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About twenty minutes later, the students gradually filled the classroom. Li Xiang now had peers seated in front, behind, and beside him, while the parents had left the room.
Everyone was waiting for the homeroom teacher to arrive.
According to rumors, all homeroom teachers at this school had reached the Ultra Ball rank in battles, supposedly a minimum qualification for the role.
Li Xiang's response?
"Yeah, right."
He could believe they might reach Great Ball, but Ultra Ball? That was absurd. If someone could consistently reach Ultra Ball, they wouldn't need to teach at a middle school.
They'd likely earn far more by maintaining their rank and battling professionally.
The only exception might be retired, senior trainers who couldn't compete anymore. Even so, such cases were exceedingly rare and far from a standard.
Shaking off the absurd rumor, Li Xiang turned his focus back to the book in his hands, occasionally glancing around.
The classroom was filled with quiet chatter. Some students whispered to each other, while others interacted with their Pokémon. Most seemed shy and reserved on this first day, but give it two or three days, and they'd form little social circles.
From what Li Xiang could see, Qu Sheng's group was the liveliest. Yang Tianwang and Zhou Ying were there, along with a few others he didn't recognize.
Study group? Socialite clique?
Suddenly, a sharp bark pulled Li Xiang from his thoughts.
"Woof!"
Looking down, he saw a small, light-brown puppy with dark brown markings on its paws, ears, and muzzle. Its neck, tail, and underside were a darker gray, and its nose was a soft pink. Most striking were its sapphire-like eyes and the ring of small stones around its neck.
It was a Rockruff, a pure Rock-type and an adorable creature renowned for its friendliness. Many considered it a perfect starter Pokémon, rivaling the traditional starter trio.
The little Rockruff wagged its tail, tongue out, and looked at Li Xiang with a pleading, playful expression.
However, this behavior didn't sit well with Litten, who sat on the desk.
"Meow!"
Litten stood up, back arched, and growled in warning, asserting its dominance.
'Get lost! He's mine!'
Li Xiang could almost imagine the words coming from Litten's mouth.
Cats and dogs had always been at odds, and Pokémon were no exception.
The Rockruff, naturally feisty, swayed its hips and prepared to leap onto Li Xiang's desk.
But just as it sprang forward, a soft yet commanding voice called out from behind Li Xiang.
"Stop it."
In an instant, a sleek, silver Pokémon darted forward, pinning the Rockruff to the ground with surprising force.
The once-energetic Rockruff could now only whimper under the weight of its opponent, unable to move.
Li Xiang turned to see a petite girl with a Swablu perched on her shoulder. Both visibly sighed in relief, clearly having avoided a confrontation.
Meanwhile, Litten, atop the desk, resumed its indifferent pose. Spending time with battle-hardened Pokémon had toughened it up. Though it wouldn't pick fights indiscriminately, it had no qualms about putting any challenger in its place.
Li Xiang's attention shifted to the Pokémon restraining the Rockruff.
It was a Aron—a Steel/Rock-type Pokémon. Its small, sturdy body was covered in a silver, armor-like shell. Its face resembled a hockey mask, dotted with black holes, and a tiny horn protruded from its back.
Arons were infamous for their destructive tendencies, often gnawing on bridges, train tracks, and power lines.
They were such a nuisance that modern infrastructure required special coatings to deter them, significantly raising costs.
Despite its notorious reputation, this Aron had overpowered a Rockruff with ease.
"I'm sorry. My Rockruff caused you trouble," said a voice from behind.
The Aron released the subdued Rockruff, biting its scruff and dragging it away like a disobedient puppy. The Rockruff wore a defeated expression, entirely at the mercy of its captor.
Li Xiang smiled and turned around to address the voice, only to be startled by what he saw.
Sitting behind him was a boy with short white hair and pale skin, his complexion almost unnaturally fair.
Albinism?
No, on closer inspection, the boy's hair leaned more toward a silvery white, with a soft wave to it. His high nose bridge and ruddy cheeks gave him an unmistakably mixed-race appearance.
"Hello, I'm Li Xiang.'"
The boy seemed momentarily taken aback by the handshake Li Xiang offered. After a five-second pause, he reached out with a pale, delicate hand and shook it lightly.
