"Gardevoir's goal is… ahem…
And Lucario wants to become a Wave Guide Master."
"None of them have reached their goals yet. But Senior, isn't the real point how they grow while chasing them?"
Lin Yu thought Xue Nai was just feeling discouraged after the tournament.
"They're all getting better little by little… just like you. If neither of us had goals, would we have made it to this arena today?"
His voice was soft,
but when he saw the light return to Xue Nai's eyes,
he knew his words had worked.
He felt quietly proud.
Being young,
it was only normal to overthink and doubt herself.
"Alright, alright, I get your point. You'll definitely charm a lot of girls with that mouth one day."
Xue Nai stood up, watching several Psychic-type Pokémon cleaning the stands.
Lin Yu blinked in confusion. "Charm girls? I was just cheering you up!"
"Just teasing."
Xue Nai twisted a hair tie and pulled her loose silver hair back into a ponytail.
He was right, though.
If she hadn't been chasing after Lin Yu, would she have ever gotten this far?
"You really did help me feel better."
She murmured softly, then turned and smiled down at him.
"Thanks, Junior!"
In the sunlight, her figure looked slender and dreamy…
The influence of the National High School Tournament exceeded Lin Yu's wildest imagination.
His phone was blowing up nonstop.
In the end, he had to visit Professor Luo's lab and borrow a Rotom to set his account to private, finally calming the flood of messages.
The day the tournament ended also marked the start of a new week.
Right after the final, Lin Yu didn't forget to roll for his weekly Entry.
This time, he got a pretty good one —
a Entry related to riding,
way better than the original [Speed Demon] he'd gotten before.
The name was a little on the nose, though…
[Blue Entry (Dragon Rider)]
While riding any Dragon-type Pokémon, its Special Attack rises by 10% and Speed by 10%.
Lin Yu couldn't complain. The effect was solid.
He'd once wished for a riding-related Entry,
and this was what showed up.
"Better than nothing, I guess."
He shrugged and equipped the Entry.
That night, Lin Yu lay in bed scrolling through videos.
Almost every short-form platform was flooded with highlights from the national tournament —
mostly clips of his battles against Ye Qingxue.
Suddenly, a WeChat message caught his eye.
[Xie Bi'an]: Bro, you there?
[Lin Yu]: What's up?
In a room in the capital,
Xie Bi'an jumped when he saw Lin Yu reply.
"Grandpa! He texted back!"
"Coming, coming!"
Xie Ming hurried over, moving far faster than a man in his sixties should.
After reading the message, he nodded.
"Ask him if he has a university in mind."
[Xie Bi'an]: Bro, you picked a university yet?
Lin Yu found it strange.
Why was this the same line the admissions officers used?
[Lin Yu]: Is it possible I'm only a freshman?
[Xie Bi'an]: WHAT? You're only a first-year?
He'd assumed Lin Yu was a senior like him.
[Lin Yu]: Yeah. Second semester sophomore starting next term.
[Xie Bi'an]: Honestly, with your talent, skipping ahead is no big deal. I know people at Central Youth University — their admissions office really wants you.
[Lin Yu]: …What about the national exam?
[Xie Bi'an]: Waived.
[Lin Yu]: What kind of connections do you have?
Connections that could skip the national college entrance exam?
It was the foundation of the country's education system.
Xie Bi'an looked at his grandfather.
"Tell him the truth."
[Xie Bi'an]: My grandpa's the Vice Minister of Education.
Lin Yu immediately realized he wasn't just talking to Xie Bi'an — he was talking to the "grandpa" himself.
They were targeting his talent, plain and simple.
He sat up and searched for information on Central Youth University.
Once, universities would have picked him.
Now, he was the one choosing.
"Eternal Spring Berries…"
He muttered to himself, remembering a new Energy Cube recipe that had appeared in the Entry Shop a few days prior.
[Stamina Energy Cube Recipe]
Ultra-grade recipe. For Lord to Elite-tier Pokémon: gradually raises base Stamina stat. Cost: 1500 Entry Coins.
This recipe was way more expensive than the last one.
The effects and materials were also far higher-grade.
After days of saving,
his Entry Coins had reached nearly 4,600.
But after buying Latias's Mega Stone set, he was down to around 1,000.
Buying this recipe would wipe him out completely.
Did the system plan this?
Then his eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh.
"That's right!"
The system had a 90% discount feature, right?
Could his [Wish Come True] Entry make those discount opportunities appear more often?
Once that clicked, Lin Yu was thrilled.
He'd found another way to game the system.
He didn't care much which university he attended, as long as it fit his needs.
And Central Youth University's Eternal Spring Berries were perfect for making Ultra Stamina Energy Cubes.
That settled it.
[Lin Yu]: Alright. But skipping the exam is really okay?
[Xie Bi'an]: Totally fine! We can process your transfer this upcoming semester!
[Lin Yu]: Huh, that soon?
[Xie Bi'an]: The sooner the better. We can even send you the admission form tomorrow…
Lin Yu laughed helplessly. He really was the hottest prospect around.
He closed the chat with Xie Bi'an.
Immediately, a video call popped up.
It was Xiaoye.
Lin Yu frowned. What was she up to this late?
He reluctantly answered.
On screen, the girl was lying on her bed in pink pajamas.
Her question was simple:
university admissions. She said North China University had approached her.
She wanted to know which one Lin Yu had picked.
He didn't hide anything, telling her everything that just happened.
Xiaoye immediately grinned.
"Got it.
I guess I'll go to Central Youth University too…"