Then, Terrance followed the person in charge of the Tower of Confusion to register.
Terrance currently has one try of free challenge, as indicated by his student ID card.
“My name is Lucas, a retired old man.” Unlike the earlier indifference, as Terrance walked a few steps with this elderly teacher, he discovered the other’s true nature.
“If you can pass the first level, you’re considered a decent student. If you can pass the second level, you’re considered outstanding among students. And if you can leave a mark on the fourth level, only the top students from the Graduation Class can achieve that.”
“Although there is no limit to the number of levels in the Tower of Confusion, the best performance among the academy’s students so far has only been lasting for a while on the fourth level…”
“Huh?…..Wait a moment, you’re a Breeder Class student?” While registering, Teacher Lucas unconsciously glanced at Terrance’s information and was momentarily surprised.
“Student from the Breeder Class, did you come here to cause trouble?”
Unlike Trainers from the Battle Class, everyone’s impression of Breeders is that they are not good at battles, mainly because they spend most of their time studying theoretical knowledge. At the Tower of Confusion, challengers are mostly Trainers and Coordinators, with few Breeders who have limited combat experience.
What else could Terence say? He could only reaffirm his determination.
“Not bad, not bad. You’ve got the same spirit as I did in my younger days. Have you seen this record? I lasted 2 minutes and 9 seconds on the fourth level. That’s my record from back in the day, impressive, right?”
“And this one…”
“That’s also my achievement…”
Black lines appeared on Terrance’s face.
“Take a good look at the new students who enrolled this year, they can hold their own in battles on the first level. As a new student, that’s quite rare. If you can outperform them, as your senior, I wouldn’t mind giving you some guidance.”
“At that time, me, and my Honchkrow and Claydol were nightmares of all students. Many female students also admired me. Ah, I’m getting old… memories…”
“Um…”
“Eh…?”
“I plan to have my Swablu challenge. Please register,” Terrance said.
“Why the rush? You young people are too impatient….” Teacher Lucas was quite displeased with Terrance’s attitude and reprimanded him, saying, “This record board contains the achievements of several generations of students. If you can leave your name on it, there will be some credits as a reward…”
“But you shouldn’t even think about this. Only the Graduation Class students can leave their names on it; you’re too early for that.”
“Besides that, for each level you pass, you can also receive some credits as a reward. Your current focus should be on challenging and passing the first level…”
…
“Excuse me… Is anyone here?”
Just as Terrance was receiving Teacher Lucas’s earnest advice, a voice came from outside, causing Terrance to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Ah… who is it? Wait a moment, aren’t you the boy with curly eyebrows who came by last time?” Teacher Lucas looked out the window, squinted his eyes, and said in surprise after a moment of thought.
“I remember you challenged just a month ago, right?”
“Don’t call me Curly Eyebrows!! My name is Valor!!” The boy with curly eyebrows said with anger. “I’ve gathered 50 credits and want to challenge again.”
“You’re wasting it, boy. These are a badge’s worth of credits…” Teacher Lucas looked at the young man as if he were a fool.
“Don’t waste time talking!! I want to challenge it. As long as I pass the first level, I can double my credits!”
“I really can’t do anything with you… Last time, you couldn’t even last for 3 minutes, and you think it’s so easy to pass.” After sighing, Teacher Lucas reluctantly said, “In that case, the two of you can go together.”
At this moment, Valor noticed Terrance. In contrast to his earlier mood, he patted his chest and politely said, “Hello, I’m Valor, a new student of the Speed Battle Class.”
“Hello, I’m Terrance, a new student of the Breeder Class,” Terrance replied.
“Breeder Class?? You’re a Breeder!” Valor exclaimed.
“Wait a minute… Terrance, this should be your first time challenging the Tower of Confusion, right? Come a bit closer; let me tell you something. After completing the challenge, you must leave this place immediately. Otherwise, this Teacher Lucas will definitely drag you into hearing about his glorious exploits in his youth. I learned this lesson through pain and suffering….whatever you do, don’t listen to his stories. Otherwise, he’ll keep you entangled for half the day, especially this old bachelor; he loves showing off his youthful escapades with female students.”
Terrance raised an eyebrow. This was quite serious and he detested nothing more than chatterboxes.
“…Thank you for the reminder; I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Are you two whispering about something secretly?” Teacher Lucas, who was registering information, looked suspicious.
“No,” both of them raised their heads with a blank expression, staring at the ceiling.
…
Tower of Confusion.
With new challengers, the Tower of Confusion was reopened, and the Ditto responsible for guarding the levels took their positions.
Teacher Lucas held a laptop that was connected to the tower. After giving some instructions, he informed Terrance and Valor that they could go up.
Terrance held Swablu’s Poké Ball and walked into the tower calmly, while Valor appeared more nervous in comparison.
“Terrance, be careful later. Ditto’s fighting style might be different from our Pokémon.”
“Got it. You give it your best shot too.”
The best record among the academy’s students in the Tower of Confusion so far was lasting a while on the fourth level while facing attacks from four Ditto.
In contrast, passing the first level and defeating one Ditto wouldn’t be too difficult for experienced Trainers.
The first level could be considered the basics of the basics. If you are a Trainer who can collect all eight Gym Badges, there was no reason you couldn’t pass.
But starting from the second level, facing attacks from two Ditto at the same time increased the pressure instantly. Similarly, the third level has three Ditto, and the fourth level has four Ditto. In recent years, within the four-year academy curriculum, no student had managed to challenge the fifth level.
“As you progress in the challenge, relying solely on brute force won’t get you far. You must consider tactical choices and make the most of your Pokémon’s strengths.”
“Although Ditto can change the composition of their cells and mimic the composition of any object they copy, thereby transforming into the appearance of anything they see, and even mimicking the opponent’s moves… fundamentally, no matter how perfect their transformation, they can never fully copy the unique ability of every Pokémon.”
This Tower of Confusion… the academy had put a lot of thought into it.
This guy!
Watching Valor next to him, clenching his fists nervously yet determined and somewhat anxious, Terrance was at a loss for words.
The first level of the Tower of Confusion had numerous rooms, interconnected with places where Ditto resided. Terrance recalled the reputation of Crown Academy, and its foundation was indeed well-deserved. It was truly a Trainer’s holy land a hundred years ago when the Pokémon League was not yet fully established.
Even in its current state of decline, it was not something a Gym’s foundation could compare to.
However, it was hard to imagine that Graduation Class students who could pass the third level were still not a match for Cynthia… No wonder Crown Academy’s fame wasn’t prominent. Compared to a true prodigy of a region, even if it has a foundation, it was still lacking in some aspects.
“I wonder… which level I can reach.”
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