Hearing the students' loud complaints, Alex and Misty exchanged helpless glances. Were all the students at the Pokémon Research School this weak?
"I heard you can get into this school if your family has enough money," Alex said casually. "Even if your battling skills are terrible, they'll still let you in."
He had seen the posters for the Pokémon Research School—everyone inside was loaded. Rich was rich, but weak was still weak.
The moment the words left his mouth, four pairs of eyes locked onto him at once. Alex felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
*Did I say something wrong?* he thought, looking back at them with perfect innocence.
The four students couldn't even refute him. They had just mocked Alex as a random traveling Trainer, only to get completely crushed by him. Not only had they lost face, the entire school had lost face.
"You guys are truly useless," a cool, pleasant female voice cut through the air like ice. "Four of you couldn't even beat two random travelers."
Everyone turned.
A stunningly beautiful girl stood there, wine-red hair cascading like a waterfall all the way down to her hips. Her face was delicate and oval-shaped, skin fair as fresh snow with a faint, ethereal glow. Her large, bright eyes sparkled like stars under the forest light.
She wore the school's stylish uniform: a soft blue short-sleeved knit top that hugged her slender yet curvaceous figure perfectly, the white collar and cuffs framing her full, perky breasts. The fabric clung just tightly enough to outline the subtle swell of her chest and the gentle dip of her waist. Below, a pleated skirt flared out, its short hem slightly upturned and swaying with every step, showing off her long, smooth legs that seemed to go on forever.
The uniform looked incredibly fashionable on her—and incredibly revealing. Every movement made the skirt flutter dangerously high, teasing glimpses of smooth thighs, while the knit top stretched snugly across her chest, the faint outline of her nipples just barely visible through the thin material.
"Yuto Sundae…" the four students whispered, their faces lighting up instantly.
Yuto Sundae glanced at Alex and Misty, her voice carrying that same cool, mysterious tone. "I saw your battle just now. Your strength is decent… you barely pass in my book." She paused, then added dismissively, "But these four are the most useless in our entire class, so there's nothing to celebrate about beating them."
*Which one of us looked happy?* Alex thought. He hadn't even broken a sweat—the Team Rocket trio could have handled these clowns alone.
The three boys who had just been insulted by Yuto Sundae didn't look angry at all. Instead they looked thrilled, rushing over to fawn over her like loyal puppies.
"Who are you?" Misty asked, arms crossed. A woman's sixth sense was sharp—she could feel the subtle hostility radiating from the rich girl.
One of the boys immediately puffed up his chest. "This is Haruka, an honor student in the junior class of the Pokémon Research School! She's completely different from you gym Trainers. She doesn't have to run around collecting Gym Badges like you do. She just needs to graduate and she can enter the Indigo Plateau Conference directly. Aren't you jealous?"
The three boys shook off their earlier defeat and crowded around Yuto Sundae, practically tripping over themselves to impress her while shooting proud looks at Alex and Misty.
*Three sycophants…* Alex thought. They reminded him of a bad comedy trio. He had just roasted them, yet here they were shamelessly sucking up to her.
"Hmm, how impressive," Alex said flatly, already turning to leave with Misty. He wasn't interested in the slightest.
"Eccentric…" Misty muttered under her breath, echoing his thoughts.
Yuto Sundae's perfectly shaped eyebrows twitched. This was not the reaction she was used to. Everywhere she went, people fawned over her. Alex's complete indifference caught her off guard.
"Wait a minute," she called out. "You won against us, and you think you can just walk away?"
The three boys immediately grew bold again, now hiding behind Yuto Sundae's presence. "You offended the honor student and you still want to leave? It's not that easy!"
Alex looked around the foggy forest. *There aren't going to be eighteen bronze men coming out, are there?*
"Not leaving? You planning on staying here to attend school with them?" he asked dryly.
"I heard you two are Gym Trainers and already have two Badges, right?" Yuto Sundae stood tall, her more developed figure noticeably curvier than Misty's—full breasts straining against her knit top, hips flaring out beneath the short pleated skirt.
"So what?" Alex replied, looking her straight in the eye. This rich young lady wasn't seriously expecting him to become one of her little followers, was she?
"I've battled many Trainers lately, but they were all too weak and boring," Yuto Sundae said, lifting her fair chin arrogantly. She released her Cubone. "I saw your Pikachu perform quite well just now. Let's have a battle."
Her Cubone stepped forward. "My Cubone is Ground-type, so Pikachu's Electric moves are completely useless against it… You do know that, right?" She smiled sweetly, but her eyes were cold. "Well, it's normal for you not to know. After all, you're just traveling Trainers who haven't studied proper Pokémon knowledge. It's expected."
"You'll learn after losing a few more times! Or… if you beg me nicely later, I might even teach you some real battle techniques."
"Hmph! It's not certain who's going to lose yet!" Misty snapped, cheeks flushed with anger.
"The girl's pretty, but her personality…" Alex muttered, mouth twitching. This rich young lady was way too full of herself.
"We can beat Cubone without using any Electric moves," he said calmly, still sending out Pikachu.
Yuto Sundae frowned. Alex's indifference irritated her more than anything. As the center of attention her entire life, she wasn't used to being ignored. She felt a spark of real annoyance and decided she would absolutely trample him.
**Ding! New mission triggered: Defeat Yuto Sundae in the way she is most proud of, and humiliate her in the process!**
**Mission Reward: A 'Pokémon Egg' (very useful for disobedient ones).**
(End of Chapter 26)