Chapter 2: I’m Not Saying I’ll Marry You!

"...It wasn't exactly standing you up."

Confronted by the girl’s interrogation, N remained unruffled, as if he had anticipated this exact reaction. His face retained that calm, gentle smile, showing not a trace of panic.

The girl before him was Hilda. She was his genuine childhood friend; the two had first met years ago at a summer camp hosted by the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory.

At the time, he had already been taken in by "Old Man Oak" and was helping out as a research assistant. With his innate affinity for Pokémon, he had happened to rescue a young Hilda from a group of wild Pokémon. Ever since that day, she had followed him around like a little shadow.

Because of this, the two had grown up inseparable, sharing a bond even tighter than that of most siblings.

"It really was because of me, wasn't it...?" Hilda’s voice wavered. "Professor Oak went out of his way to get you the credentials to receive a Starter Pokémon, and you tried to give them to me?! Your talent is way higher than mine, you’re the one who should be getting a Starter and becoming a Trainer!"

Her face flushed a deep crimson, as hot as a fired-up furnace. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment was hard to tell, but she refused to let go of N’s sleeve.

As his childhood friend, no one understood N’s genius better than Hilda.

He absorbed any knowledge with effortless ease, especially when it came to Pokémon. His academic scores and published papers had earned him high praise from world-renowned Professors; he had become a formal researcher at an incredibly young age.

Professor Oak, ever the mentor, had urged him many times to stay in research and inherit his legacy, but N remained steadfast in his desire to be a Trainer.

Ultimately, the Professor respected his choice and used his influence to help N secure the right to receive a Starter Pokémon and a Pokédex.

However, there was only one set available.

In this world, becoming a Trainer was no simple feat. No Professor was going to hand a ten-year-old an elite "Starter Trio" Pokémon for free, nor would they hand out a priceless Pokédex, an item so rare it couldn't even be bought with money.

To become a Trainer, one had to pay taxes to the Pokémon League starting from a young age. Only after ten full years of payments would a citizen earn a slot to receive a Starter. Even then, it was just the Pokémon; the Pokédexes were strictly limited, distributed only through licensed Professors.

For ordinary people, the first and most difficult hurdle to becoming a Trainer was purely financial.

A basic red-and-white Poké Ball could be bought at a shop, but a single one cost five hundred Pokédollars. If a capture failed, the ball broke instantly, and the money vanished into thin air.

One could take out a loan from the Pokémon League to start their journey, but the interest rates were more than most people could stomach. Signing that contract was practically signing your life away, a deal so bad even a Growlithe would bark in protest.

Pokémon Eggs were an option, but they were a complete gamble. Hatching a Pokémon with high potential or a rare species was exceptionally rare, and the price tags were astronomical.

Simply put, it was a game of pure luck.

Even if you had the money for Poké Balls, an ordinary person without a Pokémon of their own had to physically fight wild Pokémon themselves. The lucky ones might use a family member's Pokémon to help with the capture, but even so, many people died in the wilderness every year.

And if you were lucky enough to catch your first Pokémon, the daily cost of feed was staggering. The cheapest Pokéblocks started at tens of thousands of dollars, and as your team grew, the consumption only increased.

"You can do it," N said simply.

"Huh?! Have you even been listening to a word I’ve said?"

Hilda stared at N in disbelief. She thought she had made herself clear, didn't he understand her? He was a literal academic genius; how could he be so dense in this one area?

Hilda’s family was not wealthy. They hadn't been able to keep up with the League taxes. Despite her hard work at the Pokémon School and her excellent grades, becoming an official Trainer was a distant dream.

She had planned to buy a random Pokémon Egg and test her luck. She never imagined N would skip his own appointment just to give the opportunity to her.

"N, don't you want to be a Trainer?!"

"Of course I do."

"Then in that case...!"

The girl grew frantic, almost pressing herself against him, but she was stopped mid-sentence by the boy’s next words.

"But I’ll always have you."

N reached out, his index and middle fingers gently tapping her forehead. His emerald eyes were filled with a soft warmth. This sudden, tender remark instantly short-circuited Hilda’s brain.

That smile, combined with those words, made Hilda momentarily forget every grievance she had. She felt herself being dragged into his rhythm, captivated by his charm, sinking into a trance from which she couldn't escape.

In short, her brain stalled on the spot.

Her face flared bright red. She hurriedly covered her cheeks with both hands, her heart racing so fast it felt like a Magikarp was using Splash inside her chest. Her eyes darted around, unable to meet his gaze.

"Eh...? E-ehhh? What did you just say? What was... what do you mean by that? Just because you’re giving me the Pokémon doesn't mean I’m going to m-marry you or anyth—"

"Once you become a Trainer, you can just help me out later..."

Whoosh!

The smile on N’s face froze. He instinctively leaned back as a long, fair, and supple leg whipped past his head. The kick was so powerful it tore through the air with a sharp crack.

"Stupid! I'm done with you!"

Hilda’s face was dark. She turned and stomped away in a huff, clearly dissatisfied by the sudden shift in tone. N was well-acquainted with her occasional temper; he watched her retreating figure with a helpless expression.

However, he could tell from her hurried pace that she was likely rushing to claim that Starter Pokémon. She probably intended to grow strong as quickly as possible so she could catch a rare Pokémon for N as compensation.

"Finally coaxed her away."

N scratched the back of his head, adjusting his cap. In truth, he already had a plan for his own "Starter." Giving this opportunity to Hilda didn't actually affect him much.

Though, Hilda probably wouldn't see it that way.