Talk.

The class was oddly silent as Arthur left his seat to the front. The relationship they had with him was a peculiar one. The students of Camille's class had known each other since kinder garden but despite all those years spent together, they could hardly admit that he was a member of this little family. Arthur was a dead weight of their dynamic, alone in his corner of the class. Was he to blame tough? They sure had their share of blame but as any tentative of mending was met with a cold hard wall, they just left it like that.

It would be the eight times – they counted – he would interact with them this year. Some expected a kind of prank when they saw the PC tucked under his arm; Maybe a Comical Video for the end of the year? The first pictures that began to appear on the board told them otherwise. They presentation was about to begin, they listened.

"Pokémon Training is undoubtedly the most successful profession today." Began Arthur with illustration of trainers in the exercise of their jobs. A nurse doing medical checks with the assistance of a Chansey. A construction worker instructing a Diggersby to move a weight and two professionals in a heated Pokémon battle. He showed more instances of trainers in different levels of this modern society before proceeding with the talk.

"The skill is so much in demand that the league has put in place several measures to facilitate the training of new trainers, whether through monthly subsidies given to novices or through the media, which by a strong exposure of its professional trainers and Pokémon battles encourages young people to try the Pokémon Journey." By then, Arthur had the full attention of the class.

"Today, being a trainer is an indispensable requirement in many jobs, and if you manage to become a professional, you will benefit from the advantages granted by the league, ensuring a comfortable life and for some, a direct access to fame."

Another Slide on the Board, and he could feel a stirring in the class. The Image depicted famous Professional Trainers, modern Idols, who had achieved Glory and Celebrity, Evan Gloria queen of the Modeling Word and Fairy gym leader, Ken Macklyn MMA star and league Champion, Dan Ferragni Social Media influencer and first Floor Master of the Battle Tower. Every single one of them were talented in their own right but nobody could refute that the acquisition of a Professional License had put them step ahead of other in their career.

"Because of these reasons it is common that after high school, young people try to get a novice license and attempt this adventure over a period of 2 to 3 years. Depending on how far they have progressed in the Gym Circuit, they will either choose to stop their Pokémon training career and move into the world of employment, or go to graduate schools in order to access higher paying jobs. Otherwise they will choose to continue with the Gyms Challenge in hopes of going professional.

"However, many of these young trainers can't let go of their dream and decide to continue the adventure. A study conducted by the LandbergTimes revealed that out of all the novices from a year, barely 20% decide to stop their careers after 2 years and out of the remaining 80%, just 10% become professional. For the rest who didn't go pro, if they don't continue as freelance trainers, they'll end up in jobs who don't require a graduate diploma, jobs that require specialized training like nurses, power plants technicians, construction workers and many more

"The question that arises is why teens decide to take this risk instead of a higher education ensuring a better comfort? The answer is simple, it can be explained by the heavy cost of graduate schools and by misinformation.

"In fact, in its effort to make education available to all, the league has enabled more than 90% of the population to receive a basic education that goes all the way to high school. It has failed to do the same with higher learning institutes despite the scholarships it offers each year to promising students. however, the league has found an alternative, a way to give everyone a chance through the Pokémon adventure which represents the primary means of financing studies.

"We can conclude then that the answer to our previous question comes down to misinformation of teens. Because they do not inform themselves enough about the difficulties of trainers, the majority do not plan their life seriously and went to confront the outside with just a dream and a Pokeball. Once they meet these difficulties and forced to stop, they are no longer motivated to pursue any forms of higher education."

A quick scan of the Class and Camille could tell he had piqued the interest of the class. She was also impressed. The paper so far was rich and more worked out than what she had received from him before. he really outdid himself, she mused.

Camille heard him attacking the main of the subject. "As you may have guessed, I will try to rectify the situation by presenting you with the different realities that may face trainers.

"Firstly, we have the funding. In order to be able to attempt the Pokemon Journey, a novice needs funds, needed for transportation, housing once he reaches a new location, and for taking care of his/her Pokémon team.

"Thanks to the league's subsidies, beginners are able to cover theses costs but end up with a minimal comfort during their journey. For a better lifestyle, they turn to their parents or temporary jobs such as missions given by the league, rangers, City Hall, companies, individuals and others. The best of them will even receive sponsorship from a party who will take charge of every costs at the price of a contract whose clauses are varied. If their progress in conquering arenas is deemed unsatisfactory by the league, it can withdraw its subsidies resulting in a considerable reduction in training time and comfort making the adventure more complicated."

"For my second point I will mention the difficulty to put together a good Pokémon team. There are two reasons for this. The difficulty to provide adequate training to his/her team and the difficulty to get a good Pokémon. Even if in theory it is possible to pass pro regardless of the Pokémon team, in reality the chances of a trainer will increase with a Charizard or a Machamp in the team rather than another having a Raticate or a Bidouf." A snort erupted first and laughs followed. These Pokémon are common in the region and are considered as worst starters an aspirant could receive.

