The exam was underway...

Morning sunlight spilled across the land of Bingzhou, and a new day arrived once more.

In a residential complex, a boy was jogging around the grounds with a Froakie beside him.

Checking the time, Cheng Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Froakie, let's call it here for this morning. It's time for school." "Froak!"

Cheng Tian, who usually slept in, had made the rare decision to get up early that day and exercise with Froakie.

Well... the truth was that this idiot had accidentally set his alarm wrong after watching Naruto with Froakie the night before and had woken up two hours early. Since he couldn't get back to sleep anyway, Cheng Tian had brought Froakie out for some morning exercise. He had to admit, going for a run in the morning really felt great. The morning air was wonderfully fresh.

It was September 25, 2055 of the League Calendar, the day of Bingzhou No. 1 High School's Pokémon track placement exam.

For the past two weeks, Cheng Tian and Froakie had gone to the Pokémon Center to train with Bai Yun every day without fail.

Froakie had fully mastered Double Team and had even raised it by one level, bringing it to level two. The number of duplicates had also increased from three to four.

The Rasengan-style Water Pulse was now just barely usable, but it was extremely unstable and took longer to form than an ordinary Water Pulse. Still, it counted as having mastered a trump card.

Over those two weeks, Froakie had also frequently battled Bai Yun's Chimchar. Overall, it had won more than it lost, even with restrictions on which Water-type moves it could use. As a result, Froakie had gained another level too.

Froakie, level: 13

It was three levels away from its second evolution.

After he left the residential complex for school, a black sedan pulled up beside him along the way. The window rolled down, revealing Bai Yun's face. "Come on, get in."

As soon as Cheng Tian got in and settled into his seat, he spotted Chimchar holding a phone and watching Japanese anime.

Pokémon: Chimchar

Gender: Male

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Iron Fist

Level: 9

Egg Moves: Thunder Punch (lv5), Fire Punch (lv4), Work Up (lv2)

Natural moves: Leer (lv3), Ember (lv5), Scratch (lv2)

Taught moves: Focus Energy (lv4)

Since Chimchar had beaten Froakie a few times over the past two weeks, he had gained a level, and his punching moves had improved considerably as well.

At that moment, the phone rang with sounds of fighting, furious shouts, and cries of "Muda!"... Chimchar watched in utter excitement.

Bai Yun had grown somewhat used to it by now. Since Chimchar liked watching, he might as well let him. Perhaps one day he would pick up a few moves on his own just from watching.

"The exam's today. How's your revision going?" Cheng Tian asked. Bai Yun looked perfectly at ease. "I studied until midnight last night before going to bed. I'll definitely do well today!"

The two boys chatted as the sedan headed toward Bingzhou No. 1 High School.

Because the exam was being held that day, the classrooms had already been arranged the previous evening. Everyone's exam number, name, and assigned room were posted on the noticeboard in the teaching building's first-floor lobby.

Cheng Tian squeezed into the crowd and soon found his entry.

093250102 Cheng Tian, exam room 7

8:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m. Pokémon knowledge test

2:50 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Practical battle assessment

"Aw, I thought we might get assigned to the same room," Bai Yun said helplessly. He was in exam room three.

"Don't think about it so much. Just do your best, and let's try to end up in the same class." Cheng Tian patted Bai Yun.

After chatting for a while, the two entered their exam rooms ten minutes early.

Most of the students in the room were earnestly reviewing, trying to memorize a little more before the papers were handed out.

Cheng Tian, however, did no such thing. Over the past two weeks, he had even skipped classes to finish reading everything he needed to. Reading it again wouldn't help much.

Hmm... ten minutes left. I can catch a quick nap. Otherwise, what if I fall asleep during the exam?

And so Cheng Tian slumped over his desk and drifted off, looking entirely out of place among the students locked in their frantic race to outdo one another. Yet only a few minutes after he fell asleep, those fiercely competitive students suddenly stopped. Every gaze turned toward the doorway.

Long, jet-black hair, and a gentle smile that nonetheless seemed to keep people at arm's length.

It was Su Han standing in the doorway.

Everyone in the classroom instantly lost their composure. The lecherous boys craned their necks, faces flushed as they stared at Su Han, while the girls looked on with either envy or hostility...