"Hi, I'm Song Jie."
What a name!
"Nice to meet you, Song Jie," Li Xiang said with a grin.
Before Song Jie could respond, the classroom door opened, and a stern-looking middle-aged man entered.
Behind him was a Toxicroak, a Poison/Fighting-type Pokémon. It stood upright at about five feet tall, its blue body accented by a crimson throat sac and sharp red claws.
"Good morning, everyone," the man said as he reached the podium. Picking up a piece of chalk, he wrote three bold characters on the board:
Sun Chengbin.
"I'm your homeroom teacher for the next three years..."
As expected, Sun Chengbin turned out to be the homeroom teacher for Class 1.
While listening to his speech, Li Xiang observed the Toxicroak standing next to him. Its sharp gaze was intimidating, making anyone it stared at feel tense.
Judging by its slightly moist skin, it likely had the Dry Skin ability. This trait allowed Toxicroak to recover some stamina when hit by Water-type moves but increased the damage it took from Fire-type moves.
Consequently, Pokémon with this ability often had very damp skin.
On the podium, Sun Chengbin finished introducing himself and began calling out names.
By the time he was done, Li Xiang had familiarized himself with most of the class. As for the last few names, he wasn't sure he could match them to faces yet.
After all, even back in his university days, apart from the guys, he hadn't managed to associate many of the girls' faces with their names. Quite a peculiar habit of his.
...
On the first day of school, subject teachers usually skipped formal lessons, focusing instead on getting to know their students.
During academic classes, Pokémon were required to remain in their PokéBalls to maintain order. Everyone complied without question.
This left Li Xiang wondering: what if someone rebellious refused to follow the rule? Or worse, deliberately ordered their Pokémon to attack a teacher?
As it turned out, something like that actually happened.
During the third period of Physical Education, Li Xiang heard a rumor.
Apparently, a student from another class had disrespected their homeroom teacher, refused to follow instructions, and even ordered their Pokémon to attack the teacher.
The result?
The teacher was fine, but the student's Pokémon was knocked out, and the student was promptly sent to the administration office.
No exceptions were made—the school expelled them on the spot and even pursued legal action.
The message was clear: zero tolerance.
At eleven years old, students could already bear partial legal responsibility. The school was making an example of this incident to deter others.
Li Xiang understood the school's intent.
Being a Pokémon Trainer inherently carried a level of risk, making it impossible to equate them with regular students.
When a child just over ten years old commands a Pokémon, it's akin to holding a weapon that could strike at any moment.
"A weapon in hand stirs the desire to use it."
If they got into a conflict, that "weapon" would undoubtedly be aimed straight at the other person without hesitation.
Hotheaded kids rarely considered the consequences.
Such incidents couldn't be completely prevented, but the school was determined to curb these thoughts at the outset.
Through severe examples, posters warning of the consequences, safety slogans, and more, they aimed to instill the gravity of the situation.
Additionally, with sufficient extracurricular activities, battle practice sessions, and even recreational battlefields everywhere, they sought to provide an outlet for students' pent-up aggression.
When kids are busy and engaged, they're far less likely to get into trouble.
Among the documents Ms. Yin signed during enrollment was an agreement to the school's zero-tolerance policy on Pokémon-related violence.
If caught, students would face immediate expulsion.
Homeroom teacher Sun Chengbin reiterated this during his morning speech:
"Anyone who dares to attack others—get out!"
The message was simple.
Being expelled from a foundational training academy was a severe consequence. Unless one had considerable wealth, influence, or connections and was willing to pay a hefty price, getting into another advanced academy would be impossible.
Such an outcome could ruin one's future.
Self-study might remain an option, but it would be an uphill battle.
....
During Physical Education, during free activity time:
"Your name is Li Xiang, right?"
A voice suddenly called out to Li Xiang.
He turned to look, interrupting his chat with his new desk mate, Song Jie.
Standing before him was a group of six or seven students, led by the "popular trio," including Qu Sheng.
"Oh, hey there, classmates!" Li Xiang greeted them with a wave and a friendly smile.
Though he tried to treat them as peers, the youthful faces and their prepubescent voices—indistinguishable between male and female—made it difficult.
It was just too hard to reconcile his mindset with theirs.
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