Rather than out of any respect for tradition, it was sheer coincidence that caused the stinky hobo to start his gym challenge in Pewter. Born in Fuchsia, the young boy had worked countless tasks in the villages spread throughout Kanto before quickly being thrown out once the inhabitants of these villages noticed the repellent effect their day labourer had on the Pokemon around them. Going thus in a reverse circle of banishment the boy had travelled from Fuchsia to Lavender, from Lavender to Cerulean, from Cerulean to Pewter, becoming during this process a young man.

Having reached Pewter at the age of 20 with a reputation that preceded him, our protagonist became aware that he could not continue living like this. If he did, soon he would have exhausted the goodwill of the whole peninsula, making life essentially impossible.

There were naturally several lifelines which the now man could have grasped had he been more educated, but one of them was the clearest and the nearest. The league provided a stipend for all people registered with a certain amount of badges. The money given every month increased through the number of badges.

After all, considering how the defensive structures of civilization were less developed back then, there was an even higher importance placed on having a large quantity of people capable of handling the potentially aggressive Pokemon running around.

As odd as it may sound, the stinky hobo, to whom I am referring as such due to his refusal to give me his name, ironically decided to start doing the gym challenges to gain badges to sustain his livelihood.

I was likely as baffled as you, reader, when I first heard of this tale but upon second consideration while it is outrageous it is not completely unfathomable.

After all, the stinky hobo has survived travelling the wilds and working a variety of random tasks. What are gym challenges, other than surviving the wilds and working a variety of random tasks?

Conceived as a way for gym leaders to reduce the workload that they have to take on as the primary defendants for a certain area, the tasks given out were those that were not immediately urgent. If they had been immediately urgent, then they would have been resolved by the gym leaders themselves. This meant that the challenges were all achievable to a certain extent by a less experienced trainer. And, as is often the case, something attainable by a less experienced trainer can also be achieved by a sufficiently prepared human.

The stinky hobo laughed uproariously as he told me the tale of his first badge. For a man so cursed by fate, he keeps a remarkably intact sense of humour.

The tale starts as this. Having made the decision to seek out the gym challenges upon arriving at the city of rocks, the stinky hobo had immediately gone to the gym where he had been turned away on grounds of looking too homeless to patronise the establishment.

This at first necessitated scrounging up some cash to afford a shower and a new set of clothing which caused the receptionist to take him more seriously.

There wasn't much particular care put into designing the first badge gym challenge, once the fact that one didn't necessarily need Pokemon to attempt the challenge had been decided.

As the reader is likely very well aware, Pewter is in a rare and dangerous position of being cornered against the mountain range by two dangerous habitats. In the south lies the Viridian Forest, full of dangerous poison-type pokemon who breed very quickly due to their additional bug-typing and who oftentimes develop swarms which can endanger the lives of not only humans but also of the more peaceful inhabitants of the forest and its surroundings.

To the east of Pewter is the Mount Moon cave system which one needs to traverse to reach Cerulean. Completely dark and full of treacherous encounters with territorial rock types and hungry zubat, it is not an easy task to cross this mountain range. One can completely forget about trying to hike over it, as this area of the mountain is filled with even more powerful and territorial Pokemon. Geodude become Graveler, and Onix start appearing with a worrying regularity.

The stinky Hobo's first task was not too closely connected to these two habitats as it was in the end simply the challenge of the first badge. Rather, the stinky hobo was tasked with negotiating the clearance of a particularly pesky infestation of rattata at one of the farms associated with the city.

This is a task that is not too high level but also not too low level when one considers that the habitats I have just described make the importation of food particularly difficult for the city. However, clearing out Pokemon is what the stinky hobo's talent is best suited for.

The old man jokingly says that it was the easiest job he's ever done in his life as he had to simply walk to the farm and sit in the barn where the rattata resided for a while until his metaphysical stench completely covered up the structure forcing all of the rodents out and away. A few more hours of sitting and he assured me it had become impossible for them to come back in a reasonable time frame. The tactic forced the rattata to find a new source of food somewhere else at which point they would be unwilling to go back and potentially meet the danger that had driven them out again.

The other option is of course that they had died in the wild, eaten by a random Arbok or captured and used as sustenance for their hive by a Beedrill.

Suffice it to say the task was resolved very easily, and the stinky hobo was driven out of the farmstead by the angry matriarch of the family whose Meowth had also run to the hills, never to return.

A double-edged sword.

The badge was awarded as was only fair considering the task had been completed and the stinky hobo had achieved a stipend that while not enough to live on at least meant that basic hygienic requirements could be kept up.

The next stop of the journey was Cerulean.

