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Guaranteed Admission to Higher Education Institutes
In Li Xiang's memory, this was something that had never happened before.
While regular universities had early admission programs, higher education institutes for trainers had never offered such a thing—not since their establishment.
So why now?
Li Xiang recalled what Yang Tianwang had told him last year about the newly appointed big shot in the education sector and the ongoing reforms.
They've really changed everything, huh? Now there's even a guaranteed admission system.
"Has this been publicly announced?" Li Xiang asked his mother, Mrs. Yin.
"No, I heard it from the director. She knew you were at No. 1 Middle School and specifically mentioned it to me," Mrs. Yin replied, shaking her head. "She said each school will select forty students and that the training camp is competitive—some will be eliminated. The final group can choose any higher education institute in Zhu Xia, with only an interview required."
Any institute?
Seriously?
Li Xiang's eyes widened. The more he heard about this training camp, the more unbelievable it sounded.
If everyone could freely choose their institute, wouldn't all the top schools be flooded? The universities in the Five Great Cities would probably be overwhelmed.
No one would be foolish enough to pick a lower-tier school unless they had no other choice—forced to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond.
Most likely, there were restrictions—first come, first served.
Mrs. Yin didn't know the full details.
Or perhaps, the specifics were still being finalized, and this was just a preliminary announcement.
"Official documents should be released early next year. You need to prepare yourself and keep improving," Mrs. Yin said, gently stroking Li Xiang's face in a loving manner.
Li Xiang nodded, then thought of Song Jie—who had come from Jizhou to Qingcheng—and his remarks about being a "bandit" or something. A few possibilities flashed through his mind.
The Next Day.
Classroom.
Li Xiang, Torracat, and Riolu sat together, forming an impromptu interrogation squad as Song Jie walked in with his backpack.
After enduring Li Xiang's intense stare for ten seconds, Song Jie finally caved and spilled everything he knew.
Most of it matched what Mrs. Yin had told him, but there were differences in the timeline.
First, while the official documents would be released early next year, the selection process had already begun when they first entered middle school.
Formal admission would happen next summer.
This meant third-year students had already missed their chance.
"They'll investigate your family history for three generations, your Pokémon's origins, your performance in school, even before enrollment. Only after all that will you be considered for the training camp," Song Jie explained. "Those who tried to get ahead early in our grade? They never had a chance from the start."
The screening process was strict. Anyone with violations would be disqualified.
Li Xiang didn't know what the higher-ups were thinking, but he could sense a storm brewing.
"Six schools, 240 students in total. But I suspect only forty—maybe even fewer—will remain in the end. This training camp is survival of the fittest. You need to be mentally prepared," Song Jie said, lowering his voice. "The camp is a talent pool for the top institutes. Those who come out of it won't be treated the same as regular admissions."
That was all Song Jie was willing to say.
Li Xiang took a moment to digest the information.
"...Got it."
He nodded, realizing that this training camp was essentially another stepping stone—one that could launch him even higher.
But this stepping stone had limited capacity. Not everyone could stand on it.
Hence, the competition.
"How many of these training camps are there nationwide?" Li Xiang asked.
"No more than a hundred. This is still a trial run—Qingcheng is one of the test cities," Song Jie replied, reading Li Xiang's thoughts. "No, I didn't come to Qingcheng because I was afraid of competing in Jizhou. I had other reasons."
Li Xiang had assumed Song Jie left Jizhou because he didn't think he could compete there, but that wasn't the case. There was something else.
No need to pry further.
Break Time.
Li Xiang went to find Qu Sheng and Yang Tianwang, hoping to extract more information.
Maybe they knew something Song Jie didn't.
But it turned out they knew even less—just surface-level details, fitting for their age.
Disappointing.
Shifting Priorities.
Li Xiang had expected life to change in some way, but in the end, everything remained the same.
Still battling every day, still training martial arts, still studying through various methods.
His Pokémon bickered over trivial matters one moment, then piled together to nap the next. It was hard to tell if they got along or not.
Flare Blitz and Brave Bird had been mastered one after the other, giving Torracat and Corvisquire a massive power boost.
Riolu didn't dare get too close to Torracat during sparring now—not unless it was raining. The heat was so intense that fur would singe at the slightest touch.
As for Corvisquire, learning such a powerful move had made it a little too full of itself. During a recent visit home, it showed off in front of its father and the flock, transforming into a blazing blue bird of flames and darting through the trees under the envious gazes of its peers.
Unfortunately, pride comes before a fall.
In its excitement, it accidentally crashed into a tree—destroying a nest in the process.
And wouldn't you know it?
That tree was its own home.
