[Pokémon: Spearow (Simulated)][Ability: Keen Eye][Gender: Male][Talent: ???][Level: 11 (12) (13)][Moves: Peck, Quick Attack (Aerial Ace)][Description: An energy construct created through illusion and Metagross-level computation. Data has no real-world reference value.]
Six Spearow surrounded Charmander.
All Standard-tier.
[Food Supply Station]: Buff gained — Special Attack +20% (Short Duration)
It was close to noon.
Even the dense canopy couldn't block the oppressive summer heat. Leaves curled lazily under the blazing sun.
At that moment—
The sunlight poured down onto Charmander.
The flame on its tail surged violently, as if doused in gasoline.
Solar Power.
Under harsh sunlight, Special Attack increased.
The tradeoff?
HP drain.
But with [Purification], that drawback no longer existed.
"Go, Charmander. Flame Rain!"
Despite being surrounded, Lin Yu didn't flinch.
"Charrr!"
For the first time, Charmander felt overwhelming power surge through its body.
Like it was the protagonist.
A basketball-sized fireball shot into the sky—
Then exploded.
Countless embers scattered outward.
No need to aim.
They fell like blazing flowers across the panicked Spearow flock.
Nearly ten meters of area coverage.
As the saying went:
"Poor means precision strikes. Rich means carpet bombing."
One Spearow after another—
Unable to escape the fiery downpour—
Dissolved into white light and streamed into Lin Yu's scoreband.
One move.
Six equal-level Spearow.
Erased instantly.
They didn't even have time to react.
Nearly 1,400 points flooded in.
His ranking—
Shot to First Place.
And the second-place competitor was 500 points behind.
"Beautifully done, Charmander!"
Under double buffs—
That Ember felt dangerously close to Flamethrower-level power.
"Let's keep moving."
There were too many strong students to relax.
If he entered—
He would take freshman first.
No exceptions.
With that resolve, Lin Yu pushed deeper into the forest.
Monitoring Room
…?
A sea of question marks might as well have hovered above the teachers' heads.
Was that really a freshman's Charmander?
Six same-level Spearow.
One-shot.
That defied logic.
The room fell silent except for the hum of screens.
After a long pause—
One teacher muttered:
"Solar Power?"
But even he sounded unsure.
Since when did Solar Power amplify like that?
"…Maybe?" someone offered. "He did feed it a high-grade energy cube beforehand."
Most eyes shifted toward Qin Feng.
With envy.
Dratini aside—
This Charmander Trainer was practically guaranteed a school team slot in the future.
And teacher evaluations?
They were tied to student performance.
School team members meant competitions.
Competitions meant glory.
"Teacher Qin's luck is insane."
"Advanced move usage at that age? Turning Ember into that?"
"If it evolves into Charizard and learns high-tier fire moves…"
"Terrifying."
Qin Feng smiled modestly—
But inside, she felt like she'd picked up a hidden treasure.
What a surprise.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere in the forest.
The Secret Realm zone was vast—comparable to a district that could house hundreds of thousands.
Even with designated areas, students rarely encountered each other unless teaming up.
In that sense—
The school's arrangement was fair.
Even sophomores and seniors were limited to using their second Pokémon.
Under the shade of a tree—
Qing Fei stroked his Growlithe, deeply satisfied.
Bright golden fur shimmered in the breeze.
Sharp eyes gleamed.
Tiger-like stripes accentuated its regal appearance.
And Arcanine's stat ceiling exceeded Charizard's.
That other Charmander?
The one that couldn't even learn Ember properly.
Clearly defective.
"Growlithe. I won't ask for too much. Just secure first place among the sophomores."
His father had once claimed that Charmander came from a Master-tier Charizard lineage.
What a joke.
"Woof!"
Growlithe barked loyally.
Qing Fei checked the rankings.
Lin Yu — 1850Participating Pokémon: Charmander
Zhou Hewang — 1200Participating Pokémon: Vulpix
Hu Bing — 1050Participating Pokémon: Eevee
…
(8th) Qing Fei — 820Participating Pokémon: Growlithe
He was satisfied with that.
After all, Growlithe had only been his partner for a month.
Its growth speed and aptitude already surpassed his first Pokémon.
As expected of a Flame Gym lineage Pokémon.
"But why is someone else's Charmander this strong?"
"And who is Lin Yu? I've never heard of him in the upperclass school team…"
Half a day.
1,850 points.
That meant he'd been defeating mostly Standard-tier opponents.
Just then—
His ranking dropped.
8th.
Then 9th.
(8th) Liu Lian — 840Participating Pokémon: Poochyena
Qing Fei frowned.
That was his main sophomore rival.
"Had enough rest? Growlithe. Change of plan."
He stood.
"We're aiming for top five overall."
Growlithe hesitated.
They'd rested less than ten minutes.
And Flamethrower—learned via TM—drained enormous energy.
Its limbs still felt weak.
But at its Trainer's command—
It forced itself to nod.
Unfortunately—
Qing Fei didn't notice.
"Let's move. More points."
He strode forward confidently.
Growlithe followed.
Exhausted.
But loyal.