speaking of which, there is indeed a competition you could participate in."

The former thoughtfully pulled out a stack of documents from his office: "The official gym qualification tournament in the Hoenn region, are you interested?"

Chapter 553 KO~ (Ten-minute revisions)

"The battle for official Hoenn Gym qualification?"

Tetsuya repeated it aloud.

In the blink of an eye, he thought of Qianli.

Kona rubbed her temples: "Yeah, you know that Hoenn is a bit chaotic, so there are a few more official gym vacancies in other cities recently."

"Are Team Magma and Team Ocean really that strong?"

Tetsuya asked, somewhat puzzled.

It is true that these two dark organizations have a long history.

But in terms of pure strength, it's not actually that strong.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been completely surpassed by the Rockets led by Giovanni in the future.

It's important to know that Giovanni's mother was the first generation of Team Rocket, while Giovanni was only the second generation.

The efforts of less than two generations have surpassed thousands of years of development.

Even though Sakaki was incredibly powerful, Tetsuya felt that these two organizations were just joking.

"It can only be said that they are involved, but it's not entirely their fault," Kona sighed.

Shiba picked up the conversation: "As you know, the ecological environment in the Hoenn region is quite unique."

Perhaps due to the clash of powers between those two legendary Pokémon, the habitable areas in Hoenn are extremely habitable, while the hostile areas are unimaginably hostile.

Especially inland areas.

In addition, the Lava Team and the Ocean Team cause damage to the ecological environment, so serious disasters often occur.

Therefore, the dangers faced by museum owners are generally higher.

Tetsuya's cheek twitched.

Even Elite Four level trainers can die, and you call this "somewhat" high?

"There are really only a few. In the last five years, only three have gone missing. The rest were because they failed the assessment."

Kona immediately saw through Tetsuya's thoughts and corrected them.

"There's not much difference, is there? Failing the assessment still stems from problems with the main team, right...?"

"Well, that makes sense."

But it's better than getting lost in the wild, right?

Kona shrugged, indicating that it was normal.

While enjoying various benefits and perks, Elite-level trainers also bear corresponding responsibilities.

If the threat level is not high, then the League doesn't need to stipulate that the official Gym Leaders must be at least Elite Four level.

Those Elite Four level trainers who got into trouble were usually those who barely met the minimum requirements, and whose strength was at the bottom among the Elite Four.

If there were even a second team, even if it wasn't fully staffed, there wouldn't be any failures in the assessment.

"But I never thought about becoming a gym leader in Hoenn, it's too far."

Tetsuya was somewhat resistant. "When will this be available in Kanto? Or even Johto would be fine."

"Don't even think about it anytime soon." Kona glanced at him. "Our two regions are quite stable. There's only one spot every few years, and there are a lot of people vying for it. Based on seniority and contributions, you won't get a chance."

Shiba touched his hair: "It's very simple. Anyway, there seem to be eight spots. If you get the spot, just secretly transfer it to the ninth place at a high price. Only the ninth place, and then you can forfeit."

"Don't set a bad example for the kids," Kona remarked, but didn't explicitly object.

"It seems that I still have a lot to learn from my seniors."

Tetsuya, whose mind quickly caught on, looked at the two of them speechlessly.

Yes, he was tempted.

As strength increases, the daily consumption of teammates will only increase.

Even with insect nets as a source of income, he can't just continue to be so lazy.

Before officially assuming a position in the league, starting a small business seems like a good option.

"Buzz~ Buzz~"

Tetsuya's watch lit up.

"My competition is about to start. Please send me the details, Kona. I'm leaving now."

Watching his hurried departure, Shiba and Kona exchanged a smile.

Alright, mission accomplished~

Now those guys don't have to worry about the reputation of young trainers in Kanto anymore.

Kona stretched lazily. "This little guy says it all."

"Instead of wasting this time, we'd be better off letting them think of ways to keep people in Kanto, so they don't get abducted to Tokyo."

Shiba said something softly, then closed his eyes and began meditating again.

Kona continued fiddling with her fingers, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.

the other side.

The Fourth Arena.

"You are my opponent?"

Inoue Yuzuki spoke to Tetsuya in an extremely disdainful tone.

Yes, is there anything I can help you with?

Thinking about what had just happened, Tetsuya gave a casual reply.

Inoue saw through his attitude and her expression turned ugly: "You fame-seeking bastard, I will tear off your disguise of strength in front of everyone and let everyone see your true face."

"what?"

Tetsuya looked up blankly and blinked in disbelief.

"Hmph, I knew I wasn't wrong." Inoue Yuzuki got even more excited. "The Gallade you used in the selection meeting, and that psychic resonance, must be your most powerful trump cards."

You want everyone to think that it's just the strength of your second team of Pokémon, far from that of the first team, which is why you used it in the last round of the selection tournament to make people wary.

In fact, this Gallade must be your long-hidden trump card.

He looked confident.

Wow........

Tetsuya sighed, then fell silent.

He didn't know how to respond to the other person's thoughts.

Is this idiot trying to be funny?

"Hmph, I'll show you what true power is."

True strength doesn't require such petty tricks.

With a flick of his head, Shangyue left the registration area with an arrogant air.

Miss Joey, standing to the side, also gaped in astonishment.

"Lucky~"

Chansey let out a worried cry.

Otherwise, we should bring him back to check if his brain has been damaged.

"At least, he's optimistic, isn't he?"

Miss Joy looked at the registered elves of both sides and could only come up with this description.

"Next, please welcome contestant number 14, Inoue Yuzuki, and contestant number 1, Tamaki Tetsuya!"

The referee's voice echoed throughout the arena.

Tetsuya silently walked from the passageway to the command platform.

The cheers from the audience were deafening.

The crowd was densely packed, far exceeding the numbers in the other three arenas.

Seeing this, a hint of jealousy flashed in the eyes of Yuzuki, who was sitting opposite her.

"Red side, Well-known; Green side, Tamaki Tetsuya. Now, let's decide who gets the first strike."

The referee gestured to both sides and then pressed the switch in his hand.

Just like during the selection meeting, the huge screen above the venue kept flashing red and green alternately.

It finally stopped on the fiery red color.

"Yuyue, please send out your first Pokémon."

As the referee's voice rang out, the screen displayed the avatars of the two opposing teams.

Below the avatar are three unknown sprite patterns.

"very good!"

You Yue's face lit up with joy.

For him, seizing the initiative was quite important: "Go, Centipede King, let them know what real power is!"

"hiss--"

A fishy smell filled the area.

A giant centipede Pokémon with a black belly and a magenta back is roaring to the sky.

Its pupils are yellow, its body has circular purple markings, and its antennae are a mix of purple and red.

The upright upper body appears particularly aggressive.

"First, a centipede king with insects and poison?"

Tetsuya muttered to himself, "So they're preparing to plant spikes..."

"In that case, Pang Yan, let's teach it a lesson."

"Dangoro!"

Pang Yan Guai landed steadily in front of Tetsuya.

"Centipede King, use Spikes + Poison Spikes!"

Inoue Yuzuki didn't care what kind of spirit Tetsuya sent out.

In any case, the Centipede King's appearance was merely for the purpose of creating the venue.

He didn't even expect the Centipede King to win the first match.

"Victory always requires sacrifice."

"hiss--"

The centipede king was clearly prepared long ago.