The opening ceremony was mainly attended by freshmen and sophomores, but the older students—juniors and seniors—were not required to attend, as their courses were more relaxed, though they still had tasks to complete.
In the auditorium, the ceremony began with the president's speech. Interestingly, the president of Imperial College wasn't a professional trainer, but a well-known Pokémon scholar.
He had taught many outstanding students, and Julian's aunt was one of his proudest.
After the president offered words of encouragement, it was time for the teacher representative to speak. This year, it was Julian's head teacher, Frank. After him, a sophomore senior gave a speech as the student representative.
Finally, it was Julian's turn as the freshman representative. As the top student in his class, it was only natural that he would be chosen.
Most freshman representatives came from the Trainer Academy, though a few were from the Breeder Academy, the Pokémon School of Medicine, or the Pokémon Research Institute.
Almost all the speakers were tied to Pokémon, as it was central to the world they lived in, with countless professions related to it.
Julian walked up to the podium with Metagross by his side. Even in front of tens of thousands of people, he showed no signs of stage fright.
"Silver Metagross, wow! That's so cool," someone in the crowd whispered.
"I think Walker Elite is the coolest! Do you think Julian could get me an autograph?"
"He's not super handsome, but there's something about him. Like no one could be more handsome."
"Maybe you just think his Metagross is good-looking"
Whether it was because he was Walker Elite's grandson or because of his rare silver Metagross, Julian had drawn everyone's attention. Even though most people hadn't seen him before, they'd heard about him, especially after his participation in the Yale Provincial High School League.
Clips of his battles had been all over social media.
Now, even those unfamiliar with him knew from the crowd's reactions who this impressive freshman was.
"Look at my bro up there, Walker's looking great! Definitely school heartthrob material," Luis said with pride, as if Julian was his real brother.
"In terms of looks, he's not as handsome as me"
Ian added, touching his face proudly.
Though he couldn't match Julian in battle, he was determined to win in the looks department. This little victory inflated his confidence, and he stood up straighter.
"Come on, you're not even one-thousandth as handsome as Walker! Shameless," Luis scoffed.
Ian: You are more shameless, licking up to him like that.
"Hey, Walter, settle this for us! Who's more handsome, Julian or me?"
Ian asked, hoping Walter, the simple and honest looking guy, would give a fair answer.
"Julian, of course"
Walter said without a moment's hesitation.
"See? Even Walter agrees!" Luis gloated.
Ian looked at Walter in disbelief. He hadn't expected such a betrayal.
But then again, this was the same guy who, when challenged by Julian, had suggested using a level 20 Pokémon.
Walter had always been unpredictable. This experience made Ian realize what it meant to not judge a book it's cover.
Ten minutes later, Julian finished his speech. The school had provided the script, so all he had to do was memorize and recite it.
If he hadn't memorized it, he could've done like Teacher Frank and read directly from the paper.
As applause filled the auditorium, Julian stepped down from the stage.
The ceremony wrapped up soon after.
"Here, Brother Walker, have some water!"
Luis rushed up with a bottle of ice-cold water.
"Thanks," Julian said, taking it.
"No need to thank me, Brother Walker!" Luis waved his hands, almost embarrassed.
Julian didn't say much. He knew that if he spoke, Luis would launch into a ten-sentence monologue. Luis was even chattier than Will.
"Brother Walker, the clubs are recruiting new members this afternoon. Are you going?" Luis asked.
The opening ceremony took place in the morning, and the afternoon was reserved for club recruitment. Most new students would either join a club or start one of their own.
"Not interested," Julian shook his head.
Clubs were great for those looking to strengthen themselves, but for Julian, they would be a waste of time.
"If you're not going, then I'm not going either," Luis said.
He had already received an invitation from the Ice Club at the Trainer Academy, one of several clubs focused on specific Pokémon types. There might even be more than one club for the same type.
Competition between clubs for strong new members was fierce.
Julian had already been invited by three Steel-type clubs, but he had turned them all down.
Without Julian participating, Luis saw no reason to join either. For students from their background, joining clubs was more about appearances than necessity.
"I don't know why you're not interested! I think clubs are fun. I joined the Fighting Club! Most of those trainers are martial artists. I'm going to knock them out one by one with my Bajiquan!"
Shen, always the fighter, waved her fists in excitement.
Shen was a Fighting-type trainer through and through. Even her brain seemed to be made of muscle.
"Hey, Brother Walker, why don't we start our own club? We could get Ian, Walter, Hugo, and the others together and form a team to explore the secret realms!" Luis suggested.
Imperial University had two high-level secret realms and over a dozen intermediate ones, though there were no primary secret realms. The students were too advanced for those.
Most couldn't enter the high-level secret realms without contributing significantly to the university, but intermediate ones were open to anyone who had enough credits.
Students could even stay in the secret realms for extended periods if they wanted.
"Not for now."
Julian wasn't interested.
"I'm heading back."
He was more concerned about his Pokémon tearing down the house, so he left in a hurry.
"Why is Brother Walker in such a rush? It's like his house is on fire," Luis muttered.
"Maybe he's got a date"
Hugo, who had been silent until now, suggested with a mischievous grin.
All eyes turned to Hugo, who quickly added, "I was just kidding!"
Luis laughed. "Walker, on a date? That guy's going to be single for life!"
"Seems like you're holding a grudge from when he beat you yesterday," Ian teased Hugo.
"Hey, But isn't what Luis said more extreme!"
"Yeah, right. Brother Walker and I are tight. He wouldn't hold it against me," Luis said confidently.
*****
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