Chapter 75: Start of University
"Psst, is that him? The strongest newcomer?"
"Yeah, he's the first year who has a Shiny Pokemon and already obtained his first Gym Badge."
"I didn't expect the rumors to be true. He really chose to enroll in this school."
"Wow! He looks much more handsome in real life! I wonder if he has a girlfriend?"
"Tsk! He just got lucky. A Trainer's strength doesn't just depend on one Pokemon."
Under the shade of a tree, a white-haired teenager was standing with a Pikachu on his shoulder.
Hearing the words of the surrounding people, Dante smiled as he teased Pikachu. After defeating Ms. Erika's Gym five days ago, he had been receiving a huge amount of attention.
Getting the first Gym Badge can be the easiest or hardest achievement in a Trainer's career.
If the Trainer obtained a starter Pokemon with good potential, then as long as it can reach its racial limit, getting the first Gym Badge is a matter of course.
Conversely, however, if say the Trainer's starter Pokemon is something like Beedrill, then they can only rely on using type advantage to overcome the difference in stats and win a Badge.
Although Dante obtained his first Gym Badge before university started, that alone shouldn't have attracted so much attention to himself. The reason he became so unexpectedly popular was how he won that battle.
*Flashback start*
"Are you sure you want to use your Azumarill against my Venusaur, Dante? To repay Shinobu for how much she helped me, I can allow you to switch to Pikachu."
"It's alright Ms. Erika. I'm quite confident about Azumarill's power."
"Well, if you say so. Just know that you have to wait another week before you can issue your next challenge."
After Erika's nod, the referee on the side confirmed both Trainer's status and signaled the start of the battle.
"Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!"
"Get close, Azumarill! Aqua Jet!"
Erika was a bit surprised by Dante's order. Watching Azumarill get hit by the Razor Leaf and remain harmless, she frowned.
"So that's it. Your Azumarill has Sap Sipper instead of Huge Power. Is that what you want to rely on to win?"
"Maybe~"
Looking at Dante's confident smile, Erika shook her head in disapproval at his decision.
Sap Sipper is one of the Abilities Azumarill can possess in addition to Thick Fat and Huge Power. When Pokemon with this ability are hit by Grass-type moves, their Attack is boosted and the move won't cause them any damage.
But while this Ability is useful for removing the Grass-type weakness Azumarill has, most Trainers prefer Azumarill with Huge Power. With his low racial attack limit of 50, Azumarill with either Thick Fat or Sap Sipper Ability is only suitable for a defensive role.
Seeing Azumarill arrive in front of Venusaur, she didn't panic. And even when Dante commanded Azumarill to use Ice Punch, no hint of worry could be seen on her face.
"Venusaur, counter with Poison Jab!"
Hearing his Trainer's command, Venusaur's right paw began to brim with Poison-type energy. With his faster speed, the move was unleashed just in time to stop Azumarill's fist which was about to hit his body.
Purple and sky-blue energy clashed in the middle of the arena. However, after not even a second, the sky-blue energy completely dominated the battle.
Venusaur's balance became unstable due to losing the collision, his stomach was now a perfect target for Azumarill's attack. Azumarill was not one to miss this opportunity and he directly hit the exposed abdomen without needing Dante's command.
With a crunching sound, Venusaur's body flew over the entire arena, skidding on the floor and finally crashing into the barricade.
"H-huh?"
Turning her head stiffly, Erika looked back at Venusaur's unmoving body, and then to the Azumarill who was retracting its outstretched paw.
"I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that, in addition to Sap Sipper, Azumarill also has Huge Power."
"D-dual Abilities!?"
*Flashback end*
Every Gym challenge is legally required to be recorded and then uploaded to the Official Alliance Page to be considered legitimate. And since most Gyms haven't started their operation yet, the recording of their battle quickly garnered widespread attention.
After learning that Dante obtained a Shiny Pokemon that mutated to have dual Abilities, and was already strong enough to knock down a Gym leader's Pokemon in one move, his fame skyrocketed!
People on the Pokenet started calling him The Strongest Newcomer and Future Elite.
They began praising him online as the future of the country! Of course, jealous people also began to emerge, saying that the Shiny Azumarill was wasted in the hands of Dante.
The day after that battle, countless university representatives visited his home and offered various generous conditions. Even the Philippines Pokemon University and the International Pokemon University sent someone.
Dante rejected them all. He already gave Dean Ronaldo his word. Besides, with the amount of money he has now, their offers failed to sway him.
Dean Ronaldo also agreed to his condition of owning an exclusive dormitory, as well as the freedom to skip class as long as he can maintain the 1st place ranking in his grade.
His phone buzzed. After taking a look, he saw it was Shinobu sending a message saying that she and her roommate just finished decorating the room and were on their way.
"Sigh, it's a pity she didn't accept my offer to live in the same dormitory."
When Dante offered Shinobu to live with him in the same dormitory, she hesitated and eventually refused. Her reason? She can't stand Dante's increasing libido.
Ever since they did it for the first time, the two did it almost every night, in different positions and wearing different clothes. Once, Shinobu had literally fainted from overexcitement, leaving Dante with no choice but to rub one out himself.
After that, Shinobu started to restrain their sexual activities. While it was certainly pleasurable, she knew fainting like that was unhealthy for her body.
