Chapter 103: I Have a Dream

In short, Su Chengtao was a clever man. He first exploited a loophole in the law to abandon Ugly Fish, escaping any corresponding punishment himself. Then, taking advantage of loopholes in the rules of elf adoption, he managed to acquire a new, powerful elf girl in the shortest possible time, using her to advance to the final stage of the college entrance selection tournament. One had to admit, it was nothing short of ironic.

Wang Wan had come today out of concern that this might affect Ugly Fish's state of mind. Though, once the welfare home admission was smoothly processed, Officer Wang had no obligation to follow up further, yet her personal sense of justice compelled her to keep track of Ugly Fish's situation.

From her conversation with Fang Tianze, Tang Yi finally learned that Ugly Fish's admission process had been expedited thanks to some of Fang Tianze’s personal connections. Wang Wan had no particular admiration for the former world champion, but her words always carried the basic respect due.

Originally, Wang Wan intended to discuss with Fang Tianze ways to help Ugly Fish overcome her psychological inferiority as quickly as possible. She hadn’t expected Tang Yi to appear today.

"I watched the news report last night. Congratulations to you and Ralts for advancing so smoothly," Wang Wan remarked, likely busy lately, but she still held a fondness for the warm-hearted young man Tang Yi.

"Sister Wang, leave Su Chengtao to me. If I meet him in the finals, I’ll eliminate him myself. Since the law can’t punish him, let me be the one to teach him a lesson!" Tang Yi promised, pounding his chest with conviction.

Wang Wan laughed skeptically, full of doubt: "Do you really think you can?"

"Don’t brag. It’s impossible," Fang Tianze interjected at just the right moment, his voice lazy yet earnest.

Wang Wan turned her head to Fang Tianze; in terms of insight and ability, she naturally trusted the former champion’s judgment more.

Tang Yi protested, "Old man, do you really have so little faith in me?"

Fang Tianze continued, "Honestly, if it weren’t for me and Butterfree lending a hand, do you think you would’ve made it through the second round?"

"No," Ralts shook her head. As the elf who participated directly in the match, she felt she had even more authority to speak on this matter than Tang Yi.

Butterfree spoke up for Ralts, "Don’t belittle yourselves. Our help was only a gentle push. Yesterday, Tianze praised you and Tang, saying the key to battling Magnemite was twofold: whether you could disrupt the magnetic field and whether you could interfere with the auxiliary personality. You both managed that, and you figured it out yourselves. That alone shows you’re excellent."

Fang Tianze shot her a look; he had indeed said that, but his praise was meant mainly for Ralts’ strength of will.

After a pause, Fang Tianze turned his gaze back to Tang Yi and asked calmly, "And you, how far do you think you can go in the final tournament? I’ll remind you, our province isn’t a major one for college entrance exams, but the average level isn’t particularly weak either."

Tang Yi nodded in agreement without hesitation, "Objectively speaking, I probably won’t get too far."

Vulpix looked confused, "You seemed so confident just moments ago. What changed in just a few minutes?"

"The gap between reality and ideals, I don’t think it’s a contradiction," Tang Yi replied after a pause. "If you go to elementary—no, middle schools now, and ask the kids aspiring to be trainers about their goals, guess what they’ll say?"

Fang Tianze seemed to anticipate Tang Yi’s point and answered, "Most kids would say their goal is to compete in the world tournament when they grow up, maybe even become champions."

"Exactly. That’s the dream for most trainers. You had dreams too, didn’t you?"

Fang Tianze nodded, "I dreamed of becoming world champion since I was young, and eventually I did."

That was, frankly, a little discouraging.

Eevee hadn’t grasped it yet, "But there’s a huge gap between dreams and reality. Most people, don’t even get the chance to participate in the world tournament."

"True. But at least the possibility isn’t zero, right? Otherwise, old man, you wouldn’t have become a champion."

"A one in a billion chance?" Eevee chuckled.

Tang Yi laughed, genuinely happy, "Yes, but rather than say the odds are infinitesimal, I prefer a more optimistic phrasing: as long as the probability isn’t zero, the future holds infinite possibilities."

The group paused, a little surprised by Tang Yi’s words.

Wang Wan suddenly asked, "So Tang Yi, what is your dream? To win first place in the college entrance selection tournament? Or to someday compete in the world tournament and become a champion like Fang?"

This time, Tang Yi was silent for a much longer moment.

Even Ralts found it odd; with her understanding of this trainer’s shamelessness, she expected him to declare his grand aim for the world championship without a blush.

Tang Yi was simply weighing his words. After a long while, he finally began, "I have a dream—well, it’s a story I once imagined in a dream."

Eevee couldn’t help but giggle, and with a thud, Vulpix’s orange tail slapped down again, causing Eevee to sulkily close her mouth.

Tang Yi paid no mind to the little interruption; his dream story was just beginning.

He spoke of a tale that took place long, long ago, when elves had not yet undergone their transformation into girls.

In a place called Pallet Town, a rookie named Red received his first elf from a professor and thus embarked on his journey.

Red was truly a novice: he didn’t understand type advantages among elves, didn’t know at what level elves could learn which moves, nor did he grasp that different base stats meant some elves were inherently stronger or weaker.

Red understood none of that. All he knew was that since he chose his elf, it was naturally his partner, and he would move forward with them.

The journey was arduous. To challenge the gyms, he trained tirelessly in the nearby grass, day after day, just to raise his partners’ levels a little higher.

To fight against the so-called evil Team Rocket, he spent his days studying their strange, maze-like designs.

Though the path was rough, Red grew slowly through exploration, finding great joy in it.

In the end, Red stepped into the region’s Champion Hall of that world.

He brought along elves with low base stats, those who had accompanied him from the very beginning, and together, they achieved glory—his most precious and joyful moment.

Later, new worlds opened one after another, and Red ventured to other regions to pursue fresh challenges.

Red remained Red, but gradually, some things began to change.