Albus was overjoyed, though he kept his expression calm. After politely saying goodbye to Miss Wednesday, he took Will Young to a street-side ramen shop for a meal.
Originally, he had assumed that the purchasing power of the World Alliance Currency was equivalent to the dollar. However, when it was time to pay, he realized it was actually in RMB.
Currently, he had a total of 480 Union Coins, and after eating the noodles, only 470 remained.
I need to find a job. Albus thought to himself.
As for being a Pokémon trainer… that would have to wait until he had some money.
After his meal, he bought a hooded sweater and a pair of khaki pants from a street stall for 140 coins. Then, he headed to a Tangchi hot spring to take a bath.
Once he was clean and refreshed, he placed Will Young into the Master Ball and made his way back to the police station alone.
Before entering, he observed from outside for a while. After ensuring that Miss Wednesday from the morning wasn't there, he walked in confidently and approached the front desk.
"Hello, I'd like to register my identity. Is this the right place?" he asked.
Miss Wednesday looked up when she heard his voice, and upon seeing him, her expression turned slightly strange.
Albus felt his heart skip a beat.
A second later, she asked, "Didn't you say your friend needed to apply for an ID?"
Albus suddenly felt short of breath. At this moment, he cursed the fact that all Miss Wednesdays looked the same.
I can't tell them apart!
Never mind.
Time for a confession.
"Actually… the 'friend' I mentioned was myself," he admitted.
To make his story more believable, he made up a background for himself—claiming he had parents who despised human society.
"Then why did you say it was your friend?" Miss Wednesday asked, puzzled.
Albus took a deep breath and said, "Because before they passed away, they told me not to trust anyone in the human world."
"I see…" Miss Wednesday had been on the job for years and had encountered similar cases before. She pulled out a form from a drawer and asked, "Your name is Albus, correct?"
"Yes, Albus from Albus." He filled out the form with his basic information, including his age and gender, and then handed it back.
Miss Wednesday uploaded the details to the Adelaide City database. After a while, she handed him an identity card, which looked similar to an ID.
"Alright, you are now a legal citizen protected by the Alliance," she said.
"Thank you." Albus let out a sigh of relief.
With his identity now confirmed, the next step was finding a job.
Leaving the police station, he started exploring Adelaide City.
In the Pokémon games, Adelaide City was the first major town players reached that had a gym. It was also the hometown of Xiaoguang.
However, unlike the small town depicted in the game, the real Adelaide City was as large as a fifth-tier city in his previous world.
"Adelaide Gym… its Gym Leader specializes in Normal-type Pokémon, right?"
Since Ruby and Sapphire had been released several years before he arrived in this world, some of his game knowledge was hazy.
But for now, challenging a Gym was far from his priority. He merely took a quick glance at the Gym before moving on.
As he walked, he saw numerous job advertisements posted outside stores and on telephone pol
Blue Sky Pokémon Café: Hiring a barista. Requirements: Good communication skills and professional coffee-making experience. Weekly salary: 700 Union Coins.
Mei Le Mei Restaurant: Hiring three cleaners. Responsibilities: Cleaning floors and washing customers' dishes. Requirements: Hardworking and diligent. Monthly salary: 5,000 Union Coins.
Qihang Advertising Company: Hiring ten marketing planners. Requirements: Proficiency in Photoshop, Word, and other software. Advertising majors preferred. Monthly salary: 6,800 Union Coins.
Adelaide Pokémon Junior School: Hiring two teachers. Requirements: Extensive knowledge of Pokémon ecology and detailed understanding of various Pokémon species. Must enjoy working with Pokémon. Experience as a trainer or breeder preferred. Monthly salary: 6,000 Union Coins, with free accommodations and meals provided.
No educational requirements?
Albus focused on the fourth listing.
A job that covered food and housing with a 6,000 Union Coin salary? It was the best offer he'd seen so far.
And he met the qualifications.
After some thought, Albus headed to the Pokémon Junior School.
Upon arrival, he expressed his intention to apply, but the female teacher who greeted him looked doubtful.
"Are you really ten years old?" she asked.
Albus was speechless.
From now on, he decided he would claim to be twelve. He would explain his small stature by saying he had late physical development.
"Just let me take the test," he insisted.
The teacher hesitated but then called the principal. The response came quickly—just four simple words:
"Let him try."
"Alright, follow me," the female teacher said.
Albus followed her down the hallway until they reached a classroom. A crowd of applicants had already gathered outside, most of them in their twenties.
"We are only hiring two teachers," the female teacher informed him.
That's brutal. Albus thought.
"You arrived just in time. The test is about to begin," she said. Then she addressed the applicants. "Everyone, please prepare to enter the exam room."
Albus suddenly realized he hadn't brought a pen.
The teacher noticed and suspected he wasn't taking this seriously.
"Are you serious about this?" she asked.
Albus: "…"
At that moment, a freckled girl beside him smiled and handed him a pen.
"Use mine!" she offered.
"Thank you," Albus said, relieved. He reached into his pocket for some money. "How much do I owe you?"
The girl waved it off with a shy smile. "No need! Are you applying for the job too?"
"Yeah."
"Good luck!" she said, patting his head.
Albus felt awkward. I'm not actually ten, okay?
He viewed her as a peer, but she treated him like a child.
He was frustrated.
Soon, the test began.
It was divided into three parts.
The first was a written exam, testing knowledge of Pokémon attributes and behaviors.
Questions included:
"What type is strong against Ghost Pokémon?"
"What are the three starter Pokémon of the Hoenn region, and what are their evolutions?"
For a former player like Albus, this part was a breeze.
The second part was a practical exam.
Applicants were given an injured Pokémon and had to diagnose its condition, then select the correct berries for treatment.
Albus's assigned Pokémon was an Alexander.
Upon examining it, he noticed a faint burn mark on its left wing and a subtle twitching in its body.
Burns?
No. If it were a burn, Alexander wouldn't be lying still.
Plus, the slight twitching suggested another problem—paralysis.
Using his unique ability, he checked its stats.
[Species: Alexander ♂]
Type: Normal, Flying
Trait: Guts
Base Stats: 455
HP: 60
Attack: 85
Defense: 60
Special Attack: 75
Special Defense: 50
Speed: 125
Status: Paralyzed (Numbed by electric shock, unable to move).
Paralysis confirmed.
To cure it, he needed a Cheri Berry for paralysis and a Persim Berry for confusion.
Turning to the pile of berries, he quickly found the correct ones.
He fed them to Alexander and stepped back. "Done."
The examiners and other applicants were stunned.
They glanced at the clock—less than two minutes had passed.
That fast?
The examiners, who knew that multiple conditions had been assigned to the Pokémon, were shocked. Most applicants would mistake the burns as the primary issue.
One of the proctors asked, "Are you a breeder?"
If he was, their school could promote that they had a professional trainer as a teacher. It would boost their reputation significantly.