The horrified Corvisquire was immediately pinned down by the Corviknight leader and given a brutal thrashing.
Even its mother didn't intervene—instead cheering the punishment on.
The screeches of pain were so pitiful that Torracat couldn't bear to listen.
In essence, Brave Bird and Sky Attack were similar yet fundamentally different.
Sky Attack's visual effect was a translucent, fiery aura that left glowing feathers trailing behind, making Corvisquire look incredibly cool.
Brave Bird, on the other hand, was straightforward—a deep blue "flame" completely encasing its body, turning it into a massive firebird with a long, comet-like tail.
Touching it didn't burn—instead, it felt like being sliced by countless blades.
Li Xiang had once tried touching it with protective gloves, only to find them shredded beyond use afterward.
The power was undeniable, but the recoil was terrifying. The crackling sparks of electricity that erupted afterward made Li Xiang's stomach churn.
Meanwhile,
"Gah."
After finishing the beating, the Corviknight leader panted slightly but looked thoroughly refreshed. Its gaze toward Li Xiang was no longer as hostile as before.
It wasn't blind. The changes in Corvisquire were obvious.
Compared to its time in the breeding center, it was practically a different Pokémon. Its feathers were glossy, its chest muscles well-developed, and its wings pristine.
Even its personality had shifted.
Before, Corvisquire had been aggressive—quick to pick fights over the slightest provocation, but now, it was calmer, more cheerful. Its voice had structure, no longer just mindless screeching.
A vast improvement.
The only downside?
Its mouth had gotten worse. It had picked up new vocabulary—words that, while incomprehensible to Corviknight, carried a tone so sarcastic it made feathers bristle in anger.
Overall, Corviknight was satisfied with Li Xiang as a trainer.
For now.
"Caww.."
The Corviknight leader stepped forward, turning slightly to indicate that Li Xiang could ride on its back. Walking all the way to the office building would be tiring.
It didn't mind giving him a lift.
Li Xiang blinked, then chuckled. "Thanks."
It seemed he had finally earned this father's approval. That was a relief.
No one liked being rejected.
Calling over Torracat (who was curiously examining a strange rock) and Corvisquire (who was still playing dead on the ground),
Li Xiang climbed onto Corviknight's back. The surface was smooth but manageable.
This was, in fact, his first time flying on a Pokémon. A faint thrill ran through him as he instinctively grabbed Corviknight's head feathers for balance—the only secure grip on its otherwise slippery back.
And once they were airborne, he finally understood why "Sky Trainers" were a specialized profession.
Flying was exhilarating.
The sudden expansion of his vision, the ground shrinking beneath him, the world laid bare in every direction—it was a rush like no other.
Especially now, in early autumn, with the weather perfectly mild, the sun peeking through the clouds, and the wind singing in his ears like a bird's melody.
"If you still haven't evolved by New Year's, you're finishing that 3,000-word reflection you never finished!" Li Xiang shouted at Corvisquire, flying alongside them. "On the computer!"
Corvisquire, which had been flying obediently, stiffened at the words before sheepishly ducking beneath Corviknight's belly.
If it avoided Li Xiang's gaze, maybe it could escape punishment.
Corviknight didn't understand the word "reflection," but seeing Corvisquire's guilty yet defiant look, it could guess the bird had messed up again.
It considered saMrs. ying something but ultimately stayed silent.
The reflection incident
stemmed from a recent "closed-room vase-smashing case."
At its core, it was due to Corvisquire's insatiable curiosity about everything in human society.
Last month, while Li Xiang was chatting with someone, it had curiously pecked at his computer screen—puncturing it clean through.
Furious, Li Xiang had forced it to learn the alphabet and pinyin (a common romanization system for standard chinese)—threatening to hang it from the ceiling and whip it with Frogadier's scarf if it didn't.
Why learn letters and pinyin?
To write reflections, of course!
Through recommendations from helpful netizens, Li Xiang had learned that basic education could improve a Pokémon's logical thinking, making them smarter.
Subjects like math and language were beneficial.
Torracat and the others had been studying for a while. Corvisquire, being new, was supposed to have a grace period.
—Screw that!
If it didn't learn, it got whipped!
But what truly drove Li Xiang up the wall was that this bird—the Husky of the avian world—never learned its lesson.
Despite being perfectly capable of hopping or walking, it insisted on flapping its wings indoors, shattering countless belongings in the process.
And as its trainer, Li Xiang had been scolded and mocked by Mrs. Yin and Li Zhezhan more times than he could count.
This experience had taught him a crucial lesson:
Pokémon shouldn't be spoiled. Some needed strict discipline.
Ash's "you're all my best buddies" approach clearly didn't work on certain Pokémon.
Damn bird!