Chapter Ten: The Clown Was Me All Along

Tang Yi’s school had a rule: students were not allowed to bring their Elf Maidens to school, lest they become distracted and their grades suffer. Therefore, for the time being, little Ralts would have to stay home by herself.

When she heard this, the red gem at the end of Ralts’s hair gleamed with deep reluctance. “I wish I could go with you. Are you sure it’s not allowed?”

Tang Yi was reluctant too. Watching Ralts grow day by day filled him with a sense of accomplishment—and a secret pride as well.

She really was the girl he’d raised with his own hands, and, as expected, she depended on him. That feeling was rather wonderful.

Tang Yi hesitated a moment. “Honestly, rules are dead and people are alive. If you’re willing to stay inside your Poké Ball, I could bring you to school. They don’t really search everyone at the door.”

Ralts was surprised. “Do I have to stay inside the Poké Ball the whole time?”

“Yeah. I know it’s cramped in there, and I’m sorry for that, but I can let you out at lunch so we can see each other again,” Tang Yi offered, thinking it was a clever plan.

“But then I won’t be able to read novels, right? I checked—electronic devices can’t go into the Poké Ball, or they’ll break.”

“Huh? Uh, I guess that’s true.” Tang Yi was a bit stunned—he hadn’t known that. Ralts had actually looked it up herself?

After all, Tang Yi had deliberately taught Ralts to use the internet to foster her independence.

Still, it seemed their priorities were a bit different.

Ralts’s disappointment was obvious. She blinked at Tang Yi, reluctant to part, then took a deep breath and, with a pain-filled resolve, made her decision: “Then never mind, I won’t go with you. I’ll stay home.”

What?

Tang Yi’s proud smile froze on his face.

Dependent, was she?

Well…

It seemed, in Ralts’s eyes, the allure of novels was already greater than that of her own trainer.

And to think he was the one who’d encouraged her to read in the first place. Now he felt nothing but frustration—so the joke was on him after all…

“Well, it’s fine to stay home. It really isn’t convenient inside the Poké Ball,” he said, not wanting to press the issue.

“But you can’t read any of those trashy novels,” he reminded her. He couldn’t let those domineering CEO stories corrupt a young mind.

Ralts nodded solemnly in agreement.

Tang Yi was half convinced, but figured she wouldn’t lie to him.

At last, the first day of the new term arrived.

Tianying High School, where Tang Yi studied, was considered one of the top schools in Qingjiang City, with a solid university admission rate—and, of course, expensive tuition. Unfortunately, the Tang Yi of this world hadn’t exactly excelled academically.

Although his parents never pressured him, Tang Yi knew what the school fees meant for an ordinary family like his. The love of parents everywhere was the same; for that alone, Tang Yi was determined to get into a good university.

Only one semester remained before the college entrance exam, and his schedule was tight.

In the country of Summer, the entrance exam was divided into three sections. The first was basic coursework—language, history, and other subjects heavy on rote memorization, but not too difficult.

The second section was theoretical knowledge of Elf Maidens. As the most vital part of this world, everyone was required to have a basic understanding, whether or not they intended to become trainers. This section carried the highest weight in the total score.

Tang Yi felt most confident about this part, though he still devoted plenty of time each day to reviewing the foundational texts on Elf Maiden theory.

While much of the theory resembled what he’d known before, there were significant differences. For example, PP points—in the games of his previous world—meant the maximum uses for a given move. In this world, however, there was no such thing as PP. Here, it was all about stamina and energy.

Physical attacks consumed an Elf Maiden’s stamina, while special attacks drained their energy. Each Elf Maiden had a limited pool of both over any given period.

The more powerful a skill, the more stamina or energy it consumed.

There was no limit to the number of skills an Elf Maiden could learn in her lifetime; as long as the Elf Maiden was strong enough and the trainer clever enough, she could go on learning more and more. But more skills didn’t always mean better results. In battle, making the most effective use of limited stamina and energy to combine skills was the true test of a trainer’s ability.

This was knowledge Tang Yi had never encountered before, so he listened in class with utmost seriousness.

The third section of the exam was Elf Maiden breeding. This was actually considered an elective—only a few top universities required it for admission. If you weren’t aiming for one of those, or simply wanted an ordinary job, you could ignore it altogether.

During the lunch break, it was inevitable that talk would turn to post-graduation plans.

“This is the Machamp Maiden I bought a few days ago—pretty cool, right?” Sure enough, there were always some who ignored the rules and brought their Poké Balls to school.

During lunch, everyone hurried to let their Elf Maidens out for some fresh air.

Tang Yi looked up with curiosity. The Machamp Maiden was a muscular girl with three tile-like plates on her head and a stubby tail—she looked ferocious. Hm, Ralts was definitely cuter.

Tang Yi found himself missing Ralts.

“Tang Yi, didn’t you buy a Ralts recently? Let’s see her,” someone called.

He’d already posted her photo in the class group over the winter break, so it wasn’t a secret.

“I didn’t bring her Poké Ball.”

“You’re really that scared of breaking school rules? Even if you get caught, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Tang Yi smiled. “My Ralts doesn’t like being in the Poké Ball, so I didn’t bring her.”

“Elf Maidens are supposed to stay in their Poké Balls. You’re her trainer—if she doesn’t like it, you need to train her until she’s used to it.”

“She wouldn’t be happy.” Tang Yi was sincere. He was disappointed that Ralts didn’t want to accompany him, but he understood. If he were shut in a sealed space without internet or a phone, he’d go crazy too.

Someone couldn’t help snickering.

“You don’t really treat your Elf Maiden like a person, do you? The Poké Ball is their home. The basic ones are ordinary, sure, but that just means we need to work hard and buy luxury balls in the future.” The laughter wasn’t mocking—just a lack of understanding.

“I don’t want to force Ralts to do what she dislikes,” Tang Yi shrugged. As an outsider to this world, he knew his values didn’t quite fit in.

The Machamp Maiden glanced at him a few more times.

“All right, all right, what’s there to argue about? How a trainer raises his Elf Maiden is up to him,” said Gu Qingyue, just returning from lunch. Walking at her side was a girl in all pink, with a white pouch at her waist and long, curly hair tied with a red ribbon—a very cute sight.

“That must be the Chansey Maiden,” Tang Yi recognized her easily.