-/-

The Pokemontech Institute serves as an alternative to the traditional route of travelling the region in the quest to become a Pokemon trainer. Those who graduated from the school at the highest level gained the right to participate in the Indigo conference without ever having gained a badge.

Suffice it to say the school was slightly controversial. Being a boarding school it was usually reserved for the rich, leveraging semester fees in the realm of 50,000 pokedollars. It mostly seemed to serve those rich kids unwilling to dirty their hands on a journey.

However, at the same time, the Institute had a very rigorous entrance exam which meant one couldn't rely only on money to enter. However, Joey, as someone with the experience of an adult, assumed correctly that by donating enough to the school any doors could be opened.

Considering that the League in combination with the civilian government offered a general education for those attempting to become youngsters and trainers Joey did not see that much of a point in the theoretical focus of Poketech. However, the reason why the semester fees were so high was because the school gave Pokemon on loan to their students and allowed them to train in a safe environment. Something that the government with its responsibility to provide education to everybody simply could not afford.

Joey saw very clearly that the Poketech Institute could not have existed without direct approval and help from the League considering it was only they who were qualified to allow the graduates to participate in the Indigo conference. Thus the Institute was clearly an attempt to model a way of developing trainers without the risk of the traditional journey.

While travelling through a region was still not as dangerous as some high-intensity jobs from Joey's last world, there was still a certain risk involved in sending out a bunch of young teenagers into the wilds. And with risks, he didn't just mean teen pregnancies, but actual death.

From what Joey remembered of his past life the Institute was an anime-only existence. He didn't remember much but there didn't seem to be many differences between his memories and reality.

The only difference was that if he remembered correctly he'd never heard of the Institute putting up jobs to invite trainers as sparring partners.

They were simply supposed to have a bunch of computers on which one could run battle simulations.

Perhaps both existed. Students could run battle simulations in their free time, while the school occasionally invited trainers to have battles with.

Joey had seen this job posting before, but considering that the lowest badge requirement for qualification was three badges, he had only qualified now.

The money was pretty decent for a day's work, running at around 15,000 poke dollars. Enough to almost pay a third of the semester fee at the institute, which was considered fairly expensive. It really was easy to make money as a trainer.

Although considering the cost of trainer tools and feeding one's Pokemon, it was also incredibly easy to lose money as a trainer.

All in all, the job was more profitable than two full days of running around and challenging randos on the routes so Joey accepted it. Additionally, he wanted to broaden his horizons and battle some trainers with a different approach in preparation for the tournament in three months.

From reading "The Diary of a Stinky Hobo," which was progressing very slowly due to the bad handwriting, Joey learned that it was good to expose yourself to a variety of challenges. It increased the likelihood he'd be prepared when encountering random tasks in the future.

It made sense in a way since one could never predict what the nature of a gym challenge would be.

In this way, the Poketech Institute challenge hit two birds with one stone, and considering that the school was only two hours south of Saffron by walking it wasn't too much of a detour.

Especially when one considered that the school sent someone to pick up all the trainers they had hired for the excursion.

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That was how Joey found himself getting into a rather sleek black minibus with the logo of the Institute painted on the side along with three other trainers. It seemed that he was the only youngster, which made perfect sense considering that the only other youngster who currently should have three badges was Sabrina.

It was due to this delineation of status, that the three trainers weren't particularly interested in talking to him. This suited Joey just fine and he simply leaned back to enjoy the ride.

Taking a car somewhere was always nicest when one didn't have to drive.

Now with the additional excuse of not even having a driver's licence, Joey was perfectly willing to enjoy his quiet privilege as a passenger princess.

By keeping an ear open towards the trio of trainers who were coming with them, the most interesting one of them being a guy dressed in all blue neoprene diving gear, he was able to make out some details.

The guy in all blue was a water-type specialist with six badges who was bragging about how he was going to crush the conference after he got his last two badges.

The other two trainers seemed more subdued, not trusting themselves to get the number of badges necessary and were here only to buff up their wallets for next year's attempt. One of them was a standard generic camper trainer while the other girl seemed to be a big fan of the baseball team 'The Lavender Haunters,' and was dressed up in a complete set of purple memorabilia.

All in all, they were just a bunch of obnoxious children who were presumably not talented enough to get anywhere considering that Joey had never seen or heard of them. The girl was cute though…

Perhaps he would challenge her to a battle if today turned out to be unsatisfactory when they were driven back to Saffron.

After 20 or so minutes of driving the minibus pulled up into a large courtyard surrounded by a school campus that seemed to be largely inspired by the mediaeval gothic and neoclassical styles of Cambridge and Oxford. A high-sloping tower in a sophisticated squarish style dominated the courtyard along with a big clock attached to its front.

