In mid-October, as autumn’s brush gently swept across Zi Ning Town nestled by the mountains, a poetic scroll slowly unfurled before their eyes.
The small town was like a child cherished by nature, nestled in the broad embrace of the mountains.
The distant peaks, as if painted by an overturned palette, were adorned with the fiery red of maple leaves, the brilliant yellow of ginkgo, while the pines and cypresses steadfastly maintained their deep green, creating distinct layers that complemented each other.
The mountain mist, like a thin veil, sometimes gently enshrouled the mountainside, adding a touch of hazy beauty to the peaks.
Walking along the town’s streets, one could see Zining High School, which held countless youthful dreams.
The school’s gate was a bit old, yet it exuded a sense of steady calm.
The leaves of the old locust tree at the entrance had gradually turned yellow, and with a gust of autumn wind, they rustled down, as if laying a golden carpet on the ground.
The teaching building stood quietly on one side of the playground, its walls covered in green Vines, some of which had already begun to turn red, like a colorful border inlaid into the building.
Loud sounds of reading emanated from the classrooms, echoing through the campus, interweaving with the Growl of Chatot outside the window, playing a melody of youth.
During breaks, students poured out of the classrooms, either laughing and playing in the corridors or leaning against the railings to gaze at the distant Zining Mountain peaks. The beauty of the small town by the mountain and the youthful vitality of the high school campus merged perfectly, forming a moving picture that glowed in the mid-October light.
In such a picturesque atmosphere, Chen Kai was awakened by the bell for class dismissal.
“What period is this already?” Chen Kai yawned, asking Su Yuexi, his deskmate.
“It’s the long break,” Su Yuexi had just stood up, planning to take her Hoppip out for a walk.
Hoppip was now Su Yuexi’s Pokemon, but it was used to being free in the wild, so being cooped up in the classroom inevitably made it unhappy. Su Yuexi had no choice but to take it out for walks during breaks.
It had been almost five days since the October holiday ended. That morning, Huang Mao had sent Chen Kai a message, saying that he and Wang Yi would only be back for class next week.
Chen Kai stretched his somewhat stiff joints, just about to get up to go to the restroom, when Teacher Xu, the homeroom teacher, walked into the classroom.
“Chen Kai, Qin Ying, Bai Jin, Yelena, please come to my office.”
Chen Kai scratched his head and glanced at the other classmates who had also been called. Everyone’s faces were filled with confusion, clearly not knowing why Teacher Xu had called them to the office.
Upon entering the office, Teacher Xu pointed to the chairs in front of them and said, “Have a seat.” His tone was calm, but his eyes subtly revealed a hint of anticipation.
Chen Kai casually sat down, waiting for Teacher Xu to speak.
Teacher Xu leaned slightly forward, hands on his desk, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces, and said:
“The schools in Qu County are organizing an inter-school Pokemon competition recently, with both singles and doubles matches. I see that you few, as well as Wang Yi and Wang Tianxiang who are currently on leave, have all trained your Pokemon very well, so I’d like to ask you to sign up.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Ying immediately perked up, patted her sturdy chest, and confidently said:
“Teacher, I’m definitely signing up for the Pokemon competition! I train every day, just hoping to spar with experts from other schools and let them see how strong I am.”
Her eyes revealed an unyielding spirit.
As a model student, Bai Jin naturally wouldn’t refuse her teacher, saying, “Teacher Xu, I will do my best!”
Chen Kai couldn't help but think to himself: Sure enough, this kind of classic plot has arrived.
He nodded slightly, saying calmly, “Alright, Teacher Xu, I have no problem, I can participate.”
Seeing Chen Kai agree to participate, Yelena also nodded: “Then I’ll go too.”
Teacher Xu nodded happily when he saw that Chen Kai and Yelena had both signed up.
These two were very strong, even more capable than him, their teacher. His main hope this time was for these two to sign up for the competition.
Zining High School was just a high school located in a town. In recent years, the students' performance, whether in the college entrance examination results or in various competitions, could only be considered mediocre.
Now, there were even rumors from the county’s education bureau that they were going to close down this high school.
Several teachers and the principal of the school had been worried about this for a long time. Some teachers even joked that they might have to become idols to increase the school’s popularity to prevent it from being abolished.
Fortunately, this year, Chen Kai, Yelena, and their group of promising students arrived, which finally allowed Teacher Xu and the principal to breathe a sigh of relief.
This year, let Chen Kai and the others gain some experience. Next year, when they participate in the high school competition in their third year, they will have a chance to achieve good rankings. If they can also get into good universities in the college entrance examination, the school’s crisis might be resolved!
What a perfect plan!
At this moment, Bai Jin raised her hand and asked, “Teacher Xu, are only the six of us participating?”
Teacher Xu explained, “You six are the ones I particularly favor, so I hope you will participate.
Besides you, the senior students from the third year will also participate.
And before class this afternoon, I will announce it to the whole class, and if other classmates want to sign up, they can also participate.”
Chen Kai brought up a question he was concerned about: “Can my Ampharos and Hydrapple participate?”
Teacher Xu said helplessly:
“We all know they are your Pokemon, but the Qu County high school competition is organized by the Alliance, and your Ampharos and Hydrapple are not registered. Unfortunately, they cannot participate in the competition.”
“Alright.” Chen Kai had already expected this, so he wasn’t too disappointed.
He had recently tried to register Xiao Mei (Ampharos) and Hydrapple, but the Qu County Alliance Center felt that it was impossible for a second-year high school student like Chen Kai to possess such powerful Pokemon so quickly. Thus, they made various excuses, sometimes passing the buck, sometimes saying they needed to report to their superiors.
Even now, Xiao Mei and Miraidon are still “unregistered.” Chen Kai was already too tired to complain about such matters. Fortunately, he still had Grovyle that could participate.
“Then I’ll have to rely on you, Grovyle.”
Grovyle in the Poké Ball patted its chest and responded firmly:
“Cha!” (Leave it to me!)
Back in the classroom, the classmates gathered around curiously, asking them questions.
When the classmates learned about the Qu County High School Pokemon Competition, the whole class was very excited.
These eager classmates probably all wanted to participate.
“Su Yuexi, are you participating?” Chen Kai asked casually. In his mind, Su Yuexi’s Gloom had a pretty high level.
However, her Gloom always trained against Teacher Xu’s Spidops or Chen Kai’s Pokemon, and it seemed to have never won a single match since the beginning of the semester.
Su Yuexi didn’t really like fighting, and she always lost, which made her afraid of battling, so she said:
“I guess I won’t participate…”