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100 P.S -1 Bonus chapter
"Speaking of which, David, be careful during this Novice Cup. To completely dominate First High in this year's High School League, several other key high schools in the Imperial Capital have spent considerable money recruiting many strong new Trainers. You'll have plenty of tough opponents."
Under David's mother's intense gaze, David's father subtly took another sip of wine, then spoke to David as if changing the subject.
Hearing this, David asked, "That's allowed? Doesn't the Alliance prohibit such actions?"
"It's not really a big issue. At the end of the day, it's just about spending some resources to recruit a few transfer students. The other key high schools may not have the same deep foundations as First High, but they can certainly afford this much. First High simply won't stoop to such tactics. Just wait—after the Novice Cup, someone might even try to recruit you."
"Me?"
David asked with curiosity.
Aria, sitting beside him, interjected, "That's right. A senior on my team mentioned that her younger sister was apparently recruited by an Imperial Capital school this exact way this year."
"David, perform well. To ensure you won't be recruited away, your school will definitely improve your benefits and treatment. Don't underestimate these key high schools. While they certainly can't compare to prestigious Pokémon universities, they all have valuable resources hidden away!"
David's father continued, "This year's High School League should be held shortly after the start of the second semester of senior year. The Alliance intends to reform the system starting with this session, allowing various high schools to recruit students earlier. The competition results are also tied to each high school's ranking in the Imperial Capital next year, which affects subsidies and support from the Alliance. Combined with First High's decline over the past few years, these schools are eager to knock First High down a peg."
"So work hard in the High School League! This directly affects your treatment when you enter university later. Whether you choose a university or a university chooses you will depend on your performance there. During this period, if you need anything, just tell your mother and me. The rest depends on your own efforts."
He already knew about what had happened this morning. He also knew his son had awakened Aura. He simply hadn't expected David's strength to improve so rapidly.
It must be understood that even using her newly caught Deino, Aria's strength would be overwhelmingly superior to most rookie Trainers. Being able to defeat Aria indicated that David's strength was definitely top-tier among his generation of rookies.
He had also watched the battle recording that afternoon. Being able to train Zorua to this level in just two weeks, coupled with possessing Aura, his son undoubtedly ranked in the highest tier when it came to Trainer talent.
"Son, your talent is excellent—don't ever waste it! You must take this High School League seriously." David's father spoke earnestly at this moment. Seeing that his son still looked somewhat puzzled, he continued explaining.
"The Alliance is doing this to identify more talented Trainers. Don't just focus on those schools spending large amounts of money to recruit people. You should understand that success isn't only about first place. As long as a talented trainer from a common background emerges, schools will still be willing to invest heavily in them.
Training Pokémon isn't simply about accumulating resources—otherwise, what would we Trainers be for? Once those talented individuals from ordinary backgrounds are discovered, they'll also be vigorously cultivated by schools. If they can stand out in the High School League and be recruited early, it can save them considerable time..."
Just as David's father said, in this real-world version of the Pokémon world, improving a Pokémon's strength wasn't like in video games where they simply leveled up by battling wild Pokémon and gaining experience. It wasn't as if unlimited resources could grant a Pokémon unlimited growth. Otherwise, wouldn't that mean anyone could become a powerful Trainer, and anyone could raise Elite, Champion, or even Legendary-level Pokémon?
Elite and Champion Trainers weren't that common.
In reality, only a very small number of Trainers could raise Elite or Champion-level Pokémon. Even among descendants of powerful Trainers, not everyone could become excellent Trainers like their predecessors.
This was why Trainer talent existed as a concept.
It might sound somewhat idealistic, but this invisible and intangible power truly existed. Intense emotions were a form of power, and Pokémon were precisely such emotional creatures.
The bond between Pokémon and Trainers was real. It could be said that every powerful Pokémon Trainer possessed deep emotions and an unwavering spirit. They might be good or bad people, but without a genuine bond with their Pokémon, reaching that level was impossible. Conversely, under the influence of emotion and bond, Pokémon could unleash incredible power for their Trainers.
This was also why Pokémon generally grew stronger much faster when partnered with a Trainer than when they trained alone.
David nodded thoughtfully. With memories from before this world's transformation, he somewhat understood his father's words.
Among Pokémon moves, there were two inconspicuous but very special ones—Frustration and Return.
Frustration's effect was to attack the opponent with full force to vent dissatisfaction toward the Trainer. The lower the Pokémon's friendship with its Trainer, the greater the power. Return's effect was completely opposite—to attack the opponent with full force for the sake of the Trainer. The higher the Pokémon's friendship with its Trainer, the greater the power. These two moves with completely opposite effects precisely demonstrated the manifestation of emotional power.
Furthermore, there were Pokémon like Gardevoir. When their Trainer was in danger, intense emotional stimulation could cause them to erupt with powerful Psychic energy beyond their normal limits. This powerful Psychic energy could even distort space and create small black holes, thus demonstrating the existence of emotional power.
Therefore, to raise a powerful Champion-level Pokémon, talent, ample resources, rigorous training, and most importantly, the emotion, bond, and mutual understanding between Trainer and Pokémon were all indispensable elements.
The relationship between Pokémon and Trainer could be said to be complementary and interdependent.
A powerful Trainer, even if considered a villain in some sense, maintained absolutely genuine emotions and bonds with their Pokémon.
Just like many antagonist characters from the Pokémon series David remembered from his previous life. Whether it was N, who went astray after being deceived by Ghetsis, or criminal organization leaders like Giovanni and Lysandre, or even the corrupted Kanto Elite Four from the special manga series—it was all the same. There were even figures like Kalos's King AZ and Pryce, who, due to the loss of their beloved Pokémon, started wars or even captured Legendary Pokémon in attempts to revive their own partners.
David looked thoughtfully at the Key Stone he had crafted into an accessory. Perhaps he didn't yet deeply understand this power, but as long as he continued advancing on the path of a Trainer, one day he would truly comprehend this power born from emotion.
Talent and the bond with Pokémon could be observed and measured. The Alliance's current plan to reform the enrollment system was also meant to discover more talented Trainers who genuinely loved Pokémon, so they could be cultivated earlier.
David was somewhat moved by his father's words, but at this moment, he felt more filled with anticipation for his future opponents. He yearned for intense battles as well. After all, Trainers were inherently creatures who thrived on competition.