Friendly Match

The moment Zhang Cheng saw Ye Tian's expression, he already knew how the battle had ended.

"Let's go. We just need to register at the front desk, then we can head back to school." Zhang Cheng stood up and walked straight toward the staff.

Ye Tian, who had been about to report his results, froze. "I haven't even told you whether I won or lost yet! Wait for me!"

The two returned to the staff to register Ye Tian's results. Once everything was confirmed, they left the Challenge Tower.

"I'm telling you, you have no idea how amazing I was just now. That Beedrill couldn't fight back at all!" The moment they stepped outside, Ye Tian started bragging.

"Amazing, truly amazing. As expected of the future Bug-type Elite. I bow before your greatness," Zhang Cheng played along.

"Damn it, believe me or don't. Next time there's a competition, I'll show you what I can do."

"Sure, sure. I'll be sure to get a good look next time," Zhang Cheng said, too drained to argue.

"Zhang Cheng, when do you think those twenty thousand Pokémon Coins for winning will arrive?" Ye Tian suddenly remembered the prize money.

"Didn't the staff say they'd transfer it to your account within two business days? What's the rush? It's not going anywhere," Zhang Cheng said, rolling his eyes.

"But that means two days at most, right? I'm asking how soon it could arrive." Ye Tian's face was full of anticipation.

Zhang Cheng couldn't be bothered to answer. He went straight to the roadside and hailed a taxi.

An hour later, they returned to school. After a quick lunch, they resumed their sparring practice that afternoon.

Getting stronger was what mattered most. On that point, Zhang Cheng and Ye Tian were in complete agreement.

Whenever they had free time, both of them looked for ways to strengthen their Pokémon and gain more battle experience.

After an afternoon of training, both Pokémon leveled up.

Poliwag reached level 11, while Ye Tian's Butterfree reached level 12. Their battles that morning had already brought both Pokémon close to leveling up, so after gaining more experience through sparring, their advancement came as no surprise.

Once Poliwag leveled up, Zhang Cheng stopped training. A Pokémon needed some time to adjust after leveling up, so it was best to avoid intense training right then.

Zhang Cheng had planned to bring out Pidgey and keep battling Ye Tian, but Ye Tian only had Butterfree.

Having just leveled up, Butterfree clearly wasn't suited to more fighting either. Zhang Cheng had no choice but to abandon the idea.

"When are you planning to catch your second Pokémon? You'll need at least two for the next Ordinary-rank Trainer Assessment," Zhang Cheng told Ye Tian.

"I haven't decided yet. I want to find a Pokémon that suits me rather than just settle for one," Ye Tian explained.

"True. It's better to choose carefully. There's still over half a year until the college entrance exams, so you've got plenty of time," Zhang Cheng said with a nod.

With Poliwag and Butterfree both resting, the two had nothing much to do. They wandered around campus, had dinner once they got tired, then went their separate ways.

After returning to his dorm room, Zhang Cheng took out more food for his two Pokémon, then opened his phone to browse Pokémon-related news.

Unfortunately, he found nothing worthwhile after scrolling for ages. He tossed his phone aside and went to take a shower instead.

After his shower, Zhang Cheng found that both Pokémon had finished their food and started chatting.

"Pidgey~ Pidgey~"

"Poli~ Poliwag~"

Unfortunately, Zhang Cheng couldn't understand what they were saying. He hoped they weren't bad-mouthing their Trainer. If he caught them doing that, he would have to give them a proper punishment.

His phone chimed with a notification. Zhang Cheng checked it and saw a message from Bai Yuling.

It was a forwarded message saying that a friendly match between the Elite Classes would be held next Friday and Saturday.

"The principal just sent out a notice. There'll be an interclass competition next weekend, and each class needs to choose ten students to compete."

"Is that really worth telling me about? We'll battle when it's time. Doesn't sound all that interesting," Zhang Cheng replied without much enthusiasm.

"There are prizes."

"What prizes?"

The mention of prizes piqued Zhang Cheng's interest. The school placed considerable importance on its final-year students, so the rewards probably wouldn't be bad.

"The principal's family runs a Safari Zone. The top three contestants will get to go inside and catch Pokémon."

"Isn't there only one Safari Zone in Jiangcheng City? Our principal runs it?"

"I think so. That's what the principal said, anyway. Do your best when the time comes, then go see whether there are any Pokémon you want."

"Okay, got it."

"Also, I'll formally notify everyone else in class tomorrow. Then we'll need to choose ten students to compete. I'm leaving that job to you."

"So that's the real reason you messaged me, sis." Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes.

"Of course not! I'm just looking out for my little brother. As soon as I heard about something this good, I told you."

"Fine, I believe you →_→."

"Come play games with me. Playing alone is so boring."

"We have class tomorrow, my dear sister."

"When have you ever stayed awake in my class? Stop making excuses and get in the game."

Zhang Cheng could only submit to Bai Yuling's tyranny. They played until the early hours, when he finally couldn't stay awake any longer. After telling Bai Yuling, he went to bed.

The next morning, Zhang Cheng arrived in the classroom with two enormous dark circles under his eyes again.

His classmates had grown used to the sight. Their class monitor was truly a role model for them all.

He slept through class every day, and the beautiful teacher actually let him get away with it. Everyone was positively green with envy.

As usual, Bai Yuling entered the classroom just as the bell rang and began the day's lesson.

Zhang Cheng slept all the way until noon, when Ye Tian came to the classroom and woke him.

"What's been going on with you lately? Class is over. Time to eat," Ye Tian said, patting Zhang Cheng.

"Nothing. Come on, let's get some food." Zhang Cheng rubbed his eyes, stood up, and headed toward the cafeteria.

"Our teacher told us this morning that there'll be a friendly match this week, against your class." Ye Tian asked Zhang Cheng, "Has your class been told?"

Zhang Cheng nodded. He had already heard about it the night before, but he honestly had no idea whether it had been announced in class. He hadn't woken up once all morning.

"Have you heard about the prizes? We can catch Pokémon at the principal's place! I wonder if there are any rare Pokémon there."

"There probably are. As Jiangcheng's only Safari Zone, it must have a huge variety of Pokémon. It just depends on whether the principal is willing to open up the rare Pokémon section," Zhang Cheng said after some thought.