As soon as the battle between Frogadier and Charmeleon began,
Frogadier made clever use of its blazing speed.
It unleashed Double Team, followed by Aerial Ace,
and gave Charmeleon a lot of trouble.
But Charmeleon's combat experience was just as sharp.
It chose to abandon defense and took Frogadier's attack head-on.
Then it trapped both of them in a wall of fire with Fire Spin.
The moment Frogadier hesitated,
a glowing Dragon Claw slammed into it.
Lin Yu didn't give a single command during the fight.
Only after it ended
did he give targeted feedback, pointing out Frogadier's mistake.
It should have used its speed to wear Charmeleon down with Water Pulse, not fight up close.
Frogadier narrowed its eyes, deep in thought.
After equipping Shiny Skin, its comprehension and talent had improved drastically.
It understood the lesson instantly.
"Ring ring…"
His phone suddenly rang.
Lin Yu picked up.
"Hello? Senior Xue Nai?"
"Junior Lin Yu, have you registered for the Provisional Professional Trainer exam yet?"
Lin Yu blinked. "Ah… not yet."
Professional Trainer ranks:
Provisional, Professional, Senior, Master, and Elite Four.
The requirements matched Pokémon strength:
at least one Elite-stage, Gym-stage, Lord-stage, Master-stage, or Elite Four-stage Pokémon.
The exam wasn't mandatory,
but every serious Trainer took it.
Many Secret Realms and reserves
required the corresponding title for entry.
That was why the Professional Trainer title was so coveted.
It didn't mean working for the government, either.
An Elite Four-level Trainer
could choose to live freely, work for a company, or join a research institute.
"Let's go together!" Xue Nai sounded excited.
Lin Yu realized he also needed to finish registering Frogadier.
"Three days from now. I have to go to the League anyway."
"Okay! See you at the school gate in three days!"
Three days later.
The school gate, as promised.
Just as Lin Yu expected, he was late again—
even though he left early!
It was the weekend,
and he'd used the weekly Entry refresh before heading out.
[Green Entry (Mark Tracking):
Leaves a mark on a Pokémon. Combined with Aura Power, you can track its location.]
It wasn't urgent, but it was useful.
If he ever found a rare Pokémon he couldn't catch right away,
he could find it later.
He saved it.
No need to delete useful Entries for short-term gains.
He now had 892 Entry Coins.
Just a little more
and he could buy Bone Spirit Cold Fire!
Charmeleon's next big moment was coming!
On top of that—
Lin Yu could feel his body getting stronger.
It meant
he'd formed a mysterious Bond
with Charmeleon and Kirlia.
He could now lift a 100kg hammer with one hand.
Unbelievable!
No wonder top Trainers often had physiques nearly as strong as Fighting-type Pokémon.
"Lin Yu! Over here!"
Xue Nai spotted him from far away and waved.
"Senior."
Lin Yu walked over and was caught off guard.
She'd dressed up today. Light makeup made her already pretty face even more radiant, like a girl dressing for someone she liked.
"Stunned, junior?"
Xue Nai giggled at his stare.
Worth getting up at 6 a.m. to get ready.
"You look beautiful, senior."
Lin Yu felt a little awkward for staring. "Let's go inside."
"Mhm!"
Xue Nai couldn't stop smiling. "Your mouth is so sweet…"
"Senior, did your Braixen reach Elite stage?" Lin Yu asked curiously.
"Yep! Just yesterday. Pretty good, right?"
"Really impressive."
"Not as good as you. I know you'll pass the exam easily!"
Xue Nai's eyes sparkled.
She truly admired him.
Shuimu City Pokémon League.
The same receptionist from before helped them.
When she saw Lin Yu with such a pretty girl, she teased him.
"Here to register your Froakie with your girlfriend?"
Xue Nai quickly waved her hands.
But the sharp receptionist saw right through them. "This boy's going places. If you like him, you'd better hurry up!"
The usually bold senior blushed hard.
Lin Yu stepped in to save her.
"It's not Froakie anymore—it evolved into Frogadier!"
He sent out Frogadier.
Luckily, they hadn't finished registration last time, so no one had seen it yet.
"Evolved? Frogadier?"
"Wait… black Frogadier?!"
The League was busy.
The receptionist's exclamation drew everyone's attention.
"Frogadier!?"
"A black Shiny Frogadier! It looks like a swordsman!"
"Hey, isn't that Lin Yu? The one who won the High School Tournament?"
"Wow, so this is his new Pokémon…
I'm so jealous!"
People quickly recognized Lin Yu and asked for autographs.
"Sorry about that."
The receptionist hurried through the registration.
"It's fine. Could we also sign up for the exam?"
Lin Yu hadn't forgotten his real goal.
Once he became a Provisional Professional Trainer,
he could explore more of Shuimu City's Secret Realms.
With Aura Power, he'd collect treasure after treasure!
"You're only a first-year high school student?"
After checking his info, the receptionist was stunned.
First-years taking the Professional Trainer exam?!
Since when were freshmen this strong?!
In her whole career, she'd never met anyone this talented!