Chapter Thirteen: The Preliminary Selection for the College Entrance Examination

Ever since Ralts learned to use telekinesis, Tang Yi’s daily life took on an added task: whenever he had free time, he would try various ways to test Ralts’s ability to manipulate objects with her mind. During this period, Tang Yi had specially searched online for a plethora of battle videos showcasing psychic powers.

Although telekinesis itself did not possess much offensive power, in the hands of elite Pokégirls, it could be wielded with astonishing finesse. For example, even the most basic Tackle move, if performed by Lance’s Dragonite Girl, could easily take down many weaker Pokégirls in an instant. The difference between merely using a skill and mastering it proficiently was worlds apart.

The road ahead was still long.

Tang Yi had even drawn up a training schedule. First, he wanted little Ralts to be able to use telekinesis anytime, anywhere, rather than only when her emotions were in turmoil. Only then would he gradually teach her to control her psychic abilities with true finesse.

In those online videos, those who used telekinesis skillfully could suppress their opponents so completely that they had no chance to fight back.

Tang Yi had classes during the day, so he could only train with Ralts in the evenings. Fortunately, in this world, schools usually let out by four or five in the afternoon, so there was still plenty of time.

With great ambition, Tang Yi said to Ralts on Monday evening, his spirit ablaze, “Starting today, we’re going to train in earnest. Are you ready, little Ralts?”

“But... I haven’t finished my novel yet. I can never figure out how to write the beginning,” Ralts said, looking dejected and listless.

Thanks to Tang Yi’s relentless methods, Ralts truly didn’t want to read any more novels at the moment. During the day, while Tang Yi was at school, the little girl genuinely stayed at home, trying to write her own story.

“Let me take a look.”

Tang Yi took the laptop from her, opened the document Ralts had written—only a few hundred words so far—and shook his head. “This won’t do. There’s no hook at all in your opening. Do you know about the ‘Golden Three Chapters’ rule?”

Ralts shook her head, bewildered.

“Let me explain.” Before he came to this world, Tang Yi had many years of web-novel reading experience. Even if he hadn’t raised pigs, he’d certainly seen them run.

After nearly an hour of detailed explanation, Ralts gazed at Tang Yi with awe and admiration. All of this was so novel to her.

In this world, there was no such systematic analysis of storytelling tropes.

“I want to try it right now. If I wait, I’m afraid I’ll forget what you just told me,” Ralts said eagerly, her soft voice tinged with a pleading note.

“Uh, well, maybe that’s not... Oh, all right, go ahead and write,” Tang Yi hesitated, but Ralts’s wide, blinking eyes and gentle voice left him defenseless.

“So what should I do?” Tang Yi suddenly found himself at a loss. He had a fair amount of free time in the evenings, since much of the pressure in this world was shifted onto Pokégirls. The academic burden here was far lighter than in his previous life.

“You can watch a drama series. There’s a new show called ‘World Champion Reborn in the Past’—it’s pretty interesting.” Ralts took the initiative to help her trainer out of his boredom.

“Wait, you know how to look up TV dramas online?” Tang Yi was amazed. He certainly hadn’t taught her that.

“I wanted to find some inspiration, so I just browsed around and watched a few episodes,” the little girl said, shrinking back nervously.

“You’re really clever,” Tang Yi said, smiling to dispel her worries.

Ralts pursed her lips and smiled again—her smile was always so soft and reserved, yet Tang Yi never tired of it.

“All right, I’ll give it a try,” Tang Yi conceded, not wanting to disappoint Ralts. Even though the show’s title screamed of cliché, he doubted he’d actually be able to sit through it.

Half an hour later—

Tang Yi was lying on the bed, phone in hand, fully engrossed.

“It’s definitely a formulaic drama, but pretty entertaining. Hm, what was I supposed to be doing tonight again? Oh well, never mind, let’s keep watching.”

Tuesday: binge-watching.

Wednesday: helping Ralts with writing, more binge-watching.

By Thursday, Tang Yi was struck by guilt while at school. He wrote in his planner: “Tang Yi, Tang Yi, you’re a man who vowed to compete in the World Cup. How can you allow yourself to stagnate here? Come on! Work hard! Move forward!”

Thursday night: binge-watching.

Friday: binge-watching.

By the weekend, Tang Yi had finally finished ‘World Champion Reborn in the Past’. He had to thank the directors of this world—unlike his previous one, where every drama dragged on for seventy or eighty episodes, here most shows were short, punchy, and surprisingly high in quality.

On Saturday morning, Gu Qingyue suddenly called him. Though they saw each other every day at school, it was rare for her to make a direct call.

Tang Yi answered, a little surprised.

Gu Qingyue got straight to the point: “What’s going on with you? I messaged you on WeChat and got no response—don’t tell me you’ve blocked me?”

“Ah! Sorry, I’ve been caught up with a TV series and didn’t see your messages.” Tang Yi apologized quickly; he truly hadn’t noticed.

Gu Qingyue was silent for a moment. “Check the class group chat. The teacher’s asking about you. Don’t tell me you’ve muted the group too? There are often important announcements—don’t miss them.”

Without waiting for his reply, she hung up.

Tang Yi sheepishly opened the group chat, which was bustling with activity. Scrolling up through the messages, he quickly found the all-important teacher’s announcement:

“The Qingjiang City College Entrance Exam Practical Selection is about to begin. As in previous years, any student who wins a place in the provincial finals will receive bonus points on the college entrance exam, and key national universities will give them priority admission. If you’re interested, discuss it with your parents this weekend. Next week, those who want to register should send me your personal information.”

Bonus points for the college entrance exam?

Tang Yi’s eyes lit up.

His grades had improved rapidly lately, but given how poor his foundation was for the past two years, he figured that with his knowledge of Pokémon, he could probably make it into an ordinary university—but getting into a top national university would still be difficult.

But with bonus points, it was another matter entirely.

Tang Yi quickly looked it up online. Indeed, Pokégirl combat was part of the college entrance exam, but only as an elective—not everyone was required to participate.

Every year, just before the college entrance exam, each province held its own practical selection tournament. Usually, after the start of the new semester, the city-level qualifiers would be held first, and only those who advanced could compete at the provincial level.

Each province held its own competition. The provincial champion received 50 extra points on the college entrance exam, second place got 30, third place 20, and those who placed fourth to tenth each received 10 extra points.

It was a significant advantage, but in a world centered around Pokégirls, it was hardly surprising.

For students with a solid academic foundation, an extra 50 points was almost equivalent to a guaranteed admission.