School Begins

Early the next morning, Ye Lan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the line ahead of him.

Mianzhou No. 1 High School started at ten that morning. Though Ye Lan had overslept again, it looked like he could still make it to school on time.

Soon it was Ye Lan's turn. As Nurse Joy registered his Pokémon, even she looked surprised.

A Starter Pokémon from the Unova Region! Pokémon like that were exceptionally rare in the Huaxia Region.

Once the paperwork was done, Ye Lan took the Poké Ball Nurse Joy handed him. He crouched beside Snivy and held it out.

"Snivy, will you be my partner?"

Snivy looked into Ye Lan's expectant eyes. Without hesitation, he pressed a hand to the Poké Ball's button and vanished in a flash of red light.

When the Poké Ball confirmed the capture, Ye Lan could barely contain his excitement. If there hadn't been so many people around, he would have shouted something as cheesy as "I caught Snivy!"

Catching a Pokémon in real life gave him a sense of accomplishment no game could match.

Ye Lan let Snivy out and asked what it was like inside the ball. He had always been curious about that.

Snivy shook his head. Apparently, he didn't much like it in there.

"I'll get you a Luxury Ball someday, I promise!"

Ye Lan stroked Snivy's head, then set off with him toward Mianzhou No. 1 High School.

Along the way, Ye Lan saw plenty of students heading to school with their Pokémon. He even spotted a girl with a Squirtle.

Snivy drew plenty of attention, too.

Pokémon from the Unova Region were uncommon in the Huaxia Region to begin with, let alone a rare Starter Pokémon.

When Ye Lan entered the classroom, his homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, spotted Snivy by his feet. He pushed up his glasses and took a moment to recognize him.

"Is that... Snivy, one of the Unova Region's Starter Pokémon?"

His homeroom teacher knew about Ye Lan's family circumstances, so seeing him with a Starter Pokémon came as a surprise.

"Heh, I just... got lucky."

Ye Lan scratched his head. The way his homeroom teacher was looking at him was getting a little uncomfortable.

Mr. Wang didn't press him. He merely told Ye Lan to take his seat. Everyone had their own opportunities; a student in the next class had even gotten a Charmander from a mystery egg.

Once everyone had arrived, Mr. Wang began going over the new semester's arrangements.

As he reached the end, he paused.

"One week from now, you'll be ranked through Pokémon Battles. After that, classes will be reassigned; the higher your ranking, the better your chances of entering an advanced class and receiving more resources."

The whole class erupted. They had been classmates for two years, after all, and the prospect of being split up left them shaken.

"If you don't do well in next week's assessment, don't lose heart. Every week, the bottom five students in the advanced classes will face challenges from students in the regular classes. Win, and you take their place."

"So from this moment on, you are no longer classmates. Everyone around you is a future rival!"

Mr. Wang swept his gaze across the room, satisfied by the students' stunned faces.

He knew the system was harsh, but anyone who wanted to become a Trainer had to go through things like this.

"Lastly, starting this year, basic academic lessons will be spread throughout the week. You'll have just one such lesson a day; the rest of your time will go toward studying Pokémon and training them."

"Of course, if you feel you've already mastered enough Pokémon knowledge, you can apply for an assessment. Pass it, and you won't have to attend those classes. You'll be free to plan your own training time."

Even Mr. Wang found it funny as he said it. How long had these kids even been around Pokémon? But the Principal had insisted on the arrangement, saying it would give gifted students more freedom.

"Mr. Wang, I'd like to take the assessment!" a voice called from the back of the classroom.

Every head in the room turned.

Ye Lan had his hand raised and a smile on his face, trying to catch his homeroom teacher's attention.

Mr. Wang frowned. The semester had only just begun, and Ye Lan wanted to take the assessment already? His grades had always been average, too, which did little to inspire confidence.

"Are you sure, Ye Lan? You only get one chance."

"Yeah, Ye Lan, school just started. Are you really that confident?" class monitor Li Wen chimed in.

Even I don't think I can pass. What makes Ye Lan think he can? That little green snake beside him? I don't even know what kind of Pokémon it is, but looking that scrawny, could it take one punch from my Machop?

Ye Lan paid no mind to the mockery on Li Wen's face. Li Wen had always picked on him for his poor family background, and now he was acting just as smug as ever.

Beside Ye Lan, Snivy seemed to sense something. He stared hard at Li Wen and his Machop, as though committing their faces to memory.

"It's fine, Mr. Wang. Since even our class monitor, Li Wen, isn't confident enough to try, I'll test the waters for everyone."

Li Wen looked as if he'd choked on his words. For a moment, he couldn't say anything.

Ye Lan used to take every insult without fighting back. Now he dares to talk back? When we meet in a Pokémon Battle, I'll make sure he and his Pokémon regret it!

Seeing that he couldn't dissuade Ye Lan, Mr. Wang was at a loss. After all, there was no rule against taking the assessment as soon as school started.

"All right. If you're set on taking it, I'll inform the Principal. Listen for an announcement this afternoon."

With that, Mr. Wang left the classroom to discuss the matter with the Principal.

As soon as he was gone, the classroom buzzed with chatter.

"Not bad, Ye Lan. You really know how to make an entrance." Chen Yang came over and slapped Ye Lan on the back of the neck.

"I think I've got a decent shot." Ye Lan smiled faintly. The arrangement suited him perfectly. Sitting through Pokémon knowledge classes would only waste his time; he would be better off training Snivy.

"Oh, come on. You can fool me, but don't fool yourself!"

Chen Yang waggled his eyebrows at Ye Lan. He knew perfectly well that his friend often slept through class.

Ye Lan could only smile wryly. It seemed that even though he'd barely stood out before, he'd still left an impression on people. Not a good one, admittedly.

Just then, Li Wen approached with several others, surrounding Ye Lan and his desk.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chen Yang wasn't about to put up with them. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to step forward, but Ye Lan grabbed him.

"Ye Lan, so you can afford a Pokémon after all? What even is that thing? How about we go outside and have a battle?" As Li Wen spoke, his Machop struck a bodybuilding pose to show off its strength.

"You don't even recognize a Starter Pokémon? No wonder you don't dare take the assessment!"

Ye Lan smiled, but his eyes held nothing but disdain.

Li Wen's expression darkened. His eyes blazed with fury.

"A Trainer's strength does the talking. I'm challenging you to a battle right now. Do you dare accept?"