"Excuse me… are you a freshman this year?"
Qing Fei had heard the rumors.
A first-year girl with a Dratini.
Beautiful, too.
At first, he didn't believe it.
Dratini?
From all currently discovered Secret Realms, they were said to appear only on the mysterious Dragon Isle.
And only a certain Kyoto family—one that had some kind of pact with Dragon Isle—could even step foot there to bond with a Dratini.
At that thought, Qing Fei glanced down at his Growlithe.
A flicker of disdain passed through his eyes.
Growlithe…
Still not enough.
Growlithe seemed to sense something. It looked up and gave him a bright, loyal smile.
He ignored it.
He had grown up pampered. His father was a certified professional Trainer under the Pokémon League.
That was how he managed to obtain Growlithe in the first place.
But he had never been satisfied.
Not with the Charmander before.
Not with Growlithe now.
If he could get close to this girl—
Wouldn't he have a chance at a Dratini someday?
"…"
Ye Qingxue glanced at him briefly, gave a perfunctory nod, and then looked around.
Strange.
Why hasn't he come out yet?
"Miss, I'm Qing Fei, Grade Two. About this wilderness trial—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," she interrupted impatiently.
Then she jogged off toward Lin Yu in the distance.
Leaving Qing Fei grinding his teeth.
"Ge, that was amazing!"
Her voice was like clear spring water, washing over Lin Yu's tired mind.
Two days in the forest left him slightly disoriented.
"Stop being cheeky."
He instinctively flicked her nose.
She wrinkled it in protest.
"So this is your Charmander? It's incredible!"
She examined the muscular, glossy little fire lizard curiously.
During the trial, she had watched Lin Yu's score skyrocket and already suspected the Charmander wasn't ordinary.
Now?
It exceeded her expectations.
"Please. Not compared to you."
Lin Yu casually activated Eye of Insight on the Dratini hovering near her shoulder.
He couldn't help but smile wryly.
This girl…
Staying here was practically a waste of talent.
[Pokémon: Dratini]
[Ability: Marvel Scale]
[Gender: Female]
[Talent: Champion-tier]
[Level: 25]
[Moves: Dragon Rage, Dragon Dance, Leer, Wrap, Thunder Wave, Twister, Agility…]
[Description: An exceptionally gifted Dratini.]
Level 25.
Was that real?
Most senior school team members had first Pokémon hovering around Level 19—peak Standard-tier.
Few reached Elite-tier.
Which meant—
Right now, Ye Qingxue could casually bulldoze the school team.
No wonder.
Her background had to be absurd.
Lin Yu couldn't help thinking—
Who would she end up with someday?
The thought made his chest tighten unexpectedly.
Before he could say more—
The loudspeakers crackled.
Students were instructed to regroup by class. Rankings and rewards would be announced.
"Let's go, Ge."
She smiled gently.
The boy who used to lecture her confidently when they were little—
Now seemed oddly restrained around her.
Lin Yu almost flicked her nose again—
But awkwardly scratched his head instead and let her pull him along.
He might have the mental age of thirty.
But across two lifetimes—
He'd been single the entire time.
Back then, in the orphanage, they could squeeze into one bed out of necessity.
Now?
Just holding hands made his face warm.
When did she grow up so fast?
It was only first year of high school.
"Charmander…?"
After she left, Qing Fei stared at her retreating figure.
Then noticed she'd gone straight to the Charmander Trainer.
He scoffed inwardly.
So she admired strength too.
That Charmander must belong to Lin Yu—the one topping the rankings.
He hadn't seen Lin Yu's face clearly.
And Charmander's appearance had changed drastically.
He didn't recognize it.
He never imagined—
It was the very same Charmander he once discarded like trash.
She's lucky.
Getting a Dratini like that.
The more he thought about it—
The more irritated he became.
And not even taking first place among the sophomores made it worse.
Without warning—
He kicked Growlithe.
"Damn it. Didn't even get first in Grade Two. Useless."
"Woof…?"
Growlithe didn't understand.
It lowered its tail and stepped closer, trying to comfort him.
Qing Fei cursed again.
"When we get back, you're training harder."
"Trash."
Unfortunately for him—
A supervising teacher saw the whole thing.
He was immediately pulled aside.
Class and name recorded.
Assigned a 5,000-word reflection essay.
And ordered to apologize to Growlithe.
On the bus ride back, eyes burned into Lin Yu's back.
He wasn't surprised.
He'd expected this reaction after seeing his score.
But when Qin Feng boarded the bus and said, eyes shining:
"You really did it, kid. Not just first among freshmen—first in the entire school. The administration is still deciding what reward to give you."
Lin Yu blinked.
"…The entire school?"
Her expression was genuine.
Which meant—
The rankings weren't separated by grade.
He hadn't just won freshman first.
He had won everything.
"So… what's the reward?"
He tried to sound casual.
"The school will grant you a second Pokémon contract slot. You can also select one C-rank Fire-type secret treasure. And ten Dragonfire Fruits."
That was generous.
Very generous.
"But," she added, "starting next year, you'll represent the school team and compete."
Lin Yu considered it.
Fair enough.
If the school invested in him, he should give back.
"That's fine."
She nodded.
"You'll have flexibility. As long as your academic grades stay above passing, you can take leave whenever needed."
Now that—
That was a real privilege.