Chapter 81: A Vibrant New World! So Many New Pokémon!

"Uh… you don't need to report to me if you pass. This isn't a school anymore," Su Bai said, waving it off.

"But… how did you manage to pass?!"

His expression showed genuine surprise.

After all, this blond kid only joined on the last day of class—he hadn't attended a single lesson of the Pokémon course.

He just barely slipped in at the very end…

Yet he passed the Pokémon Room's assessment?

"I… I borrowed a lot of notes from my classmates…"

Xiao Zhang, now totally stripped of his usual cockiness, gave a deep, respectful bow.

"I pulled an all-nighter and memorized everything I could!"

"And I guess I got lucky. The test didn't ask anything I didn't study!"

Su Bai eyed him suspiciously.

There was no way to cheat on the Pokémon Room's assessment.

If Xiao Zhang passed, it could only mean he really had memorized everything.

But… in just one night?

That much content? How the heck was his brain wired?

Su Bai had packed quite a lot into those two weeks: type effectiveness, training methods, berry effects, and more.

For someone with zero prior exposure to Pokémon, to memorize that much overnight?

While Su Bai pondered this and Xiao Zhang stood nervously, Liu Yunlan's voice chimed in, tinged with a bit of sarcasm:

"Sigh… this is so hard. I told you I suck at theory…"

She gave Su Bai a sideways glance and said,

"You really don't care about Xiao Zhang, huh?"

"He's called 'Second Place Forever' because of you, you know."

Su Bai scratched his head, totally lost.

How was this his fault?

He was always at the bottom of the class. He couldn't even beat Wang Tao, let alone Pei Jingguo…

"Pei Jingguo was always first in physical training, and you were always first in academics…"

Liu Yunlan muttered while frowning at the screen.

"And Xiao Zhang… well, whether it's academics or physical training…"

"He was always second place."

No wonder he earned the nickname "Second Place Forever."

He truly lived up to it.

Su Bai looked at Xiao Zhang, patted his shoulder with mock sympathy, and said,

"Well, I'm not a student at Haicheng No.1 anymore."

"Congrats—now you finally get to be first in something."

Xiao Zhang's eyes welled up with tears...

"Alright, I'm very satisfied with how many of you passed."

"You didn't let my two weeks of teaching go to waste."

Su Bai looked over the students who had passed and nodded with approval.

An 80% pass rate—for just two weeks of class, that was quite impressive.

"But some people… as part of the first batch of trainers to own Pokémon…"

"…barely scraped by the passing score. And were the last ones to pass."

He looked at Liu Yunlan, who grinned sheepishly.

Shaking his head, Su Bai turned and opened the door behind him.

"Come on. Let's step into the world of Pokémon!"

He gently pushed open the door adorned with the starters' emblems.

And the moment everyone laid eyes on the Pokémon Room—

All the whispering, chattering, and murmuring outside fell dead silent.

Everyone froze in shock.

It was bright out. The weather was nice, and daylight flooded in.

Unlike at night, the Pokémon Room during the day felt truly alive.

Countless Pokémon flitted in and out of view—

Some cute, some fierce, others playful.

Each one had a unique charm that pulled the students' gazes like gravity.

Their hearts were completely stolen.

"I—I'm so glad I passed the test…"

Liu Yunlan stared at the scene before her, eyes practically turning into hearts.

It was just too beautiful!

Even Murong Nan—usually calm and reserved—was visibly flushed with excitement.

As she gazed at this vibrant world, her hands trembled slightly.

If even Murong Nan was reacting like this, the others could hardly be blamed for losing it.

"I've never seen… a world this full of life," Pei Jingguo whispered, awe-struck.

"So this… this is the world where Pokémon live? It's… beautiful."

Yes. It was truly beautiful.

In the world where the students of Haicheng No.1 lived, there was only death and beasts.

A gray, decaying world overrun by monsters born of corruption.

The sky was constantly veiled in lifeless smog.

People here were born not into sunshine or hope—but into shadows and despair.

Human beings, by nature, seek beauty and life.

Even the worst villain would hesitate in the face of something genuinely beautiful.

Let alone these students, who had chosen the hard road of becoming Awakened, hoping to change the world.

Su Bai, watching his excited students, couldn't help but smile with a sort of proud affection.

After all, he had lived through two worlds and was the one who brought Pokémon here.

He knew better than anyone what this world needed.

This kind of beauty—the sheer vitality—was something people here had long forgotten.

But now… that was changing.

