August 14th, 7:30 PM
Imperial Capital Railway Station
"Finally here."
As the announcement for arrival echoed, Aron stood up along with the other passengers and moved toward the exit.
At the station's exit, he spotted his cousin Bella from a distance. With her short hair and sharp demeanor, she looked very capable.
Bella , this name sounds quite literary, and one can imagine that the girl named this must have a quiet appearance.
But Bella was the complete opposite—she had been a tomboy since childhood, wilder than most boys.It is the complete opposite of the shy and quiet Aron in the past.
But despite having such a personality, Bella was able to study patiently, and was admitted to Imperial University with high scores in the college entrance examination. Last month, she happened to become a Advanced Rank trainer.
Standing beside Bella was a quiet-looking young man dressed in a white shirt with silver-rimmed glasses, giving off a scholarly and refined aura.
"This must be Bella's boyfriend," Aron thought.
"Over here!"
Bella had spotted Aron in the crowd and waved enthusiastically with a bright smile.
Aron nodded and quickly walked toward her.
"Cousin, you've changed," Bella remarked as she looked him up and down.
Before Aron could reply, she patted his shoulder and said with a grin, "You've gotten even more handsome."
"And you seem much more cheerful. Looks like Pokémon have really brought out a new side of you."
Aron smiled and replied, "I prefer the first compliment."
Hearing this, Bella burst out laughing. Then, pointing to the young man beside her, she introduced him: "This is my boyfriend, Chris. He's your senior at Imperial University. He'll look out for you after you join."
Chris extended a hand and said warmly, "I've heard a lot about you from Bella—a top scorer in the college entrance exam. Impressive."
"Alright, let's not stand here chatting. Let's get in the car," Bella clapped her hands and ushered them out, as chatting by the exit wasn't ideal.
---
The three got into a taxi shortly after.
"It's late, so you'll report to school tomorrow morning. I've already booked a hotel for you near the campus," Bella said.
"Drop off your luggage, then we'll head out for dinner so you can rest properly tonight," she added.
"Got it," Aron nodded.
Next, Bella began enthusiastically pointing out interesting spots and delicious food options in the capital city.
The car was driving slowly on the road, with the evening wind blowing gently, Aron looked out the window at the scenery.
Neon lights illuminated the streets, and the buildings sparkled like a vivid canvas of colors. The city was lively, vibrant, and full of energy.
---
After a half-hour drive, Bella pointed out the window and said, "That's Kunlun University."
"So this is Kunlun University." Aron nodded.
Aron looked closely and saw a grand, classical gate with many students walking in and out.
"Kunlun University and our university are close to each other," Bella continued. "There are even small paths connecting the two campuses, so they're often called 'brother universities.'"
Kunlun University is a first-class university with high admission scores, and there are also a large number of people applying for this university every year.
The taxi passed Kunlun University, and soon, the gate of Imperial University came into view.
Known as one of the top universities in Easton, Imperial University had a reputation as grand as its title suggested.
The taxi stopped in front of a hotel near the university. Aron checked in, dropped off his luggage, and then followed Bella to a hot pot restaurant for dinner.
---
"I haven't had hot pot in ages," Bella sighed as she dropped a slice of tender beef into the bubbling broth.
Midsummer is the best time to eat hot pot.
Aron chewed a piece of tripe and then asked, "Sister, is there anything I should know about field military training?"
Bella nudged Chris with her elbow. "Ask your senior; he's the expert in this area," she teased.
Chris smiled slightly, putting down the chopsticks in his hand, looked at Aron and said, "Tomorrow is your reporting time. After completing the registration procedures, the field military training will start the next morning."
"The location of the field military training is located in a small secret realm. This secret realm is the exclusive secret realm of Imperial Capital University, and it is used as a location for field training every year."
"The objective is to survive there for seven days."
Bella, chewing on her beef, added, "It's a long time, so pack plenty of clothes. No need to worry about food—it's provided in the training grounds."
Aron nodded thoughtfully.
Chris continued, "The training involves earning points,the more points you have,the higher is your ranking."
"Points are awarded for the number of days you survive and for defeating Pokémon in the area."
"And there are countless Pokémon in the secret realm, which is also the main source of points. Pokémon with different strengths give different points."
"Since the research and breeder departments aren't combat-focused, you're allowed to team up in pairs.But the combat department is prohibited from forming teams."
Aron nodded.
"Of course, most of the students in these two departments don't pay much attention to rankings and points. The school only wants you to participate in field military training to exercise your field survival skills."
"But these two things are very important for the students of the combat department. The points can be exchanged for many training resources and even Pokémon. The ranking can also increase popularity, and popularity can play a key role in many cases." Chris said calmly.
"Well, that's about it." Chris thought about it carefully, and after confirming that there was no missing information, he said.
"Thank you for the detailed explanation, Senior," Aron said politely.
Chris smiled. "No problem. Feel free to ask if you need help at school."
Bella chuckled, "Your senior is quite famous at the university,you can ask him anything."
After dinner, Bella and Chris returned to campus, while Aron headed back to the hotel for some rest.
---
The next morning
Aron, accompanied by Bella, completed his registration at Imperial University. A class group chat for "Research Department Class 1" appeared on his social app.
Unlike the popular combat department,the research department and the Breeder department have always been less crowded, with almost a dozen students in each class.
When Aron inquired, he found that there were only six classes in the research department this year, and there were less than a hundred students in the whole grade.
Compared with the battle system with hundreds of people in a single class, it is really bleak.
The only good news is that there are more women than men in the research department, an astonishing ratio.
There were 12 students in his class at this time, and there were only 3 students boys including Aron.
After finishing the procedures, Aron bid farewell to Bella and headed to his dormitory.
The dorms were spacious, with only two students per room and over 50 square meters of space.
Inside, Aron found a boy in a floral shirt sitting casually on the bed. The boy had delicate features but appeared slightly thin.
When Aron walked in, the boy immediately stood up and greeted him warmly.
"Brother, are you my roommate? Introducing myself, I'm Tony, from the imperial capital." Tony smiled, and his words and deeds revealed strong confidence.
Aron immediately understood that this person must have a strong background
He responded with a smile: "Hi, I'm Aron, from South Riverland City."
"South Riverland?What a Great place," Tony remarked.
"Brother, is that all your luggage?" Tony then glanced at the backpack behind Aron and asked suspiciously.
"Some things have been delivered. I'm going to pick them up now," Aron replied.
"I'll help you!" Tony offered enthusiastically.
Aron glanced at him indistinctly, thought for a second, and finally nodded: "Okay, then I will trouble you."
"Don't mention it. We're roommates now; it's only natural to help each other," Tony said with a grin.
---
after a long time,
With Tony's help, the two moved all of Aron's things back to the bedroom.
Aron started to make the bed and pack things, while Tony sat by the side with his legs crossed, doing nothing.
"Brother Aron, what's your starter Pokémon?" Tony asked eagerly.
"Torchic," Aron replied.
"Great choice! Torchic evolves into a powerful Pokémon."
"What about you?" Aron asked.
Tony smirked and said, "Gastly."
Gastly... a ghost Pokémon, and its final form is Gengar, which is very rare.
Sure enough, Aron's guess was right, this Tony did have quite a background.
"By the way, we're allowed to team up for field training.Do you want to team up with me?" Tony asked eagerly.
Aron shook his head politely. "Sorry, I already have plans."
Field military training was a golden opportunity for Aron to level up and gain experience, and he intended to make the most of it.