Except for one particular idiot, of course... He was currently wandering through the clouds of a dream. He had even dreamed that an old man came over and told him he was certain to pass the imperial examination, then said his surname was Zhou.

Su Han was clearly already immune to those gazes. She tossed her glossy black hair and offered everyone a faint smile. Her smile felt like a spring breeze, but even more than that, it kept people at a distance, warning them not to stare where they shouldn't.

"Hmm... I remember it was seat thirteen..." Su Han blinked as she searched for her seat.

There were only a few empty seats left in the classroom, and Su Han's eyes immediately fixed on hers.

Because a familiar-looking boy was sleeping beside it.

"Hmm? He's here too?" At the sight of Cheng Tian sleeping with his head down, the amusement and warmth in Su Han's eyes deepened.

She slowly walked over and sat down, leaving everyone around her staring wide-eyed. Su Han ignored them completely. She simply watched Cheng Tian slumped over his desk, the smile at the corners of her lips growing deeper.

He's really cute...

This was also the first time Su Han had felt this way about a boy she didn't know, and at first, she hadn't understood why. This boy was ordinary, with nothing particularly outstanding about him. He was even as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

Oh... he's as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

The first time Su Han had seen this boy was at the Toll Booth. When she saw him pleading with her, palms pressed together, she had thought his eyes were very clear, despite his grubby appearance. Just like her mother's eyes.

The second time she saw him was in the teaching building, where he stood on the floor above with two classmates. Cleaned up now, he stood outside as the wind tousled his short black hair. He was looking at her with those same eyes, as curious as a little animal encountering something unfamiliar.

I've run into him again at this exam, and I can see him even more clearly now, Su Han thought.

I wonder what his name is...

Just then, the invigilator walked in carrying the exam papers. After setting them down, the teacher swept a gaze over the room and couldn't help frowning at the sight of Cheng Tian sleeping soundly.

"We're about to begin the exam. Anyone who's sleeping, wake up. Put away anything unrelated to the exam. If you're caught cheating, it will be announced to the entire school, and your results for this placement exam will be invalidated."

Cheng Tian was still dreaming. He dreamed that he had caught a Golden Magikarp while fishing and successfully evolved it into a Red Gyarados...

"Hey, wake up. Hey." A gentle voice sounded. Cheng Tian, who had been laughing triumphantly with his face tilted toward the sky, suddenly felt something was wrong.

Why did such a fierce Gyarados sound like a girl when it spoke?

"Wake up." The gentle voice sounded again, light and lovely. Only then did Cheng Tian slowly open his eyes and see a familiar, stunningly beautiful face.

Seeing Cheng Tian wake up, Su Han smiled gently and said, "The exam's starting."

In an instant, Cheng Tian became the target of countless gentlemen's stares.

This guy's nothing special. Why is Su Han being so nice to him? He even gets a wake-up service.

I want that too...

At the sight of Su Han's face, Cheng Tian snapped fully awake. "Um, aren't you..." Just as he was about to confirm whether she was the girl who had been sitting in the black sedan, Su Han blinked playfully and raised a finger to her soft pink lips in a shushing gesture. "The exam's about to start."

Hearing Su Han say that, Cheng Tian abruptly remembered that he was about to take an exam. He looked toward the invigilator's unfriendly gaze at the front of the room and gave a sheepish smile.

Although the invigilator was somewhat displeased, seeing that Cheng Tian was awake, the teacher said nothing more. The papers were expertly unsealed and distributed, accompanied by instructions repeated who knew how many times before.

"Don't rush to answer the questions. Check your class, name, and exam number. Once you've filled them in correctly, I'll hand out your barcodes."

"Make sure it's yours before you stick it on. You only get one exam paper, so if you put the wrong one on, there's no replacement."

"No one has any questions? Good... then the exam begins now."

Cheng Tian looked at the paper in front of him, but he couldn't settle his mind.

Su Han was actually in the same exam room as me?

She helped me before. Should I go thank her? But with her status, she probably wouldn't bother responding if I did, right? And I'd get sneered at by all those gentlemen too...

Cheng Tian shook his head, trying hard to calm himself down. This was an exam, not the time to think about such things.

Seeing Cheng Tian shake his head slightly, Su Han's smile grew wider and wider. He really is cute... she thought.

Everyone in the classroom quickly quieted down, and the scratching of pens began.

The exam was underway...

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