J University, the Pokémon department's sophomore final exam.
Su Bai stood outside the battle arena with Pikachu in his arms. He was panicking.
In the arena, a Krookodile was eyeing him hungrily.
For this final exam, that Krookodile's trainer was the examiner.
Su Bai's turn would come in ten minutes.
Are you kidding me? That Krookodile has Moxie, and he's already taken out four people. How the hell am I supposed to fight him?
The exam was graded on battle performance. If Pikachu went down in one hit, Su Bai would definitely fail, and one more failed course would cost him his diploma.
He stroked Pikachu's head helplessly. For the first time across his two lives, Su Bai felt how unpredictable life could be.
Three days ago, Su Bai had arrived in this world of Pokémon, transmigrating into the body of a failing student with exactly the same name.
The original owner had no family, only a Pikachu his mother had left him.
At first, Su Bai had thought nothing of the original owner's transcript. With ten years of experience as a fan, I'll write my name backward if I fail another course!
Today, that Krookodile in the training arena had made him eat his words.
Apart from the existence of Pokémon, this world was practically identical to Earth. Without a diploma, Su Bai could not even become a licensed trainer.
That was because licensed trainers needed a bachelor's degree from a Pokémon department.
Public security in Dragon Country was so good that there were no organizations like Team Rocket for Su Bai to join.
[Ding! Host crisis detected. Fully Random System activated.] [Starter pack awarded: one Chosen Lucky One randomization, Secret Technique TM ×1, Pokémon Pokédex ×1]
Hearing the electronic voice in his ears, Su Bai was ecstatic. My cheat is finally here!
Su Bai hurriedly reached out to the system in his mind.
"System, what can you do? And what is Chosen Lucky One randomization?"
[Ding! Host, it is recommended that you use the Chosen Lucky One randomization on Pikachu to overcome your immediate predicament.]
"What will happen to Pikachu?"
[Your Pikachu will still be Pikachu, but his base stats, Ability, moves, and other attributes will all be randomized. Since this is a Chosen Lucky One randomization, all changes will be improvements. Proceed?]
"Yes! Do it!"
He only had this one Pokémon anyway. Even if the randomization only made him strong enough to survive one extra hit, that would help.
[Scanning eligible randomization target: Pikachu] [Base stats: HP: 35, Attack: 55, Defense: 40, Special Attack: 50, Special Defense: 50, Speed: 90, Total: 320] [Individual Values: HP (20), Attack (10), Defense (1), Special Attack (30), Special Defense (21), Speed (28)] [Level: 12 (Novice)], [Ability: Static], [Held Item: None], [Sex: ♂] [Known moves: Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Tail Whip, Electro Ball] [Randomizing...]
A ding sounded in Su Bai's mind, and the system announced that the randomization was complete.
A light only Su Bai could see flashed over Pikachu and vanished.
Pikachu shook his little head in Su Bai's arms, feeling a surge of power well up inside him.
[Randomized target: Pikachu] [Base stats: HP: 110, Attack: 80, Defense: 170, Special Attack: 90, Special Defense: 120, Speed: 90, Total: 660] [Individual Values: HP (31), Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Attack (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)] [Level: 19 (Experienced)], [Ability: Speed Boost], [Held Item: Light Ball], [Sex: ♂] [Known moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Electro Ball]
Su Bai sucked in a sharp breath.
System, sis, you really are my own dear sister.
[Please stop wisecracking, host, and select a Secret Technique TM.]
At the system's voice, Su Bai could not stop the corners of his mouth from lifting. He redeemed the Secret Technique TM for Surf.
Five minutes later, Su Bai walked into the battle arena with Pikachu in his arms. The students around him whispered among themselves.
This final exam was far too difficult, and everyone had performed poorly, so many of them hoped Su Bai would do even worse.
That would make them feel a little better.
"Su Bai, why don't you just apply for a retake? Maybe you'll get a weaker opponent. Stop wasting everyone's time."
