c006 Primary Card Draw Pool, Get Ultra Ball
" Haha, this kid really is the first one today to come into contact with a Riolu. I guessed that expression long before it appeared."
When Xu Jing finally saw Riolu standing calmly in the clearing, the subtle shock spreading across his face instantly made Vice President Jiang Nian burst into laughter.
The other instructors also showed teasing smiles.
After all, even a child of a wealthy family who had read all the Pokémon field guides even the Sinnoh special editions that documented rare Aura Pokémon would never expect a Riolu to suddenly appear in a place like Earl Dervish's Forest, a beginner-friendly zone usually filled with Pokémon like Pidgey, Sentret, and the occasional stubborn Heracross.
To encounter a Riolu here would naturally give anyone the classic first reaction: shock + disbelief!
Relatively speaking, they all felt that the expression of the student named Xu Jing was already impressively controlled far calmer than those elite examinees in the previous chapters who had panicked in front of Pokémon like Scyther or cried when Starly refused to acknowledge them.
They even wondered whether the next student would collapse entirely.
What sort of expression would Riolu show when meeting another challenger?
"Okay! Xu Jing! Go ahead, try to win Riolu's approval!" Among all the teachers present, only Teacher Lu Feng held genuine expectations for Xu Jing. After all, Xu Jing was the most exceptional student he had ever taught quick at analyzing battles like Ruby, and steady in command like Platinum so he silently cheered him on.
"This student is preparing to extend an invitation to Riolu."
Seeing Xu Jing slowly crouch down, adopting the respectful posture often emphasized in the manga when approaching proud Pokémon such as Lucario, the teachers instantly understood what he intended.
"I hope this kid won't suffer too harsh a blow. He ranks third in the entire city in basic Pokémon knowledge and practical command. As long as he gains a decent Earl Dervish starting Pokémon, after entering college and training seriously for a few years, he'll soon grow into a standout Trainer maybe even someone who could handle complex Aura interactions one day."
"Well, Riolu should still reject him."
"The greater the expectation, the harder the fall."
"Don't focus on him alone. Even if we invite Riolu ourselves, it'll still choose the Trainer whose aura matches its own best."
Several teachers whispered among themselves, expressing their thoughts just as they had when evaluating earlier candidates in the chapter summaries.
Jiang Nian also believed Riolu would reject Xu Jing.
After all, countless outstanding young Trainers even ones recommended by the president himself had attempted to gain Riolu's acknowledgment in previous chapters, and all of them had failed.
However, when the monitoring screen shifted to the close-up view…
Everyone was stunned when they saw Riolu take the initiative to stretch out its tiny paw and gently tap the Poké Ball Xu Jing had offered.mimicking the same gesture shown in the manga when a Pokémon acknowledges a Trainer's heart.
"Huh?" Vice President Jiang Nian clearly never expected this outcome. Was that really the Riolu?
"Boom!"
The sound of the Poké Ball opening echoed crisply through the room.
Then everyone saw, with equally dull and disbelieving eyes, that Riolu the same Riolu known in the earlier briefing as the "child of the Elite-rank Lucario" who once assisted the president during the Sinnoh-style Aura calibration tests was instantly enveloped by the red capture light emitted from Xu Jing's Poké Ball and drawn inside!
The Poké Ball didn't even tense or sway symbolically like in the manga when stubborn Pokémon like Red's Pikachu or Blue's Scyther resisted.
There was a crisp "boom", the signature sound effect that even appeared in Pokémon Adventures whenever a clean, absolute acceptance occurred.
This Riolu had been captured by Xu Jing just like that!
"Well!?"
"!??"
"No way, this is…"
"Ah…?"
Damn it!
Everyone present stood completely dumbfounded!
"Riolu was captured by Xu Jing so easily? This completely defies sense!"
"It's honestly… enviable…"
"This kid's career as a Trainer is going to be smooth from the start!"
"That's the son of President Lucario, the very Lucario who appeared in the president's recorded demonstration of Aura Sphere in the previous chapter!"
Everyone in the communication room exchanged glances.
Several teachers felt a mixture of envy and faint jealousy!
This student named Xu Jing must have incredibly good fortune!
Riolu had only been placed here for the first time today. Not only was Xu Jing the first student to encounter him, he also captured him with a single attempt?
"Okay! Good, good! Hahaha! Well done!"
Lu Feng couldn't restrain himself from bursting into loud laughter.
Until the moment when the others around him including Vice Chairman Jiang Nian turned their heads to stare at him.
Only then did Lu Feng notice that the atmosphere wasn't appropriate at all.
He coughed, a trace of embarrassment showing on his face.
But the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide!
Xu Jing… Xu Jing…
You actually subdued Riolu! Incredible!
However, this Riolu had been placed in Earl Dervish's Forest under the direct instructions of the president to boost Star City's reputation. Was it really fine for Xu Jing to capture him like this?
"Teacher Lu Feng, no need to overthink it." Jiang Nian seemed to fully understand Lu Feng's concerns before he even spoke. He lightly covered the awkwardness on his face and chuckled: "The president allowed Riolu to choose its Trainer here. Although Riolu's decision took us all by surprise, a choice is a choice. The moment Riolu reached for Xu Jing's Poké Ball, their bond just like the manga's depiction of aura alignment was established. Do you understand?"
"President Jiang, I understand. I'll explain it clearly to Xu Jing~"
It was said so plainly and firmly.
If a Teacher didn't understand now, what more was there to understand?
President Jiang's words were both an explanation and a warning.
A warning that the president was personally invested in Riolu!
A warning for everyone not to think about interfering with or exploiting Riolu in any way!
"Well then. The Earl Dervish Forest event lasts for three days. Keep an eye on Xu Jing and Riolu."
"And also watch whether any other lucky student discovers the treasure hidden deeper inside Earl Dervish's Forest the same one hinted at in the earlier chapters' reports."
President Jiang said.
"Yes, President Jiang."
All the monitoring staff stared at Xu Jing on the screen with envy. This student still didn't know that he had not only secured Riolu but had also been noticed by President Jiang and even the president himself. What luck!
…
[Ding! Congratulations to the host, you successfully captured the Earl Dervish Pokémon. The side mission is complete. You have obtained one Primary Card Draw × 1]
Inside Earl Dervish's Forest.
Xu Jing looked at the prompt appearing on the Tongzi interface and felt a surge of excitement!
"Use the primary draw card immediately!"
The familiar light curtain displaying rows of cards reappeared.
The difference this time was that the label on top had changed to Primary Card Draw Pool!
"The primary pool is its own pool, and the advanced pool is its own advanced pool."
"The advanced pool already let me obtain a Riolu with champion-potential aura talent like the ones documented in the Sinnoh manga arc. Then this junior pool shouldn't disappoint either!"
Xu Jing thought with rising anticipation.
Light rippled across the card draw pool in front of him.
The dot-patterned cards began to vibrate rapidly.
And finally stop.
The dot card slowly flipped from its back.
"This is…?"
Xu Jing fixed his gaze on the face of the revealed card.
It was a Poké Ball, but clearly not an ordinary red-and-white model. This one was gray and white, with the gray section adorned by two refined golden bars the unmistakable design used in Pokémon Adventures when an advanced capture device appeared.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host, you have drawn the Ultra Ball Manifestation Card]
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