After discussing with Teacher Li, Fang Yuan returned to the classroom.
The rest of the morning was spent on indoor classes. For some, time might have dragged, but for others, it could have flown by.
Take Fang Yuan, for example…
He wasn't very accustomed to following the teacher's pace for revision and preferred to delve into the knowledge points himself.
Although Fang Yuan didn't know if this would make his study more efficient, he knew it at least prevented him from growing too weary of learning.
With that assurance, Fang Yuan felt it was enough.
So... immersed in his own world, Fang Yuan felt the morning flew by exceptionally fast.
...
After school at noon, Fang Yuan quickly went downstairs.
As a day student, he would normally go home for a nap, but today he didn't go back. Instead, he waited quietly outside the teaching building.
It wasn't long before Liu Le from Senior 3 Class 2 came out, sneaking up to Fang Yuan's side, whispering,
"Boss, what did you need me for..."
Fang Yuan was startled. What was this about, acting like a thief?
Liu Le explained, "Shh... I'm hiding from a teacher."
"It's a complicated situation..."
Fang Yuan was at a loss for words.
Without having to think about it, he knew this guy must not have handed in his summer homework.
And judging by his demeanor, it wasn't just one subject he had missed; otherwise, he wouldn't be this nervous.
"Come on, look at the time. Which teacher would be crazy enough to skip lunch to catch you?" Fang Yuan said.
"That's true..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Le relaxed, though he seemed to still be a bit uneasy.
"Forget it, listen to me first."
Fang Yuan started to talk to him about the psychology club.
"You want me to join?"
"Joining is no problem, but... a psychology club? Our school has such a thing?" Liu Le was amazed.
He had been at the school for two years and had never heard of this club before.
"The psychology club primarily caters to the senior year group, so it's understandable that you wouldn't know about it." Fang Yuan said.
"Here, I'll give you a stack of the psychology club's promotional posters in a bit. You'll understand once you see them."
"Alright," Liu Le nodded.
"But, Boss, why a stack?"
It had to be said, Liu Le was a bit smarter than Eevee.
Fang Yuan coughed, "The extra ones, you can help hand them out to the senior year this afternoon. Oh, and make sure to give out at least 10 to each class, ensuring that they pass them around. This way, everyone will become familiar with the psychology club."
Liu Le fell into thought and began to question the wisdom of joining this club.
"Don't overthink it. It's just because we're short on manpower right now. Otherwise, the division of labor is usually very clear," Fang Yuan said.
"I see... Besides me, who else is in the club?" Liu Le asked.
"Lin Jing, the other person in the New Stars Project. You haven't met her yet, have you?" Fang Yuan said, "I've already spoken with her, and she will be coming over soon. We'll go out for a meal together, and you two can get to know each other, then."
A three-person club...
Liu Le felt his spirits sink, having never heard of such a thing.
But the next words from Fang Yuan made him utterly resigned.
"The guidance teacher of this club is Teacher Li Chang, a professional-level Breeder... Proximity to power brings opportunity, do you understand this principle?"
"Half of the reason those graduates of mine were able to raise their Pokémon so well was Teacher Li's merit, you know, not every student has the chance to be guided by him..."
The guidance teacher is a professional-level Breeder.
Liu Le had an epiphany; thinking this way, the members of the psychology club were in a big advantage indeed since the number of professional Breeders in Pingcheng was no greater than that of professional Trainers.
"Boss, you can count on me to distribute the posters this afternoon."
Watching Liu Le, whose attitude had completely changed, Fang Yuan shook his head.
It should have always been like this, following him was the key to enjoying life's spices.
The members of the psychology club enjoyed many hidden benefits within the school.
And so, Liu Le also officially joined the psychology club.
Fang Yuan finally wasn't a lone commander anymore.
At the same time, inside the teaching building, Lin Jing also finished the tasks assigned by her teacher and after descending the stairs, successfully met up with Fang Yuan and the others.
The trio from the New Star Project, or one might say the three members of the psychology club, at last, had their first meet-up.
To celebrate this auspicious moment, they decided to go out to eat together.
Because he had Little Kabigon as a burden, Liu Le was feeling generous and volunteered to treat everyone.
His family was in the catering business, owning many restaurants in Pingcheng, so finding a suitable dining place was very convenient.
...
After arriving at the restaurant, they let out their three Pokémon: Eevee, Little Kabigon, and Growlithe.
Among the three Pokémon, Liu Le's Little Kabigon was the most well-behaved one; aside from matters related to eating, nothing else could cause the slightest disturbance in its heart.
In contrast, Lin Jing's Growlithe was full of energy; if Lin Jing hadn't held onto it, it might have already started running around the restaurant.
As for Eevee...
After coming out, it kept its gaze fixed on Fang Yuan.
As if asking where its phone was.
"It's noon now, we can play after school in the evening, we had a deal..." Fang Yuan said helplessly.
"Bwoo."
Eevee reluctantly accepted this explanation.
In fact, Fang Yuan was not at all against Eevee playing with the phone now because after observing it over the summer, he realized Eevee really could teach itself.
Ever since he tricked Eevee into learning Substitute, Eevee had been trying it out.
Although it hadn't succeeded in learning Substitute, its Shadow Clone move had certainly improved.
The number of afterimages hadn't increased, but the quality of the shadow clones improved considerably; Eevee was beginning to integrate energy with the afterimages, making them appear more realistic, which enhanced the clones' ability to deceive.
Fang Yuan predicted that if this continued, even if Eevee couldn't learn Substitute, it would at least become more skilled with the Shadow Clone move.
Indeed, worthy of being called Cloth God.
During the meal, Liu Le and Little Kabigon wolfed down their food, but the deliciousness seemed to do little to stop his chatter; while eating, Liu Le didn't forget to seek advice from Fang Yuan, "By the way, Boss, what ranking do you think I and Little Kabigon could get if we participated in the Little Phoenix King Cup?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jing also looked up, curious. She had stopped at the top 64, so what about Liu Le's strength?
After thinking for a moment, Fang Yuan said, "You should be able to make it into the main match, which means the top 128. Advancing further isn't impossible, but as you guessed yourself, reaching the top 16 is absolutely out of the question."
"Huh?" Liu Le was taken aback.
Lin Jing hesitated for a moment, then asked curiously, "Why?"
Clearly, she was very interested in Fang Yuan's method of judgment.
Although all three of them were candidates for the New Star Project, there was no question that Fang Yuan, with his Trainer abilities, was far ahead, making his word the most influential.