Emily : Lapras — Level 8 (One-Star Pokémon) The moment everyone saw the result, their jaws dropped.
They stared at Emily as if she were some kind of monster.
No one had expected someone to raise their Pokémon to Level 8 in such a short amount of time.
Lucas was equally surprised.
Emily ‘s Lapras was a pseudo-legendary-tier Pokémon, possessing even higher Aptitude than his Gastly and Rhyhorn.
Now that it had reached Level 8 and One-Star, it could probably even challenge a Two-Star Pokémon.
As expected, having money and abundant resources made all the difference.
Emily ‘s Level 8 Pokémon was on par with the seven senior students present.
The five upperclassmen all had Pokémon between Levels 6 and 8.
Compared to Emily ‘s astonishing performance, their progress was actually what one would expect from ordinary families.
Next came Claire Reed.
The timid girl usually appeared quiet and reserved, but the inspection still left everyone pleasantly surprised.
Claire Reed: Charmander — Level 5 (One-Star Pokémon) Generally speaking, the higher a Pokémon’s Aptitude, the harder it was to level up.
Lucas remembered that Claire Reed’s Charmander had Rare aptitude when she first obtained it.
Reaching Level 5 already spoke volumes.
Whether it could fight a Two-Star opponent above its level, he wasn’t sure, but compared to ordinary Level 7 or 8 Pokémon, it would undoubtedly be stronger.
“Junior Lin, the girls in your class are all incredibly talented,” Tan Xiaoling couldn’t help but sigh.
“You’re not bad yourself, Senior Tan,” Lucas replied with a smile.
Tan Xiaoling’s Pokémon was an Eevee, also at Level 8, but with Elite aptitude.
It was noticeably stronger than the five upperclassmen whose Pokémon only had Common aptitude.
“I don’t count for much,” Tan Xiaoling laughed.
“Among our year, the only one truly worth mentioning is that girl, Tian Yue.” “Tian Yue?” Curious, Lucas looked toward the crystal pillar.
A young woman stepped onto the platform and gently placed her hand against the crystal pillar.
A soft glow immediately spread across its surface.
Tian Yue: Pichu — Level 10 (One-Star Pokémon) This Pichu also possessed Elite aptitude.
Just as Tan Xiaoling had said, Tian Yue’s strength far surpassed the other upperclassmen.
She could probably take on a Level 11 Two-Star beast all by herself.
“Well?” Tan Xiaoling blinked her long eyelashes and smiled.
“You’re up next.” Lucas smiled calmly, stepped forward, and pressed his palm against the crystal pillar.
Information instantly appeared on its surface.
Lucas : Palkia — Level 12 (Two-Star Pokémon) The moment everyone saw the words displayed on the pillar, silence fell over the entire group.
Even Instructor Henry stood frozen.
“To actually reach Two-Star in such a short time…
truly impressive,” Henry was the first to recover, letting out a bitter smile.
Lucas ‘s Palkia was actually one level higher than his own Geodude.
He couldn’t even imagine how the young man had managed it.
The others swallowed hard.
Especially the group of five senior students who had previously offended Lucas .
They silently thanked their luck that they hadn’t acted impulsively back then.
One of the sturdier boys wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Just remembering how he had boasted about “looking after” Lucas made his face burn with embarrassment.
Michael, meanwhile, finally understood.
So that was it!
No wonder he had lost.
This guy had already reached Two-Star!
His Rhyhorn and Poké Ball had been handed over for nothing…
Emily was surprised, yet somehow she also felt it was only natural.
Just as expected of the person she had taken an interest in.
It was a pity he simply refused to work for her…
No.
She couldn’t give up that easily.
Next time she got the chance, she would ask him again.
She refused to believe someone could reject her over and over with such unwavering resolve.
The others were equally astonished.
Even the usually playful Tan Xiaoling had a hint of surprise in her bright, watery eyes.
She chuckled softly.
“So there really are geniuses even in these tiny rural bases.” “Oh?” Tian Yue had somehow appeared beside her.
“Have you taken a liking to him already?
Planning to recruit him into the Tan Family?” “Oh, stop it.
Why don’t you recruit him into the Tian Family instead?” The two girls exchanged words only they understood.
In the end, they simply smiled at each other and said nothing more.
A Two-Star Pokémon naturally meant a Second-Tier evaluation score.
Although Lucas immediately attracted countless looks of shock and admiration, there were also quite a few greedy gazes mixed in.
After all, stealing another contestant’s score was perfectly within the competition’s rules.
The taller the tree, the stronger the wind.
One or two people might not be able to defeat a Two-Star Pokémon, but if an entire group set their sights on him, it would certainly become troublesome.
After the staff distributed everyone’s wrist recorder, Lucas glanced at those covetous eyes, silently committing them to memory before calmly stepping off the platform.
If they wanted his score…
Then they’d have to earn it with their own strength.
Coincidentally, he was still a little short of reaching a Third-Tier evaluation.
About half a day passed.
During that time, a few exceptionally talented students appeared, some with Level 9 Pokémon, and even one or two who had reached Level 10.
However, at Lucas ‘s reception platform, he remained the only contestant with a Two-Star Pokémon.
So, when the staff officially announced the start of the competition, an eerie silence settled over the platform.
Quite a few contestants flickered their eyes toward Lucas .
The next moment, before any of them could make a move— Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past.
Lucas had already burst forward at full speed.
After Palkia advanced to Two-Star, it granted him an additional eighteen points of physical enhancement.
His physique now far surpassed that of most trainers present.
Running at full speed, not a single person could catch him.
Everyone twitched helplessly.
Most gave up after realizing they had no chance of overtaking him.
Still, a handful of exceptionally gifted trainers summoned rideable Pokémon and continued chasing after him.
Without hesitation, Lucas released Rhyhorn as well.
His speed immediately increased again.
In the end, only three Pokémon were still keeping up with him—a Steelix, a Skarmory, and a Ponyta.
The corners of Lucas ‘s lips slowly curled upward.
Looks like…
it was time to turn the tables.