Pokémon, creatures brimming with life and wonder, would one day completely replace the monstrous Death Beasts.

And when that happened—this whole world would be reborn!

"What are you all waiting for?"

Su Bai stepped aside and waved them in.

"Go on—step into this world filled with Pokémon!"

"Ahahaha! Su Bai, look over there! That Pokémon is hilarious!"

Ding Yue pointed toward a pink Pokémon lounging lazily by a pool under the sun, laughing so hard her belly hurt.

Murong Nan glanced at the Pokémon, then down at her own Psyduck, who was still clutching its head even in this vibrant paradise.

…There was an undeniable resemblance.

Su Bai chuckled.

"That's a Slowpoke. It's a dual Water/Psychic-type Pokémon."

"In a way, it is a bit like Psyduck—both look like they're perpetually dazed."

He walked up to the pink Pokémon and pointed at its tail, which dangled in the pool.

"That tail of its actually tastes sweet. It's not nutritious, but it gives a feeling of happiness when bitten."

"So it uses its tail to fish."

"But since it's so slow, it often doesn't even notice when something bites. It can take up to five seconds for it to register pain."

"As a result, it sometimes forgets what it's doing and just lays by the pool for the whole day…"

Su Bai's voice carried a mix of amusement and exasperation.

If memory served, ever since the Pokémon Room refreshed last night, that same Slowpoke had been sitting there… unmoving.

Clearly, it had forgotten its purpose.

Murong Nan looked at her Psyduck, then at the Slowpoke, and decisively turned around.

One Psyduck was enough.

Any more and the team's IQ would drop through the floor.

Psyduck tilted its head, confused, and gave the Slowpoke one last glance before waddling off behind its trainer.

Its movements were so ridiculous, it was almost artistic in its stupidity.

Su Bai held back his laughter and shook his head.

Murong Nan, calm and collected as she was, being paired with a Psyduck… there was just something absurdly fitting about it.

For these seasoned customers, their Pokémon before had all been system-assigned.

But now, inside the Pokémon Room—they could finally choose for themselves.

Of course they'd take their time.

But the new visitors… not so calm.

"Ahhh! I got electrocuted!!"

A male student staggered out of a bush, hair standing straight up like he'd been zapped badly.

Behind him, a furry yellow arm pulled back the leaves—

A scowling Electabuzz glared after him in silent disdain.

"Um… yeah, that can happen," Su Bai said with a helpless shrug.

"Just as people choose Pokémon, Pokémon also choose people."

"Electabuzz is naturally strong. Not easy for a beginner to handle."

"Everyone—try to pick a Pokémon you connect with. This isn't just a pet—it's your partner in battle."

From behind the bush, Electabuzz grinned mockingly—

Then disappeared back into the foliage.

And that guy wasn't the only one rejected.

The Pokémon Room was echoing with screams.

While the system prevented serious injury, getting smacked by a Pokémon was still getting smacked.

Compared to the blind-box Pokédex style of getting Pokémon, this in-person selection method was much more vivid.

Naturally, every rookie wanted a cool, tough-looking Pokémon.

But those ones… usually had nasty tempers.

"AAAAHHHH!"

A scream came from nearby.

Su Bai calmly pointed to a Rhyhorn who had just headbutted a student into the air and returned to grazing like nothing happened.

"Like I said—make sure the Pokémon accepts you, too."

"These aren't trained store-bought Pokémon."

"They're all wild."

"Only I—the designated master of the Pokémon Room—have full affinity with them."

"Everyone else starts from zero."

"And keep in mind—a Pokémon's appearance doesn't determine its strength."

"Take Diancie or Meloetta, for example. They might look small and cute…"

"…but they can absolutely go toe-to-toe with larger Pokémon."

Diancie and Meloetta twirled hand-in-hand and performed a graceful mid-air bow.

"Thank you, Master, for the compliment!"

"But Master," Diancie added, glancing toward the rocky area nearby.

"That poor guy who got launched looks really upset. Should we go comfort him?"

She pointed at a blonde kid curled up on a rock, head buried in his knees.

"…That's 'Second Place Forever,' isn't it?" Su Bai muttered, his lips twitching.

He had thought that silhouette looked familiar.

So it was Xiao Zhang?!

He looked pretty pitiful right now…

Just as Su Bai was about to walk over and offer a few words of comfort to his hard-working student—

A small figure appeared from behind the rock.

It crept up and gently patted Xiao Zhang's shoulder, like soothing a child.

And that figure… was a Pokémon.