Fairview No. 1 High School.
Psychology Club Classroom, General Building.
As the new week began, Owen arrived early, sneaking Eevee into the classroom before anyone else noticed. Along with her, he had brought three specific items:
Weighted equipment for Eevee's tail.
Sandbags required for training Iron Tail.
The Soothe Bell, already attached to a collar.
"Put this on first."
Owen fastened the Soothe Bell around Eevee's neck. "From now on... don't take it off except for baths and sleeping. It's crucial to determine whether or not you can master the move Return."
"Vee..." Eevee nodded reluctantly.
While the chime of the Soothe Bell was pleasant, the collar itself was far from comfortable. To be precise, Eevee just wasn't used to it.
Compared to her soft Silk Scarf, this collar felt cheap. She much preferred keeping it by her side and using it as a manual music player rather than wearing it.
"This is a brand-name item, you know..." Owen sighed at her unwilling expression. "I can't do anything with you. Just deal with it for now, and I'll find a better way to attach it when I have time."
"Vee!" Eevee shook her neck, signaling her agreement.
Hmm... Owen stared at the bell. If I could attach the Soothe Bell directly to the Silk Scarf, would that be better? An idea for a "bold DIY project" began to take shape in his mind.
The Emergency Meeting
After dropping Eevee off at the club room, Owen hurried back to his classroom. Whether she would actually complete the training tasks he left for her depended entirely on her self-discipline... or rather, her love for binge-watching shows.
"Hey, Owen, let me tell you something."
After the morning self-study ended, Lynnea leaned in.
"What's up?" Owen asked. Why was she being so mysterious?
"I heard last night that the Provincial Trainer Association Headquarters is planning a big move."
"A big move?"
"I don't know the specifics, but—"
Then why even bring it up! Owen thought.
"Owen, Lynnea, step outside for a moment." Before Owen could complain, their homeroom teacher walked in and called for them.
Owen and Lynnea exchanged puzzled glances and followed him out. Standing in the hallway was their Practical Training teacher, Ms. Nina.
"Go with Ms. Nina for a bit. You'll be skipping the first period of math."
"Okay," Owen replied, still completely in the dark. In contrast, Lynnea seemed to have guessed something; her eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
Ms. Nina smiled and led them downstairs. "We're heading to the main auditorium for a meeting. You two just sit by me."
A meeting in the main auditorium? Owen was startled. What kind of event requires two students to attend?
On their way, they ran into another training teacher leading a student—it was their acquaintance, Leo. In fact, it seemed every senior training teacher was present.
Owen began to realize something... Could this be related to the Rising Star Project?
Inside the auditorium, Owen and Lynnea sat beside Ms. Nina. Within ten minutes, the school's top leadership had arrived. Not even the opening ceremony had seen such a massive lineup.
Soon, the Vice Principal cleared his throat, and the room fell silent.
"Good morning, everyone. I apologize for the sudden summons."
"This is an emergency meeting because the Provincial Trainer Association Headquarters issued a notice this morning! This notice is vital to our school's future development, so we must give it 120% of our attention."
"In the 21st century, to ensure the quality of educational institutions and the healthy development of aspiring trainers, our country reformed certain high schools, redefining the concept of 'Key High Schools.' These schools have now become the cradles of trainers—the starting point for every rookie!"
"Fairview No. 1 has been committed to training well-rounded, excellent trainers since this policy began. We have provided fresh blood to our country's trainer field in the past, and we will continue to do so."
"Now, aside from the Gaokao, we face a major test of our teaching capabilities!"
"Director Wang will explain the details of the notice."
The High School League
"Hello, everyone. I am Wang. At 7:00 AM today, the Provincial Trainer Association, in coordination with multiple departments, issued an important notice to the twenty Key High Schools in the province. I will now relay the specifics."
"In response to the national call to 'Train Excellent Trainers and Prioritize Basic Rookie Quality,' our province has decided to host a Provincial High School Pokémon Battle League to select the best schools and rookie trainers. The format will include Individual Battles and Team Battles..."
Director Wang spoke for three minutes, and Owen finally pieced it together.
Pokémon Battle Leagues were usually reserved for universities; high schools were rarely involved. This was primarily because high schoolers were rookies with very little time to train their Pokémon, and they were often buried under the academic pressure of the Gaokao.
For some reason, the Provincial Association had made an unprecedented move. What's more, they had included Team Battles...
The prize money for the Team Battle was a staggering ten million yuan.
Owen's eyes turned red with envy. Ten million! That was exponentially higher than the prize for the Young Ho-oh Cup. It also explained why Fairview had started the Rising Star Project and why Zoe was emphasizing teamwork. Had the local branch known about this all along?
"Therefore, our school has decided to form a seven-member School Team to actively prepare for this Provincial League."
"The team members will be recommended by each class, followed by unified training and selection. We will implement a 'bottom-rank elimination' system."
The meeting lasted an hour. When it finished, Ms. Nina led Owen and Lynnea out.
"You should have a clear picture of the situation now," she said. "The candidates from our class are you two.
Including Leo from Class 2, the three of you are currently the only confirmed official members of the school team."
"Ms. Nina, why is the province suddenly holding such a big competition?" Lynnea asked. Even in major hubs like Shanghai or Beijing, they hadn't gone this far for high schoolers.
A tournament with tens of millions in prizes—and hundreds of millions in total investment—was a massive operation.
Ms. Nina shook her head, offering no explanation.
In truth, not only high schools but provincial universities had received similar notices. This hadn't happened when she was a student.
Now, the Provincial Trainer Association gave her a sense of "heightened alertness," as if they were in desperate need of a massive influx of trained personnel.
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