Swellow

Early the next morning, Ye Lan dragged his suitcase to the standalone dormitory building reserved for the elite class.

Even including the dorm supervisor and other staff, only forty-five people lived in the entire building. Yet it covered a vast area and stood a full five stories tall.

The first, third, and fifth floors were student dormitories, with two students to a room. The rooms had everything needed to meet both the students' and Pokémon's daily needs.

The second and fourth floors contained not only training and battle facilities, but also Pokémon medical facilities and a cafeteria. While using them was not free, the prices were very low, with the fees only covering normal equipment maintenance.

This apartment building, which fully integrated Pokémon training and daily life, was one of the reasons students fought tooth and nail to enter the elite class.

"Room 303?"

After checking the information on his phone, Ye Lan headed for Room 303.

Once he reached the third floor and confirmed the room number, Ye Lan strode inside. He first opened the windows to air the room out, then threw out a Poké Ball and had Snivy help clean up.

"It'd be much more convenient if Snivy could learn Refresh."

After making the bed, Ye Lan wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around, very satisfied with the dorm's conditions.

Although each room housed only two people, the space had not been cramped as a result.

There was not only a balcony and a private bathroom, but also a designated area for Pokémon to rest.

Even if Snivy lay there, it would not take up much space. Clearly, the designers had also taken larger Pokémon into account.

Looking at the empty bed opposite his, Ye Lan could not help feeling vaguely uneasy.

Principal Liu Qingshan greatly encouraged the kind of relationship Ye Lan and Lin Yan had, where they competed against and pushed each other forward, so he had deliberately assigned the two to the same room.

Lin Yan usually arrived early, let alone today, when they had to move into the dorms and attend a class mobilization meeting afterward.

Ye Lan had Lin Yan's contact information, but he had been unable to reach him since last night. It was hard not to worry.

"Hopefully, he just overslept."

He yanked Snivy, who was about to fall asleep on the cushion, to its feet and headed for the tactical analysis room on the second floor.

After being assigned to the elite class, they would basically no longer use their former training grounds or classrooms.

This dormitory building contained nearly every facility needed by beginner- and intermediate-level Trainers. Unless something urgent came up, the elite class students would not leave this place until the provincial tournament.

Of course, that was assuming they could keep their places in the elite class.

This kind of centralized management was rare among Trainer schools in this world, showing just how much importance Mianzhou placed on this provincial tournament.

Mianzhou was simply too small. Among this batch of students, not a single one had a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

In those major cities, the heirs of certain Pokémon families or battle dojos often had either powerful pseudo-legendary Pokémon with excellent overall stats as their first Pokémon, or Pokémon cultivated through generations of dojo inheritance. None of them could be underestimated.

On the way, Ye Lan saw teachers leading ordinary-class students on tours of the elite class dormitory.

Many students who recognized Ye Lan greeted him. Some teachers also smiled and nodded at him, making it clear just how famous Ye Lan was at Mianzhou No. 1 High School.

If the elite class mobilization meeting used professional Trainer Liu Yan to encourage the students, then the ordinary class mobilization meeting used a tour of the elite class's "privileges."

Nothing motivated students to improve more than directly witnessing the difference in treatment.

No matter how eloquently teachers spoke, it could not compare to seeing it with one's own eyes.

Watching Ye Lan's departing back, the teacher leading the group said to the students behind him, "You've all seen the elite class's training conditions. I've received word that, due to special circumstances, there are currently two vacancies in the elite class."

At those words, many students' eyes lit up, and some even began breathing heavily.

The resources enjoyed by the elite class were worlds apart from those of the ordinary class.

If the school's total resources were compared to a bottle of yogurt, then the ordinary class was only fit to lick the yogurt from the lid—and one or two hundred people had to share even that. The lack of resources was obvious.

Seeing the students' expressions, the teacher smiled in satisfaction.

"Don't blame the school for playing favorites. After all, there are only so many spots in the provincial tournament each year. I don't need to mobilize you over what you should do during the next week, do I?"

The students immediately rubbed their hands together in anticipation. Competing to fill vacancies would be much easier than competing against students who had already enjoyed elite-class resources for a week.

Entering the tactical analysis room, Ye Lan casually found a seat in the back row.

He looked around and saw seventeen people seated here and there. Even his normally laid-back expression turned grave.

Including Wang Siqi, who had transferred away, Ye Lan still did not see Lin Yan.

At that moment, Liu Yan stepped onto the podium. After giving the room a cursory glance, she began today's mobilization meeting.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Liu Yan, and I will be the elite class's instructor for the coming year. If you run into any problems during this year, you can come to me for advice."

As she spoke, Liu Yan threw out a Poké Ball. Amid a flash of white light, a Swellow appeared at her side.

Its broad wings were covered in dark blue feathers, while crimson markings ran along its neck and tail tip. Its belly was white, and the two straight tail feathers standing upright gave off a sharp, cutting impression, displaying this Swellow's extraordinary nature.

"Siba!"

As Swellow let out a piercing cry, the pressure of a professional-level Pokémon swept through the entire tactical analysis room, causing many students who had been relaxed moments earlier to turn serious.

Light flickered in Ye Lan's eyes, and Swellow's information appeared before him.

Name: Swellow

Gender: Male

Type: Normal/Flying

Ability: Guts
Effect: When Swellow is afflicted with an abnormal condition such as poison, paralysis, or burn, its Attack increases by 50%.

Moves: Peck, Growl, Quick Attack, Protect, Air Slash, Focus Energy, Wing Attack, Double Team, Aerial Ace, Quick Guard, Agility, Endeavor

Inherited Moves: Boomburst, Brave Bird

Rank: Early Professional Level

Evolution Progress: None (Final evolution reached)

After learning this Swellow's information, Ye Lan inwardly sighed in regret.

While the Guts Ability enhanced Swellow's damage output under abnormal conditions and could unleash tremendous bursts of power when paired with a Flame Orb, it was still far inferior to the other Ability, Scrappy.

Not only did Scrappy allow Swellow's Fighting-type moves to damage rare Ghost-type Pokémon, it also made Swellow immune to the effects of Intimidate.

Combined with Swellow's terrifying base 125 Speed, as well as Endeavor, Quick Attack, and U-turn, it had once been dubbed the "Tactical Bird" and the "Bug Bird" in the battle scene.

From what Ye Lan knew of the anime's plot, Ash seemed to have a Swellow as well.

Though it only had one evolution, Swellow was still considered the strongest regional bird by many players and competitive battlers.

Back then, Ye Lan had once spent more than five straight hours grinding for a Taillow with a Timid nature and the Scrappy Ability.