Hope for a Promotion

"Meow? (Wouldn't that settle it?)"

"You don't get it. It's one of life's little pleasures for men. Take a look at this. Interested in signing up?"

Xin Mu opened the Pokémon College Rally page Zhang Lin had sent him.

While Meownei had been bathing, Xin Mu had already skimmed the event's promotional poster.

It was indeed a recreational event jointly organized by nearby colleges, but participation wasn't limited to college students.

The event was open to people from all walks of life, though only the colleges would compete for rankings.

In plain terms, the college entrants would line up at the front and start first, while entrants from outside the colleges would start much farther back. All told, they would have to cover more distance than the college entrants.

In short, each entrant had to team up with a Pokémon, pick a mode of transportation from a blind box at the start, then work with their Pokémon to clear every obstacle course and reach the finish line.

"Red Bull is sponsoring this, so it might be a little dangerous, but the prize money is pretty good. If you're not interested, we can forget it."

The prize money was even a little higher than the Blue Sky Technical Academy Gym's. Of course, if he counted the excavator, the Gym's prizes were still worth more.

But looking at cash alone, the prize money would more or less cover Xin Mu's journey from here to the Gym at the farthest end of Donghuang, along with a few days' lodging there so he could complete his next challenge.

"Meow? (Why would it be dangerous? I don't see anything dangerous about it.)"

"Because... Red Bull is sponsoring it. That company has some unusual tastes."

Red Bull was rather particular about what it sponsored. Simply asking for sponsorship might not get you anywhere, but if you said your event might showcase a novel way to die, Red Bull might agree on the spot.

Of course, it sponsored normal events too, and a college competition like this couldn't possibly feature extreme sports like wingsuit flying or cave diving. Overall, it was bound to be safe.

At most, it would offer a little more excitement than a normal competition.

"Meow, meowscarada~ (I'm fine either way. It sounds fun, at least more interesting than staying in the room playing with that excavator.)"

Meownei took another look at the event's online poster. Although she couldn't speak human language, she could read the words on it.

In that respect, she was just like Team Rocket's Meowth.

The biggest difference between Meownei and Meowth was that Meownei hadn't undergone Refining the Transverse Bone.

Meownei had preserved her talent for battling, unlike Meowth, who had exhausted his potential learning to speak and ended up unable to learn even Pay Day.

"That model is actually pretty fun. Want to give it a try?"

"Meow! (No. Let's do something meaningful!)"

"Fair enough. I'll work out for a while first, then go see my adviser this afternoon to hand in the registration form. You can rest for now."

Entrants from outside the colleges didn't have to register this way, but Xin Mu hadn't graduated yet, so naturally he had to go through the school's procedures.

Xin Mu then resumed his specialized workout routine. Although the equipment had only been tools for training Pokémon in the game, and he had only used it for two days, he could already feel a clear improvement in his physical fitness.

If he kept building himself up like this, sooner or later he would turn into a human-shaped Pokémon. Maybe then he could go toe-to-toe with Fighting-type Pokémon, just like Bruno, Kanto's Fighting-type Elite Four member.

Watching Xin Mu exercise on the treadmill, Meownei lay listlessly on the bed, swinging her legs up and down over the edge. There was no telling what she was thinking.

Afterward, Xin Mu checked the time and waited until the lunch break was over before getting ready to head to the college to register.

Meownei was also acting a little strangely along the way. Normally, she would go around puddles and the like, but when they went out that afternoon, she made no effort to avoid them. She even seemed to be deliberately stepping into the water.

From the looks of it, she was trying to find an excuse to experience being carried like a princess again.

Meanwhile, in an office in the teaching building, the teacher Xin Mu was looking for was on the phone.

"Rong, I'm counting on you to help with that kid's internship."

"Don't worry. Since you asked, how could I refuse him a spot as an apprentice intern? We were classmates, after all. That said, I can't guarantee he'll be able to keep working here."

Personal connections formed a web that was often impossible to avoid, and college teachers had far higher social standing than they appeared to.

On the surface, they were merely teachers, but outside the college, they might wear many other hats.

Although Xin Mu wasn't in the Battle Studies Department, his adviser knew the adviser there and was helping find work for one of its students.

Becoming a professional Trainer wasn't an easy path. Even graduates of the Battle Studies Department had a difficult start without enough financial backing from their families.

Landing a position at a Gym was a pretty good outcome for them.

"They came to me, so there wasn't much I could do. If he doesn't work out, just fire him after a while."

"I'm actually looking forward to it. Your college produced a real prodigy this year."

"A prodigy? We're still worrying about this year's Pangoro Academy Cup. What prodigy?"

"Hang on... There. I've sent you the recording of the Gym battle. Take a look for yourself."

Rong Lei offered no explanation and simply sent the video over.

"Are you sure... he's from our college?"

"Yes, that's what his registration information says. His name is Xin Mu. That's not a common surname. Have you heard of him? Hello? Old Liu? You there?"

Rong Lei tapped his phone, then checked the Wi-Fi signal, thinking his connection had frozen.

"Oh, I'm still here. Go on..."

"That Meowscarada is something else. Never mind the Pangoro Academy Cup. It could place even at the Donghuang Conference."

The Pangoro Academy Cup was also a major event in Donghuang. If the Donghuang Conference was a grand gathering for all Trainers, then the Pangoro Academy Cup was where the Battle Studies Departments of different colleges competed to determine who was best.

If the Donghuang Conference was the Olympics, then the Pangoro Academy Cup was the Youth Olympics.

Unfortunately, Old Liu barely took in what Rong Lei was saying. He was staring in bewilderment at the two names on his desk.

They were the only two students in the graduating class who still hadn't found jobs, dragging down the employment rate.

"Do you have any footage of the Trainer? I'd like to see him."

"Why? Do you really know him? I can't give you that. The League has rules. Meowscarada aren't common in Donghuang anyway, so you'd definitely recognize it if you saw it.

Another challenger just arrived. I'll hang up now."

"Impossible. That kid doesn't even have a Pokémon. It must be someone with the same name..."

Old Liu muttered to himself, a hint of regret in his voice. Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

"Teacher Liu, it's me. I'd like to sign up for next week's rally. Here's my entry form."

Old Liu didn't answer. He merely stared at the Meowscarada beside Xin Mu with burning intensity. If words could be read in someone's eyes,

then at that moment, Old Liu's eyes held only one thought.

My promotion's in the bag.