Chapter 6: Searching, Searching, Searching for a Job

Hu Yang felt a surge of joy in his heart, but his expression remained composed. After politely bidding farewell to Officer Junsha, he took the Ancient Moon Bird out for a bowl of ramen on the street.

He had originally assumed that the purchasing power of the Alliance currency in this world was on par with the yen, but only realized at the time of payment that it was actually equivalent to RMB.

At present, he had only four hundred and eighty Alliance coins on him; after the meal, a mere four hundred and seventy remained.

Time to find a job, Hu Yang thought.

As for becoming a Trainer… that would have to wait until he had some money.

After his meal, Hu Yang spent one hundred and forty coins at a street stall to buy a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of khaki trousers. With his new clothes in hand, he headed to a bathhouse with hot springs to freshen up.

Once he was clean and refreshed, he stored the Ancient Moon Bird in the Master Ball and returned alone to the police station.

He lingered outside for a while, and only after confirming the Officer Junsha from the morning was not present, did he stride in confidently and address the Junsha at the front desk. "Hello, I'd like to register my identity. Is this the right place?"

When she heard his voice and looked up, her expression became somewhat peculiar.

Hu Yang's heart skipped a beat.

The next moment, she asked, "Didn't you say it was your friend who needed the documents?"

Hu Yang suddenly found it hard to breathe; at that moment, he deeply resented the setting that made every Officer Junsha look exactly the same.

He simply couldn't tell them apart!

Forget it.

No more pretending—he decided to come clean!

"Actually, the friend I mentioned is myself…" he confessed, inventing a background for himself with parents who disliked human society.

"Then why did you say it was your friend?" Officer Junsha asked, confused.

Hu Yang took a deep breath. "Because before they passed away, they told me never to trust anyone in the human world."

"I see…" Officer Junsha, after years on the job, had seen all kinds of people. She took a form from the drawer and asked, "Your name is Hu Yang, right?"

"Yes, like the poplar tree," he replied, accepting the form and filling in his age, gender, and other basic information before handing it back.

Officer Junsha uploaded the information to the Hoenn Regional Database. A moment later, she handed him an identity card resembling a citizen's ID. "All done. You are now a legal citizen protected by the Alliance."

"Thank you," Hu Yang sighed in relief.

With his identity settled, it was time to find work.

After leaving the police station, he began to survey the specifics of Petalburg City.

In the Pokémon games, Petalburg City is the first town with a Gym that the player visits; it's also Dawn's hometown. Yet, unlike the few buildings seen in the game, the real Petalburg City was now as large as a fifth-tier city in his previous world.

"Petalburg Gym... the Gym Leader uses normal-type Pokémon, right? Was it Norman?"

Since it had been several years since Ruby and Sapphire were released before he crossed over, some game details had grown fuzzy.

But challenging the Gym was far beyond his reach for now, so he merely glanced at the Gym from outside before moving on.

As he walked through the city, Hu Yang noticed numerous recruitment posters at shopfronts and posted on lampposts.

"Blue Sky Pokémon Café: Now hiring a barista. Requirements: Excellent communication skills and professional coffee-making expertise. Weekly pay: 700 Alliance coins."

"Meilomei Restaurant: Hiring three cleaners to sweep floors and wash used dishes. Requirements: Hardworking. Monthly salary: 5,000 Alliance coins."

"Set Sail Advertising Company: Hiring ten promotional planners. Requirements: Proficient in PS, Word, and other software; advertising majors preferred. Monthly salary: 6,800 Alliance coins."

"Petalburg Pokémon Elementary School: Hiring two teachers. Requirements: Deep understanding of Pokémon ecology, familiarity with each species' information, a passion for Pokémon, and prior experience as a Trainer or Breeder preferred. Monthly salary: 6,000 Alliance coins. School provides staff accommodation and free meals. Interested applicants may attend the test in person."

No educational requirements?

Hu Yang's gaze lingered on the fourth listing.

Food and lodging provided, a monthly salary of 6,000—this was the most suitable job for him.

And he just happened to meet all their requirements.

