Jindu Academy

"If possible, I'd like to battle you too."

A girl stepped in front of Chu Xin. He remembered her vividly; after all, she was the first girl he had ever beaten to tears.

Wasn't this Zhuo Xing? Old man Zhuo Yuan had come looking for him after he defeated her, making Chu Xin think Zhuo Yuan wanted revenge for his granddaughter.

Still, running into Zhuo Xing here probably meant she was the guide Dean Zhuo had told him to wait for.

"Let's put the battles on hold for now. I've only just enrolled, and I have a lot to sort out. We can battle once I'm done."

Bai Yuan was easy enough to talk to. After hearing Chu Xin's explanation, he sighed regretfully, then agreed to battle another time. Zhuo Xing nodded as well.

"Then let me show you both around Jindu Academy. That's the task Dean Zhuo gave me."

Zhuo Xing then took Chu Xin and Bai Yuan around the campus where they would spend the next four years.

"By the way, which department are you planning to choose?"

???

Chu Xin looked at Zhuo Xing in confusion, but Bai Yuan, standing beside him, calmly stated his choice.

"The Battle Department, of course. I came to the academy to train there."

When Zhuo Xing turned to Chu Xin, he could only scratch his head awkwardly.

"I don't know anything about that."

"Seriously? You're about to start classes here, and you haven't even looked into the academy's departments?"

Bai Yuan's remark left Chu Xin feeling rather embarrassed. Zhuo Xing shook her head helplessly and had no choice but to explain.

"All the academies in the country train talented people, but training people in a variety of fields is part of their job too. To do that, they divide their subjects into different departments."

"There may be lots of departments, but ultimately they all fall into three main categories: the Battle Department, the Breeding Department, and the Research Department."

Bai Yuan explained to Chu Xin beside him.

"I'm joining the Battle Department. Pretty much every academy has those three main departments. People like us, who get admitted through Monster Handler competitions, usually join the Battle Department. Very few join the Breeding Department."

"What about the Research Department?"

Chu Xin looked at Zhuo Xing curiously, but she looked just as surprised by his question.

"Don't tell me you're planning to join the Research Department."

"Me? No, no. I'm just a little curious."

Zhuo Xing breathed a sigh of relief. If her grandfather found out she had lured Chu Xin into the Research Department, he would scold her to death.

"The Research Department is a rather special department within the academy. There are three ways to get admitted. The first is admission as a Monster Handler, and the second is through the academy's entrance exam. The third is unusual: admission for people with special talents."

As she spoke, Zhuo Xing pointed at herself, Chu Xin, and Bai Yuan.

"The three of us fall into the first category. Those students usually join the Battle Department, though some join the Breeding Department. Students admitted through the exam generally join the Research Department. The third method, admission for special talents, is rarely used. I don't remember ever seeing anyone admitted that way."

"People like us, who enter the academy by earning a Monster Handler License, usually join the Battle Department or the Breeding Department. After all, we're good at raising monsters, but we generally don't know much about the subjects taught in the Research Department. That's why students like us don't go there."

Zhuo Xing then gave Chu Xin a broad overview of the differences between the three departments and what each focused on. After her explanation, he had a rough understanding of them. It seemed he ought to join the Battle Department.

"I'll join the Battle Department, then."

"Great choice! We might even end up in the same class."

Bai Yuan casually hooked an arm around Chu Xin's neck as if they were already old friends. His enthusiasm was a little too much for Chu Xin.

"The Battle Department sounds good. I'd love to be in the same class as you too. That way, we'd have plenty of chances to battle."

So that's it. No wonder these two were so friendly. They just wanted to battle me.

I thought of you as friends, and you wanted to beat me up!

Forget it. We haven't been assigned to classes yet. Maybe I won't end up with either of them.

Once their conversation ended, Zhuo Xing earnestly showed Chu Xin and Bai Yuan around the academy, even helping them buy daily necessities along the way. Her attentiveness left Chu Xin feeling a little embarrassed. He had only ever seen this sort of enthusiasm from male university students welcoming new arrivals. Receiving that treatment himself made him feel rather flattered.

With Zhuo Xing's help, Chu Xin soon finished unpacking his things. Watching her bustle around helping him made him feel bad, so he went to a nearby shop, bought a drink, and handed it to her.

"Thanks, Zhuo Xing. I'm all done now, and it's mostly thanks to your help. If you ever need anything, just tell me. If I can help, I definitely will."

Zhuo Xing's eyes lit up at his words, and she looked at him excitedly.

"Do you mean that?"

Seeing her expression gave Chu Xin a bad feeling, but he had already said it. How could he take it back now?

"I do!"

"Then could you battle me?"

Good grief! This girl still hadn't forgotten about that. She still wanted to battle me!

"Wouldn't that be a bit much? You're so tired now. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"It's fine. I'm not tired. Let's go to the Battle Room. The academy has dedicated Battle Rooms for battles. I can take you there."

It wasn't just Zhuo Xing. Bai Yuan was eager to have a go too. He clearly wanted to battle, but Zhuo Xing had beaten him to the punch.

Ah, there was no escaping a battle after all. Still, Chu Xin also wanted to test the results of his recent efforts.

Once Chu Xin agreed, Zhuo Xing happily led him to the Battle Room.

The Battle Rooms at Jindu Academy were certainly impressive, though they still fell a little short of the battlefields used for the Monster Handler assessment. What made them more advanced, however, was that their terrain could be changed manually.

"Is there any terrain you want?"

Zhuo Xing asked Chu Xin, clearly very familiar with the place. He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Any terrain is fine. Just choose one at random."

Zhuo Xing nodded, and soon a mass of enormous rocks rose from the battlefield. It looked like they had gotten a Rock Field.

Zhuo Xing sent out her Pokémon. It was the familiar Abra.

"My monster is Abra. You know it well, so I won't bother with much of an introduction."

Chu Xin nodded, then threw out a Poké Ball of his own. A Pokémon holding a large leek appeared on the field.

"This is Farfetch'd, a Pokémon I caught recently. His name is Kaka. He'll be your opponent."