"Therefore, there is a hunt for Pokémon with high grading and because of that, the league has set up means to preserve some species resulting in a harder acquisition. Today the only way to get them is through breeders or individuals licensed by the league. And with their popularity their starting prices can often reach the annual salary of a modest family. The price increase further with the inflation caused by the demand. This is the case with species like Elekid, Magby, Eevee ect...

"In the event that a satisfactory team is established, it must be correctly trained. This requires to increase the condition of your Pokémon and to teach them some moves. While the condition is rather easy with a series of mental and physical exercises, learning new moves is much more complicated. The move sets of a Pokémon impact heavily on the chances of victory in combat. That's why trainers jealously guard the steps to mastering a move. Fortunately, with Gyms and an increasingly tight-knit community of trainers, a vast catalog of moves is available to beginners" He paused a little fumbling with his PC to change the slide showing on the board. Done, he started the next part of his discourse.

"Today the training process has been modernized. Trainers enroll in different gyms where they can train their Pokémon and have them compete against other teams also enrolled. This process has the quality of being efficient and fast, but is extremely expensive. Only wealthy families can afford it. At first glance, the difficulties encountered in building a Pokémon team may resume to a matter of money," the class nodded, coming to the same conclusion, "but that's not entirely the case.

"The LandbergTimes also tell us that a solid 40% of pro trainers come from humble beginnings. Paul Wagner of the elite 4 is even an orphan. Then how did those 40% do it? By using a more traditional process of training, adventuring in the deepest parts of the wild. I'm not talking about nature reserves or green marked zones.

"They ventured further into the much more dangerous Yellow and red zones only accessible to the best of rangers and elites. It was proven that a stressful situation can accelerate the growth of Pokémon. However, unlike the modern way it is very dangerous. This leads me to introduce the last difficulty of the Trainer: safety."

"What is a pokemon?" he asked to his audience taking advantage to give himself and them some break.

After a little pause, the silence was broken and answers came from left to right until Mary raised her hand making the class silent once again.

"Yes delegate?" said Arthur

She frowned, "... Pokémon are beings with special powers present everywhere living with humans (...)" The answer she gave was the universal definition given by the Legendary Samuel Oak, First Pokémon Professor and one of the founding fathers of their Order.

"Good response delegate. I'm going to focus on 'special powers'. With the important place of Pokémon in our society and our interdependence with them, we tend to forget that their powers can be dangerous. And trainers who are the most in their contact, are also the most exposed. Death by Pokémon's attacks is a reality and not just a concern for rangers and ace trainers. According to the league official site web, 3% of novices lose their lives during the adventure and this rises to 10% for heavy injuries and accidents. These numbers are not only caused by wild Pokémon but also by one own Pokémon often justified by the trainer's inability to tame them or by retaliation following abuses."

An uncomfortable feeling was setting in the room. Even though they knew how dangerous being a trainer can be, hearing counts was very disturbing. They could very well tomorrow feed those statistics.

Unconcerned by the growing fear of his Comrades, Arthur continued. "These numbers seem high but were much higher before the creation of IMO by professor Nicolas. I have not been able to find the exact data but it's rumored that before IMO one trainer out of three lost his/her life while adventuring. The examination to become a trainer was much more complicated and was not available to everyone contrary to nowadays"

The Unease grew and satisfied by the heavier silence, it was with a sadistic glee in his eyes that he was about to terminate the childhood dream of many. "However, the real danger is not caused by the Pokémon but by the other trainers who—" but before he could end them, he was abruptly interrupted by Camille.

"I think that's enough, Arthur." She said as she watched her students shocked by their classmate's revelations and troubling graphic slides… Where did he get these!? She wondered, uncomfortable with the gaze of all those strangers who met quite the tragic end. "I believe it was the last point? You can follow with the conclusion."

Arthur grumble a little upset – The best was to come – but he did as ask. "Becoming a professional brings money, fame and glory but the reality is that not everyone can succeed in the Gyms Challenge, least of all those who don't have the proper support. Does this mean that we teens from Otambourg don't get to try? Of course not, but we should participate in the adventure with a plan for the future and not blindly throw ourselves into it. I hope that tomorrow if you are faced with this choice to stop your career as trainers, may these words I have shared today help you. Thank you for your attention." He finished with a bow.

For a moment none of them knew what to do until one student stood up and began to applaud. It was Peter, the smartest student in the class. A fair skinned boy with chestnut hair and eyes covered by glasses. His applause triggered others and finally Arthur received his acclamation, although not very resounding.

Camille gave him a bitter smile. She found it unfair. She easily passed his presentation at the best of the day. "Guys," she scolded, "What are theses weak acclamations?" There was another round of applause, but it was still lacking. She sighed.

Camille approached him at the front of the class and gave her appreciation. "You touched on a subject that is quite vague and not much discussed even by the media. On top of that you weren't content to just cite those difficulties but elaborated on them with supporting data and examples. This is a magnificent piece of work Arthur"

"Thanks Miss"

"Is it even his work?" cried one of the students "Of course not! There is no way that this dead last could make this. And how did a guy like him got a PC? He's just a CHEAT!"

