Xingye, Isolated by His Classmates

"!!!"

As they looked at this new classmate who had arrived severely injured, the other students were practically speechless.

They could not imagine what he could have done to end up so badly hurt. Even getting attacked by a wild Bewear would not have been this bad.

And that was not even the most important part. You were hurt this badly, so why were you not going to the hospital?! Was attending school really that important to you?!

"Uh..."

Professor Kukui was the first to recover from his shock. With a concerned expression, he asked, "You... your name is Xingye, right? I do not know what happened to you on the way here, but let me take you to the infirmary first."

"It's just a battle-damage limited edition. It's fine..."

Xingye waved his hand, then raised his head, finally allowing the students to see his face. A bandage was wrapped around his forehead, and several adhesive bandages were stuck to his face. It did not do much harm to his already decent looks, but somehow made his aura seem even more "friendly."

But the moment they saw his face, the student whom the class president had called Yang suddenly seemed to remember something. He stared in shock and said, "He seems to be the one I told you guys about before..."

The petite blue-haired girl sitting beside him froze slightly and instinctively asked, "The guy who sped past the police, attacked an officer, and fled the scene?"

"Yeah!"

The two of them were speaking rather loudly, and nearly everyone had heard them. But at that moment, the bob-haired girl in the red cap—the class president—seemed to recall something as well.

"Do you remember the news from last week? It said a student at our school had been beaten up, but because they were underage, it did not mention who it was."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Our school does not have many students. We see each other all the time. I do not know the students over in the university division, but as class president, I recognize everyone here. Yet after that incident, everyone kept attending school as usual, and no one seemed to be missing."

"Wait, could he be..."

All the students were stunned. Since the explosion at Aether Research Center Headquarters two months ago, which had resulted in no casualties, this was the biggest incident in Alola this year—and the person involved was right here!

At that moment, a cheerful boy who looked somewhat like Hala, the island kahuna, suddenly said, "I heard my grandpa mention this. In that case, the student was actually the one who attacked first!"

"As for why he was seriously injured, it was because he accidentally got caught in the attack when he had his Pokémon attack someone else. But since he was underage, nothing happened to him. He even got a huge compensation payout. Still, do not go spreading this around..."

Though he said that, everyone had already heard it. They had been looking forward to the new classmate, but now they suddenly felt uneasy.

Even the few who had said they wanted to battle the new student felt the same way.

"What kind of monster is this guy?!"

He had attacked a police officer and fled the scene, deliberately provoked a vicious Trainer, and even had his Pokémon attack the other person. Though he had failed, he had relied on the special underage buff to scam a compensation payout, send the other party away, and walk off unscathed...

The only one who had not said anything was the girl seated by the window. She had been carefully studying Xingye all along, as if trying to remember something.

"Could this person be..."

Hearing her murmur, the class president sitting at the desk in front turned around, glanced at her, and curiously asked, "Lillie, do you know him?"

Lillie nodded, then shook her head. "When I went out to catch the bus one morning, I saw him passed out by the seaside. So I dragged him back and had Professor Burnet take care of him. But when I came home after school that afternoon, I heard he woke up and hurriedly ran away..."

"Is that so... He was rescued, yet he immediately ran away. Clearly, something is wrong with him!"

After a moment of solemn silence, the class president made her decision. She stood up and declared seriously, "Teacher, although it is rude to say this in front of him, I do not agree with letting this new student join our class. He is too dangerous. As class president, I have a responsibility to protect every student's safety!"

"Even if you do not agree..."

Professor Kukui was in quite a difficult position now. How was he supposed to know this guy was so outrageous?

There were plenty of troublesome students in this class, but who could have expected that someone whose very existence represented trouble would show up too?

He did not know why Hala had not explained everything clearly, but since Hala had agreed to it, there was no way to refuse now. He could only ask about the situation first.

But before he could speak, Xingye scratched his hair and said listlessly, his eyes half-open, "Looks like nobody really welcomes me. Maybe I should just go back..."

"Wait!"

Professor Kukui hurriedly stopped him, then turned to the class president and said, "Selene, since Xingye has been assigned to our class, everyone should get along with him!"

He then looked at the other students and continued, "Besides, you have not truly gotten to know him, have you? Everything you know is just hearsay. Whether someone is good or bad cannot be judged by impressions or rumors alone. It takes time and interaction!"

"..."

The classroom instantly fell silent. Even Selene, the class president, had nothing to say, because they truly had not tried to get to know him.

But Selene was still uneasy. After thinking for a moment, she looked seriously at Xingye and said, "Please allow me to apologize for what I said about you just now. You truly cannot judge whether someone is good or bad based on impressions alone—but Pokémon can!"

"..."

"A Pokémon's upbringing reflects how much care its Trainer puts into it, and battles can reveal the bond between Pokémon and Trainer as well. So... please have a Pokémon battle with me!"

Upon hearing Selene's words, the other students, including Lillie, were instantly surprised. The class president was the strongest among them.

Whether during regular battle practice or sparring with classmates after school, she had never lost.

Professor Kukui, however, let out a sigh of relief. He had heard the story of someone defeating Hala, so he put his hands on his hips and asked with a smile, "Student Xingye, what is your answer? Selene is very strong!"

Xingye had not expected things to develop this way. He replied, "A Pokémon battle? What a coincidence. I have never lost either. (Meaning I have only had one battle.)"

"Ooh~"

Selene's interest was instantly piqued. A slight curve lifted at the corner of her lips as she smiled. "Then I look forward to seeing what you can do. Let's go to the field right now!"

"Wait!"

Professor Kukui hurriedly interrupted them, his tone turning stern. "It is class time. You can discuss battling after school!"

"Fine..."

Selene was a little disappointed, but class would be over soon enough.

Seeing this, Professor Kukui turned slightly and said, "Then, Student Xingye, introduce yourself first so everyone can get to know you."

"Mm. My name is Xingye. Nice to meet you."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Then go choose a seat. You can sit in any of the empty seats at the back of the classroom. We will prepare your textbooks and everything else for you later."

"Mm."

Xingye still looked listless. After nodding in response, he swayed unsteadily toward the back, dragging his injured body along.

Every student's attention was fixed on him, as though they were afraid he might suddenly come closer. No one had responded to his introduction just now, either.

"I'm completely isolated..."

That was why he did not like going to school. Even in his previous life, he had always been alone, with no friends. His later life had been the same, and he had long since gotten used to it.

But that had nothing to do with his love for Pokémon. It was not that he was introverted; it was simply a matter of personality. Humans generally could not get along with him.

Xingye walked straight toward the empty seat behind Lillie, casually explaining, "I like sitting by the window, because when I wake up, I can enjoy the scenery too."

"..."

Everyone was speechless again. Had he come to school just to sleep? Of course, that was only an excuse Xingye had deliberately made up. While he had been standing beside the podium earlier, he had heard every conversation.

He now knew that the young lady Professor Burnet had mentioned—the one who had picked him up from the beach on the first day he woke up—was Lillie!

So, as he passed by her, he showed a different expression for the first time since entering the classroom. Smiling, he softly said, "Thank you."

"Hmm?"

Lillie froze slightly, thinking she might have misheard something, and instinctively turned her head to look.

But Xingye had already triggered his instinctive response and swiftly collapsed onto his desk to sleep...