Registration

But Xiao Ran and the others soon stopped worrying. Every class had a few troublemakers who simply couldn't resist asking for trouble, after all. Sure enough, before they even had time to worry, the whole class's attention had shifted elsewhere.

"Miss! How old are you? You look so young!" a boy with a buzz cut called out teasingly.

"Hmm, since this is our first meeting, could I ask your name first?" Qiu Yuxuan wasn't angry. Instead, she looked at him gently as she asked.

"My name's Ning Xiao, Miss. I specialize in Electric-types! My starter Pokémon is Elekid!" the buzz-cut boy announced with a hint of pride. Electric-types were relatively rare, and Elekid was an especially uncommon Pokémon.

"Oh? Ning Xiao? All right, I'll remember you! But asking a woman her age the first time you meet her is very rude, you know. May you enjoy your next four years at university!" Qiu Yuxuan wore a faint smile, but anyone could hear something off about those words—a threat from a female teacher.

"Uh..."

"All right! That little incident just reminded me that I still don't know who any of you are. Let's have everyone introduce themselves first!" Without giving the boy another chance to speak, Qiu Yuxuan addressed the class.

"Hehe, that guy's done for! Getting singled out by your homeroom teacher is never a good thing!" Jiang Cheng, sitting beside Xiao Ran, grinned mischievously.

"May he enjoy his next four years at university!" Xiao Ran silently made the sign of the cross for him.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Xiao Ran was surprised to discover that a full eight of the thirty-six students were Pokémon Trainers specializing in rare types. Another five specialized in relatively uncommon types such as Electric and Ice. Those numbers far exceeded his expectations, and as far as he knew, they were also well above those of previous years.

Looks like this year's students are something else! Xiao Ran thought as he returned to his seat. Ning Xiao had clearly realized it too, and his earlier arrogance had vanished.

"Tsk! Xiao Ran, you really are gorgeous. No wonder you're famous far and wide as No. 2 High's school beauty. Your reputation has even reached the university! I never imagined I'd be lucky enough to have you in my class." Qiu Yuxuan's teasing interrupted Xiao Ran's thoughts, leaving him utterly embarrassed. Beside him, Jiang Cheng was already doubled over on his desk with laughter, as was Shen Yue in front of him.

The entire class erupted at Xiao Ran's appearance. Boys and girls alike whistled at him, and some even confessed their love on the spot. It was livelier than when Qiu Yuxuan had first addressed them.

"All right, all right. Save your confessions until after the class meeting. Let's finish the important business first." Only after watching the fun for quite a while did Qiu Yuxuan clap her hands and quiet the excited crowd. Xiao Ran, however, had already mentally labeled her a schemer. This was definitely a Water-type Pokémon Trainer who loved stirring up murky waters.

"Since fate has brought us into the same class, we'll be spending the next four years of university together. That means we need to appoint class officers first, or a lot of things will be difficult to arrange later. I know you don't know each other yet, so I won't bother with an election. I'll appoint a few officers for the positions we urgently need, on a one-month trial basis. After that, we'll hold a formal election for all the positions," Qiu Yuxuan said. Her tone was gentle, but it left no room for refusal.

"Class president: Xiao Ran. Youth League secretary: Lan Yanxi. Academic representative: Xuan Yuan Nian. Welfare representative: Jiang Cheng. We'll start with those four for now. Please stand up so your classmates can get to know you."

Xiao Ran reluctantly stood. After spending so many years as class president in secondary school, he hadn't expected to end up in the same role at university. But Qiu Yuxuan's uncompromising tone told him there probably wasn't any room for discussion.

Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, seemed a little surprised. With his build, any class officer position he landed should have been something like sports representative. Yet today, he had somehow become the welfare representative. Does this new homeroom teacher know my family's pretty wealthy too? Does she want me to improve everyone's living conditions? That doesn't seem right, does it?

Aside from the two of them, the choices for Youth League secretary and academic representative were fairly normal. Lan Yanxi was a very outgoing girl with a rather easygoing, boisterous personality. She specialized in Water-types, and her starter Pokémon was Staryu, which was uncommon inland. Although it only evolved once, Starmie had high Base Stats and could learn an exceptionally wide variety of moves, making it highly versatile.

As for their academic representative, Xuan Yuan Nian, her surname alone marked her as someone special. In this world, Xuan Yuan was a surname exclusive to China's Dragon Tamer Clan. Unlike the mingling of lineages on Earth in his previous life, this world truly had a Xuan Yuan clan. Its members had an exceptionally strong affinity for Dragon-types and were particularly likely to awaken dragon power.

