"In the blink of an eye, two years have gone by..."
After returning to Pingcheng from Nanwu Town, Fang Yuan was somewhat emotional.
The New Trainer Day had just passed a few days ago.
This meant that Pingcheng was about to have another batch of new trainers... and it had been two years since he became a trainer himself.
For Fang Yuan, those two years were especially thrilling.
In just two years, he went from a newbie to a trainer nearing professional level. This pace was in no way inferior to those who were heirs to top-notch legacies.
...
After coming back, Fang Yuan began to replan his holiday schedule.
But before that, he needed to attend the school celebration first.
Time flew, and the day of the school celebration arrived in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the whole Pingcheng No.1 Middle School was in a festive mood, with various clubs out and about conducting activities.
Most importantly, the school had invited a number of outstanding alumni from past years.
As one of the few key high schools in Su Province, Pingcheng No.1 Middle School might not be at the very top of the rankings, but still, as a key school, it had produced numerous examples of its students becoming elite professionals in all walks of life over the decades.
Professional Trainers like Yang Han and Zhuang Xin from the Pingcheng Trainer Association are both graduates from Pingcheng No.1 Middle School.
And there were more than just those two who became Professional Trainers from Pingcheng No.1 Middle School; it's just that they chose to stay and develop their careers in Pingcheng.
Besides Professional Trainers, there were many well-known figures from other fields in attendance today.
However, as the leaders were delivering their boring speeches on the stage about the future prospects of the school during the celebration, followed by one outstanding alumnus after another doing the same, Fang Yuan had already slipped away.
This segment was really dull.
Even though the school leaders had also invited Fang Yuan to say a few words, he had politely declined.
He had already given a speech to the new members of the school team during the winter vacation. To do it again this time?
If they had let him do a Pokémon battle, that would be one thing, but giving a speech to encourage the younger students was something Fang Yuan really wasn't good at.
He was also uninterested in the student performances that followed.
So slipping out and taking a stroll elsewhere, to meet some classmates and teachers seemed like a better choice.
"When we were in school, we never got to enjoy events like this," Liu Le said as he walked alongside Fang Yuan through the campus, chatting with each other.
"Isn't it nice to come back as an outstanding alumnus?" Fang Yuan replied.
"That's easy for you to say..." Liu Le rolled his eyes. With his status as a student from Moda Duel Academy, he really didn't count for much.
Pingcheng No.1 Middle School was never short of students who made it to top universities.
With Fang Yuan by his side, Liu Le didn't dare call himself an outstanding alumnus... It's always disheartening to make comparisons.
"Let's check out the gymnasium," Fang Yuan suggested with a smile.
At this time, it wasn't just Fang Yuan and his group who had ducked out; there were also quite a few other alumni and students who weren't interested in the celebration ceremony.
At that time, the school's battlefields and gymnasiums were even more lively.
Because of the large number of people, there was a greater risk of safety hazards, so the school limited the release of Pokémon. If you wanted to engage in Pokémon exchange, you had to go to these two places.
No matter the age group, whether they were new trainers from the current school year, recent graduates, or trainers who graduated years or even a decade ago and came back to visit the school, they preferred Pokémon exchanges and boasting to watching singing, dancing, and speeches on stage.
Some of the more experienced senior students didn't mind offering guidance in battle and cultivation to the younger students.
It wasn't long before Fang Yuan and Liu Le arrived at the gymnasium as well.
"I heard that our high school did terribly in this year's Su province's new trainers' competition, hehe," Liu Le said, looking at the students inside the gym, gossiping.
"As expected..." Fang Yuan coughed dryly. He had witnessed the strength of the new members of Pingcheng No.1 Middle School's team during the winter break. Without a leading figure, it would be difficult for this year's new trainers to beat those from stronger schools.
Pingcheng No.1 Middle School had lost an outstanding student like him, and it would probably be difficult to achieve good results in the next few years...
Although Pingcheng No.1 Middle School suffered a crushing defeat, Liu Le was not discouraged; in fact, he was quite smug, sensing that he would be one of the role models for the juniors and sisters for a long time to come...
...
On the day of the school celebration, Fang Yuan took the opportunity to chat with many teachers he was on good terms with. Then he and Liu Le, two of Pingcheng's rising stars, planned to wait in a classroom for Yang Han, Zhuang Xin, and the others.
They had arranged a time to catch up.
As professional trainers, Yang Han and Zhuang Xin were very busy on such a day, with many matters to attend to.
But Fang Yuan and the others were not in a rush. They chatted and waited, and soon Yang Han and Zhuang Xin, the two heads of Pingcheng's rising star program, arrived in the classroom.
Inside the classroom, there were only Fang Yuan and Liu Le.
Out of the three people in the rising star program, Lin Jing was not there. It seemed that the First Police School had arranged a voluntary mission during the summer vacation, so Lin Jing did not return to Pingcheng.
"Hi, Brother Yang, Sister Zhuang," Fang Yuan and Liu Le, who were chatting, stood up and greeted them with a smile as they saw the two.
After such a long time, the two appeared to have aged more, suggesting they had not had an easy time lately.
"Long time no see," said Yang Han, a professional trainer showing a rare smile and casually taking a seat.
Zhuang Xin also smiled and nodded to Fang Yuan and the others.
"Brother Yang, I heard that there's a new problem emerging with that large secret location that is about to descend on Su province?" Fang Yuan asked.
This year, Yang Han and Zhuang Xin had spent most of their time away from Pingcheng, apparently because of the secret location.
"Are there really three Legendary Pokémon? Have you guys clashed with them?" Liu Le also asked curiously.
The facade of the Su province high school Pokémon combat league was to respond to the nation's call to 'cultivate outstanding trainers and pay attention to the basic education of new trainers,' but the truth was that a special large secret realm was going to descend upon Su province in the next few years, and Su province urgently needed to train the new generation. Fang Yuan knew about this early on and Liu Le learned it from him.
Both Yang Han and Zhuang Xin had become the vanguard forces to explore the secret location, and their busyness over the year was due to this.
Initially, Fang Yuan didn't have the credentials to learn too much and was simply regarded as a reserve trainer being prepared for the exploration of the secret location. However, as his power increased, he naturally came to know more.
"A great battle is inevitable," Yang Han sighed. "It is impossible to negotiate with those three Eternal Spirits, but... that's not something you guys should worry about. You should focus on your studies now."
"Do tell," Liu Le pressed, indeed unable to concern himself with it. But Fang Yuan did have some credentials to worry about. He was very curious about the Eternal Spirits—Regirock, Regice, Registeel... With the strength of Su province, they would certainly not be able to take over this secret location by themselves. Would it end up being a joint exploration by the trainer associations of several provinces?
Moreover, if it were just those three Pokémon, it would still be manageable. But if Regigigas was also in there, Su province would be in big trouble...