The Shock Brought by Tropius!

In this world of rigid social strata, ordinary people have almost only one path to success: becoming a Pokémon Trainer.

Therefore, many parents who wish for their children to succeed spare no effort in helping them become trainers. Even though this path is difficult, it is truly the only hope for commoners.

On the second-floor corridor of the gymnasium, Dou Guomin, the dean of students, sighed, "The quality of students this year is much higher than in previous years."

Jin Cuilian, standing beside him, nodded. As the homeroom teacher for the advanced class at No. 1 High School, Jin Cuilian could most directly feel this.

The registration for Rookie Trainers had only just begun, and she had already seen two relatively rare Pokémon: Eevee and Nidoran.

Nidoking, the final evolved form of Nidoran, is a powerful Pokémon with a base stat total exceeding 500. Most importantly, Nidoking has an incredibly wide range of effective matchups.

As for Eevee, it goes without saying, it is an even rarer Pokémon than Nidoran.

Dou Guomin asked curiously, "Which Pokémon will our school's prodigy get? I truly didn't expect him to choose the path of a Pokémon Trainer."

"He refused our Jin Family's sponsorship. As for his starter Pokémon... honestly, I don't know either." Jin Cuilian shook her head and then looked at Lu Li in the crowd with equal curiosity.

"Jin Huang! Starter Pokémon: Aron!" the teacher in charge of registration announced in a loud voice.

The teacher on duty would announce less common Pokémon loudly as they registered them.

"Tsk~" Dou Guomin glanced at Jin Cuilian and said in surprise, "Going to such lengths? Aren't you worried about your son's training talent?"

Aron!

Even though Jin Cuilian was from a collateral branch of the Jin Family, obtaining an Aron was not a simple matter. It's worth noting that Jin Cuilian couldn't easily obtain a second Aron, and more importantly, Jin Huang was not her only son.

Jin Cuilian calmly explained, "Jin Yin has already decided to pursue the path of a Pokémon Breeder."

Dou Guomin nodded upon hearing this. It was their family matter, and his question was merely out of surprise.

Lu Li, amidst the crowd, already knew that Jin Huang's starter Pokémon was Aron, so he wasn't surprised.

Although there were many Rookie Trainers registering today, the majority were actually Bug-type Pokémon. Even Grass-type Pokémon, which are relatively easy to raise, were scarce.

Never underestimate the wisdom of the poor. To achieve success, commoner trainers had long ago developed a set of Pokémon breeding strategies most suitable for them.

It was precisely because of this that most of the Pokémon registered by the Rookie Trainers today were Bug-type.

Bug-type Pokémon have an advantage that no other type possesses: rapid growth. Therefore, most trainers from commoner backgrounds would first choose fast-growing Pokémon like Weedle to start their journey.

This was equivalent to sacrificing the future of their first Pokémon to allow the trainer to go further. However, this future was also one that could be seen to its end at a glance.

99% of commoners worldwide followed this strategy, yet the number who truly reached the Elite Four could be counted on one's fingers.

Soon, it was Lu Li's turn in line.

Lu Li released Tropius from its Poké Ball.

The teacher in charge of registration looked surprised when they saw the Tropius in Lu Li's hand.

Tropius were quite rare Pokémon. This wasn't because Tropius were particularly strong, but because they were considered a Class 1 protected Pokémon by the League in the wild.

This was because wild Tropius were often key Pokémon in maintaining the stability of the food chain in their region. Therefore, the League prohibited trainers from capturing Tropius in the wild.

This was also why, despite Tropius being an economically valuable Pokémon, they were not widely cultivated in Pokémon farms.

Lu Li was quite a well-known figure at the school. The teacher in charge of registration clearly knew of Lu Li's talent, so they sincerely exclaimed, "This Pokémon suits you well."

Lu Li simply smiled and stroked the Tropius's back, saying, "Xiao Lu is indeed the partner most suited for me."

"Lu Li! Initial Pokémon is Tropius!"

The duty teacher's loud voice echoed through the gymnasium again.

Dou Guomin looked at the Tropius next to Lu Li in surprise.

"As expected of a genius breeder, this Tropius has been raised exceptionally well," Dou Guomin said with a satisfied smile.

Just from the Tropius's appearance, one could tell it was developing well, at least not suffering from malnutrition. This was something most precious for trainers from common backgrounds.

Jin Cuilian murmured softly, "No wonder this child refused the Jin Family's sponsorship. So, he had already planned his future path."

While Tropius might not be a powerhouse in battles, their cost-effectiveness was definitely the highest among all starter Pokémon.

As an Intermediate Breeder, Dou Guomin sighed, "I wonder about the purity of this Tropius's Dragon-type bloodline. If its parent was a Dragon-type, then this Pokémon would truly be perfect."

Jin Huang, waiting nearby, excitedly exclaimed, "It's a Tropius! You, guy, are truly worthy of being my rival!"

Lu Li heard this and smiled back, "Your Aron isn't bad either. That's a future Steel Tank!"

Hearing this, Jin Huang's lips curved slightly upwards, and he said proudly, "Your first place might be in jeopardy this time!"

The relationship between Jin Huang and Lu Li wasn't actually very good. After all, Lu Li was the typical "child from another family," and Jin Huang was often compared to Lu Li by his own mother at home.

Because of this, Jin Huang had aimed to surpass Lu Li for all three years of high school, but the result was that Jin Huang remained the perennial runner-up for three years.

However, the rivalry between these youths didn't involve any schemes or calculations, so their relationship remained in a state of being both rivals and friends.

While their relationship could be called friendship, neither had truly deepened their connection with the other. To call them enemies would be inaccurate, as they were merely in a competitive relationship, and this competitive relationship was something Jin Huang unilaterally perceived.

Soon, all the students' starter Pokémon had been registered.

Next was the much-anticipated segment of speeches from the leaders.

Standing on the second-floor corridor, Dou Guomin watched the students below and said, "First, congratulations to all students for becoming Rookie Trainers. Your Trainer Qualification Certificates will be issued in a week. Here, on behalf of the school..."

Dou Guomin's speech lasted for about half an hour, covering topics such as the Trainer Qualification Certificate and the application for graduation certificates.

Then, the most important thing was that in a week, the school would hold a Rookie Trainer competition, with the top three receiving 10,000 League Credits as rewards.

Dou Guomin mysteriously added that there would be a surprise gift then.

Although Lu Li was somewhat looking forward to the so-called surprise gift, he was more interested in the 10,000 League Credits.

He had been poor even before becoming a trainer, and now that he had become one, he was even poorer.

If he didn't find a way to increase his income, Lu Li felt he would become the most embarrassing Cultivator and transmigrator.