Faction Conflict — Kanto League vs Team Rocket — Concluded.
Rewards are now being distributed based on player contribution.
Every opposing faction player defeated earns 10 contribution points.
Congratulations to player “Lone Warrior” for defeating 350 opposing players, earning 3,500 contribution points, successfully joining the Kanto League, and a large increase to reputation.
Congratulations to player “Marco” for defeating 280 opposing players, earning 2,800 contribution points, successfully joining Team Rocket, and a large increase to notoriety.
The world channel erupted with the event conclusion announcement.
Naoki, who had been walking Zorua through Naranja Academy, stopped in his tracks.
That fast?
He had assumed this had nothing to do with him.
Then another notification came through on the world channel.
Congratulations to player “Larry” for receiving a special reward: mysterious figure affinity +20, reputation +100.
He had gotten a reward too?
Naoki blinked, then received a message from Kenji.
Kenji: Hey Larry, did you participate in the Kanto faction conflict too?
Naoki sent back a brief confirmation, then opened his player panel and checked the mysterious figure’s affinity entry.
The world announcement had not named the mysterious figure, but his personal panel showed the information clearly.
Lance affinity +20.
That was…
Before he could make sense of it, a message came in from Moon.
Her emotions were coming through the text clearly.
Moon: Larry, Larry, I’m okay!
An NPC called Lance showed up out of nowhere and saved me.
Moon: He arranged a helicopter to fly me to Paldea, and he gave me a Dragon-type Pokémon egg.
We’re waiting at Celadon Port right now.
I’ll be in Paldea soon.
Naoki put it together immediately.
Lance had stepped in.
Of course he had.
The Kanto League was never going to stand by and watch Team Rocket run a full-region manhunt on a fourteen-year-old girl.
For Moon, all things considered, this had worked out well.
Larry: Glad to hear it.
Moon: Larry, do you want the egg?
I don’t think Pidgeotto and I would have gotten out as fast without your help.
A Dragon-type egg from Lance, a man who came from the Dragon Clan and was known for fielding an entire team of Dragonite.
Naoki was curious despite himself.
Larry: What kind of egg?
Moon: I just asked Lance and he said it’s a Pokémon called Kingdra.
Naoki stared at that for a moment.
Fair enough.
Kingdra was technically a Dragon-type.
Fitting for a man who could fill a whole team with Dragonite.
But a Pokémon that specialized in underwater combat was not something he had any use for.
Besides, the egg was Moon’s reward.
Taking it from a fourteen-year-old middle school student would be a step too far.
Larry: Keep it.
It’s yours.
Message me when you arrive in Paldea.
Moon: Okay!
Naoki closed the panel and looked up.
Naranja Academy stood before him, occupying a central position in the heart of Mesagoza.
According to what he knew, the school had been founded roughly eight hundred years ago, making it the largest and oldest academy in the world.
It was divided into two schools: Naranja Academy and Uva Academy, whose students trained alongside each other and grew together through competition.
As one of the oldest institutions of its kind anywhere in the world, the Academy accepted students without restriction.
The range of students it drew was extraordinary, from young children to fully grown adults, arriving from every region to study within its walls.
Eight centuries of accumulated knowledge and resources had given the place a depth that was difficult to fully appreciate from the outside.
Beyond the library’s vast collection of texts, what stood out most were the state-of-the-art training facilities, built to meet every conceivable need a Pokémon might have during development.
Gravity training chambers to build a Pokémon’s endurance, strength, and speed.
High-temperature chambers to raise a Pokémon’s tolerance for extreme heat.
Cold training chambers helped Pokémon learn to endure and operate in freezing conditions.
That was the main reason Naoki had come here today.
He showed his Paldea League HR department work credentials to the staff at the Academy entrance and was waved through without difficulty.
Walking through the wide, classically styled corridors, he could hear the sounds of Trainers calling out battle commands and Pokémon cries coming from every direction.
“Don’t be scared, Zorua.” Naoki reached up and rested a hand on her head.
“We came here to help you get stronger.”
“Wuu?” Zorua gathered her courage and lifted her head, taking in the surroundings with cautious eyes.
“That’s more like it.” Naoki smiled.
The new student registration desk was just ahead.
His plan was to enroll first and establish himself as a student of the Academy.
That would give him legitimate access to the training facilities going forward.
More precisely, he was returning to continue his studies, since his starting identity had him listed as a Naranja Academy graduate to begin with.
The specialist training chambers required a fee to use, but enrolled students received a discount.
It was worth doing.
The staff member at the registration desk handled everything with the efficiency of someone who had done it thousands of times.
He took Naoki’s tuition and dormitory payments, processed the paperwork without delay, and handed over a key.
“Your room is 302 in Building 7.
Within the Academy you’re free to move as you like, whether that means attending classes or heading out into the field for practical training.”
Naoki nodded and took the key.
This arrangement suited him well.
Being an Academy student would not interfere with his League work, and the Academy’s distance from the League building was actually shorter than from his apartment.
Staying in the dormitory would save him a fair amount of travel time each day.
“Alright.
Let’s go take a look at the training chambers,” Naoki said.
“Wuu.” Zorua agreed without hesitation.
Naoki smiled to himself.
His Zorua had decent natural talent, all things considered.
He pulled up her information.
Pokémon: Zorua
Gender: Female
Type: Dark
Ability: Illusion
Strength: Beginner
Known Moves: Scratch, Leer, Memento, Extrasensory
Zorua was still weak, but the fact that she had already learned Extrasensory, an inherited move of genuine quality, said something meaningful about her potential.
At minimum her parents had been Gym Leader-level or above.
Extrasensory required a degree of energy control that most Pokémon could only achieve after considerable development.