Chapter Four: The Standards of "Excellence"

At first, Amu considered choosing by intuition, but since Professor Oak had already reserved a Bulbasaur for her, she did not pick any others. Professor Oak then released the final trio of starters for the three to choose from.

Perhaps because Shinichi’s Rotom had long maintained its washing machine form, giving him an affinity for water, Squirtle immediately circled around him, chirping enthusiastically. The Charmander, whom Sonoko described as the most imposing among the starters, clearly had a connection with Lan; in front of her, it mimed boxing moves with its claws, roaring playfully.

Though it seemed like the three were choosing, it was actually a mutual selection between trainers and Pokémon.

Only Bulbasaur and Sonoko exchanged looks of mutual dislike. “Bulbasaur… It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just… it’s rather cute if it doesn’t evolve,” Sonoko said tentatively, poking the bud on Bulbasaur’s back.

“Bulba-bulba!” Bulbasaur retorted, pushing back with a vine beneath its petals in clear disdain.

Just as Sonoko wondered whether Bulbasaur simply wasn’t sociable, a different Bulbasaur’s call rang out: “Bulba~bulba~.” Professor Oak released another Bulbasaur, and this one eagerly nuzzled Amu’s palm.

Since acquiring the “Beast Tamer” occupational talent, Amu had become quite popular with Pokémon—her initial affinity was always positively boosted.

Sonoko was left without an excuse. “Hahaha, it seems you all have a great bond with your future partners! That’s wonderful, truly wonderful,” Professor Oak laughed warmly.

No, there was clearly one pair without a bond! Amu grumbled inwardly.

Professor Oak then transferred ownership of the Pokémon to each of them and activated their official Pokédexes.

Unlike in the games, “opening the Pokédex” and “collecting Pokémon data” were not tasks left to Amu and the others; the Pokédex already contained information on over a thousand Pokémon familiar to humans.

Amu noticed that the sections for mythical and legendary Pokémon were filled with blurry silhouettes or pixelated photos. In this world, there was no distinction between mythical, legendary, or ancient Pokémon—they were all called “legendary beasts,” and their power far exceeded the mere base stats of five, six, or seven hundred found in the games.

For common Pokémon, the Pokédex indicated their distribution, and the devices given to the four included detailed maps of both Kanto and Johto regions—clearly, these were no ordinary models.

“It’s already late today; why not stay here at the lab for the night?” Professor Oak suggested warmly.

With the Pokédex, rookie trainers could enjoy free food and lodging at Pokémon Centers during their first year of travel, but staying at Professor Oak’s place was even more convenient. Naturally, none of them refused.

The four added each other as friends through their Pokédexes. Sonoko asked curiously, “Amu, is it alright for you to activate your Pokédex now? The rookie trainer period for the Indigo League only lasts a year, right? In four months, you’ll need to go to Rainbow City to take the expert pharmacist exam…”

If it was just for experience, it didn’t matter, but Amu seemed genuinely intent on pursuing expert status. Wouldn’t these four months be devoted mainly to preparing for the pharmacist assessment?

The “rookie period” for each league was quite important—not only did it grant various benefits at Pokémon Centers, but the “rookie tournament” was open only to trainers in their first year of travel.

“Since you’re activating your Pokédex in March, you must be aiming for the Johto rookie tournament, right?” Shinichi speculated.

The Indigo League uniquely managed two regions, with its headquarters situated between them on the Silver Plateau of the Silver Mountains. Kanto and Johto were the only truly adjacent regions—other areas were separated by vast wilderness, even Sinnoh, which shared the continent, was cut off by the Crown and Silver Mountains, making travel between them primarily by air.

By contrast, between Kanto and Johto, though the Silver Mountains lay in between, the southern water route allowed passage through the capital’s waterfall. Trainers from both regions could easily interact, and only the rookie tournaments were separated; the Indigo League Championship was held jointly, regardless of region.

Each region’s rookie tournament was scheduled to avoid overlap—Kanto’s in September, Johto’s in March, with the Indigo League registering new trainers twice a year.

Generally, trainers chose which tournament to enter by activating their Pokédex in the corresponding month, granting a full year to prepare.

“For now… I want to try participating in both,” Amu replied modestly, though her words carried a hint of wild ambition.

The rookie tournament imposed a strict rule: at least five Pokémon on the team must be caught locally. If participating in both, Amu would have only half the training time compared to other rookies.

Even for the championship, though there was no strict regulation, most trainers maintained a certain proportion of locally caught Pokémon. Otherwise, it would be seen as low emotional intelligence and even as a provocation, inviting targeted challenges from local trainers.

“Then you’d better work hard,” Shinichi offered encouragement, though not with much sincerity.

“What do you all think makes a trainer truly outstanding?” Amu suddenly asked.

She’d been pondering this—now that she was a trainer, her “Beast Tamer” profession hadn’t immediately completed and promoted; clearly, she hadn’t yet become an “excellent beast tamer.” Compared to the previous role, this requirement was more ambiguous.

“Eh? An outstanding trainer? Hmm… someone recognized by everyone?” Lan guessed.

“At the very least, you’d need to enter the league’s official tournament,” Sonoko suggested, more pragmatically.

Amu felt uneasy—these were personal standards, not universally agreed definitions.

“If you consider yourself an outstanding trainer, first ask yourself: Have you won the championship? Have you gained the allegiance of a legendary beast?” Shinichi recited, as if quoting someone.

After a pause, he added, “That’s what Mr. Leon, the champion of the Galar League, said three years ago after winning the Masters tournament.”

“No, no, that was just Mr. Leon’s way of advising people not to get arrogant. Surely those aren’t the—actual standards!” Sonoko protested, stretching out her words.

Shinichi shrugged—“I didn’t say it.”

Amu fell into deep thought…

The Galar League’s champion—a title not just for a single tournament’s victor, but the official leader of the league. Leon’s words were meant to remind trainers to stay humble and keep learning, yet…

If such a standard were widely accepted, considering the role progression’s quirks, perhaps it really did require…

Amu could only lament—Mr. Leon, must you always be so verbose?

—

Note 1: The ninth generation is about to be released, and the number of Pokémon will exceed a thousand. If this story continues, it might even catch up with the tenth generation, so even if some legendary beasts aren’t in the Pokédex, the setting assumes 1000+.