Chapter 139: Discomfort

Ayako was also quite surprised on the side. Coach Anzai had actually gone out to find a "pure rookie" as a foreign ringer?

This young man, who was unfamiliar to the point that he might not even be from the Oak Research Institute, looked as though he had never touched Pokémon Basket-Football before in his life!

However, seeing Coach Anzai take the initiative to extend the invitation, Ayako chimed in from the side, saying, "Many formidable Pokémon Training Masters also serve as foreign ringers in basket-football, like Mr. Dande..."

Hearing Coach Anzai and Ayako put it this way, Mu felt a stirring of interest.

After all, being a "basket-football foreign ringer" was one of the most lucrative part-time gigs for trainers, with top-tier ringers sometimes earning even more than pharmacists!

Of course, the status of a pharmacist couldn't be measured by income alone...

Another reason Mu's stance softened was his discovery that Coffin had been quietly observing the situation the whole time.

Clearly, it had a genuine interest in basket-football!

In pursuit of the Path of the Gods, Mu would undoubtedly travel across various regions in the future and capture many Pokémon. When they weren't needed for battles, finding some personal hobbies for them was not a bad idea.

"Alright! I can join as a foreign ringer for Koku Kita High School's varsity team. However, in the event that a basket-football match clashes with a Pokémon tournament schedule, then—"

Just as Mu was about to set down conditions, Ayako interrupted proactively, "Don't worry! The League's high school basket-football tournaments are always scheduled to avoid overlapping with rookie Pokémon competitions... Generally speaking, major basket-football events are also scheduled separately from major Pokémon tournaments."

It wasn't just Mu who had such concerns; many foreign ringers were professional trainers working part-time.

As for the terms of joining...

Neither side brought them up!

After all, Mu was merely a rookie trainer and a complete "basket-football novice," while Koku Kita was hardly a powerhouse high school basket-football team—they couldn't even afford to provide standard training facilities at a moment's notice, so the school certainly wouldn't allocate a special budget for a foreign ringer... Otherwise, they wouldn't have invited a rookie like Mu in the first place.

At most, they would reimburse round-trip flight tickets and cover food and lodging during the pre-match training camp days...

Naturally, Mu wouldn't need to undergo physical training camps either; his training was primarily focused on commanding Coffin from the sidelines.

Seeing that Mu had agreed, Coach Anzai directly called the other team members over and introduced Mu—or rather, introduced "Coffin"—to everyone.

Hearing that the varsity team had landed something as high-end as a "foreign ringer," the members were all quite excited. But immediately afterward, their expressions turned somewhat conflicted—how could our "foreign ringer" be such an unadulterated greenhorn?

Still, reflecting on the fact that this "foreign ringer" probably didn't cost a dime, everyone felt a sense of relief!

If it were one of those prestigious powerhouse schools, the foreign ringers they hired would naturally be well-known rookie trainers moonlighting in basket-football, but the expenses wouldn't be small either.

Unlike Mu, who only needed to be fed...

Thinking about it, Koku Kita was indeed a good fit for Mu. Ordinarily, to take on a part-time role as a basket-football foreign ringer, a trainer would first have to train themselves into a somewhat decent shape before any team would deign to hire them, and Mu simply didn't have that kind of time.

Starting right from his rookie era and growing alongside Koku Kita High School was a solid choice for Mu!

"Welcome." Akagi, acting as the captain, took the initiative to step forward and shake Mu's hand to welcome him to the team.

Perhaps because the title of "trainer foreign ringer" sounded high-class and impressive, after a few brief words of encouragement from Captain Akagi, everyone inexplicably started getting pumped up.

The group stacked their hands together...

Akagi stared straight at Mu, forcing Mu to awkwardly join the huddle as well, though... standing this close, Mu appeared somewhat short in comparison.

Although basket-football allowed human players to use both hands and feet, Koku Kita's varsity team clearly favored a "high-ball strategy"—a route primarily centered on hand-played tactics!

"League Championship!" Akagi shouted passionately, leading the team.

Mu merely moved his lips...

"Huh? Mu, you're not getting into it? Don't you have any confidence?" Ayako teased from the side.

"Well... I'm just not quite used to this," Mu said awkwardly.

"Hahaha, everyone here is full of hot blood, people who love sports are always like this, right?" Ayako hoped Mu would integrate as quickly as possible, even if he didn't usually have to participate in physical drills.

"的热血倒是还好 (Being hot-blooded is fine), mainly I just can't quite get used to setting a goal like this..." Mu spoke his mind honestly.

"Have a little confidence! Never mind that our past rankings weren't great, but now..."

Ayako naturally felt the need to offer encouragement, but Mu interrupted her: "No, no, no, my point is, what on earth is shouting 'League Championship' supposed to mean... Shouldn't we be aiming for the national championship at a time like this? Even though I don't understand basket-football tournaments very well, but... getting into the [League High School Championship Tournament], isn't that essentially equivalent to collecting our eight gym badges and qualifying?"

Mu wasn't intentionally targeting anyone; from the perspective of his own goals, his target for the trainer rookie tournament was the championship, and his target as a pharmacist was to reach Master level within five years...

Emotionally, he simply couldn't bring himself to invest in such an unambitious goal!

Ayako, Akagi, Kaede, and the others: ...

"Wahahaha! As expected, we're the same kind of person! Actually, I think the exact same way. Since I've joined, we simply have to aim for the championship no matter what!" Hanamichi laughed heartily as he chimed in.

"Moron... both of them," Kaede muttered quietly from the side.

"Hey! You looking for a fight?" Hanamichi immediately crowded up to him.

Mu, on the other hand, felt that this year held the highest hope for claiming the title, considering... the "Generation of Miracles" from Teiko Junior High had already reached their third year.

If they couldn't get it this year, there would be even less of a chance in the next two years.

Mu figured that since he had chosen to debut as a "basket-football ringer trainer," he had better secure a League High School Basket-Football Championship within three years, come hell or high water!

Right at that moment, another girl came running over: "Ah! Sorry, sorry, it was my duty day today, so I'm late... but I finally made it."

Initially, Mu instinctively assumed it was "Haruko," except... why did this Haruko have short hair?

"You're here! That means everyone—" Ayako had originally wanted to say "that means everyone is here," but stopping herself for some reason, she changed her tune and said instead, "Let me introduce you, this is our 'assistant coach'."

"No way! Ayako-san, you really know how to flatter me," the short brown-haired girl replied, looking very cheerful.

"Still, standing in for Grandpa for a little while is totally fine! Grandpa, I'm here to take over your shift, you should get some early rest!"

Mu sensed some unusual vibes in the air, because... in Mu's impression, Coach Anzai didn't have a granddaughter, and Haruko certainly didn't fit this character profile!

"Riko, let me introduce you first. For the next three years, this is our Koku Kita trainer foreign ringer," Ayako pulled Riko back over.

"Riko?" Mu muttered the name thoughtfully as he heard it.

"Foreign ringer?" Riko echoed, looking Mu up and down.

"Hello..." Mu said as he shook her hand, pulling Coffin forward at the same time to emphasize, "Though strictly speaking, the ringer is actually 'Coffin'; both of us are pure rookies."

At the same time, Mu observed Riko...

Thinking about it this way, it seemed... the next year or two might actually be worth playing for after all?