"Meowscarda..."
The sight of the green humanoid cat stirred something in Old Liu's heart. Just like Rong Lei had mentioned earlier, Meowscarda was rare in Illumina, and "Rowan" wasn't exactly a common name either.
If these two things happened to show up at the same university, he could only take it as god playing a prank on him.
Still, just to be sure, he asked one more question.
"Rowan, don't just stand at the door—come in and have a seat."
University classes weren't that big in size, and a counselor should at least remember what his students looked like.
Even if he couldn't recall the ones in the middle of the ranking, he'd never forget the top or the bottom performers.
A student who had failed a course right before graduation as well as those who hadn't signed a job offer yet; these kinds of people were definitely on his radar.
Graduation rates and employment rates were things that gave him real headaches.
But after Rong Lei's phone call, everything had changed. This wasn't trouble—this was good fortune!
"You went to challenge the Lanxiang Gym today, didn't you?"
"You know about that too, sir?"
Rowan found it a bit strange. He hadn't posted about the Gym battle on social media or anything, but it seemed like everyone knew about it.
Still, there's nothing to hide about this matter—it was just a Gym battle and winning a Badge, nothing that needs to be kept secret.
As long as someone was willing to put in the effort and didn't try any underhanded tricks, Gym Leaders generally wouldn't make things too difficult.
Someone like Rong Fei, who immediately uses their main team from the start, isn't exactly a common occurrence.
"Our university has a partnership with the Lanxiang Gym. You're not a student from the Battle Department, otherwise you would've seen Gym Leader Rong giving practical combat classes."
"Are you planning to become a professional Trainer in the future?"
"I haven't really thought that far ahead. I don't have much of a plan—just taking it one step at a time."
If this were yesterday, Old Liu would've sat Rowan down for a proper talk—mostly about how young people shouldn't aim too high, that they needed to "take off the long robe*" and get a job to establish themselves in society first. [TN: *Stop clinging to elitist expectations and engage with practical reality.]
But it's different now. In this world, becoming a professional Trainer was a perfectly viable path—and one of the most direct routes to the top.
And since Rowan already had a Badge, he could list "Professional Trainer" on his graduation paperwork. It was just a number anyway; no one was going to scrutinize it too closely.
"Mhm. It's good that you have your own thoughts on the matter."
"The college race, right? Just leave the registration form here—I'll submit it for you in a bit."
"Then I'll head out now, sir. I won't keep you."
"Wait, don't be in such a hurry. There's something I'd like to talk to you about. Sit down for a while."
These kinds of chats weren't exactly uncommon. Even a university counselor had to consider all sorts of things.
If a student suddenly got emo and decided to leap off the tallest university building to "ease all their troubles in one jump," both the university and he himself would be in serious trouble.
So whenever a special situation appears, he has a heart to heart talk with the student.
But this time, it was more for his own sake.
To get promoted in academic ranks, you had to wait your turn and build up seniority. Normally, whether it was a full professor title or a department head position, Old Liu would still need to wait a few more years.
And even after a few more years, it would only possibly be within reach—not guaranteed.
After all, this wasn't a Pokémon battle stage where winning a match meant automatic promotion.
But at a Pokémon university, Pokemon competitions were where universities vied against one another. Improving their rankings in these events was like gilding a résumé.
If one of his students truly turned out to be a genius and was willing to stay connected with the university, all the better.
Of course, he wasn't thinking that far ahead just yet—his focus was on this year's tournament.
"Rowan, have you ever heard of the Pangoro Academy Cup?"
"No."
"Let me give you a quick explanation, then. You can think of it as the Illumina Conference between different universities. Our rankings in the past have been pretty average. This year we've got a new president who's eager for better results.
I watched the edited footage of your Gym Battle, and based on that, I really hope you'll participate in this year's Academy Cup. Your Meowscarda should be more than capable of winning the individual competition."
Old Liu kept it concise, just briefly stating his purpose. The Academy Cup was different from the Illumina Conference—it wasn't as straightforward. The final score was a combination of results from multiple events.
If someone could win the individual competition, that alone would greatly improve the university's overall ranking.
In fact, he would prefer it if only Rowan performed well in the individual competition. With other participants losing around him, Rowan's success would stand out even more.
"Isn't this more of a Varsity Team or Battle Department's thing?"
"It usually is, yes—but that's only because those skilled in battles were already over there. If you're interested, you don't have to worry about anything else. I'll take care of all the arrangements."
"But the timing of the competition... Wouldn't I have already graduated by then?"
The competition was scheduled during summer break, and letting a graduate participate in the Academy Cup felt a bit odd to Rowan.
Seeing that Rowan was at least interested, Old Liu was relieved—his biggest worry was that Rowan might have no intention of competing at all. After all, this wasn't something he could force anyone into.
As for whether the university would approve it, he was confident he could take care of that.
"Normally, graduates aren't allowed to participate, but where there's policy from above, there are countermeasures below. We generally have three options: delayed graduation, repeating a year, or guaranteed postgraduate admission.
The first two are for special cases. Your performance in the Gym Battle was impressive enough—if I submit a report, adding a spot for guaranteed postgraduate admission for you won't be a problem."
These methods were the unspoken rules among universities. Everyone did it, which created a sort of alternative "fairness."
And among them, guaranteed postgraduate admission was something Old Liu could offer directly. Rowan wasn't some freshman who just got into university—talking ideals was less meaningful than offering something practical.
"The individual competition also comes with extra prize money, and the university provides subsidies too—it's just up to how you want to think about it."
Old Liu didn't believe Rowan just because of a single video—he trusted the judgment of his old friend, Rong Lei.
To those veteran Gym Leaders, this competition was like the Baby Cup. And Rowan was a monster that just happened to meet the participation criteria.
By offering Rowan this opportunity, both sides stood to benefit. It was a win-win situation.
"Nekomi?"
"Meow~"
"I think I'll give it a shot."
"Alright. I'll contact you once there's news. Don't go out in the next few days—I'm not sure when I'll need to reach you."
After exchanging a few more polite words, the two, having gotten what they each wanted, left the office separately.
Rowan planned to head to the supermarket to buy some groceries.
Online shopping was convenient, sure, but when you couldn't see the actual produce, the quality of leafy greens and fruits was questionable. Meanwhile, his dear Teacher Liu still had a headache to deal with.
After all, there's more than one student. Just because Rowan's issue was resolved didn't mean others were as well. The abstract nature of the remaining problem had already dampened Old Liu's earlier joy.
"Didn't take the graduation makeup exam because he went to meet his online girlfriend in person...Kids these days... Please don't let this be another breakup suicide.."
Troubled, Old Liu walked towards the dorm district, only to find his path blocked by the accumulated water.
"They never fix the drainage properly with that budget—every year it floods as soon as it rains..."
Muttering complaints, he still rolled up his pants and waded into the water, hoping that this heartbroken student could get over it—if only for the sake of how he had "braved mountains and rivers" to get here.