As noon approached, Trainers had begun arriving at the restaurant with their Pokémon.
Considering that Trainers might bring large Pokémon to dine, the Gym's restaurant was built to be very spacious and tall, with wide booths scattered throughout in an orderly arrangement that could accommodate all Trainers' needs.
David walked toward the front of the restaurant, feeling naturally at home in his family's establishment. Along the way, many acquaintances greeted David, congratulating him on officially becoming a Trainer. David politely thanked them while holding Zorua, and arrived at the counter.
Earlier in the training room, David had already planned Zorua's menu. He ordered the little fox a meal primarily consisting of artificially cultivated Salac Berries, paired with Ghost-type Pokémon food blocks, and a cup of Sitrus Berry juice mixed with Moomoo Milk. This was based on his knowledge and a Ghost-type Pokémon training manual his father had given him the day he returned home.
According to his father, this manual contained the insights left by one of their ancestors when training his Dragapult, and it was quite suitable for his Zorua, which conveniently benefited him.
In the menu, Salac Berry was a very rare berry. Long-term consumption could increase a Pokémon's speed. Sitrus Berry, which restored stamina, paired with Moomoo Milk, was very suitable for beginner Pokémon after training. However, the value of this Pokémon set meal alone was at least 2,000 Pokédollars. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that being a Trainer was the most expensive profession in this world.
David then skillfully ordered a set meal for himself along with an iced cola, and walked toward an empty spot.
"David, you just received your Pokémon yesterday, and you're already training early this morning? You're truly hardworking, kid." At this moment, a Trainer at the nearby counter, also placing an order, saw David and spoke up.
"Uncle Cooper, you're back! Didn't you go traveling to the Winterhold region? Why are you back so soon?" David recognized the speaker.
The man speaking was Cooper, an acquaintance of David's father and one of the earliest and most senior Trainers belonging to the Gym. He had a very good relationship with David's family and was one of the seniors who had watched David and his sister grow up.
"I didn't want to come back so soon, but I received a transfer order from the League. I guess I'm just destined to stay busy! Is this your starter Pokémon? Looks like a fine little fellow!" Cooper first gave a wry smile, then turned the conversation to Zorua.
After a few more pleasantries, David said goodbye and left with Zorua.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you!"
"Zoro~"
Upon reaching their seats, the little fox, having trained all morning, was already starving and immediately began devouring the food. David smiled helplessly, eating his lunch while reviewing the morning's training in his mind.
"Zorua, our training for today is complete. You did very well. This afternoon, we're meeting my friends, and there will likely be battles. You need to give it your all!" After reflecting, David thought for a moment and said to the little fox.
The little fox, who was eating, heard this, swallowed the food in his mouth, and puffed out his chest proudly.
"Zoro~!"
After lunch, David and the little fox walked together, strolling to the Gym's main entrance to catch a ride to their afternoon destination.
Soon, an hour passed. Inside a private room on the second floor of a coffee shop in a certain part of League City, the air conditioning provided a cool escape from the summer heat. David leaned back in his chair, leisurely holding a delicate ice cream dessert and slowly feeding it to the little fox in his arms.
At this moment, the door to the private room opened, and several figures walked in: Luke, Emma, and Miles.
"I'm melting! It's so much more comfortable in an air-conditioned room. David, didn't you say you were treating? I want the special signature ice cream cake." As soon as he entered, the first to speak was the portly Miles.
"Three servings! I want three large ice cream cakes!"
"David, is this your starter Pokémon? It looks so cute!"
"A Zorua! A rare Pokémon. Both its spirit and the luster of its fur look very healthy."
Emma and Luke, who entered next, directed their attention toward Zorua, who was eating ice cream in David's arms, and spoke one after another.
"Don't just talk about me—what about you all? It's time for me to see your starter Pokémon!" Seeing that everyone had arrived, David gestured for the waiter to distribute the pre-ordered cold drinks and desserts to everyone while asking his friends.
"I already told you! Mine is a Growlithe, of course!" The portly boy picked up a cake with one hand and took out a Poké Ball with the other, releasing a Growlithe.
Name: Growlithe
Type: Fire
Gender: Male
Energy Level: 6 (Novice)
Potential: Purple
Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: None
Moves: Leer, Ember, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Howl, Fire Spin, Double Kick
"Get ready to be amazed! Come out, my ace." The second was the rather flamboyant Luke.
A bronze-colored Pokémon appeared before everyone's eyes.
Name: Beldum
Type: Steel/Psychic
Gender: Genderless
Energy Level: 9 (Novice)
Potential: Deep Purple
Ability: Clear Body
Held Item: None
Moves: Iron Defense, Take Down
"Togepi, you come out and meet everyone too!"
Emma threw a Poké Ball, and a Pokémon resembling an egg appeared.
Name: Togepi
Type: Fairy
Energy Level: 8 (Novice)
Potential: Deep Purple
Gender: Female
Ability: Serene Grace
Held Item: None
Moves: Pound, Growl, Sweet Kiss, Life Dew, Charm, Metronome, Yawn, Present, Aerial Ace, Psycho Shift
David activated the system's scanning function, and in an instant, the general data of his friends' Pokémon appeared before him.
"Everyone's Pokémon look very impressive. Just from the level alone, Luke's Beldum seems the strongest, already close to breaking through the Novcie rank. However, pseudo-legendary Pokémon are typically types that show their true power in the later stages. Beldum knows too few moves in the early stages—only Iron Defense and Take Down. But fortunately, it has Take Down, which is more than a regular Beldum would have, so it still has good fighting potential. Miles's Growlithe has the lowest level, but its Intimidate ability and the area damage of Fire Spin mean its overall strength isn't bad."
"As the saying goes, you can't judge a Pokémon by its appearance. I didn't expect this! The soft and cute Togepi, which looks the least capable of fighting, might actually be the real powerhouse. Charm to lower attack, Yawn and Sweet Kiss for control, Metronome and Present for damage, Life Dew for recovery, and even Psycho Shift. Plus, it has Serene Grace as its ability. It feels a bit too strong!"
David thought to himself.
From the Pokédex data, his friends' Pokémon all had at least purple potential, and not the kind that barely reached light purple. If nothing unexpected happened, they all had a chance to advance to red potential in the future.
After the group released their Pokémon, the desserts David had ordered earlier were brought out. The desserts at this coffee shop were said to use Combee honey as a raw ingredient. The aroma was genuinely delightful.
The group sat at the table, eating and chatting.
The portly Miles, while eating cake, suggested, "Since we've all caught our Pokémon, how about we have a Pokémon battle?"
At the same time, as soon as Miles finished speaking, David heard the system's notification sound.
[Ding! Detected task event trigger. Now releasing task — The Rookie Trainer's Path (Part One): The First Duel]
[Please, Host, engage in your first Pokémon battle and achieve victory.]
[Task Reward: Points × 3,000, Shadow Sneak TM × 1]
Seeing the task released by the system, David immediately and eagerly responded before Emma and Luke could even speak.
"Isn't registration for this year's League City Rookie Cup already open? How about it? We'll go directly to the nearest Pokémon Center. That way, we won't have to worry about injuries—we can recover there immediately after battling and register at the same time."
The others all nodded in agreement. After finishing their desserts and resting for a while at the coffee shop, David and his friends took a taxi to the nearest Pokémon Center.