"When does a student's time pass the fastest? It's definitely during the holidays!"
Facing this profound statement, David wholeheartedly agreed.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, it was already August 27th—the official start of the new school year. From today forward, Master David would become a glorious third-year high school student.
Yesterday, after returning to his apartment from the family manor, David had spent nearly an entire afternoon organizing his belongings, tidying up the place, and purchasing daily necessities. This was even with the enthusiastic help of Zorua and Riolu.
Additionally, David's apartment had professional cleaners who maintained it regularly, so it wasn't in terrible condition to begin with.
Still, he remained busy until late evening. After finally finishing all the organizing, the items sitting on his study desk gave him a moment of pause. He suddenly remembered something crucial—students in the Pokemon world also had holiday homework assignments.
Ever since his timeline had shifted, David had been focused on eating, sleeping, and training Pokemon. After the tournament concluded, he'd even taken Vulpix and Riolu on sightseeing tours throughout the region, thoroughly enjoying his vacation. He'd completely forgotten about this particular detail.
After all, the original David had already been a university student and had grown accustomed to a life without holiday homework. What university student still had to complete summer assignments, anyway?
With no other choice available, David had to resort to his old tried-and-true method: one pen, one night, creating a miracle. After working through the entire night, David finally managed to complete everything just before dawn broke.
The cost? Probably the two prominent dark circles now visible under his eyes!
He silently swore that in the future, he would definitely catch a Psychic-type Pokemon to help him with homework. Most Psychic-types possessed intelligence far exceeding humans—Metagross's brain was directly comparable to a supercomputer, after all.
Early morning arrived.
After eating breakfast with his two Pokemon partners and organizing the items he needed to bring, David picked up his Poke Balls and headed toward school.
Walking leisurely along the familiar route, David opened his system panel to review the final results of his summer vacation training.
Host: David
Identity: Rookie Trainer, Novice Cup Champion
Special Ability: Advanced Aura (Pseudo)
Skills: Pokemon Knowledge (Advanced), Pokemon Breeding (Beginner), Mythology Research (Advanced)...
Pokemon: Zorua (Hisuian Form), Riolu
Items: Key Stone, Unused Pokemon Enhancement Potions, Abyssal Fishing Rod, and various miscellaneous items stored in system space.
Achievement Points: 6,300
Pokemon Status:
Name: Zorua (Hisuian Form)
Type: Normal/Ghost
Energy Level: 24 (Veteran Tier)
Name: Riolu
Type: Fighting
Energy Level: 18 (Ordinary Tier)
During the two-week holiday following the tournament, although David and his two Pokemon had relaxed and enjoyed themselves, they hadn't forgotten to consolidate their existing progress and gains.
First, Zorua had not only increased by two levels but had also consumed all the Type-I Pokemon Enhancement Potions, which established a perfect foundation for future growth.
Riolu's level had jumped dramatically to 18, now comparable to Zorua's strength when she first participated in the Novice Cup. The Fighting-type was already considered a qualified battler, and Riolu had also absorbed specialized Speed and Attack Enhancement Potions.
His own puppy's enthusiasm for battling was remarkably high. During this period, Riolu frequently asked David to take him into battles. Once they arrived at school, if opportunities arose, Riolu would certainly be eager to participate.
After all, Zorua at this stage would be utterly overwhelming if matched against ordinary students' Pokemon—it would be like mercilessly beating up children, highlighting an almost cruel power difference.
As for David himself, with Riolu's assistance, David's Aura had fully awakened and stabilized. Although he hadn't undergone any professional Aura training yet, he could now barely condense and form an Aura Sphere with concentration.
Moreover, once David and Riolu performed an Aura link together, Riolu could release a complete and properly formed Aura Sphere, with power far exceeding its previous incomplete attempts.
No wonder people always said that Lucario was the most suitable Pokemon partner for an Aura user.
During the previous holiday period, David had tested the power of his personally created Aura Sphere using the move power testing device at his family's Gym. Although he could only barely manifest it, the resulting power proved quite astonishing—almost reaching the skill level of an veteran Pokemon.
Upon seeing this result, two amusing images instantly flashed through David's mind.
Name: David (Human Form)
Gender: ♂
Type: Fighting
Ability: Aura
Potential: ???
Moves: Command, Summon, Aura Sphere...
He also imagined a scenario where, after Zorua and Riolu were defeated in battle, David would calmly recall his Pokemon, roll up his sleeves, and step directly into the battle arena himself.
"What did you say? The Trainer is just warming up!"
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, and David shivered involuntarily. He didn't realize that at this moment, he had already unknowingly set a flag for a future event.
Never mind, better not to overthink it... But to summarize everything, in just two months, David had grown from a complete novice to his current level, and he felt quite satisfied with the progress. This was all thanks to his diligent hard work!
Now that both of his Pokemon were progressing smoothly on the right track, it was probably time for him to seriously consider catching his next Pokemon partner.
Since his apartment was located very close to the school, David quickly arrived on foot and habitually walked toward the second-year building... well, it should now be called the third-year Class 1 area.
Along the way, David exchanged greetings with other students from different classes whom he'd become familiar with over the past years.
Upon entering the classroom, the layout remained exactly the same as before. The spacious interior already had almost half the seats sparsely occupied. Since it was still quite early, most students had gathered in small groups of twos and threes, excitedly chatting while holding their Poke Balls.
David glanced around the room. More than half of the people present were familiar faces from previous years. After the third year began, new class divisions had been implemented, and all students who chose to major in the Pokemon Trainer track were assigned to Classes 1, 2, and 3.
The appearance of those new, unfamiliar faces was probably due to this redistribution system.
However, what proved particularly interesting was that among those unfamiliar faces, David also spotted a somewhat familiar figure—it was Jackson, the unlucky trainer he'd encountered during the first round of the elimination tournament.
Jackson's overall strength was actually quite decent, and his Pokemon were well-trained and disciplined. If it hadn't been for his unfortunate luck in encountering David and Zorua during that very first round, he definitely should have been able to advance several more stages in the competition.
David hadn't expected Jackson would also be assigned to Class 1 this year.
Just as David looked in his direction, Jackson also noticed David entering the classroom. The two acknowledged each other with brief nods of mutual respect.
"David, over here!"
From the innermost section of seats near the windows, Willow and the others had already gathered together. The sharp-eyed Miles spotted David's arrival first and quickly waved his hand while calling out loudly.
Seeing his friends, David smiled and walked straight over to join them.