The underground was Trapinch's territory!
"Machamp, use Arm Thrust! Push against the ground!"
Zhang Kuang didn't hesitate. Whatever the opponent's purpose in using Dig, he had to disrupt it and keep the initiative on his side.
"Bang! Bang!"
Su Yi watched Machamp unleash Arm Thrust again and again, its two iron-hard palms slamming into the ground.
Not yet, Trapinch. Wait a little longer!
Su Yi kept his eyes fixed on the spot where Machamp was pounding the ground.
"Crack!"
The moment Su Yi heard that crisp crack—
Just as Machamp raised its hands for another Arm Thrust, before they came down—
"Trapinch, use Sand Tomb underground!"
Trapinch used Sand Tomb underground!
The ground Machamp had pounded was already damaged. Under the effects of Sand Tomb, it instantly crumbled into sand, which swirled into a vortex and dragged Machamp inside!
"Machamp!"
The collapsed ground trapped Machamp's massive body!
At the same time, Sand Tomb made Machamp feel as if it were stuck in a swamp.
"Use Force Palm! Get out of there!"
Zhang Kuang hadn't expected Trapinch to attack like this. It had used Dig but hadn't come back up—instead, it had stayed underground.
A sudden irritation welled up inside him.
Things seemed to be going differently than he'd expected.
Of course, Su Yi and Trapinch weren't about to let Machamp escape!
"Rock Tomb!"
Rumble, rumble!
Four enormous boulders boxed Machamp in from every direction!
Force Palm battered the massive rocks as Machamp struggled to break free as quickly as possible.
But Sand Tomb was still taking its toll, restricting its strength!
"Rock Slide!"
"Crack, crack!"
Su Yi clenched his fist!
Trapinch burst out of the ground. Its two little forelegs held tremendous power as it stomped down hard!
"Rumble!"
Under the force of Rock Slide, the four boulders sealing Machamp in exploded!
The four boulders from Rock Tomb had amplified Rock Slide's power!
Machamp took the full force of the boosted Rock Slide!
"Damn it! Get up, Machamp!"
Zhang Kuang hadn't noticed how badly the string of attacks had drained its stamina. Machamp was already running out of strength.
It couldn't recover in time.
But Trapinch hadn't taken a single hit!
"Finish it with Earth Power!"
A smile curled across Su Yi's lips. One million Gold Coins was his.
My numbers were terrible today!
Machamp had lost!
Under Trapinch's relentless attacks, Machamp couldn't hold on any longer. Its massive body had made it far harder to escape Sand Tomb.
Zhang Kuang stared blankly. He'd actually lost!?
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! Trapinch defeated Machamp and gained Battle Experience. Its level increased to Lv. 35! ]
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! The Battle Drop Function has been activated. Obtained 160,000 Gold Coins, a Soothe Bell, and a Fire Stone! ]
"Crack, crack!"
Having defeated Machamp before everyone's eyes, Trapinch was overjoyed!
Lv. 35—it was going to evolve!
Su Yi didn't even pay attention to the items he'd gotten from Battle Drop. He gazed at Trapinch expectantly as a hum ran through its body!
"It's evolving! Su Yi's Trapinch is evolving!"
Everyone knew that Trapinch evolved into Vibrava, gaining the Dragon-type!
It also gained the ability to fly.
But since Vibrava's wings hadn't fully developed yet, it couldn't fly long distances.
Still, its agility would undoubtedly improve a lot.
"Eee!"
Vibrava fluttered its little wings and nestled against Su Yi's shoulder, rubbing affectionately against him.
"Good job, little one."
Su Yi returned Vibrava to its Advanced Pokeball, then turned to Zhang Kuang and Zhang Mu.
"Family Head Zhang Mu, pay up the one million Gold Coins for your son."
Heavenly King Moss spoke calmly, though he was pleased inside.
Clearly, he'd been displeased when Zhang Mu interrupted him and raised an objection earlier.
Shangguan Hong laughed to himself. Zhang Mu had tried to pull a fast one and ended up losing out instead!
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Zhang Mu could only transfer the one million Gold Coins. His heart ached with every coin.
"All right, does anyone else have an objection?"
Heavenly King Moss surveyed the crowd.
His tone was noticeably stern.
Nobody was foolish enough to challenge a Heavenly King from Alliance Headquarters. Once was enough; do it again, and they'd be in for serious trouble.