Joey stepped out of the vehicle and was quickly surrounded by the other three trainers as the school principle who had been waiting for them stepped forward to cough into his hand. An older portly man with a handlebar moustache, he was dressed in a pair of mustard chinos and a green sweater. Essentially the most typical version of a school teacher that one could depict.

"Welcome to Poketech Institute," the man started slowly as if they were too dumb to simply observe their surroundings. "I will briefly explain the structure of our student classifications so that you can understand what your task will be today. We at Pokemon Technical Institute divide our students into four categories. The beginner category is equivalent to a trainer who has two badges. The intermediate category is comparable to a trainer with four badges and the advanced category is comparable to a trainer with six badges. Our graduates have the same strength as trainers with eight badges and can directly participate in the Indigo conference. Children usually start learning at our Institute at the age of 12 which would have been the time when they generally would have undertaken the trainer classes provided by the league. They generally remain here for 6 years so they graduate with a rigorous understanding of training theoretical and a sufficient amount of experience in battle."

Joey suddenly changed his opinion and thought that letting these kids participate in the Indigo conference directly perhaps wasn't as stupid as he'd originally thought. While the average trainer going on the journey didn't qualify in their first year they certainly did in their second year. This meant that they still participated in a third of the time it took the Poketech kids to do so. It seemed that the league did give trainers a bit of face and distinguished that going on a journey was the more efficient way of gathering strength quickly.

The principal meanwhile continued speaking. "While we have a variety of very advanced battle simulators at our school which can determine when our pupils are ready to advance along these ranks, we still like to hire outside help for sparring now and again to simulate real-world conditions. On special occasions we also send our pupils out onto the route to challenge passerby trainers," the man explained.

Joey and the three trainers were nodding, wondering when the man was going to get to the point.

"Regardless, as you have likely noticed the four of you represent the progression from three, to four, to five, to six badges. This means that you will be battling separate batches of students. The three badge trainer will take on a gauntlet of beginner-level students, who are not that numerous this year while the other three will take on a gauntlet of intermediate-level trainers, This is currently the most represented class," the principal looked to the left where a woman who looked like a secretary was approaching.

"For that, we will be splitting up. The three badge trainers can go with Miss Elvis over there," he nodded towards the woman, "and the rest can come with me. We will be using separate battling courts."

Joey shrugged and, considering he hadn't made the acquaintance of the three trainers, didn't even bother saying goodbye. He simply went up to Miss Elvis in her grey pencil skirt and nodded at her. "Mr three badge trainer reporting for duty," he said in a deadpan voice which brought out a small smile from the severe-looking woman who had her brown hair up in a very tight-looking bun.

Miss Elvis gestured towards a rounded arch which seemed to lead out of the courtyard and towards a series of battlefields. They started walking there, Joey following closely behind his guide.

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic," Miss Elvis said.

"What exactly does this gauntlet consist of?" Joey asked. There hadn't been too many details in the mission briefing. It had just said that the institute needed someone of a particular level for sparring purposes.

"The gauntlet is very simple. You see, here at the technical institute students are limited in the amount of Pokemon they can have even more than they are in the trainer programs. They can pick out their first loan Pokemon when they reach beginner level, their second when they reach intermediate and their third when they reach advanced."

"Do the students get to take these Pokemon they loaned out with them when they graduate?" Joey wondered. Would it make sense for them to familiarise themselves with a team of three only to never see them again? "Also how do they compete in the conference if they only have three Pokemon? The conference requires you to have six."

"Well," Miss Elvis started awkwardly. "Students are encouraged to develop a bond with their loan Pokemon to take them away after graduation. It generally works out pretty well. As for the conference, considering the first rounds of it are three on three, the students are allowed to participate as an exception with only that amount."

A question mark metaphysically appeared over Joey's head. "What happens if they advance to the six on six rounds then?" he wondered.

Miss Elvis fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and awkwardly coughed into her fist. "Well, it's never happened before so it hasn't come up." She straightened herself out again, regaining her posture. "The goal of the Pokemon Technical Institute is often misunderstood. People think that we are trying to create conference competitors, but that is not the case. What we're trying to do is to create a more thorough and safe start to a trainer's Journey. After graduation, the starting point of a trainer the first time they go on a journey is that they already have three well-familiarised team members and have participated in a high-level competition."

Joey nodded thoughtfully. He was beginning to understand the system of the institute. Starting with three Pokemon with battling experience and a deep knowledge base was definitely preferable to the way that trainers were sent on their journeys. Honestly, other than the mandatory exam the process was more of a pat on the back and up you go kiddo.

