The next day.
After Seadra had successfully evolved into Kingdra, Ethan left the secret base along with his other Pokémon.
Now that Kingdra had evolved, the next thing he wanted was to find the right opportunity to make its public debut and let everyone know of its existence.
It was September, and his plan was to return to the Pokémon University of Ironvale City to take part in the monthly ranking battle.
Since he had been absent from several of those competitions, his rank had dropped quite a bit, so this time he planned to come back in full force, regain his position, and earn some extra resources.
However, just as he was preparing to head back to the university, he received an unexpected call.
"Hello? Who's speaking?"
Ethan answered curiously while riding on his Absol.
"Hello, is this student Ethan?"
On the other end of the line came the voice of a middle-aged man. For some reason, that voice sounded very familiar... as if he had heard it countless times before.
"Yes, that's me. Who are you?"
"I'm Professor Darian Holt. Don't you remember me?"
There was a short silence before the man spoke again.
And the moment Ethan heard that name, he froze. Suddenly, he remembered the terror of being under Professor Darian Holt's control back in high school.
Darian Holt!
His old teacher — a stern and merciless man, infamous for his nickname: The Phone Killer.
That's right: Phone Killer Darian Holt. Every year, countless innocent phones were confiscated by him and locked away in "the dark room," doomed to be separated from their owners.
Thanks to him, the subscriber counts of many authors plummeted... tragedy everywhere.
"Professor Holt, to what do I owe the honor of your call?" Ethan asked after a brief pause.
"Well, you see, the new school year is about to start, and we'd like to invite you to come as a representative of our outstanding graduates, to give a speech to the new students."
On the other end, Professor Holt looked at Ethan's file with an expression of disbelief.
This troublemaker — the perpetual underachiever who always dragged down the school's average... had now been accepted into none other than the Pokémon University of Ironvale City!
And according to the records, he had even taken first place in the competition for starter Pokémon slots!
He was the number one of the new generation!
"Representative of the outstanding graduates?" Ethan repeated with a rather odd expression.
Him — a purebred mediocre student — now considered an "outstanding graduate"?
But after thinking for a moment, he understood. Obviously, after winning that tournament and becoming famous, his old school wanted to take advantage of his name.
"Yes, representative of the outstanding graduates," Professor Holt replied, gritting his teeth in discomfort. Something about this just felt wrong.
"And why me?" Ethan asked, pretending to think about it.
"Why you?" Professor Holt was momentarily speechless.
Did he really have to explain that?
Wasn't it obvious?
Couldn't he just accept without making it so difficult?
"Well..." the professor improvised, "the school wants you to give a motivational speech. We'd like you to talk about how, through effort and perseverance, you managed to enter the Pokémon University of Ironvale City. That way, you can inspire the students."
"Yes, I really did work hard..." Ethan said with a smile. "But what does that have to do with the school?"
The corner of his lips curved into a mocking grin.
Did they really think his purpose was just to "motivate" the students?
No.
It was clear they just wanted to use him as propaganda — to boast that their school had "produced" a student who got into an elite university.
In this world, Pokémon Universities stood above any ordinary university. They were prestigious institutions whose graduates became the elites of society. Getting into one meant securing a place at the top.
And there were schools like his old one — extremely opportunistic — that pampered top students with luxury apartments, waived tuition, and offered favors to their parents... while completely ignoring the underperforming ones, leaving them to fend for themselves.
That difference... was outrageous.
So of course, a model student could thank the school all he wanted. But someone like him, a "slacker"?
After achieving something entirely on his own merit, now his old school wanted to steal the credit?
What nerve!
"And what does the school have to do with me?" Ethan repeated.
Professor Holt choked on his words.
He was right... According to the reports, Ethan had been admitted because of his exceptional battle skill — not his grades. Moreover, his admission had been half a year after graduation, achieved entirely through self-study.
So yes... the school really had nothing to do with it.
"Damn it..." Professor Holt thought, gripping the phone tightly. "I told them not to make this call! What the hell was the administration thinking?"
"Professor, you should call my classmate Leoric instead."
"He's a real academic genius. Why come to me, the failure?" Ethan said in an amused tone.
Biting his tongue, Professor Holt replied, "We also called Leoric. In fact, we were thinking of having an exhibition battle between the two of you. But if you don't have time, we can find someone else."
The professor was trying his best to hold back his anger. Ethan now had a certain status — he couldn't just talk to him any way he wanted. And besides... the school had no moral authority here.
"Wait — did you say an exhibition battle between me and Leoric?"
Ethan, who had been about to hang up, suddenly stopped. His eyes lit up with a mischievous gleam.
Leoric Vance... the eternal model student, the perfect guy of the school: handsome, smart, rich, and the idol of half the student body.
The dream of many girls... and the natural enemy of every slacker.
And now, they wanted the perfect guy to fight the slacker?
Suddenly, the idea sounded far too entertaining.
"Professor Holt, when's the speech?" Ethan asked, his smile growing wider and wider.
"The speech? You're coming?" the professor asked in surprise.
"Of course! How could I not?" Ethan replied enthusiastically.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to crush the perfect guy in public!
How could he possibly miss it?
He could already imagine the faces of the students when they saw the school's former disaster defeat the prodigy... It would be glorious!
As for Leoric's strength, Ethan wasn't the least bit worried. After all, he'd already beaten opponents like Lucien Foster, Rowan Thorne, and Derek Ashford — true first-class rich and powerful types.
Was he going to lose to some third-rate rich boy? No way!
(End of Chapter)