Evening settled over the Pendragon Academy, and the grand Dining Hall was abuzz with the energy of a thousand new students. The tiered hall was a clear reflection of the academy's hierarchy; students from the lower-ranked dorms filled the bustling main floor, while the Apex Class students sat in a quieter, elevated section with a panoramic view of the campus.
Ryuga, tray in hand, bypassed the stairs to the upper section completely. He scanned the main floor until he spotted a familiar fiery ponytail.
"Hey! Over here!" Elara called out, waving him over to her table.
"Thought you'd be up in the fancy section with the other elites," she teased as he sat down. She was enthusiastically digging into a bowl of what looked like a spicy Oran Berry curry.
"And miss out on the good food? No way," Ryuga grinned, gesturing to her meal. "Besides, the view's better down here."
"You got that right!" she laughed. "So, how was the famous Apex Class? Did they teach you any super-secret Champion-level tricks on day one?"
"Something like that," Ryuga replied, poking at his own food. "Our professor, Kaelen, showed us a battle and then put us on the spot to analyze it. He announced a practical evaluation for tomorrow. Our ranks are on the line, already."
Elara's eyes widened. "Already?! Wow. They don't waste any time. My professor had us trying to identify fifty different types of Berries just by smell! My nose is still confused, but Bulbasaur loved it." She glanced down at her partner, who was happily munching on a Pokémon-friendly version of her curry.
"Sounds a lot more peaceful than my class," Ryuga admitted. The tension between him and Valerius was still fresh in his mind.
"Maybe," Elara said, her expression turning serious for a moment. "But you belong there, Ryu. You've got what it takes to stay at the top. Just don't forget to visit us normal folks, okay?"
"Never," he promised, and their easy-going laughter filled the space between them.
Later that night, the silence in Room 7 of Wyvern Dormitory was thick and heavy. Ryuga returned to find Valerius already seated at his desk, bathed in the cool light of a holographic terminal displaying complex battle statistics.
"Studying hard?" Ryuga asked, keeping his tone light.
"Perfection requires effort, Pendragon," Valerius replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "A concept you wouldn't understand. Your 'high-risk' strategy in class today was just a cover for sloppy fundamentals."
Ryuga felt a flash of irritation but pushed it down, a smirk touching his lips instead. "We'll see whose strategy works better on the battlefield tomorrow."
He received only a faint "Hmph" in response.
Deciding not to engage further, Ryuga changed into his sleepwear and lay down on his bed. The room was dark, but for Ryuga, it was illuminated by the soft, blue glow of the Apex System's interface.
[Apex Points (AP): 110]
He opened the [SHOP] and scrolled through the items, his mind calculating. He couldn't afford any of the big-ticket items, but that wasn't his plan. He found a section labeled [BATTLE DATA] and made a purchase.
[Purchase Complete: Basic First-Year Combat Data. Cost: 50 AP]
[Remaining AP: 60]
Information flooded his mind—a comprehensive list of the most common Pokémon used by first-years, their typical movesets, and their most common strategies.
Okay, so I can expect a lot of Rattata, Pidgey, and Geodude in the lower ranks, he thought, absorbing the data. But the Apex Class is a different story. Valerius has his Bagon. I saw a girl with a fierce-looking Deino earlier. The competition here is already at an elite level. I can't just rely on Dratini's raw power.
His gaze softened as he looked at the small, serpentine form sleeping peacefully on the pillow beside him. Even in sleep, Dratini's aura felt immense. Reaching out, Ryuga gently stroked his partner's head.
"You and me, buddy," he whispered into the quiet room. "Tomorrow, we'll show them what we're really made of."
He closed his eyes, the system's main quest glowing in his mind's eye: Become the #1 Ranked First-Year Student. The moon cast a silver light over Wyvern Dormitory, a silent promise of the fierce battles that the new day would bring.