Wattson chuckled, a friendly yet knowing grin spreading across his face. "You've got a long way to go, kid."
Those words echoed in John's mind as he walked through the day's grind. After what seemed like an eternity of training, he finally arrived at Mauville City, home to the third gym: Mauville Gym.
But before tackling the gym itself, he took care of a few side quests: clearing out the Trick House, snagging a Rare Candy (always a helpful boost), and defeating his rival May. As a reward, she handed him the Dowsing Machine, a gadget capable of finding hidden items scattered around. But, as it often goes, no amount of side missions could make up for the fact that he'd just been handed a defeat by Wattson.
Wattson's team was no joke: He led with Voltorb at LV 29 and Magneton at LV 33. John's team, on the other hand, was still a work in progress. His Pokemon—Combusken, Frogadier, and Kirlia—were all around LV 23, and facing Wattson wasn't exactly a fair fight. The Electric-types on Wattson's team had a huge advantage over Frogadier, and with no clear type advantage for John, his Pokemon were struggling.
'If it weren't for Combusken and Kirlia,' John thought, 'I wouldn't have even made it past Magneton.' But he wasn't about to let that stop him. There was no time to dwell on the loss.
"Looks like I need to level up my team," he muttered to himself. He made a mental note to head to Granite Cave next to catch some Ground-type Pokemon.
But before that, he made one more stop: the grass near Mauville City. There, he encountered a few wild Pokemon—Illumise, Sweet Firefly, and Roselia—but none were worth stopping for. He wasn't after them, so he turned and made his way toward the cave.
Just as he was about to leave, his phone buzzed.
"Kirl~" Kirlia used Confusion to float the phone toward John.
It was a message from a person named Daisy:
(Daisy: "Please report to Teaching Building A, Room 3, Multimedia Classroom before 6:00 PM today, August 16th, for the first class meeting.")
"Daisy must be my teacher." John murmured, glancing at the time. It was already 5:00 PM.
He had just enough time to grab some food, take a quick shower, and head over. Pokemon grinding could wait for now.
He ordered some takeout and went downstairs.
In the living room, Makuhita was sprawled across the couch, a large tub of popcorn in one hand and a bottle of soda in the other. He was glued to the TV, watching something with absolute focus. When he noticed John coming down, he grinned, showing off his usual carefree smile.
"Be careful with that," John warned. Makuhita had no fingers, so he often had trouble holding things steady. In fact, just the other day, he'd knocked over three glasses without even realizing it.
Meanwhile, Combusken and Frogadier were outside, practicing their moves. They had just lost to Wattson, and it seemed to fuel their determination. They were pushing themselves hard, while Makuhita was too busy enjoying his snack to care about the battle at all.
After dinner and a quick shower, John glanced at the clock: 5:40 PM. He grabbed his Pokémon and headed out.
The campus was quieter than usual. Riverstone University wasn't exactly a sprawling campus, and the freshman class was smaller than some of the other schools. About 2,000 students had enrolled, and many upperclassmen had already gone off on internships or were out adventuring.
As John walked across campus, he couldn't help but notice the student body was overwhelmingly female. The ratio of men to women was about one to four, and it didn't take long for a few girls to approach him and ask for his phone number. He wasn't complaining, but he did feel a little self-conscious. He wasn't sure if it was his good looks or the fact that the school had a surplus of "wolves" and a shortage of "meat."
By the time he reached Room 3 in the Multimedia Classroom, he'd been asked for his number three times. As he entered, all eyes were on him.
"Another handsome guy!" one girl exclaimed.
A few others echoed the sentiment.
The room was filled with over 40 students, about 30 of them women. The male-to-female ratio was almost one-to-four, and John couldn't help but notice. New faces in a new environment always sparked interest.
At the front of the room, a mixed-race student stood, his blond hair, dark eyes, and sharp jawline catching the attention of nearly everyone around him. Even though John wasn't the only one who could turn heads, he had a feeling that the competition was about to get a little tougher.
"Find a seat and sit down," a voice called from the front.
John turned his attention to the woman standing at the podium. She had short black hair, a black skirt, and stockings, and the glasses perched on her nose gave her a smart, no-nonsense vibe. This had to be Daisy, his class advisor.
Without hesitation, John chose a seat in the back. He wasn't interested in drawing any more attention than necessary. He pulled out his Gameboy, turned on the game, and resumed grinding in Granite Cave.
By 6:00 PM, Daisy glanced at her watch, confirming that everyone had arrived. She made a quick call to double-check attendance, then set the list down.
"Alright, no one's late today," she said with a slight smile. "Let's try to keep that streak going."
She paused, scanning the room. "Now, we have two things to address tonight. First, we need to elect a class committee."
The students exchanged curious glances. Daisy continued, "If anyone wants to run for a position, step up and introduce yourself. Tell us why you want to be part of the class committee."
She smiled knowingly. "I'll tell you from experience: being on the class committee in university is different from high school. It comes with its own perks. Whether it's getting involved in the student union, networking with professors, or gaining experience for extracurricular activities, there's a lot to be gained."
John wasn't really interested. 'Perks?' he thought. 'What could be better than making a million a month from Pokemon battles?'
The idea of running for class committee didn't even cross his mind. There was just too much else on his plate.
As Daisy continued speaking, John's thoughts wandered back to the game. He had his priorities straight—getting stronger, building his team, and winning battles. The rest? That could wait.