A girl wearing heavy makeup and holding a Glameow finished speaking, and laughter rippled through the crowd.
When the examiner saw that Su Bai's final Pokémon was actually a Pikachu, he shook his head helplessly.
"Krookodile, finish this quickly. Use Dragon Claw!"
He wanted to use Earthquake right away, but the rules required him to give the students some breathing room.
Su Bai remained calm, only ordering Pikachu to dodge once Krookodile had closed in.
Krookodile lunged at empty air.
On the spectator stand nearby stood a man and a woman. The man was drenched in cold sweat, while the woman's face was thunderous.
They had watched the entire exam.
"Director Li, why don't we head back? This last student, Su Bai, is notoriously poor. He won't have anything impressive to show us."
The man was Su Bai's homeroom teacher, Old Gao. He was trying to curry favor while wiping away his sweat.
The woman was Director Li of the Pokémon department. She looked impatient after hearing Old Gao's words.
"So, Teacher Gao, are you saying poor students aren't students of our Pokémon department?"
"No, no, not at all."
Seeing Director Li's displeasure, Old Gao hurriedly stepped aside, thinking that this year's year-end bonus was surely gone.
Director Li kept watching Pikachu in the arena, her brows tightly furrowed.
That Pikachu's speed was increasing at an abnormal rate, far beyond the limits a normal Pikachu should have.
In the arena, Su Bai kept having Pikachu use Quick Attack, relying on his speed to dodge.
As time passed, Pikachu's Speed Boost kept making him faster and faster.
The students gradually gathered around. No one had expected Su Bai's Pikachu to be this fast. He had already lasted five minutes under Krookodile's attacks!
"Krookodile! Stone Edge!"
The examiner lost patience and began using an area attack.
Two streaks of white light lit up beside Krookodile, followed by a rain of sharp stones that covered a wide area.
"Pikachu, knock them back with Iron Tail!"
Pikachu's tail shone white as he knocked back most of the sharp stones, inflicting minor damage on Krookodile.
Still, some of the sharp stones struck Pikachu.
The examiner sighed. It was finally over.
But what happened next stunned everyone.
Su Bai's Pikachu shook his head and forced himself back onto his feet!
Although he had taken considerable damage, Pikachu was still able to battle.
That was impossible!
Not only the students watching nearby, but also Director Li in the distant stands, were utterly shocked.
By her calculations, Pikachu's durability could never have allowed him to withstand that hit, even with most of its power already gone.
Director Li could think of no explanation for Pikachu's extraordinary performance other than the bond between a trainer and their Pokémon.
Director Li herself was an exceptionally skilled trainer when it came to raising Pokémon. She measured the ingredients in their food down to the gram and believed that only science and data could produce outstanding Pokémon.
Still, she had to admit that, at critical moments, bonds often allowed Pokémon to push beyond their limits.
Was that Pikachu's bond with his trainer really so deep?
It was not just Director Li. Everyone present was dumbfounded. Even a Raichu could not take a beating like that, could it?
"I don't believe it! Krookodile, use Earthquake!"
"Pikachu, use Surf!"
Pikachu was much faster than Krookodile. Before Krookodile could unleash Earthquake, a massive wave crashed straight down on him.
When the water receded, Krookodile was unable to battle.
"Great job, Pikachu!"
Su Bai spun around with Pikachu in his arms, leaving everyone stunned.
He had... won?
This useless failing student, who had nearly lost his chance to graduate, had actually won?
"Stop staring. Hurry up and head back."
Holding Pikachu, Su Bai glanced at the students who had mocked him earlier.
"Hurry up and apply for a retake. Maybe you'll get a weaker opponent."
On the spectator stand, Director Li gave Old Gao a stern look, then turned and headed toward the teaching building.
She needed to report to the principal as soon as possible. A promising student had emerged among the sophomores in the battling program.
Perhaps this Su Bai could help ease the difficulties J University had faced over the past few years.
Before you continue