Chapter 248: Arriving at the University, the Elite Trainer Guarding the Gate
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By now, the first wave of new students had already arrived, so it was rare for someone like Hikaru to be showing up at this time.
As expected, at the university's entrance, there was an old security guard sitting in the security office.
He wore glasses and was engrossed in a magazine.
Beside him lay a Stoutland.
It seemed that this was the security force of Central Youth University.
Hikaru activated Detection Eye to check.
Pokémon: Stoutland
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Male
Talent: Elite Level
Level: 64
Moves: Tackle, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Work Up, Giga Impact…
Good grief.
Even the old security guard's Pokémon was at the Elite Level.
The Stoutland lay lazily on the ground, watching students pass by, appearing familiar with everyone.
However, when it saw Hikaru and the Latias beside him, its demeanor changed.
It stood up, trotted over to Hikaru, sniffed him, and then moved to sniff under Latias.
Its eyes suddenly became sharp.
It sensed something was off but couldn't quite tell what.
Finally, it fixed its puzzled gaze on Hikaru.
"Are you a student here, kid?"
The Stoutland's reaction caught the security guard's attention.
He put down his magazine and was about to get up to take a closer look.
But after a moment, he relaxed and sat back down.
"Just arriving today? Go on in."
It was clear—he recognized Hikaru.
"Got it."
Nodding, Hikaru couldn't help but marvel at the sheer strength of this university.
Walking into the campus, he could still see banners welcoming new students.
As expected of one of the top universities in Huaguo, the campus was lively.
It seemed to be between classes, as young trainers filled the tree-lined paths.
Each of them had a Pokémon by their side—some in first evolution, some in second, and even a few in third evolution.
Charmeleon, Turtwig, Rockruff…
And many other rare Pokémon.
One notable thing about Central Youth University was that students were allowed to have their Pokémon roam freely on campus.
And getting into this university was no easy feat—most of the students here were extremely talented trainers.
Hikaru saw numerous starter Pokémon, each in different evolutionary stages.
Most students were in their twenties, making Hikaru look rather young in comparison.
His first priority now was to find his class.
Normally, universities assigned senior students to mentor freshmen, helping them adapt to school life.
These mentors, called "guides", were typically second- or third-year students assigned to each freshman class.
Before the semester started, dedicated guides would contact their assigned students and form class groups.
But Hikaru realized—he had never been contacted by a guide.
This massive campus… without anyone to lead him, enrolling would be a hassle.
He opened his university student portal, input his details, and quickly found his class information.
[Hikaru - Competitive Battle Major (Class 18)]
Student ID: 2009XXXXX
Class 18…
But where was Class 18?
Just as he was struggling to figure out who his guide was, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.
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At Central Youth University, or most universities for that matter, being a guide was highly sought after.
First, it earned academic credits.
Second, after handling the new students' enrollment process, guides were rewarded with an opportunity to enter the university's S-Class secret realm—the Evergrowth Realm!
And as a guide, they got to enter alongside the new students.
Officially, this was for "protecting freshmen"…
But in reality, it was to harvest the Evergrowth Fruit.
The Evergrowth Realm
S-Class - Large Secret Realm
Land area comparable to a province
Primary resource: Evergrowth Fruit
Depending on its age, consuming Evergrowth Fruit could significantly enhance a Pokémon's energy endurance.
However, entry to the realm wasn't free.
Freshmen had a one-time entry pass, but returning required earning credits or holding certain university positions.
Thus, student council and class officer positions were highly desirable—since they came with privileges like secret realm access.
And in Hikaru's case, his class guide was none other than Hayashi Mei.
Currently, everyone in Class 18 had already arrived—except for Hikaru.
By chance, Hayashi Mei had applied to be a freshman guide this year.
Given her outstanding performance and strong background, getting the role was easy.
She hadn't expected to find Hikaru's name on the student roster.
Curious, she had even asked the Class 18 professor:
"Is this Hikaru the same one from the high school league?"
The professor nodded.
"Yes. He requested a short leave and will arrive before October."
Hearing this, Hayashi Mei used her guide privileges to access Hikaru's basic information—including his phone number.
She had immediately sent him a friend request on GreenBubble.
But Hikaru hadn't accepted right away.
And since Hayashi Mei wasn't the type to check GreenBubble often, she eventually forgot about it.
Now, after finishing her class, Hayashi Mei was planning to head to the Training Facility to work on her Dragonite's Psychic Focus.
Ever since consuming the Energy Cubes Hikaru had given her, her Dragonite had stopped experiencing headaches.
Not only that, its psychic abilities had grown significantly stronger.
She couldn't believe it—her Dragonite had actually learned a Psychic-type ultimate move!
And it had even mastered it to a considerable degree.
It was proof that Pokémon truly had limitless potential.
Just as she was about to say goodbye to her classmates, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.
"Mei-jie?"
Turning around, Hayashi Mei was momentarily stunned.
But unlike her initial meeting with Hikaru, she no longer doubted his abilities.
Instead, she smiled warmly.
"You've arrived."
Hikaru hadn't expected his class guide to be Hayashi Mei.
That made him feel pretty lucky.
After all, guides held considerable influence over freshmen.
"Come with me. I'll take you to register."
Seeing Hikaru looking a bit lost, backpack slung over his shoulder, Hayashi Mei immediately guessed that he hadn't enrolled yet.
So, she set aside her training plans and decided to help him register first.
"Heh, thanks."
Hikaru sighed in relief and waved to Latias.
"Let's go."
It was only now that Hayashi Mei noticed the red-haired girl following Hikaru…
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