With one month left until the final exams, Zhang Cheng set himself a goal: raise Poliwhirl and Pidgeotto to level 20 before the exams.
That way, once the exams were over, he could go straight to earning his Beginner Trainer qualification.
These days, Zhang Cheng attended class on time every day, then headed to the training grounds alone afterward to train his Pokémon.
Poliwhirl and Pidgeotto served as each other's opponents, working hard and improving together.
Both Pokémon had a strong competitive streak, and neither wanted the other to pull ahead.
And so, Zhang Cheng settled into a peaceful stretch of campus life.
Another twenty days passed, leaving only about a week until the final exams. Yet Poliwhirl and Pidgeotto had only gained one level during that time, bringing them both to level 19.
It looks like there really is a huge difference between training in the wild and at school, Zhang Cheng murmured to himself.
A month in the wild would definitely have been enough to gain two levels, but simple training at school just wasn't as fast.
Just as Zhang Cheng was agonizing over how to raise their levels, some good news arrived: Ye Tian was back.
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Cheng went straight to Ye Tian's dorm room and knocked on the door.
The door soon opened, and Zhang Cheng immediately spotted Ye Tian.
"You're finally back! You've kept me waiting long enough," Zhang Cheng greeted him warmly.
"I wanted to get stronger, you know. Otherwise, by the time you got back from your training trip, I probably wouldn't stand a chance against you," Ye Tian said helplessly.
"Haha, all that matters is that you're back. Let's have another match when you've got time. I've been struggling to find an opponent." Zhang Cheng patted Ye