But applying to the national headquarters wasn't as simple as asking for it. There were restrictions, and even a Heavenly King wasn't exempt.
Su Xiyan had a Heavenly King-level Pokémon, Roserade, but she had been missing the Shining Stone it needed to evolve.
That was why Su Xiyan was so excited when she saw the Shining Stone.
Seeing Su Xiyan about to pounce on him, Su Yi smiled. She had only recently become a Heavenly King. She'd saved up Gold Coins for a long time, hoping to apply to buy the Shining Stone as soon as the South Lake Province Pokémon League had one in stock.
But with his high school graduation exams coming up, Su Xiyan had traded the Gold Coins to him without hesitation so he could buy his Starter Pokémon.
This Shining Stone was a way to make it up to her.
"Mwah~~"
Su Xiyan, the doting older sister, was touched that her little brother was looking after her. Overcome with excitement and happiness, she planted a kiss on Su Yi.
Then, beaming, she picked up the Shining Stone.
"Not bad, not bad. You're finally able to help me out. Come on out, Roserade."
Su Xiyan sent out Roserade.
Su Yi greeted Roserade, who greeted him back with a smile.
"Roserade, look! We got the Shining Stone. Su Yi got it for us. Hehe, now you can evolve, and we can put even more pressure on Liu Shuying. Hahaha!"
Su Xiyan handed Roserade the Shining Stone. As soon as Roserade touched it, a burst of light enveloped her.
Roserade evolved into Roserade!
"Roserade~~"
Roserade was overjoyed with her own evolution, but right after evolving, she accidentally let her aura slip.
The aura of a Heavenly King-level Pokémon was no small thing.
The area around the shelter at South Lake Province First Spirit Academy had been noisy just moments before.
But when Roserade's aura burst out, everything fell silent.
The other Trainers and their Pokémon were all affected.
Roserade quickly reined in her aura and smiled apologetically.
Su Yi clicked his tongue in amazement, then glanced at his four Pokémon.
He had just introduced them all to Su Xiyan.
Roserade hadn't directed her aura at Su Yi's four Pokémon, and their potential was excellent to begin with. They simply gazed at Roserade with eager eyes.
"Don't worry. Every one of you will reach the Heavenly King level!"
Looking at his four little partners, Su Yi felt fired up.
There was only one year left at Spirit University.
And now that he'd earned two top scores, he needed to pay extra attention to his safety from now on.
This world wasn't as peaceful as it seemed.
There were underground forces, too.
They were criminals who flouted the Pokémon League's rules and used Pokémon to carry out all sorts of shady business.
He also had to be wary of other powerful families and factions.
If they really push me too far, I can always summon Groudon to crush them all!
As if he knew what Su Yi was thinking, Groudon shifted inside the Master Ball in Su Yi's pocket.
Of course!
Groudon: Now that I can fly, I'll crush anyone who comes at me!
Su Yi: →_→
After the two of them collected themselves, they boarded the Pokémon League's chartered aircraft, which was actually a large flying vehicle.
The nearly 100,000 students who had passed their exams had already been sent to the designated recruitment sites at the various Pokémon universities.
The final review of the results had found no problems.
This further confirmed just how impressive Su Yi was—a Trainer who had emerged at the very last moment.
At last, the final chartered aircraft arrived.
It had been sent specifically to pick up the top three students from the high school graduation trial!
"Go on. I'm heading back to South Lake Province First Spirit Academy. As for which university or Spirit Academy you choose, I think you know better than I do. Just go for it. Oh, and since you got two top scores and even gave me a Shining Stone, I can't let that go unreturned. I've got a surprise for you at your graduation ceremony!"
Su Xiyan hugged Su Yi again and gave him an encouraging look, then giggled.
Su Yi nodded. If his older sister, a Heavenly King-level Trainer, called it a surprise, it probably wouldn't be anything ordinary.
He boarded the chartered aircraft.
Since it was a special flight, it wasn't as huge as the other large aircraft. There were only two people in the cabin: Zhang Kuang and Shangguan Ling'er.
As soon as Su Yi opened the cabin door and stepped inside, both of them looked over at him.
Su Yi met their gazes without the slightest fear.
Shangguan Ling'er gave a surprised laugh. She hadn't expected this Su Yi to be quite handsome.
"Hello, I'm Shangguan Ling'er."
With that, Shangguan Ling'er smiled and offered her hand.
"Su Yi."
Su Yi nodded and shook her hand. Zhang Kuang didn't greet him, and Su Yi couldn't be bothered with him either. He found a seat and sat down by himself.
Zhang Kuang stared at Su Yi for a few seconds.
At last, he said, "You calculated everything very well. Interested in having another match once we get to Pokémon University?"
