Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 72: I Must Throw Him Out Myself!

Sitting to the side, the Silph Co. President Takuma noticed James’s father acting strangely and grew curious. When he saw what was written on the paper, his expression gradually became more animated.

"Uncle Takuma, you’re well-traveled—do you think what’s written here is reliable?" James’s father asked.

President Takuma shook his head.

Seeing this, Dairo grew excited: "See? Even you don’t think it’s reliable—that guy’s a fraud! I don’t want to waste any more time with him. Someone—throw this fraud out!"

James panicked. "Father, he’s not a fraud! How can you jump to conclusions before the test results are in?"

"Do we even need to wait? You foolish boy—how could a Pokémon’s move training possibly work exactly as someone says it will?!" Dairo looked at his son with a mix of frustration and disappointment.

"You’d better start learning basic Pokémon knowledge from today onward. If it weren’t for me, you’d have been scammed."

"And you, Hopkins—I now strongly suspect that this man is someone you brought in to cheat our family."

"Sir..." Hopkins tried to defend himself, but Dairo cut him off with a wave.

"Don’t explain—I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to give that fraud a piece of my mind and vent all the frustration I’ve been holding in."

Dairo stormed toward Rio. But a few seconds later, he came back—because the moment he got close, those almost-nightmarish three words came out of Rio’s mouth again.

"You’re backing out."

"I’m not backing out! You’re the one backing out!" Dairo shouted, his aristocratic composure completely gone.

"No—you are backing out. A man who doesn’t back out wouldn’t be so impatient."

"Just you wait!" Dairo grabbed the paper Rio had written and threw it at a servant. "Quick—go train those Pokémon right now! Today, I’m going to show this guy whether or not I’m a coward! When the results are in, I’ll personally throw him out!"

"Crude."

"You—!"

Dairo’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

"Father!"

"Sir!"

"Dairo!"

Ten minutes later, Dairo regained consciousness on a lounge chair. His first words were: "Are the results in yet? Was I right? Is that guy a fraud? He hasn’t left, has he? I want to throw him out myself!"

James stayed silent. Hopkins, who was about to speak, held his tongue. Finally, President Takuma spoke up: "Dairo, the training has just begun—don’t rush."

Dairo closed his eyes: "Let me rest for a while. Wake me up when the results are in—I’ll throw him out then. Just seeing him gives me a headache."

Everyone dispersed.

Three minutes later: "Are the results in yet?"

"Not yet, sir."

Five minutes later: "Are the results in yet?"

"Still not yet, sir."

Ten minutes later: "Are the results in yet?"

"Not yet."

"Why isn’t it done yet?! My hands are already itching to throw him out!"

"Sir, should I call a doctor for a sedative?"

"Get lost!"

Two hours later, a servant shouted: "Sir—the results are in!"

"Good, good—was that fraud’s prediction wrong?" Dairo shot up from the lounge chair like a dead man rising. "I can finally throw him out myself!"

"It’s the result from Trainer Dafeng’s Poliwhirl training."

Dairo flopped back down. "I only care about that fraud’s result."

"Sir—he also predicted Poliwhirl’s training count."

"Was he wrong?!" Dairo sat straight up again, his eyes gleaming.

"He was right. He said Poliwhirl needed 87 practices to master Bubble Beam—and it really did master it after exactly 87 attempts. It’s amazing," the servant replied honestly.

"You’re fired." Dairo’s eyes dimmed instantly.

"How is this possible?! He said 87, and it was exactly 87—that defies all logic! No—it must be luck. Pure luck."

"Sir—Trainer Saisai’s Vulpix training result is in," another servant ran over.

"Was it different from what that fraud said?" Dairo’s hope flickered again.

"No—he was right. Vulpix really did learn Will-O-Wisp in exactly 92 attempts, just as he predicted," the servant said.

"Are you all lying to me?" Dairo snapped.

The servants fell silent in fear.

"Dairo, they’re not lying—it’s true. I’ve been watching the whole time," President Takuma interjected.

Dairo had no more words. He lay back down. He knew the servants might lie, but Uncle Takuma wouldn’t. The man running a company as large as Silph Co. had no reason to deceive him.

A few minutes later, another servant ran in with results.

"Just tell me—does it match what that fraud said or not?" Dairo asked, lying back with his hand over his forehead.

"Sir—it matches perfectly. It’s incredible."

"You’re fired." Dairo lay in despair, unable to comprehend how someone with only two badges could possess such skill.

Finally, the servant assigned to Rio’s group came running: "Sir—Raichu’s training count also matched exactly as he said."

Hearing that, all of Dairo’s last shreds of hope vanished. He lay back and started laughing.

Seeing his father like that, James wanted to say something but held back. His intuition told him his father was seething with pent-up anger, just waiting for an outlet.

"Sir—we’re not satisfied! A great guide isn’t just about prediction skills—it’s also about Pokémon battling. I want to battle him."

The three trainers were just as upset as Dairo. They couldn’t accept that their painstaking, hands-on training was matched by someone who simply took a single glance and wrote down the results. It was absurd.

Hearing the trainers’ challenge, Dairo’s expectations surged once more.

"Yes, yes! A truly outstanding Pokémon guide must also prove themselves in battle—that’s the real test!" He said excitedly, fixing his gaze on Rio.

He was determined to personally throw that man out today. There was no way a two-badge holder could beat a five- and six-badge holder in battle. No way.