Camille saw red. Not only was the boy was insulting his classmate, but he was also making fun of his orphan status: "Alexandre! "she roared. "who gave you the authorization to speak!? Is that any way to treat your classmate?! Apologize, IMMEDIATELY!"

Alex, short of Alexandre, shrank a little spooked the outburst. He was not the only one, the whole class including Arthur discovered a facade of Camille that they didn't think they could find in her. She was the calm, affectionate and tolerant teacher. She had her angry time but it just ended with silly mean look.

He really wanted to relent to her demand but the mocking look on Arthur's face stopped him. He stood his ground. "Miss… I am sure that—" he flinched under his hard look. "… that he is not the author..."

Camille calmed down as she noticed his more respectful tone. Alex was a very fair skinned 12 years old boy with soft features, curly blond hair and blue eyes. He is one of her best students but she quickly discovered his mean personality and his haughty behavior. he is usually a model student but when it comes to Arthur... Camille sighed. She was no stranger to the history between them and the perpetual conflict they had

"I am the author of this work and the PC that allowed me to realize it is a gift" Arthur answered without the slightest disturbance to Alex's accusations. "It must be very useful to have a rich father huh?"

"Or just a father at all" Damn! Thought the class. Some fell to reign in their amusements following Alex reply, further angering Camille, "Alex. Out. NOW!"

He left the Class feeling victorious until he spied a little smirk on Arthur. Then he Realized… he had been tricked… He left frustrated.

"Listen to me carefully, I will not tolerate any form of bullying. You have to respect each other. Next time something like this happens there will be consequences". Making sure that the message had gotten through, she continued, " What Arthur just shared with you are not some speculations but truths that I faced on the field when I was a trainer. I would have made better choices back in the days if I had those advices. So, make sure to keep his words in your heart."

"Yes Miss," They replied in unison.

Camille gave more praises before passing to the Q&A session when he returned to her seat. The session continued went for two hours before the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. "Time sure flow," remarked Camille. "We'll stop here. Today's session was very constructive. Before I end the class, I want to remind you that next month there will be the final exam and—"

"We will receive our starters!" A voice shouted.

She smiled at their excitement, remembering how restless she was at the time. "Indeed; This exam is very important because your performance will determine which starter you get. After the exam you will be asked to make 5 choices from the list of Pokémon published by the league. Depending on your national rank, hopefully your starter will be one you chose. Keep in mind that this exam is a nationwide competition and the competition for the best graded ones will be tough."

"But Mrs. what if we don't get one of our choices and end up with the bad ones?" asked one of them.

"There is no such thing as 'bad' starter" she reproached, but no one was convinced by those words. "In this case you can turn to your family who can directly pay you a starter directly from the breeders but in this period, it becomes very expensive."

"Miss, my brother is a trainer can't he catch me a Pokémon?" asked another one.

"Yes, he can but the Pokémon have to be approved by the league. You see, several limitations are put on the Starters. There is limitation on the type; the starter must not be of the Poison, Dark, Ghost, Psy and dragon type. A limitation on the species because some are more difficult to train than others. Finally, a restriction on the age. The starter must not be older than 5 and they must had received basic training"

She beckoned to a third one, "hmm… Miss, how can we get the better graded Pokémon when we are not as well prepared as those in the city. We don't stand a chance". It was the hard truth but in cities they had better learning materials and teachers. Not that the class though poorly of Camille. they were satisfied with her.

"Don't be discouraged." She encouraged, "To tell you the truth, wealthy and elites families prefer to get their starters directly from breeders. This exam is set up for those young people who do not have this kind of support. For you! It is also a chance to access Pokémon of great potential that are often monopolized by them and big cities. Especially Pokémon of the highest potential that no money can get you: Regional Starters".

The room descended into hysteria. "WAIT! wait a minute! Are there any regionals allocated to Otambourg this year!?"

Grinning at them and taking great satisfaction to the tense atmosphere she created, Camille finally answered "These are just gossiping but it seems that it is the case. We are waiting for 3 regionals starters".

They boomed. "As much as 3!?" Ever since it became a town, Otambourg has only seen one regional starters.

"They will be given to the top three students of this class. So, study hard during this month. Starting next week, we will just be doing some review in preparation for the exam." After this last declaration, she finally dismissed class.

Arthur waited for the crowd to clear but before he could leave, Camille called him. "Yes?"

She responded with a pinch of his check, "You dare to sleep when I'm just behind you?" she pinched harder.

"Miss… I was just… laying my face on the desk…"

She chuckled at his lame excuse and let him go. "Next time I'll pinch longer." Satisfied, she finally reveals the reason of her calling. "I would like you to be present during our review. This exam will be more complicated than the others and I don't want you to fail it."

"You don't need to worry, Miss," He said massaging his right cheek. "I will pass this exam." And added "I will be there for the revision" looking at her hand approaching his left cheek.

"Good, I won't have any fails for my first class." She allowed him to leave "it's a promise then. If you don't show up, I'll go see Mrs. Marthe and complain to her."

"This is blackmailing" he replied with fake hurt.

"Yes," She gave him a sweet smile and wished him a good weekend. The weekdays had finally passed, and she was intent on getting herself and Bety drunk that night.