Chapter 148: Beginning to Teach

At this moment, Chen Ou was already standing at the podium.

Looking out, he saw that the auditorium was packed to capacity. Sitting in the front row were various esteemed doctors, alongside trainers and researchers who had come upon his reputation.

Behind them were the students from every college and year at Celadon University. The older among these students were slightly older than Chen Ou, while the younger ones were only a year or two younger than him.

Yet, while Chen Ou had already achieved worldwide renown, they remained obscure figures making their way through school.

It had to be said that the academic path started far too slowly.

In Chen Ou's original world, pursuing higher education provided better employment opportunities compared to others, and generally speaking, this point remained largely undisputed.

However, in the Pokémon world, the legal age to register as a trainer was just ten years old.

In other words, a ten-year-old child could already venture out on a journey into the wild, though very few parents chose to let their children do so. Even so, they weren't entirely nonexistent—Ash, who was about to set out on his journey, was a prime example, despite looking and built less like a ten-year-old and more like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth. Generally speaking, trainers who barely studied at school would begin their journeys no later than sixteen, and fifteen or sixteen was indeed a fitting age.

On the other hand, academic-track trainers who stayed in school until graduation would typically not encounter the wild in any true sense until they were nearly eighteen.

Being a trainer was a profession driven by raw talent and practical experience. How could one possibly expect someone with at least two or three more years of real-world trials under their belt to be weaker than you?

Hardly any academic-track trainers could stand up and hold their own.

Naturally, the academic faction's primary focus was on cultivating research talent. Fortunately, the number of talents nurtured in this field was quite substantial, preventing the academic faction from being utterly crushed by the journey-focused faction.

Of course, there wasn't any profound conflict or contradiction between the so-called academic faction and the journey faction; at most, they merely looked down on each other. Real heavyweights, however, never identified themselves by any single faction.

Judging by his experiences, Chen Ou belonged to the journey faction, yet he neither looked down upon the academics nor pinned the label of the journey faction upon himself. He merely held a tiny, infinitesimal shred of disdain for trainers who lingered in schools until they were eighteen or even twenty-two.

In today's universities, the requirements for trainers were ridiculously low, involving only four field practices a month, each lasting a single day...

What was the point of that? Was it playing house or trainer cosplay?

It wasn't as if the heavyweights of the academic faction hadn't considered reforms, but how could the parents who sent their students to school ever agree to it? Keeping their children away from danger—wasn't that the fundamental requirement of sending them to school in the first place? If they wanted their children to travel, sending them to a summer or winter camp for a month or two was more than enough.

To return to the matter at hand, Chen Ou's lecture had already begun.

Exchanging a smiling glance with Cynthia sitting down in the audience, Chen Ou raised his head, looked directly at the crowd in front of him, and began to speak:

"Welcome everyone to today's open lecture. To be honest, I never expected such a grand turnout today," Chen Ou said with a helpless smile. "I originally just intended to come to Celadon University to share some basic knowledge about legendary Pokémon with the students, hoping to spark the interest of a few. But seeing things now, it seems this open lecture cannot be wrapped up quite so casually."

"So, all of you sitting here are in for a treat. Aside from hearing me interpret the original roles of legendary Pokémon, you will also be presented with a brand-new research report today!"

Applause rippled through the audience.

"This guy Chen Ou really doesn't look the slightest bit like a teacher, does he?"

Blue watched Chen Ou on stage and said with a trace of helplessness.

"There's no helping it, though. Dr. Chen Ou should be around the same age as you, Senior Blue, right? So, speaking of which, he's basically the same age as the students down here. Expecting someone so young to lecture while carrying the aura of a seasoned veteran... that's asking a bit too much of him," Gold said, resting his hands behind his head with a rather restless expression.

He didn't want to listen to the lecture at all right now. He'd much rather find somewhere to go out and play, maybe shoot some pool. Even finding someone for an unsparing, no-rules battle would be better than this!

"Ah! I really want a no-rules battle right now! Senior Blue, keep me company and spar with me!"

Gold let out a helpless wail before turning his gaze to Blue.

Blue looked at the unruly Gold, shook his head helplessly, and suddenly a bright, brilliant smile bloomed on the corners of his lips: "Just listen properly to the lecture. Afterward, I'll have Chen Ou give you a proper no-rules battle."

As soon as those words left his mouth, both Leaf and Truffle realized that this fellow Blue did not harbor good intentions.

Leaving Leaf aside for the moment, Truffle had actually witnessed Chen Ou fighting against Darkrai with her own eyes!

Yet Gold was completely clueless about this little detail!

"Oh! Dr. Chen Ou is also someone skilled in no-rules battles?! That's awesome! Thanks a lot, Senior Blue!"

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Gold's eyes. To him, challenging someone who had grown up alongside Blue and Red was a joyous prospect indeed. Moreover, he possessed immense confidence in his own prowess in unsparing, chaotic battles, feeling certain that he could hold his own for a few rounds even against Red.

And he wasn't entirely wrong about that; if anything, among all the Pokédex holders, Gold possessed the highest raw talent for street-style combat.

Chen Ou was simply cheating, so he didn't count...

Therefore, the look Truffle directed at Gold at that moment could only be described as pity.

On the other side, Sapphire and Ruby were doing relatively well. Since one was the daughter of Professor Birch and the other was the son of Petalburg Gym Leader Norman, as well as Wallace's disciple, they were quite accustomed to such settings.

"Dr. Chen Ou is truly young and promising! He can already stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the masters and the others by now!"

Ruby watched the eloquently speaking yet impossibly young Chen Ou on stage and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"Indeed! The last time I saw Dr. Chen Ou, he was just a junior researcher who came along with Sister Leaf to ask Father for some documents."

Sapphire had indeed met Chen Ou before, though only once. After all, since Chen Ou was an outsider, managing to blend in and become so familiar with everyone was already quite an extraordinary feat.

On the stage, Chen Ou's lecture had moved on to the symbiotic relationship between the Tree of Beginning and Mew, alongside their significance in maintaining the stability of the entire region.

The students in the audience listened with rapt attention, while Chen Ou delivered his points in a relaxed and effortless manner, mostly because these were things he had experienced firsthand. Furthermore, this particular academic discipline inherently combined historical texts with practical fieldwork.

The narrative itself was brimming with legendary colors, complemented by historical literature and empirical verification. It naturally left people both thoroughly convinced and profoundly enlightened.

After a while, Chen Ou had provided an even richer and more detailed interpretation of the thesis he had once presented at the conference. Judging by the reactions of Professor Oak and the others in the audience, the effect was exceptional.

"So, since this is an open lecture, I shouldn't just be the only one talking up here. Are there any students who have questions they'd like to ask?"