"Miss Joy."
As the head of the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy held high status. Most people greeted her with genuine respect.
Along the way, nearly everyone they passed politely greeted her.
She responded to each with her signature sweet smile.
"We're here. Someone is currently taking the Elite Trainer assessment, so you may need to wait a bit."
The League's Elite Trainer exams were extremely strict. No fraud was tolerated.
Every battle was fully recorded and uploaded to the Indigo League headquarters, where a dedicated audit department—over a hundred staff—reviewed them.
Gu Qiu nodded.
"No rush."
He had planned today as a relaxation day anyway.
Life couldn't be just training. Balance improved efficiency.
There were quite a few spectators.
A young man was currently undergoing assessment.
"Master Jie's gotten stronger again. He should pass this time."
"Eighteen years old and already attempting Elite certification. What talent…"
"He might even win the Viridian championship this year."
"Champion? No chance. I know several who are stronger than him."
"You mean Li Yunfei and Mu Zi? Yeah, they're stronger."
"Did you forget Zhou Yao? The Zhou family's princess. She just returned from Indigo High."
"What? From Indigo High?"
"Yeah. Viridian's performance has been terrible these past years. The mayor personally asked her to come back."
"I heard every major family was ordered to recall their geniuses. Whoever leads Viridian into the regional top 8 gets access to the Secret Realm."
"The Secret Realm?! That's Viridian's foundation resource!"
At the words "Secret Realm," Gu Qiu's eyes narrowed.
Secret Realms were mysterious domains scattered throughout the Pokémon world.
Combat-type. Exploration-type. Treasure-type.
Entry required at least Elite Trainer rank—danger was extreme.
Viridian's Secret Realm was unique.
Whoever entered could obtain their own destined opportunity.
But activation required enormous energy.
And only one person could enter per opening.
It was one of Viridian's most precious assets.
Countless prodigies coveted it.
For the mayor to stake it as reward—
He was serious.
Gu Qiu felt interest stir.
This city tournament would be intense.
"But you're forgetting someone."
"You mean Gu Qiu?"
The entire area fell silent at the name.
Because those two words meant miracles.
"He's a senior at Viridian High."
"If it were previous years, he'd probably win. But this year… hard to say."
"Where's he been? Haven't heard about him for half a month."
Nurse Joy glanced curiously at Gu Qiu.
That wasn't his usual style.
Ever since he got Froakie, his name had dominated headlines—
Until he suddenly vanished.
On stage, the battle ended.
Master Jie barely secured victory.
Cheers erupted.
"Gu Qiu, your turn. I'll take you in."
"Thank you, Miss Joy."
Inside the exam arena—
"Who's that guy? Looks familiar."
"Yeah, I feel like I've seen him."
"He's so young. High school age?"
No one recognized him.
He'd gone viral—
Then disappeared longer than he'd been famous.
"Candidate No. 10010. Assessment begins."
"Format: 3v3 battle. Defeat all three examiner Pokémon to pass."
The examiner was a middle-aged man with a somewhat intimidating face—but smiling.
"Kid, I'll go easy on you."
Paired with that grin—
The sentence sounded questionable.
"Go! Butterfree!"
Level 31. Mid-tier aptitude.
A fairly standard One-Star Elite benchmark.
One-Star wasn't meant to be too difficult.
Two- and Three-Star were the real hurdles.
Recently, Kirlia had shown less enthusiasm for battle.
Gu Qiu planned to talk with her later.
This Butterfree was weak.
He yawned.
Who to send?
"Eevee's only Level 17. Alolan Vulpix is Level 19."
Route 24 Pokémon were high-level.
They'd relied mainly on energy cubes early on before getting some cross-level experience.
"Vee!" (Master, let me fight!)
Vulpix's voice was adorable—but determined.
Inside the Living Space, Gu Qiu could communicate mentally.
"You're sure?"
He hadn't expected Vulpix to volunteer.
"Vee!"
Her tone was serious.
Right then—
The system chimed.
[Ding! Triggered quest: Vulpix's Fighting Spirit!
Let Vulpix battle solo and win the One-Star Elite Assessment.
Reward: Alolan Vulpix Template Fragment C!]
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