"Good. On behalf of Headquarters, I hereby announce that Su Yi is the double top scorer among this year's high school graduates. He is hereby awarded a graduation certificate from South Lake Province First Spirit Academy, along with a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg as a reward from Headquarters. I hope you'll keep up the good work at Spirit University!"
Heavenly King Moss personally handed Su Yi the graduation certificate and a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg.
Thunderous applause broke out.
In that moment, Su Yi became the most sought-after person there.
Historically, whether someone topped the Knowledge Ranking or the Trial Ranking, as long as nothing went wrong, ninety percent of them eventually became Heavenly King Trainers!
Su Yi offered a few words of formal thanks, while the TV station's staff hurriedly snapped photos.
The news about Su Yi would probably flood the headlines that night.
A historic moment: a double top scorer!
Su Yi barely noticed the applause. What mattered to him was the system notification in his mind. He'd finally completed his first Main Quest!
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You completed the high school graduation trial and came in first on the college entrance exam. Reward: Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg ×1! ]
After that, he was given the option to claim it.
Another Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg!
Su Yi felt a thrill of excitement. These things were priceless and not even available for purchase. He'd gotten one million Gold Coins from the Zhang Family, and had earned about another million during the trial!
Two million Gold Coins should be enough to raise a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon in its early stages.
Su Yi thought it over discreetly. He couldn't claim the Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon Egg from the system just yet; he could do it when no one was around.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You completed Main Quest 1 and unlocked hidden rewards: Self-Enhancement Potion ×3, Roulette Draw Chance ×3, Attack Enhancement Potion ×3, and Speed Enhancement Potion ×3! ]
Happiness had come so suddenly!
Su Yi hadn't expected to unlock hidden rewards, too!
Back in the lounge, he calmed his excitement. He was still wondering why he hadn't received a single invitation from any Spirit University.
He had no idea that the ordinary Spirit Universities already knew they weren't qualified to invite someone as strong as him!
As the double top scorer, he wasn't choosing a school from among those that picked him. He was the one choosing the school!
The country's top ten Spirit Universities all had something to offer, but the fiercest competition would come from Haitian Academy and Jingtian Academy.
It wasn't that these Spirit Universities hadn't sent invitations. They were planning to invite him in person!
The admissions directors from the major Spirit Universities had come themselves!
It was a historic double top score. Whichever Spirit University recruited him would have something to boast about!
That went for both Jingtian Academy and Haitian Academy.
Before long, someone knocked on the door of Su Yi's lounge.
Su Yi opened it, and a man in his thirties walked in.
"Student Su Yi, congratulations on becoming the double top scorer. I'm Li Li, a teacher and homeroom adviser at Musheng Academy. Our academy is also among the top ten nationwide. If you join our Spirit University, we promise you the very best educational resources and a Pokémon with Purple Qualification. When you graduate, if you need to take the Heavenly King certification challenge, we'll apply for a spot for you free of charge!"
Li Li was glad to be the first to arrive, and his manner grew even more earnest as he spoke.
The principal had said that successfully recruiting Su Yi to Musheng Academy would count as a major achievement!
"Heh, Li Li. Musheng Academy is always so quick to make a move."
Just as Li Li was waiting for Su Yi to agree, a voice came from behind him.
"Hello, Student Su Yi. Come to Shengshui Academy. I'm Ji Chunhua, the admissions director at Shengshui Academy. We're offering you even better terms. First, we'll waive your tuition and provide a Pokémon with Purple Qualification for free. And if, by graduation, your Pokémon team still isn't full, we'll provide you with a second Pokémon with Purple Qualification. Graduate from our academy, and we'll also apply for one Heavenly King certification spot for you free of charge!"
Ji Chunhua from Shengshui Academy looked at Li Li with a hint of pride.
Musheng Academy and Shengshui Academy were rivals, much like Haitian Academy and Jingtian Academy.
People from those two academies competed wherever they went.
Su Yi said nothing. It wouldn't hurt to see what the schools had to offer first.
Although he had his sights set on Jingtian Academy, he wouldn't mind going elsewhere if another academy made him an enticing offer.
While the people from Musheng Academy and Shengshui Academy were arguing, representatives from several other academies soon arrived as well.
Their offers were more or less the same.
So far, Shengshui Academy had made the best offer.
"Hello, Student Su Yi. I'm Sun De, the person in charge of recruitment for Haitian Academy. Our offer builds on what the other academies have proposed: we'll also provide 200,000 Gold Coins per month for your training and development."
Sun De was a man in his early forties.
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