Pokemon : I Am A Breeder/Champion

"I'm sorry, Teacher. I failed to live up to your expectations."

"After graduation, I will no longer be a Trainer."

"I plan to go back to the orphanage to help."

At this moment, in a university classroom, a very handsome recent graduate said these words to an elderly professor.

Hearing this, the professor froze in shock.

"Evan, do you understand what you're saying?"

"Why not be a Trainer?"

The professor truly couldn't grasp what was going through his student's mind. As his most promising student, why would Evan suddenly decide to abandon his path right at the finish line?

Evan's talent was the most remarkable the professor had ever seen. If he became a Trainer, he was certain Evan could qualify as a Champion in just a few years.

But now, this young man was claiming he didn't want to be a Trainer anymore?

Evan nodded.

"Yes, I won't be a Trainer anymore."

This was a decision he had made after careful thought.

It had been more than 20 years since Evan found himself in this world. He had been granted a special ability—"Goldfinger"—though it came with its own quirks. His Goldfinger gave him Psychic abilities, which could occasionally go berserk, and what was supposed to be super luck... but the luck part? Well, that was debatable.

At first, he thought having super luck was a blessing.

But reality turned out to be far from what he imagined.

Despite this so-called luck, he never won a single lottery, keeping him broke all this time.

"Super luck?" He scoffed. "I really believed it at first."

Evan even started to question if his abilities were some defective factory model.

After buying lottery tickets countless times and never even winning 5 yuan, he gave up on the idea of quick riches altogether.

If it weren't for his Psychic powers, Evan would've doubted if his Goldfinger was even real. He wondered if he was being pranked by a mischievous Ghost-type or Psychic-type Pokémon.

...

This was a world where humans and Pokémon lived in harmony.

About 12 million years ago, Pokémon appeared in this world. After a period of chaos, humans and Pokémon began to coexist peacefully, leading to the present era.

It's not too different from the anime world.

At first, Evan thought he had time-traveled into the Pokémon anime.

But after investigating, he realized there were no regions like Chaldea—ah, sorry, the Hoenn or Kanto regions. Instead, there were countries similar to those from his previous life, along with familiar faces.

For example, the Champion next door, Cynthia, seemed familiar.

Though knowing this left him excited for a moment, Evan's enthusiasm quickly faded. Someone as amazing as Cynthia was far beyond the reach of a poor guy like him.

Life had a way of dampening excitement.

Despite his disillusionment, Evan had to keep living.

When he first arrived in this world, he appeared as a 3-year-old child, completely alone. Naturally, the only place for him to go was the orphanage, where he managed to survive thanks to their care.

Now, having graduated from university, Evan could, by the world's laws, become a successful Trainer.

However, he had given up on that dream. The reason? Simple: money.

You might find it hard to believe, but I've embarrassed time travelers everywhere.

I don't know if it's karma, but every time I manage to save up some money, something strange happens, and the funds vanish. Or, I find myself spending it on bizarre things.

Sure enough, money is fickle.

The more you try to save it, the faster it slips through your fingers.

Evan knew he had the potential to become a great Trainer, but after using the last of his savings to repair the orphanage, his funds were completely wiped out.

Recently, a rampaging Tauros charged into the orphanage, destroying much of the property. The old dean, trying to protect the place, was caught in the crossfire of a Hyper Beam. Before passing, he left Evan and the children with nothing but the orphanage and a large piece of land to manage.

As the eldest and only adult left, Evan had now inherited the position of the new director of the orphanage.

After all, Evan was the only adult left in the entire orphanage, so it made sense for him to become the heir.

Although Evan was reluctant, he couldn't just abandon the little ones in the orphanage.

Out of desperation, Evan had to use his savings to repair the damage caused by the Tauros.

While the Pokémon League did provide some funding, it wasn't enough to cover all the costs. The orphanage had some income of its own, but that too had been wiped out by the Tauros incident.

In the end, everything fell on Evan's shoulders.

When he first heard the news, he felt completely numb.

His savings—everything he had—was gone.

In the end, only a few of the tens of thousands remained.

How was he supposed to become a Trainer with such a small amount of money?

A regular Poké Ball alone costs 500, and that's only good for catching less powerful Pokémon. As a Pokémon becomes stronger, you need to upgrade to better Poké Balls.

A Great Ball? That costs 10 times as much, and it's only effective up to a Gym-level Pokémon.

Once you surpass that, you need Ultra Balls, which are the best Poké Balls available on the market.

Those cost a whopping 10,000 each.

Then there's the cost of food. Ordinary energy cubes, which provide just one meal for a Pokémon, cost a few hundred.

Just one meal.

With three meals a day, the expense for an ordinary Pokémon quickly adds up to thousands per day.

And for larger or more powerful Pokémon? It's even more—several thousand a day.

What ordinary family could afford such expenses? Certainly not someone like Evan, who was struggling just to get by.

Maybe he should just find a construction site and start hauling bricks.

On top of that, there's the cost of travel, along with the necessary equipment. For example, a space backpack costs around 300,000.

And don't forget about basic expenses like food and shelter while traveling.

So, as Evan saw it, being a poor Trainer was simply not an option.

After much thought, Evan decided to accept his fate and return to the orphanage. His goal now was to make the orchard at the orphanage thrive, expanding it as much as possible.

In the future, he planned to make money—lots of it—and no longer live as a penniless time traveler.

Once he had money, he could reconsider becoming a Trainer.

But right now? He wasn't about to become a "broke" Trainer.

Sure, he could take out a loan to fund his journey as a Trainer, but Evan refused. He didn't want to owe anyone, not even the Pokémon League.

In any world, it's tough for those without money.

Of course, not being a Trainer didn't mean you couldn't live comfortably in this world. Evan still dreamed of becoming one, but the circumstances just didn't allow it.

So, without any other options, he chose to go back and take charge of the orphanage.

In his spare time, he planned to study berry cultivation and maybe become a breeder. If that didn't work out, he could try his hand at writing novels or other jobs to bring in income.

Right now, all Evan could think about was making money.

Pokémon? Sorry, without money, he wouldn't be raising any for the time being.

When he eventually became wealthy, maybe he could even get a Gardevoir as his partner—er, that is, his Pokémon.

The old professor who had been mentoring Evan felt a deep sense of helplessness as he watched the determined look in his student's eyes.

He knew Evan wasn't going to change his mind.

Sighing, the professor muttered, "What a pity."

But even so, he didn't want to give up entirely.

"Don't you have enough money to at least buy an Egg?"