Pokémon: The Master who emerged from the slums

While Laura spent half an hour explaining, students raised various related questions.

Finally, the meeting about the upcoming Pokémon selection lasted for an hour before it officially came to an end.

James quickly summarized Laura's words: this Saturday morning, they were to head to the Pokémon Center to receive their starting Pokémon. However, Laura didn't specify which Pokémon they would receive.

James knew that, being someone with no family background or wealth, he would likely end up with common Pokémon like Rattata, Beedrill, Pidgey, Pidove, or Machop—nothing special.

The more coveted starter Pokémon like Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Torchic, and Mudkip, known for their potential to grow quickly and become powerful, were out of his reach. To get one of these, a hefty payment to the League was required, starting from birth, and by the time they reached 16, the cost could amount to around 500,000. This was the League's subsidized price. If one wanted to obtain a starter Pokémon through the black market, the price could be several times higher, sometimes even ten times more.

After all, these starter Pokémon were rarer and more powerful, making them highly sought after. Even if one eventually acquired stronger Pokémon, these starters often remained in the first-tier.

However, the quality of Pokémon in the black market couldn't be guaranteed. Compared to the ones raised in the League's breeding facilities, whose parents came from superior bloodlines, those from the black market were often of lesser quality.

But not all hope was lost.

Since James had only paid for his tuition and not for a starter Pokémon, the League provided less powerful but still useful Pokémon, often ones with lower stats that were more common. This was done to prevent students from poorer backgrounds from clashing with wealthier students over their Pokémon choices. It also served to stop those who couldn't afford a Pokémon from turning to illegal means.

Another reason was that many high-ranking figures in the League had humble beginnings. They didn't receive the prestigious starter Pokémon, yet their accomplishments were impressive nonetheless.

The school day quickly ended.

James, carrying his backpack, arrived at the library in the center of town. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The library wasn't very large, but there were a few people scattered around, engrossed in their books.

At the front desk, a young man in his twenties spotted James and hurriedly greeted him.

"James, you made it! My girlfriend's birthday is today, and if I'm late any longer, you won't see me tomorrow!"

This young man, named Bob, was the library's day shift manager. He worked during the day, while James was responsible for the evening shift. This was the only job James could find that allowed him to earn money for school while also improving himself. The training book he had been reading the previous night had been borrowed from this library.

As a library staff member, James could borrow books for free.

Seeing Bob's anxious expression, James smirked, "What's the rush? Can't she run away?"

Bob, still changing his clothes, responded with a teasing remark, "You're only 16! What do you know? This is a critical matter!"

Before James could respond, Bob dashed off, leaving James to shake his head with a sigh.

James opened the staff locker, changed into his work uniform, and then approached the front desk. He took out a notebook and a book titled "Pokémon Training Manual."

He flipped open the notebook, revealing a blank page. Resting his chin in his hand, James stared at the ceiling, contemplating the Pokémon selection this Saturday.

As he thought, he started jotting down the names of Pokémon on the page.

Pidgey, Spearow, Bellossom, Oddish, Diglett, Caterpie, Machop, Zubat, Sentret, Swablu...

With each new name, the once blank page quickly filled up.

After a moment's pause, James began crossing some names off the list.

"These Bug-type Pokémon might level up quickly, but their potential is limited. I can't train a Beedrill to the same level as Giovanni did with his. His Beedrill was formidable, defeating Lance's Dragonite, Karen's Gengar, and even the legendary Latios. But let's be realistic, I can't achieve that."

James crossed out the Bug-types, including Scyther, a Pokémon with an impressive base stat of 500. Scyther, even without the Metal Coat evolution into the powerful Scizor, was a formidable warrior in the Bug-type category.

However, the cost of a Metal Coat was far beyond James's current means. He sighed, shaking his head.

Next, James turned his attention to the Grass-type Pokémon listed in his notebook. These Pokémon were relatively easy to train. They could draw nutrients from the soil and absorb sunlight for energy, even recovering from injuries in the wild with less need for medical supplies.

But, using Grass-types to fight through difficult challenges and reach the top tier wasn't very realistic. Grass-types had major weaknesses, especially when facing opponents with diverse movesets. In the anime or manga, there were no Grass-type Pokémon that made it to the Elite Four or champion status, highlighting the type's weaknesses later in the game.

For early-stage battles, however, Grass-types could be useful.

James also considered the common "home birds" like Pidgey. Although its stats didn't stand out in the 500+ range, Pidgeot was elegant and fast, useful for reconnaissance and quick escapes. If James ever faced danger in the wild, he could use Pidgeot's 2 Mach speed to flee.

"Well, I guess Pidgey isn't the worst choice," James mused.