After a few minutes of searching and scrolling through the app, Ash finally found something interesting.
TMs and Compulsory TMs Every Trainer Should Own
By Professor Richard
The lecture was nearly an hour long and had been uploaded three years ago.
"Hmm..."
Ash frowned slightly.
There was no doubt that the lecture could prove useful, but there was also a chance that some of the information was outdated. That was one of the biggest problems with free content.
Even in his previous life, free courses and tutorials had often suffered from the same issue. Some contained little useful information, some were years behind current standards, and a few were simply wrong.
Nevertheless, Ash understood why things worked this way.
Knowledge had value.
And valuable knowledge was rarely given away for free.
Most people imagined the Pokémon world as a paradise filled with peace, friendship, and adventure.
Ash knew better.
That image existed, but it wasn't the complete truth.
Even the anime had occasionally revealed hints of the harsher reality hidden beneath the surface.
For example, Pokémon ate Pokémon.
Humans ate Pokémon.
And just like every other living creature, Pokémon needed food to survive.
Many people would simply answer that Pokémon ate Pokémon food.
And while that was technically correct, it only applied to Pokémon that belonged to trainers.
What about wild Pokémon?
The answer was obvious.
They hunted.
This wasn't some theory Ash had come up with.
The anime itself had provided plenty of evidence.
One of the earliest examples came from the very beginning of Ash Ketchum's journey.
Before catching Pidgeotto, Ash had battled a wild Pidgeotto using Caterpie.
Being a novice trainer at the time, he had immediately sent Caterpie into battle.
The moment Caterpie appeared, Pidgeotto had lunged forward without hesitation.
It wasn't merely attacking an opponent.
It was targeting prey.
Shortly afterward, it was explained that Pokémon such as Pidgeotto commonly fed on Bug-type Pokémon like Caterpie and Weedle.
It was simply part of nature.
Predators hunted.
Prey ran.
The cycle repeated itself every day throughout the world.
The Pokémon world wasn't some perfect utopia where every creature lived together in harmony.
It was a living ecosystem.
One that could be beautiful, dangerous, and unforgiving all at the same time.
Ash's gaze remained fixed on the screen as these thoughts passed through his mind.
The more he learned about this world, the more he realized that the reality was far more complex than the cheerful image portrayed in children's television shows.
The second thing Pokémon training required was money.
Not talent.
Not determination.
Not hard work.
Money.
A lot of money.
That does not mean that the things mentioned above are not important at all
Ash had always known that raising Pokémon wasn't cheap, but after arriving in this world, he was beginning to realize just how ridiculous the expenses actually were.
Good Pokémon food cost money.
Medicine cost money.
Poké Balls cost money.
Training equipment cost money.
Travel cost money.
TMs almost certainly cost money.
Even simple things that most people took for granted added up surprisingly quickly.
The more Ash thought about it, the more he understood why so many trainers failed before they ever reached their first Gym.
People loved talking about dreams.
They loved talking about becoming Champions.
They loved talking about adventures.
Very few people talked about the bill that came with those dreams.
Back in his previous life, while watching the anime, Ash had always found one thing strange.
Despite traveling with two Gym Leaders, Brock and Misty, the group constantly seemed broke.
He couldn't even count how many times they had complained about not having enough money for food.
At the time, he had dismissed it as a running gag.
Now that he was living in this world, he wasn't so sure.
After all, Brock and Misty weren't ordinary trainers.
They were Gym Leaders.
Official League employees.
People who represented entire cities.
There was no way they weren't receiving some kind of salary.
Which meant their financial problems probably weren't a joke.
Traveling really was that expensive.
A few days after arriving in this world, Ash had already confirmed another important fact.
Trainer battles paid money.
The winner received a portion of the loser's money.
When he first learned about it, everything suddenly made sense.
Of course trainers earned money through battles.
How else were they supposed to survive?
A journey wasn't a weekend vacation.
It lasted months.
Sometimes years.
Food wasn't free.
Pokémon supplies weren't free.
Transportation certainly wasn't free.
Without battle earnings, most trainers would go bankrupt before reaching their second badge.
Ash leaned back in his chair as his thoughts drifted toward Gym Leaders.
The more he thought about them, the more ridiculous their position seemed.
Most people looked at Gym Leaders and thought of them as strong trainers who handed out badges.
That description couldn't have been further from the truth.
Gym Leaders were celebrities.
Public figures.
Role models.
Some of the strongest trainers in their
respective cities.
If there was any event concerning the city the cities gym leader will be present almost every time.
They were responsible for testing new trainers, maintaining their Gyms, protecting their cities, hosting League events, and representing the League itself.
The League wasn't paying them out of kindness.
It was an investment.
Gym Leaders were one of the pillars supporting the entire trainer system.
Without them, there would be no badges.
Without badges, there would be no regional conferences.
Without regional conferences, there would be no professional trainers.
The entire structure would collapse.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
A very amusing thought.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
If Gym Leaders really were this important...
Then their insurance policies must be absolutely insane.
Ash nearly laughed.
Seriously.
How many Gyms had been damaged throughout the anime?
Brock's Gym had its sprinkler system destroyed by Pikachu.
Lt. Surge's Gym had its windows shattered.
Misty's Gym had suffered damage because of team rockect huge vaccum cleaner
Erika's Gym had literally caught fire because of team rocket as always
Koga's Gym had been wrecked again the reason was team rocket
Blaine's Gym hadn't escaped the inside of volcano was wrecked once again team rocket
If we pay a little more attention somehow, every single time, Team Rocket seemed to be involved.
The trio suddenly appeared in a much different light.
As a child watching the anime, they had seemed harmless.
Goofy villains whose plans failed every episode.
Now?
Now Ash wasn't so sure.
Those three had caused an absurd amount of property damage over the years.
Burned buildings.
Destroyed equipment.
Ruined battle arenas.
Broken walls.
Broken windows.
Flooded facilities.
If someone actually calculated the repair costs, the final number would probably be terrifying.
Ash stared at the cafeteria ceiling.
"Wow..."
The thought escaped before he could stop it.
"Team Rocket might actually be more dangerous than I remember."
Not because they were powerful.
Not because they were evil masterminds.
But because they somehow managed to cause catastrophic damage wherever they went.
The funniest part?
After everything was over, the Gym Leaders were always smiling.
No one seemed angry.
No one demanded compensation.
No one threatened lawsuits.
Everyone just acted as though millions of Pokédollars worth of damage had magically repaired itself overnight.
Ash's grin widened.
Either Gym Leaders were the most patient people on the planet...
Or League insurance was the true strongest force in the Pokémon world.