Yet Xuan Yuan Nian was an oddity within the Dragon Tamer Clan. She was actually a rare psychic, gifted with an extraordinary memory. Apparently, she had originally lived in Shangjing, though no one knew why she had come to Nancheng for university. Shangjing's institutions of higher education were certainly no worse than Nancheng University.

This world's university entrance system differed from that of his previous life. Because of how resources were allocated, although some students came from elsewhere, most candidates preferred to study in their own cities when the quality of education was comparable.

That allowed them to make full use of their existing resources and connections to raise their Pokémon. It also meant they could rush home to help their families if wild Pokémon went on a rampage. This world wasn't truly peaceful the way his previous one had been.

Besides her surname and psychic abilities, Xuan Yuan Nian's starter Pokémon was unusual too. Xiao Ran was probably the only person in the class who could recognize it: Hatenna, which looked like a tiny person wearing an enormous hat.

This Psychic-type Pokémon had only appeared in the eighth generation of the games in his previous life. It had two excellent evolved forms and extremely high Base Stats, putting it on par with the currently popular Abra line. But with its Pokédex number so far down the list, even Nancheng's university president might not recognize it yet.

"Now, on to the second matter. You should all know that there's a freshman tournament after enrollment, mainly to assess how well you raised your starter Pokémon over the summer. It will take place in three days. Anyone who wants to participate can register with me." After appointing the class officers, Qiu Yuxuan continued addressing the students.

"Let me make this clear: the freshman tournament is your first opportunity to show what you can do after entering university. It will also determine your resource allocation for the first semester. The top sixty-four will receive a monthly training fund of ten thousand yuan. The top thirty-two will receive twenty thousand a month, and the top sixteen will receive fifty thousand. The top eight will receive a customized training plan from a top breeder, plus one hundred thousand yuan a month."

"As for the top three, third place will receive one ordinary Evolution Stone in addition to the top-eight rewards. Second place will receive three, and first place will receive five, along with a special Pokémon held item, the Soothe Bell."

"Whoa!" Qiu Yuxuan's words sent the entire class into an uproar.

Never mind anything else—what did a monthly training fund of one hundred thousand yuan mean? Even if it lasted only one semester, that still added up to several hundred thousand. As long as their starter Pokémon wasn't a voracious eater like a Dragon-type, that sum would be enough to raise it to Elite Class.

And that wasn't even counting the Evolution Stones awarded to the top three. A single Evolution Stone cost at least a million yuan, far beyond what students from poorer families could afford. Yet now, a chance to obtain one for free lay right before them.

"Tempted? As students in Class One, our strongest class, I know you won't want to miss this chance to show what you can do. In that case, only those who don't want to participate need to come see me." Before anyone could react, Qiu Yuxuan had changed tack. Now the whole class would probably have to compete. After all, opting out meant going to register with her.

"We're in! Definitely!" Quite a few boys were already shouting. Ning Xiao, the biggest troublemaker of all, had even started whistling. Clearly, he was determined to win this freshman tournament.

"Besides that, there's one final matter. I'm sure you've all prepared yourselves for it: Military Training," Qiu Yuxuan continued. "In one week, after the freshman tournament ends, you'll begin a month of Military Training together. I'll hand out the consent forms for you to sign shortly. If you have special circumstances that prevent you from attending, tell me beforehand."

Military Training was mandatory at every university. Unlike the training Xiao Ran had experienced in his previous life, Military Training in this world meant actually joining a military unit and undertaking field exercises under the supervision of instructors. There was even an allowance for a certain number of deaths each year. This was definitely not something they could get through with a few goose steps and formation marches.

The so-called consent form was, bluntly put, a waiver of liability for death. If a student died during Military Training, the university would bear no responsibility. If they died in service to the country, the state would even provide compensation, calculated according to the usual military merit system, benefiting their siblings at home.

Everyone clearly understood this. No one objected, and no one would ask to skip it. University Military Training in this world was practically the equivalent of military service in his previous life. Deliberately evading it could even lead to expulsion. After all, the most fundamental purpose of raising Pokémon Trainers was to help people live better in this world.

"Very good. Since no one is opting out, I'll hand out the consent forms." Seeing that no one spoke up, Qiu Yuxuan smiled and took out a stack of forms, passing them around in turn.

After a noisy round of signing, their first university class meeting ended with Qiu Yuxuan's closing remarks. The students left one after another, but Xiao Ran and Ye Ling were asked to stay behind, along with Xuan Yuan Nian.