"Little Juli, the reward has been processed. I spoke with the Trainer Association about your request, and they've agreed."
"Really, Aunty, when can I come pick it up?"
"Soon. That Pokémon's mother… her Trainer is no ordinary person."
"Alright, I'll be busy for now. I'll send it to you when the Pokémon arrives."
"Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Julian looked at Slowking, who was watching him curiously. "Slow, Looks like we'll have a new partner soon."
"Slo~"
Slowking nodded.
In Drakoria, the Trainer Association rewards anyone who discovers an unrecorded Pokémon or a new evolution of a Pokémon.
The reward options include three entries into a high-level secret realm or a Pokémon with cyan aptitude.
Julian had discovered Slowpoke's new evolution, Slowking, and naturally, he earned a reward from the Trainer Association. At that time, he chose a Pokémon with cyan qualifications.
The reason he didn't opt for the Rift entries was simple: his team wasn't ready for it. Only Steelix, at pseudo-Elite level, was capable of handling such dangers, and Steelix hadn't been with him for long.
Other Pokémon, whether it was Metagross or Dragonite, were at the peak of Advanced-level, although they had fighting powers that exceeded the normal pseudo-Elite.
But in a high-level/advanced secret realm, there were Elite Pokémon present, and many other dangers, so Julian wanted to wait for Metagross to become a pseudo-Elite before entering an advanced secret realm.
Plus, he already had two entries into advanced secret realm: one as a reward for winning the provincial high school league individual championship, and another as a bonus for joining Imperial Capital University.
There was no rush to use them, so choosing a cyan-aptitude Pokémon made more sense.
Normally, when someone discovers a new evolution, the Trainer Association provides three Pokémon with cyan qualifications of a species which can reach base stat of no lower than 500, allowing the trainer to choose one.
With some help from his grandfather, a top Elite, and his aunt, a renowned scholar, Julian could request a specific Pokémon of his choice.
After breakfast, Julian took Metagross, Steelix, Dragonite, and Lucario with him, leaving the others at the villa.
Growlithe, wagging his tail, wanted to go to the classes too, but Julian firmly refused.
After calming him down, he left the villa, though not directly for the special class. Instead, he headed towards the eastern battlefield.
By the time Julian arrived, most of the special class students were already there.
"Where's Teacher Frank?"
Julian asked, scanning the crowd.
"Teacher Frank went to pick up the students from Shu University," Shen answered.
At that moment, Luis hurried over. "Brother Walker, let me handle the fights later. Teacher Frank mentioned there are 300 credits for winning a match!"
Imperial Capital University and Shu University, the top universities in Drakoria, shared a fierce rivalry. Because both schools were located in the Imperial Capital, they competed over everything, from students to accomplishments.
If Imperial Capital University was interested in a student, Shu University would swoop in to try to recruit them. And anything Imperial University couldn't achieve, Shu University would make sure to surpass.
This competitive relationship had escalated over the years, with new students from each school being brought over annually for "exchange" matches.
Last year, it was Imperial University's turn to visit Shu University for the exchange competition. This year, Shu University was coming to Imperial University.
The annual freshman exchange competition between these two schools was a much-anticipated event, drawing attention from across the capital.
Students from all grades had gathered to watch, and it wasn't just Imperial University students either. Students from more than a dozen universities in the Imperial Capital had shown up.
Of course, the most notable group aside from Imperial University were Shu University students.
"The environment at Imperial University is just so-so," someone muttered nearby. "Good thing I didn't come here."
"Brother listening to you talk like that, are you from Shu University?"
"Bah! Shu University is also not suitable! I'm from Imperial College of Technology."
"Why are engineering students here?"
"To check out the girls, duh. I heard a lot of girls from the art academy are here to watch the battle."
---
Julian hadn't expected such a large crowd. The battlefield, equipped with an auditorium, was packed with spectators.
"Brother Walker, look!" Luis tugged at Julian's sleeve, pointing toward the north side of the stands. "The art academy girls are cheering for us!"
Sure enough, a group of nearly a hundred girls dressed in stylish outfits held up banners, showing their support for both Universities. Slogans like "Shu: Prince of the Capital" and "Imperial University: The Capital's Strength" were scrawled across them.
The girls from the arts academy had a reputation for being the cheerleaders for all of University's major events.
"How many people did Shu University bring for the exchange competition?" Julian asked.
"Brother Walker, you don't even know this?" Luis looked surprised, but seeing Julian giving him a unfriendly look, he quickly answered, "um-Ten people."
The students participating in the freshman exchange competition of the two Universities were all from the special class.
Just then, Frank arrived with ten students from Shu University's special class. Their head teacher, also an Elite Trainer, accompanied them.
Julian and his classmates sized up the students, who were doing the same in return.
"Julian, isn't that Nolan?" Shen said recognizing one of the students.
"Shen, you and Brother Walker know him, is that your former classmate?" Luis asked.
"No, He was Julian's opponent in the high school league championship. Julian defeated him 1v3," Shen explained.
Hearing that, Luis glanced at Nolan with an unimpressed look, like he was a weak chicken.
'He got defeated by brother Walker 1v3? Rubbish. I was only defeated 1v1.'
Nolan, who had been staring at Julian, clearly aiming for revenge, noticed Luis's unusual expression. He scowled in response.
Nolan: What are you looking at?.
Luis: looking at you.
An invisible electric current seemed to collide between them.
Suddenly, a notification sounded in Julian's mind.
"Ding!"
"Main Mission: Defeat all Shu University participants in the exchange competition."
"Reward: Mewtwo Fragment x3, Golden Legend Fragment x2, 5,000 points."
'This reward!!'
'Come on, I'm going to burn you all.'
Julian, whose face was calm until now, suddenly lit up with a fierce fighting spirit.
*****
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