The question was naturally in the efficiency. The best way to teach a child how to swim was still to simply throw them in the water and save them if they started drowning. The Pokemon Technical Institute significantly delayed the peak competitive level of a trainer. Similarly, it seemed to keep that peak at a lower level than the peak of trainers who had simply started with a journey. Joey at least had never heard of any graduate of such a school achieving any significant results.

Doubtlessly if they had, such a thing would have been mentioned in every advertisement of the school.

"How long has this institute existed exactly?" Joey asked.

"The school itself was built around forty years ago, however all the accreditation, the curriculum and the staffing have only been functional for 21 years."

The youngster hummed. So technically the Institute had had enough time to develop high-level trainers but it simply failed to do so. Why was that the case? Was it simply pre-selection? The kids who went on a journey were more adventurous and eager to start their travels and thus the Institute filtered out those who had a true drive to succeed. It was a complicated question. Probably not something that he would be able to find an easy answer to. After all, most questions had more than one answer.

During his consideration, they arrived at the battling fields which were very interesting because they represented some of the different types of terrain that one could encounter in the wild but also the conference.

There was a rock field, a grass field, a water field and the standard gravel one on which most battles took place. The only field missing was the ice field, which made sense considering it must have been hard to maintain. He was sure if they needed one an ice type could erect it on a case-by-case basis.

One could see that the Institute put at least some amount of thought into preparing kids for the conference. The effect of course remained unclear.

Joey suddenly remembered that he had interrupted Miss Elvis during her explanation of the gauntlet. "So what is the gauntlet exactly?" he asked again.

"The gauntlet is a way for beginner students who have just decided on their first Pokemon to test themselves in a non-simulated battle. We at the Institute believe that most of the training can be simulated and theoretical, but that now and again practical experiences must be made."

"How long ago have the students I'm facing picked out their first Pokemon?"

"It's been about a month, just long enough for them to input the data of their starters into the system and to run a sufficient amount of battle simulations while getting feedback from their teachers. By now they have all gained a basic understanding of their Pokemon and are thus ready for their first battle."

Joey refrained from asking if this was just going to be a complete noob stampfest. Although considering that the youngster tournament likely wasn't going to get interesting until the semi-finals, it was also important for him to gain experience in curb stomping others as efficiently as possible. One needed to save on stamina and not reveal all of one's cards at once in such tournaments. That was just basic long-term thinking.

"One decision that you should perhaps make before the students arrive is if you want to do the challenge with your own Pokemon, or if you would rather use some of our loan Pokemon," Miss Elvis supplied helpfully.

Joey tilted his head. "Considering that I would have no previous connection with the loan Pokemon it would be a significant downgrading of my combat efficiency," he eventually said. While using different Pokemon in the battle could perhaps help him expand his skills as a trainer, the whole point of being a trainer was to strengthen one's Pokemon and one's self. He was here to give his Pokemon the experience of battle, using loan Pokemon would just waste three-quarters of his time.

"It's seldom that anyone takes us up on the offer, but it must still be made. After all, our loan Pokemon are well-trained in the basics. The students who will be arriving today," she paused, "there are five of them. In our experience, a third badge trainer with three Pokemon has a sufficient roster to fight all those battles. However, if you do end up with an unconscious roster we can quickly go get you another Pokemon."

Joey sweat dropped and decided that if he got knocked out by five beginners who had never seemingly battled anyone other than each other before, then he might as well just jump off a bridge because a champion he was never gonna be.

"I'll keep that in mind," he thus said idly.

Miss Elvis nodded and they chatted away for another few minutes before the students arrived.

Joey wasn't sure but he thought he recognized one of the two girls.

Wasn't it that bully from the anime? The one with the Cubone? he asked himself internally as the five lined up and looked at him critically, all striking poses of supreme arrogance.

Dressed in typical private school attire of slacks, shirts and vests for the boys and plaid skirts and shirts for the girls, Joey suddenly felt like he was going to star as the main character of a boarding school anime. As the ugly and poor transfer kid on a scholarship that was.

"This is Jonathan Joestar," Miss Elvis introduced him. "He will be your sparring partner for today. He has three badges which is a significant achievement for someone undergoing the youngster program." She added unnecessarily.

Joey nodded. "Sup?" he said, receiving five up-turned noses.

Miss Elvis clapped her hands. "Why don't we get this started then, any volunteers?" she asked.

"I'm Giselle, I'll take care of you so you can leave early today," the girl Joey thought he recognized said as she stepped forward. She dramatically flipped her chestnut brown hair which reached down to her hips before crossing her arms.

"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?" Joey muttered to himself