5: Chapter 4: A Million-Dollar Extraction!
5: Chapter 4: A Million-Dollar Extraction!
Chapter 4: A Million-Dollar Extraction!
The next morning, Professor Elm scanned the classroom before class out of habit, hoping to catch Sean copying homework, but found his seat completely empty.
He asked Lyra where Sean was, but she only shook her head, indicating she had no idea.
“Did that brat overslept again?” However, by the time the first period ended, there was still no sign of Sean, and a sudden sense of foreboding enveloped Professor Elm’s mind.
Knowing Sean’s personality, even if he were late, he wouldn’t be this late—especially after what had happened yesterday.
He immediately pulled his phone out of his lab coat pocket and urgently placed a video call to Sean.
*Ring—Ring—* The phone only rang twice before being picked up quickly.
Filling the screen was Sean’s massive, grinning face, flashing a highly energetic peace sign: “Ciallo～(∠・ω＜)⌒☆!
Good morning, Professor!” Professor Elm focused his eyes and noticed that the background on the screen wasn’t Sean’s home, but an unfamiliar street, with a bulging backpack sitting right by his feet.
Anger flared up in Professor Elm, his voice rising a few octaves: “Sean!
Are you skipping class, you little brat?!
Where on earth are you right now?!” “Hehehe,” Sean replied with a smirk, “I’m in Violet City.
It’s a long way from New Bark Town~” “Violet City?” Professor Elm froze, his initial reaction being utter disbelief.
“Utter nonsense!
What are you doing running off all that way for?!” Sean slowly panned his phone camera.
Through the screen, an incredibly distinctive circular open-air battlefield could be clearly seen not far away, with a wing emblem hanging prominently above the entrance—the Violet Gym.
Professor Elm’s words cut off instantly.
He felt a sudden wave of dizziness as his blood pressure spiked!
He understood in a flash exactly what this lawless brat was doing!
He had run away on a journey—without graduating, and without being registered as an official Pokémon Trainer!
“Ridiculous!
Absolutely ridiculous!” Professor Elm roared at the screen.
“Sean, you listen to me carefully!
Students who haven’t graduated from a Pokémon Primary Academy cannot be officially registered as Pokémon Trainers by the League!
Without a registered Trainer status, you can’t use the healing, lodging, and dining services at Pokémon Centers for free!
Do you have any idea what the consequences are if you get hurt out there or run out of money?!” Facing the professor’s rapid-fire interrogation, Sean shrank his neck back and said: “Ah, Professor, what did you say?
The signal is pretty bad on my end, I can’t hear you clearly!
*Bzzz…* Hello?
Hello?
I’m gonna hang up now, okay?” Sean made a show of holding his phone up high, and then, amidst the professor’s furious roars of “Hello!
Don’t you dare hang up!
You brat, don’t you dare!”, his thumb pressed the screen and ended the call.
Staring at the pitch-black, blank screen, Professor Elm was so furious he nearly plucked his own mustache out.
[LanLi: Ahem..
u dont have one do u?] Sean chuckled as he looked at the phone, visualizing Professor Elm’s exasperated yet utterly helpless face from moments ago.
He turned to the slightly worried Cyndaquil on his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, Cyndaquil.
As for not being able to freeload off the Pokémon Centers, I’ve already taken that into account!
I’ve come up with an absolute genius of a method to make money while traveling!” “Inaa?” Cyndaquil tilted its head, looking confused.
“Vlogging!” Sean said excitedly.
“We’re going to record our adventures, upload them to the internet, and draw in countless fans!
And then, hehehe, we can take on sponsorships, earn donations, rise to the absolute peak of the internet, and achieve financial freedom!” With that, Sean tapped rapidly on his phone screen, opening a pink app whose icon featured the round eyes and mouth of a Jigglypuff, with the name “Jigglypuff Jigglypuff” labeled right beneath it.
This was one of the massive, comprehensive video community platforms in the Pokémon world, integrating short-form videos, live streaming, community boards, and various other features.
Sean’s fingers flew across the screen, quickly completing his registration on “Jigglypuff Jigglypuff.” When it came time to enter an account ID, he didn’t hesitate for a single second to type in the booming name: [The Number One Pokemon Master, Big Papa]!
[Nickname too long.
Registration failed.] “Ah, wait, what?” Seeing the prompt, Sean had no choice but to begrudgingly delete the prefix of the ID, leaving only the: ‘Big Papa’.
“Whatever, this works too.
This is simple, easy to remember, and down-to-earth.” Sean proudly displayed the account interface to his very first partner, Cyndaquil.
“Inaa!” Cyndaquil excitedly tapped the screen with its little paw, as if saying, “I’m fully investing in this project!” …
Professor Elm paced back and forth in his office.
His initial rage slowly began to cool, replaced by a complex wave of worry and understanding.
“The reason this kid set off in such a rush was for Cyndaquil—for that sliver of hope regarding Ho-Oh!” the professor muttered to himself.
He recalled Sean’s profound love for Pokémon, and that passionate, smiling face of his.
For a youth so packed with drive and possessing such a burning heart, perhaps a classroom was never meant to confine him in the first place.
True growth lay out there, between that vast and perilous world.
Thinking up to this point, Professor Elm let out a long sigh, a sense of relief washing over him as he even reached a decision: “It looks like I’ll have to report this situation to the League and see if they can make an exception to register Sean as a Pokémon Trainer.
Then I can mail his Pokédex over to him.
I can’t just let him live a miserable life out there.” His mood easing up slightly, Professor Elm finished his lectures and dragged his exhausted body back home.
However, the moment he unlocked and pushed the door open, he froze dead in his tracks.
His kitchen looked as though it had been violently ransacked by a pack of ravenous Mankey!
The pantry doors were wide open, and the instant food, premium Berries, and Pokémon food stored inside had been swept completely clean.
Even the ingredients inside the refrigerator were entirely gone!
“Did I get robbed?!” Professor Elm’s glasses slipped down slightly.
Right then, he noticed his spare key sitting on the dining table—the exact one he had given to Sean—with a note pressed underneath it: *To the world’s best Professor Elm, thank you for your immense grace and kindness.
I will never forget this debt of gratitude for the rest of my life!* *When I find Ho-Oh, become the Champion, and reach the absolute peak of my life, I will definitely repay you a hundredfold!* *You are my angel investor!* ——Left by your dearest student & future Champion, Sean.
Professor Elm’s hands trembled violently as he held the piece of paper.
“An.
Angel.
In.
Ves.
Tor?!” He enunciated each word individually, the veins on his forehead instantly popping with fury.
Staring at the completely hollowed-out kitchen before his eyes, Sean’s smug face flashed vividly inside Professor Elm’s mind: “A million-dollar extraction!
Cyndaquil, our starting gear is locked and loaded!” Finally, Professor Elm lost all of his patience and let out an enraged, thunderous roar: “SEAN!!!
YOU BRAT DIDN’T EVEN LEAVE ME THE SOY SAUCE!!!” At this exact moment, all of his understanding, all of his relief, and all of his warm intentions to fight for the boy’s Trainer registration were completely blasted away by this Mankey-style looting, leaving behind nothing but absolute, unadulterated fury!
Professor Elm snatched up his phone and dialed Officer Jenny in Violet City without a shred of hesitation, practically screaming into the receiver: “Officer Jenny!
This is Elm!
Please immediately arrest a little thief wearing a black-and-gold cap, carrying a massive backpack, and accompanied by a Cyndaquil!
Yes!
He just ransacked my kitchen, caught red-handed with the stolen goods!” —