After some thought, Hu Yang followed the address on the poster and arrived at the Pokémon elementary school.

Upon stating his purpose, the female teacher responsible for interviewing candidates gave him a skeptical look. "Are you really ten years old?"

Hu Yang felt helpless. He decided that from now on, he'd simply claim to be sixteen, and that his youthful appearance was due to late development. "Teacher, just let me try, and you'll see."

The teacher hesitated, doubting him, but then reported the matter to the principal by phone. The principal quickly replied with just four words: "Let him try."

"Very well, come with me," the teacher said, standing up.

Hu Yang followed her down the hall to a classroom, where a crowd of applicants had already gathered outside—most were young men and women between seventeen and their early twenties.

"They're all here for the job, but we only need two teachers," she explained.

That's pretty harsh, Hu Yang thought to himself.

"You arrived just in time; the test is about to begin," the teacher told him. Then she addressed the crowd: "Everyone, please prepare to enter for the exam!"

It was then Hu Yang realized he hadn't brought a pen in his haste.

The teacher noticed too and suspected the child was just here to make trouble. "Are you serious about this?"

Hu Yang: "…"

At that moment, a freckled girl nearby smiled and handed him a pen. "Use mine!"

"Thank you," Hu Yang breathed a sigh of relief, pulling out money from his pocket. "How much do I owe you?"

The girl smiled shyly, "It's fine, you don't need to pay. Are you applying for the job, too?"

"Yes," Hu Yang replied, grateful.

"Good luck!" She patted him on the head.

Hu Yang was mortified—he wasn't really a ten-year-old kid!

He treated others as peers, but everyone treated him like a child.

Hu Yang was quite frustrated.

Soon, the assessment began.

The recruitment test was divided into three parts. The first was a written exam, mainly assessing applicants' understanding of Pokémon types and habits.

Questions included things like "What are ghost-types weak against?" and "Which three are Hoenn's starter Pokémon, and what are their evolutions?"

Hu Yang answered smoothly; as a transmigrator, such questions posed no challenge to him.

The second part was an on-site evaluation. Applicants had to identify a Pokémon's injuries in front of the examiner and pick out the correct berries to treat them from a pile.

Applicants were divided into five groups, three to a group, and entered the room for the test.

Hu Yang was assigned a Swellow. After examining its injuries, he found a not-so-obvious wound on its left wing and detected a faint scent of burning.

Burns?

No, if it were a burn, Swellow wouldn't just be lying on its side, motionless.

Moreover, the Swellow's body was twitching ever so slightly—something only noticeable up close.

So, it wasn't a burn; it must be paralysis.

With that, Hu Yang used his golden finger.

[Species: Swellow ♂]
Type: Normal, Flying
Ability: Guts
Base Stats: 455 (HP: 60, Atk: 85, Def: 60, Sp. Atk: 75, Sp. Def: 50, Speed: 125)
Known Moves: Peck, Quick Attack, Air Slash, Brave Bird, Aerial Ace
Current Mood: Confused
Physical Status: Paralyzed (electrocuted, unable to move)
Friendship: 0 (You don't know it, it doesn't know you)

Just as he expected.

To cure paralysis, he needed a Cheri Berry, and to treat confusion, a Persim Berry.

Turning around, Hu Yang now didn't even need his golden finger; he could easily find the right berries from the pile.

He fed Swellow the two berries in order, then stepped aside. "Done."

The other applicants and the examiner were taken aback, instinctively glancing at the clock on the wall.

Less than two minutes had passed.

So fast? How did he do it?

Unlike the applicants, the examiner knew that these test Pokémon had more than one abnormal status effect.

It was a deliberate trap—those not paying close attention would easily mistake the signs of paralysis for burns.

Moreover, with the vast variety of berries, most people only ever saw them used in making Pokéblocks. Aside from professional breeders, outsiders rarely knew the specific effects of different berries, let alone be able to pick the right ones at a glance.

Just this alone told the examiner that this boy was far from ordinary.

With some excitement, he asked, "Are you a Breeder?"

If they could hire a Breeder, the school could advertise professional breeding instruction and never worry about attracting new students again.