On September 1st, the new school semester quietly began.
Inside Class 1, Grade 12 of Steelix High School in Yindu City, Adrian Sterling was about to begin the final chapter of his high school life.
The entire Grade 12 was divided into five classes.
– Four Trainer classes.
– One non-Trainer class.
At Steelix High School, the number of students enrolled in the Trainer classes far exceeded those in the non-Trainer class.
The reason was simple.
Steelix High School was one of the nation’s elite academies.
Every student came from either a wealthy family or an influential aristocratic background.
Very few came from ordinary households.
In reality, the greatest obstacle to becoming a Pokémon Trainer wasn’t talent.
It was money.
Without sufficient financial support, even someone with extraordinary talent might not be able to afford something as common as a Caterpie.
In an ordinary public school, such as Yindu City No.
1 High School, the situation was completely different.
There, the ratio of Trainer classes to non-Trainer classes was roughly 1:10.
At Steelix High School, however, the students in the lone non-Trainer class had simply chosen different career paths.
Some weren’t interested in becoming Trainers.
Others had dreams outside the Pokémon world.
— At the beginning of Grade 12, all the classes were reorganized.
Some of Adrian’s classmates had studied with him the previous year.
Others had transferred in from different Grade 11 classes.
From the moment he entered the classroom…
Numerous curious eyes turned toward the young man seated in the last row.
Ever since Adrian had revealed his Shiny Beldum at the Battle Club, clips of the battle had gone viral on Douyin.
Although the popularity had faded by now…
Almost everyone who recognized him had seen those videos.
Many students who had previously known nothing about Adrian’s family background were now shocked to discover that such an influential figure had been studying alongside them all this time.
— A beautiful young girl gathered her courage before walking over.
“Young Master Adrian…” “My name is Li Lan.” “My father is the Gym Leader of the Steel-type Gym here in Yindu City.” Adrian smiled politely and nodded.
“Hello.” “You’re Uncle Li’s daughter, aren’t you?” “I met him about a year ago.” “His Skarmory is incredibly strong.” Li Lan’s eyes widened slightly.
She hadn’t expected Adrian to remember her father.
— Gym Leaders in the Xia Kingdom were divided into three official levels.
City-Level Gyms Every city possessed at least one.
Major metropolitan areas like Yindu City had more than a dozen.
Across the entire Xia Kingdom, there were roughly 3,000 City-Level Gyms.
Their Gym Leaders were generally Gym-rank Trainers, with stronger ones reaching the Quasi-Elite level.
Above them were the Provincial-Level Gyms.
There were far fewer of these.
The Xia Kingdom consisted of 56 provinces, with only around 130 Provincial-Level Gyms in total.
Most provinces had only two or three.
Their Gym Leaders were required to possess at least Elite-level strength.
At the top stood the National-Level Gyms.
There were exactly 18, one for each Pokémon type.
Their Gym Leaders were all at least Peak Elite Trainers, while most had already reached the Quasi-Champion level.
Adrian’s father, Xia Qianli, was the current Gym Leader of the National Steel-type Gym.
Before him…
That position had belonged to Adrian’s grandfather, Xia Wudao.
Since the National Steel-type Gym was established…
It had remained under the control of the Xia Family.
The other seven of the Eight Great Families each controlled one National-Level Gym of their own.
— Gyms served more than simply testing a Trainer’s strength.
They also acted as the qualification system for major tournaments.
To compete in a provincial tournament, a Trainer first had to defeat at least ten City-Level Gyms within that province.
To qualify for a national tournament, they needed badges from ten Provincial-Level Gyms.
As for the National-Level Gyms…
Their badges were required for entry into world-class competitions.
However…
Collecting ten National Gym badges from one’s own country wasn’t enough.
Competitors needed badges from ten National-Level Gyms across ten different countries.
This rule existed to prevent favoritism and cheating.
Every National-Level Gym was jointly supervised by the World Trainer Association.
Besides regular inspections conducted by their home country, officials from the World Trainer Association also carried out surprise evaluations to ensure each Gym Leader maintained the required standard.
— Within Liujin Province, the Xia Family reigned supreme.
None of the other Seven Great Families had established a significant presence there.
For over a thousand years…
Yindu City had served as the Xia Family’s ancestral home.
More than one hundred Trainer families of various sizes lived throughout Liujin Province.
Nearly all of them regarded the Xia Family as the unquestioned leader.
Yindu City was no exception.
Many local businesses maintained close partnerships with the Xia Family.
Li Lan’s own family shared a distant connection.
Her father’s wife belonged to an important branch of the Xia Family’s collateral lineage.
Strictly speaking…
Adrian and Li Lan could even be considered distant relatives.
That was why Adrian had met her father the previous year.
— “My father has mentioned you many times, Young Master Adrian.” Hearing Adrian praise her father’s signature Skarmory filled Li Lan with pride.
She had approached him without any hidden agenda.
Even if she had entertained such thoughts…
She knew someone of Adrian’s status was far beyond her reach.
Trying to manipulate him would only bring disaster upon the entire Li Family.
This wasn’t some romantic fantasy novel where every character cared only about falling in love.
In this world…
Strength was everything.
Pokémon were everything.
Once a Trainer reached a sufficiently high level…
Even the government treated them with extraordinary respect.
Champion-level Trainers enjoyed immense freedom, provided they remained loyal to their country.
In smaller nations…
If someone became the only Champion-level Trainer, they effectively ruled the country.
Even if they chose to betray it…
There would be little anyone could do.
After all…
They were the strongest person alive within that nation.
— Seeing Li Lan successfully introduce herself…
The rest of the class immediately became eager to follow.
One after another, students crowded around Adrian.
“Young Master Adrian!” “My name is Chu Jianghe.” “My family owns the Chu Breeding Company.” “If you ever need any Pokémon, please let me know.” Someone immediately interrupted him.
“Our Linjiang Breeding Company should be your first choice, Young Master Adrian!” Another hurried forward.
“My family owns several Berry plantations.” Someone else added, “Young Master Adrian, my family owns Wailord Wharf.” “We’ve just imported the latest sports cars.” “If you’re interested, I’ll have one delivered to your home immediately.” Within moments…
Five or six students had already surrounded Adrian.
Even more waited behind them.
Their families controlled businesses that touched nearly every aspect of life in Yindu City.
Breeding companies.
Berry farms.
Transportation.
Shipping.
Pokémon supplies.
To ordinary people…
Any one of these wealthy heirs would be someone they dared not offend.
Yet now…
Every single one of them eagerly tried to win Adrian’s favor.
Simply exchanging a few words with him seemed like an honor.
These young heirs hadn’t been raised to be foolish or arrogant.
They understood reality all too well.
If they could build a strong relationship with Adrian…
Not only would their families benefit tremendously…
Their own chances of becoming the future heads of their households would increase as well.
Unlike them…
Adrian possessed the Perfect Steel Heart.
From the moment he was born, he had already been chosen as the unquestioned heir to the Xia Family.
For everyone else…
Becoming his friend was an investment in their own future.
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