It was only natural that Zhang Kuang wasn't ready to accept defeat.
"Maybe, if I have time."
Su Yi waved a hand casually. He didn't mind competing against Zhang Kuang if he had the chance, but the most important thing was still the system.
The system's Side Quest still hadn't refreshed. As for the two Main Quests, the first was to place first in the college entrance exams. Now that he'd earned two top scores, there was no doubt he'd come first, but the system still hadn't notified him that the quest was complete.
It seemed likely that the system would only mark the quest complete once he received his high school graduation certificate and the Pokémon League officially recognized his result.
Zhang Kuang's gaze turned intent.
While they'd been waiting for the chartered aircraft, he'd already had someone investigate Su Yi.
After learning that Su Yi had an older sister who was a Heavenly King, Zhang Kuang had decided not to act rashly.
He knew Su Xiyan had only recently become a Heavenly King, but a Heavenly King was still a Heavenly King.
Picking a fight with one was a very unwise move.
Shangguan Ling'er, meanwhile, compared Su Yi and Zhang Kuang in her mind.
Her long ponytail fell over the seat as she watched with interest.
The Shangguan and Zhang families had never gotten along, and she was happy to see Zhang Kuang take a hit.
In the slightly strange atmosphere, the chartered aircraft landed about an hour later.
Staff immediately directed the three of them to a designated area.
The students from the various high school Spirit Academies had already completed their graduation ceremonies under the supervision of Pokémon League officials. Their academy principals had taken group photos with them.
Everyone's contact information was on file with the Pokémon League.
The various Pokémon universities could send invitation messages to the students they wished to recruit, according to their enrollment requirements.
The staff from the major television stations were snapping pictures nonstop.
A large audience seating area surrounded the venue.
At the very least, anyone attending this event as a spectator was an Advanced Trainer or an Ace Trainer.
Some were heads of powerful families.
For example, Zhang Kuang's father, Zhang Mu, the current head of the Zhang Family, was seated among the audience.
"All right, now let's welcome this year's third-place finisher in the high school graduation trial, Shangguan Ling'er!"
At the host's announcement, Shangguan Ling'er took the stage.
She wasn't just one of the top three in overall results; she was also the only girl among the top ten on the Trial Ranking.
There was another girl among the top ten in overall results, though.
"Brother Shangguan, your daughter is quite the sight—so spirited and confident! If my family didn't have a daughter of our own, I'd want to arrange a marriage between our families!"
In the audience, Shangguan Hong, the current head of the Shangguan Family, was seated among a group of family heads on friendly terms with the Shangguan Family.
"Not at all. That brat of mine has the temperament of a boy. She's always wanted to surpass that kid from the Zhang Family. I didn't expect someone else to beat them both to it. What an interesting turn of events! Hahaha!"
Shangguan Hong laughed heartily. He wasn't upset that Shangguan Ling'er had only come in third. As long as first place didn't go to the Zhang Family, that was enough.
"This time, I expect Zhang Mu will make things difficult for that boy called Su Yi later. Brothers, I'm happy whenever the Zhang Family takes a hit, so let's give that kid a hand when the time comes."
Shangguan Hong turned toward Zhang Mu and raised a hand as he spoke.
His friends naturally followed his lead. At Shangguan Hong's words, they all nodded.
After Shangguan Ling'er left the stage, the host invited Zhang Kuang up next.
Zhang Kuang kept his expression calm.
He should have been the one to earn the honor of first place.
When there was a first-place finisher, who would pay much attention to the runner-up?
When Zhang Kuang came back down, everyone's attention focused on the stage more intensely than ever.
"The double top scorer is about to appear. I can't wait to see what kind of person he is."
"I heard he's a student at South Lake Province First Spirit Academy. Why is the host stepping down?"
"..."
Quiet discussion spread through the audience.
Zhang Mu watched with an expressionless face.
He was thinking about how to challenge Su Yi.
After the host stepped down, someone else came onstage.
Almost every family head and Gym Leader in attendance recognized him.
Moss, the face of the International Pokémon League headquarters—and a Heavenly King!
Moss often represented the International Pokémon League headquarters at events across the country.
It looked like the Heavenly King Moss himself would be presenting Su Yi's award.
A Heavenly King from the International Pokémon League personally presenting an award—what an honor!
Even Zhang Mu's eyes narrowed in surprise. He hadn't expected this Heavenly King to attend a high school graduation ceremony.
"High school graduates are the Pokémon Trainers of tomorrow, and the fresh blood that keeps them coming. Headquarters values the high school graduation trial every year. This year, we welcome the first double top scorer in history, Su Yi!"
Moss's voice rang out. Su Yi felt a little excited, too. After all, he was a double top scorer, and a Heavenly King was presenting his award!
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