For the first time, Dante realized how detrimental his strong physique can be concerning his sex life. Since he would only grow stronger with time, maybe it would even reach a point when he's still at the foreplay stage but his partner already gave out.
'...last time I checked, there's no rule in this world regarding the prohibition of polygamy. Maybe Shinobu…sigh, what am I even thinking? Am I seriously considering something that can end our relationship just because I'm too…horny??'
Dante's contemplation about life was interrupted after a concerned voice sounded before him.
"Hey Dan, are you alright? You look troubled."
"Nothing, just thinking about you."
Raising his head, he gave Shinobu a beaming smile.
A suppressed snort came from the side. Looking in that direction, Dante saw a girl covering her mouth and facing away, her shoulders constantly shaking.
Seeing her like this, Shinobu's face turned red and she tried to change the subject.
"Ehem! B-by the way, let me introduce the both of you! Dante, this is my roommate, Candice. Candice, this is Dante, my boyfriend."
"Hello! It's nice to meet you! I watched your battle against Ms. Erika. Azumarill just using an Ice Punch to knock Venusaur down was awesome!"
Candice took Dante's offered hand and vigorously shook it, her eyes glued to the Pokeball on his waist.
Shinobu's roommate was a girl with black hair tied into pigtails using blue scrunchies, and amber eyes. She is wearing an elbow-length long-sleeved white blouse, a blue bow on her chest, a short brown skirt that reaches her thighs, and a blue cardigan tied around her waist.
Dante knew her from his previous world. Candice, the Ice-type Gym leader in Sinnoh. The puzzle in her Gym was especially memorable, where the player had to constantly slide around the ice to solve it and get to her.
He was initially surprised after seeing another familiar character from Pokemon. But having met and becoming acquainted with Erika, he was able to quickly regain his senses and respond back.
After their introduction, the three of them headed toward their classroom.
With the low passing rate of the Trainer Exam, only a few freshmen can be admitted to school each year.
Dante saw only 40 freshmen for the Trainer course on the admissions list. The 40 were then divided into 2 classes, totaling 20 students in each class. And as luck would have it, three of them were in the same class.
But even with so few students, the Trainer course occupies one of the largest lands in the university, second only to the Breeder course.
With the help of the official school map, the three were able to locate the main building for the Trainer students.
The main building was 6 stories tall, with the wall painted in blue and white. There are 5 floors inside, with 8 rooms on each floor.
Beside the main building, a large stadium was very conspicuous. Based on the map, Dante knew that it was the battle arena. Another domed building next to it that has a more futuristic-looking design is the training grounds.
They entered the main building and climbed to the second floor, looking for their room number. Arriving outside the room, the noisy voices of teenagers animatedly talking can already be heard.
After they opened the door, the students inside looked at the three newcomers and suddenly fell silent.
The room remained quiet as they looked around for a seat.
"Dante, Shinobu, here!"
An elegant voice broke the silence in the room and also drew the attention away from the three newcomers.
Sitting in front of the class, a noble-looking girl with white and blue hair, heterochromatic blue eyes, and a gentle smile, raised her hand to attract the attention of three. She paid no attention to the glances from her classmates, her eyes fixed only on the three figures at the entrance.
Seeing that there were still seats around her, the three of them took her offer and walked over.
"What are you doing here, Focalors?"
"Studying, of course."
Dante gave her his best impression of a 'you don't say?' look. Focalors covered her mouth and chuckled after seeing his face.
"Focalors! Long time no see. I didn't expect to meet you again here."
"Well, due to some family circumstances, Furina and I were sent to study in this country."
"Oh? Furina too?"
"Indeed. She's currently enrolled in the Pokemon Coordinator course.
"I see… By the way, this is Candice, my roommate..."
After their initial introduction, they finally sat down. Because Candice was not yet familiar with both Dante and Focalors, the seat arrangements became Candice - Shinobu - Dante - Focalors.
As they sat down, everyone in class started talking once again.
"Damn! That guy is surrounded by three beautiful girls!"
"As expected of the strongest newcomer. I thought the rumor that he enrolled in this school was a hoax."
"Tsk. It's only a Shiny Azumarill. Even if it has two Abilities, so what? I'll show him who's the strongest at the ranking battle."
"Get a Gym Badge first before talking about beating him, bro."
Dante ignored the discussion around them. Seeing Shinobu on the side talking to Candice about how she became acquainted with a world-star actress like Furina, he turned to Focalors.
"Seriously, why are you here? Is it because I rejected your Father's offer to transfer to France? Are you here to continue persuading me?"
"Pfft! Don't be so self-important. While it's a shame you refused, our country could do without you."
"Really? Then why did you come here?"
"...After your match with Father, I have been mulling over it. I have to stop relying on him if I want to further advance on the path of a Trainer. And since France has his whole influence, I decided to study in another country."
"And you chose the Philippines? And coincidentally, also the same university where I am studying?"
"Well, yes. I quite like it here. Is there a problem?"
Dante gave her a skeptical look. While becoming stronger may be part of the reason, he doesn't believe that's all. However, since he couldn't feel any malice coming from her, he shrugged and decided that whatever her reason for coming here, it wasn't his business.