-101- The Betting Market (3/3)

After Toji left, the two staff members at the Academic Affairs Office continued their conversation at length. It seemed that Mr. Ge had not yet given up on the idea of transferring Toji to their class.

How could Mr. Ge, a teacher specializing in Electric-type Pokémon, possibly let go of such a formidable newcomer Trainer like Toji, who used an Electric-type Pikachu? He had always hoped to nurture exceptional Trainers who specialized in Electric types.

This semester, his class did include a student named Lei Yu, the son of the Electric-type Gym Leader from Jiahua City. But in the recent Newcomer King Tournament’s team battle, Toji had openly defeated Lei Yu. Coupled with the stunning battle the day before, Mr. Ge’s admiration for Toji had grown immensely—he was even contemplating taking Toji on as his dedicated disciple.

Mr. Gu, however, honestly conveyed Toji’s reluctance to change his major or transfer classes to Mr. Ge. Pondering this, Mr. Ge thought perhaps there might be other ways to approach the situation…

Of course, Toji was completely unaware of this conversation at the Academic Affairs Office. By then, he had already returned to the Breeding Class. The other students in the class had no idea where Toji had been and made no inquiries.

The results from yesterday’s two exams had already been released. In the morning’s written test, Toji was not only the first to submit his paper but also secured the top score in the entire class. He hadn’t participated in the afternoon’s practical battle exam, but his astounding performance against the Grass-type class was witnessed by all.

Ms. Xia Yan had awarded Toji the highest score for his practical battle. Combining the results of both exams, Toji ranked first in the Breeding Class’s entrance assessment. The entire class agreed with this outcome. Without Toji, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Grass-type class or utilize their battle arena.

Today’s lessons were relatively light. Ms. Xia Yan briefly introduced the semester’s teaching plan to the class. The core curriculum for the Breeding Class remained focused on nurturing Pokémon.

Mastering how to properly raise their Pokémon was the main challenge they needed to overcome. Other courses included Energy Cube crafting, healing injured Pokémon, and basic Pokémon theory—mostly auxiliary subjects, totaling over a dozen different classes throughout the semester.

Beyond the basics, practical courses were also offered. For example, healing Pokémon required hands-on experience in the infirmary. Unlike the specialized Pokémon Doctor program, the Breeding Class only studied fundamental field treatment techniques for injured Pokémon.

For making Energy Cubes, the school had a dedicated Energy Cube room shared by the Breeding Class and the Energy Cube Club.

Of course, the Breeding Class was not solely about caring for Pokémon; there were also practical battle classes. Compared to the Battle Class, the practical combat in Breeding was less intense. However, failing the practical battle assessment at the end of each semester meant retaking the course.

In fact, Ms. Xia Yan had already assigned each student a specific task: to catch a second Pokémon. Most of the girls in the Breeding Class still had only one Pokémon. She hoped they could catch a second one early and begin nurturing it.

The Breeding Class also included lessons on hatching eggs and raising newborn Pokémon. But for Toji, these lessons felt somewhat elementary. Coming from a family that ran a breeding house, such tasks were second nature to him—he was proficient in all of them.

Upon learning that Toji’s family owned a breeding house, many of the girls eagerly expressed their desire to visit his shop to order eggs for their second Pokémon. Naturally, Toji was happy to oblige, noting down each girl’s preferred Pokémon type. If he could secure supply channels, he was ready to procure the eggs; if not, he could enlist help from Grandpa Chu in the countryside or Elder Lianye by the southern pond to catch them.

This gesture warmed the hearts of several girls in the class.

Since it was only the second day of the semester, other specialized classes were still finishing their entrance exams, so there weren’t many lessons yet. Most activities involved touring the school and learning basic Pokémon breeding knowledge.

Once all classes completed their entrance exams, the entire new student body would undergo military training. Formal courses would begin only after the training was over.

Back home, Toji contacted Grandpa Chu in the countryside and Elder Lianye by the southern pond, expressing his intention to purchase a batch of Pokémon eggs. He realized the school was a vast market. With so many students, if they all came to his breeding house to buy a second Pokémon egg, it would be a significant source of income—not just in League Coins, but also in points.

After all, selling a single Pokémon egg could earn ten thousand points.

“I need to expand my supply channels,” Toji murmured in his breeding house.

Relying solely on Grandpa Chu and Elder Lianye limited the variety of Pokémon eggs he could obtain. Even though Grandpa Chu’s ranch had some new Pokémon, the options were still few.

Toji glanced over the notes from the more than twenty girls in his class about their ideas for their second Pokémon, many of which included one of the starter Pokémon.

Regardless of the province’s exclusive starters, even a common-grade Pokémon required at least two hundred thousand League Coins. Mid-grade and high-grade quality Pokémon demanded five hundred thousand and eight hundred thousand or more, respectively.

Starter Pokémon of Gym Leader grade began at one million League Coins. A well-bred Gym Leader-grade starter egg could easily fetch two million League Coins.

“Maybe I should check out the egg gambling market,” Toji thought of a clever idea.

The egg gambling market, colloquially known as the black market, was not illegal. It even paid a hefty annual tribute to the Pokémon Association.

Otherwise, the Association and Pokémon Police would have shut it down long ago.

At dusk, Toji donned a mask and visited the egg gambling market nestled in an alley within the city.

There was a strict rule at the market: all visitors must wear masks and remain strangers to one another. Otherwise, if a near-divine Pokémon egg was revealed, it would become a target.

The market was undeniably lively, bustling with a steady stream of people.

Of course, most passersby were mere spectators. Genuine egg gamblers were a minority.

If you didn’t win an egg, you could lose tens of thousands of League Coins. If you did win an egg, regardless of the Pokémon inside, you had to either keep it or sell it cheaply to a breeding house.

Breeding houses would inquire about the egg’s origin, refusing to accept eggs with unknown provenance. If you stole an egg from a powerful wild Pokémon and angered it, the breeding house would bear the brunt of its wrath.

Hence, gambling on eggs required caution.

Most egg gamblers were either breeding house owners or parents hoping their children could catch high-quality Pokémon but lacked the financial means or strength themselves.

For them, trying their luck at the egg gambling market was a viable option.

… (To be continued)