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"Teacher, do you have any Pokémon that can use Mega Punch and Body Slam?" Chris called out to Teacher Vladimir.
The skill teaching center at Dragon University was unable to teach Mega Punch and Body Slam.
"What Pokémon do you want to train?" Vladimir asked.
"Vigoroth. I'm laying the groundwork for it before it evolves into Slaking," Chris replied honestly.
"Slaking... well, let me recommend someone to you. He specializes in Normal-type Pokémon, and I believe there are Breeders who have experience with Slaking." Vladimir hung up the phone and sent Chris a contact card.
The card displayed an old man dressed in white, sitting on the ground. His name was "Tony."
Chris recalled the last time Teacher Vladimir had recommended Senior Roy to him.
Could this person be an Elite as well?
Probably not—there was no Normal-type Elite in China. Plus, he had never heard of any particularly famous Slaking Trainer or Breeder.
However, since he was a friend of Teacher Vladimir, he must be a respectable person.
Chris quickly added him as a friend and sent a message.
Hello, Master, are you there?
If the avatar was truly a picture of himself, then calling him "Master" seemed appropriate.
Tony: Are you Chris, Vladimir's student?
"I'm Chris, a student of Teacher Vladimir," Chris typed.
Tony: Alright, then come find me now. Be here before 1 o'clock. If you're late...
Tony: I'll be asleep.
With that, he sent an address.
It wasn't far, just in the southern part of Dragon City, in the old town.
Chris wiped his sweat silently, relieved that there was no mention of punishment for being late.
Checking the time, it was only 10:00 in the morning—he still had three hours, plenty of time.
Might as well go now since he had nothing else to do.
Chris recalled his Pokémon and prepared to leave.
Just as he finished, he received a call from Teacher Vladimir, asking him to pick up something before heading out.
When he arrived at the principal's office, Vladimir handed him a small jar of wine.
"Give this to him—it's the tuition fee," Vladimir said simply before dismissing him.
Tuition... in the form of a bottle of wine?
It seemed this "Tony" master had a fondness for alcohol.
Carrying the wine jar, Chris took a taxi from the entrance of Dragon University to the old town of South City.
Upon arriving at the given address, he found an old house near the river. The door frame had several faded characters with peeling paint.
Tony's Gym.
A Gym?
Chris knew there was a Gym in Dragon City, but the official one was named after the province, so it should be called the Dragon Gym, and it wasn't in the old city.
Could this be a former Gym?
A few decades ago, China had more Gyms than today—sometimes seven or eight in a single city. However, in recent years, to standardize Gyms and make them official, these private Gyms had gradually disappeared.
Therefore, the Tony's Gym in front of him was very likely one of the Gyms that existed before the official regulations.
"Knock, knock." Chris reached out to knock on the door, but it wasn't fully closed. After knocking twice, the door creaked open by itself.
"Squeak." The old wooden door made a quaint sound as it swung open.
The furnishings inside the Gym were simple and open. From the entrance, Chris could see straight through to the other end of the Gym.
In the small, worn courtyard, a white-haired old man lay on a rocking chair. Beside him, a stone table stood under a dry jujube tree, with a teapot and teacups resting on top. At his feet, an old Persian was curled up, while ten old Cacnea leaves were scattered beneath the tree.
Further inside, an old-fashioned hall stood with a large character hanging in the center.
Something about that single word carried an indescribable power. The moment Chris laid eyes on it, his mind felt at peace, and all distracting thoughts disappeared.
It was as if nothing in the world could shake his state of mind.
"Are you Chris?" The white-haired old man stirred awake upon hearing the door open.
"Yes, that's me. Hello, are you Master Tony?" Chris asked.
At the mention of that name, the old man burst into laughter. "Vladimir told you to call me that?"
Chris shook his head. He had simply thought it was the proper way to address him.
"You are too formal. I'm just half an elder to your Teacher. You can call me Tony." Tony gestured for Chris to step inside.
"Mr. Tony!" Chris called respectfully, quickly entering and handing over the wine jar that Teacher Vladimir had sent.
"Oh? You brought wine? Let me see!"Tony's eyes lit up at the sight of the jar. Without hesitation, he reached out and took it. The moment he opened it, a rich aroma filled the entire Gym.
"Fire Dragon Roar?"
"Tsk, tsk. Looks like Vladimir really values you. I haven't smelled this in years."
Chris had never heard of this type of wine before. He assumed it was made from berries unique to the Pokémon world. There were many such specialty wines on the market.
"If 'Fire Dragon Roar' is being used as tuition, then I need to teach you something worthy of its value." Tony smacked his lips in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Chris.
"Alright, release all your Normal- and Fighting-type Pokémon. Take a look at the still painting in the room first."
Though Chris wasn't sure why, he did as he was told.
He threw his Poké Balls.
Blaziken, Hariyama, Vigoroth, and Smeargle all emerged.
The moment they appeared, they turned their attention toward the still painting in the room. Suddenly, all four Pokémon fell silent.
Even Vigoroth, known for its hyperactive Vital Spirit, was uncharacteristically still.
Hariyama immediately sat cross-legged, his eyes calm and thoughtful.
Blaziken stood quietly for a long moment before slowly sitting down in a meditative position.
Vigoroth remained standing, staring blankly at the painting as if lost in thought. However, it didn't sit down like the others.
Meanwhile, Smeargle's eyes sparkled with fascination, as if it had discovered a rare treasure. It eagerly took a few steps forward, inching closer to the artwork, yet hesitated at the doorway, not daring to go any further. Instead, it pulled out a sheet of paper it always carried and used its tail to carefully trace the word onto the page.
"Your Smeargle… seems to have a bit of wisdom," Tony remarked with interest.