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Brock prepared things in place, while Ash and Misty went out to collect firewood. They didn't go too far, as the fog was very dense, and they were worried about getting separated.
"Even so, where do we find firewood?" Although there were trees everywhere in the forest, wood directly broken off trees couldn't be used. "We should find some on the ground, right!" Ash looked at the ground around them and did see some.
"Ah!!!" Just then, Misty suddenly let out a scream. "What's wrong?" Ash asked instinctively upon hearing her. "Th... that way there's... Will-o'-the-wisps!" Misty heard, closed her eyes, and pointed straight ahead, not daring to look.
Ash heard and looked over, discovering some firelight in the mist. It looked very conspicuous, but it was still a bit far away. The firelight flickered in the air, indeed appearing to float directly in the air. Ash took a closer look.
"Those aren't Will-o'-the-wisps, there are people over there!" Ash looked carefully and saw human figures, which made the atmosphere feel even stranger.
After all, he couldn't see people in the mist, only dark figures. But Ash wasn't afraid. This world indeed had things similar to ghosts, including Ghost-type Pokémon. Ghosts, or spirits, were actually a form of energy.
The moves Pokémon released were also energy. As long as it was energy, it could be defeated. So, even if there were real ghosts, Pokémon could handle them.
"How could there be people in a place like this?" Misty felt a little relieved after hearing Ash's words, but she was still a bit worried. "Aren't we here too?" It wasn't strange to encounter people anywhere in this world.
Saying that, Ash walked towards them. Misty, although she didn't really want to go, followed along when she saw Ash walking over. As they got closer, they found that they weren't any demons or monsters.
They could see several boys standing in front, around their age. Several boys surrounded a central figure, and one boy looked a bit younger. They were all wearing matching uniforms. The uniforms looked quite expensive.
The boys on the outside were holding candles, while the boy in the middle was on a treadmill. The treadmill was currently running, and that boy looked a bit disheveled. He was running and panting, and the boys around him all had arrogant smiles on their faces.
Just as Ash and Misty approached, they saw the boy on the treadmill gradually lose his footing as the treadmill sped up, eventually falling off directly. He fell to the ground, but the boy didn't cry out in pain.
Instead, he apologized. "I'm sorry, I forgot!" The boy lowered his head, not daring to look at the others. The others, however, had expressions of disgust on their faces.
"Just 'I forgot' makes everything alright? Are you even considered a Pokémon Academy student like this? Someone as bad as you, it's embarrassing to study with you."
A boy with wild red hair, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up. His tone was full of arrogance, making the boy in the middle even more afraid to look up, only repeatedly apologizing. "I'm sorry!"
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Seeing this scene, Misty, filled with a strong sense of justice, couldn't help but speak up. Listening to them, they seemed to be classmates, but it looked like school bullying. Seeing this made Misty very angry.
"Hmm?? This is our own business and has nothing to do with outsiders."
"That's right, this is our Pokémon Academy's special training. Someone who doesn't even know the evolved form of Pidgey isn't worthy of being our classmate," a green-haired boy also spoke up.
"Pokémon Academy?" Misty paused slightly upon hearing this.
"So you're from the Pokémon Academy!" At this moment, Brock appeared from who knows where, holding his snack-making tools and stirring as he spoke.
He had just been attracted by Misty's scream and was quite surprised to hear what the boys said.
"Speaking of which, I think I saw their flyer in Cerulean City. I didn't expect it to be in the middle of these mountains!" Misty suddenly remembered something as well, pulling out a crumpled paper from her pocket and opening it to look.
"It's not strange. This kind of environment allows for full-hearted training!" Brock responded, taking the flyer from her hand and glancing at it.
"A boarding Pokémon Trainer Academy. After graduating from this school, you don't need to participate in practical combat exams to directly qualify for the Pokémon League tournament!"
"So that's how it is! In short, it means you don't need to challenge Gyms everywhere or collect badges to qualify. It's a dream place for anyone who wants to become a Pokémon Trainer!" Brock explained simply to the group after looking at the flyer.
Ash listened and finally remembered that he had arrived here. To be honest, this part of the plot was so old that he almost forgot about it.
There was indeed such a plotline in the anime. As a child, he simply watched the Pokémon battles. But looking at it again now that he was older, he found it a bit uninteresting.
"That's right, now you know how great we are, don't you!" A long-haired boy said somewhat proudly, listening to Brock's words.
"Hmm?? So, you're taking the back door?" Ash said faintly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Uh... Ash, what you said isn't wrong!" Brock seemed not to notice they were all around him, answering Ash directly.
"You... what are you talking about? Pokémon Academy is certified by the Pokémon League. Every student has to pay a high fee to attend this aristocratic academy," the long-haired boy said exasperatedly.
The others also looked embarrassed. Evidently, no matter the world, "taking the back door" existed. It was fine if it wasn't mentioned, but once someone said it out loud, it became embarrassing.
"Emmmm, it really is taking the back door!" Listening to the boy's words, Ash pinched his chin and said seriously.
"I give up!" The boys were completely defeated by Ash's words. Indeed, if you didn't spend money, it was relying on connections, which was also taking the back door. If you spent money, it was even more so taking the back door. It was just really embarrassing to be called out on it like that.
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